Background: Infants with extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) experience significant postnatal growth restriction in the first week after birth, which indicates a failure of energy absorption. This study aimed to determine the different intestinal microbial species and metabolites between infants with EUGR and those without EUGR. Methods: A total of 73 infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit were enrolled and divided into the EUGR group (n=50) and the non-EUGR group (n=23). Fecal samples were collected during hospitalization. Bacterial species and their relative abundance were identified with metagenome sequencing. The metabolites in the feces and blood were identified with a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based non-targeted metabolome. Results: The intestinal microbiota of the EUGR group contained less Bacteroides vulgatus, Dorea unclassified, Lachnospiraceae bacterium 1_1_57FAA, and Roseburia unclassified compared to that of the non-EUGR group. More importantly, the intestinal microbiota of the EUGR group contained Streptococcus mitis_oralis_pneumoniae, while that of the non-EUGR group did not. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) prediction and a correlation analysis identified that the majority of different microbial species higher in the non-EUGR group were related to metabolism. The results of the non-targeted metabolome revealed that several metabolites in the feces and blood were much higher in either group, and some of which were related to the different microbial species. Conclusions: This study identified several different intestinal microbial species and metabolites in the patients’ feces and blood, which may provide evidence to identify the biomarkers of infants with EUGR.

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia (NHB) affects approximately 60% of term infants and is a recognised cause of bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction (BIND); however, its subclinical neurodevelopmental sequelae have not been well characterised at the level of specific developmental domains. Objectives: We aimed to use the Griffiths Developmental Scales–Chinese Edition (GDS-C) to characterise the domain-specific neurodevelopmental profile of term infants with NHB and to identify clinical risk factors for adverse outcomes. Methods: We conducted a single-centre, retrospective cohort study of 123 term newborns delivered between September 2019 and August 2023 at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China; 77 had NHB and 46 were healthy controls. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed using the GDS-C at a median age of 46.9 months (interquartile range [IQR], 36.4–59.7) by a single certified examiner who was blinded to bilirubin status. A developmental quotient (DQ) below 85 (>1 SD below the standardised mean of 100) or at or below the 10th percentile was classified as below cutoff; otherwise, performance was classified as within the normal range. To account for testing across six domains, a Bonferroni-adjusted significance threshold of p < 0.0083 was applied. Results: Compared to the control group, the jaundice group had higher proportions of below-cutoff performance in the Locomotor (26.0% vs. 10.9%; p = 0.045), Personal–Social (28.6% vs. 10.9%; p = 0.022), Eye and Hand Coordination (29.9% vs. 10.9%; p = 0.015) and Performance (35.1% vs. 15.2%; p = 0.018) domains. Among infants with severe hyperbilirubinaemia (total serum bilirubin (TSB) ≥ 342 μmol/L; n = 19), the proportions of below-cutoff performance in the Locomotor (47.4% vs. 19.0%; p = 0.032), Personal–Social (57.9% vs. 19.0%; p = 0.003) and Performance (57.9% vs. 27.6%; p = 0.034) domains exceeded those in the non-severe subgroup. Jaundice lasting ≥ 14 days was associated with poorer personal–social outcomes (p = 0.007). In multivariable logistic regression, both a peak TSB ≥ 342 μmol/L (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64–19.02; p = 0.006) and a jaundice duration ≥ 14 days (aOR, 5.68; 95% CI, 1.61–20.04; p = 0.007) were independently associated with below-cutoff personal–social performance. Conclusions: Among term infants, NHB was associated with an increased risk of below-cutoff performance across several GDS-C domains, particularly those reflecting gross motor, personal–social and visual-spatial functions. Severe hyperbilirubinaemia and prolonged jaundice were independent risk factors. The GDS-C may serve as a sensitive, domain-specific instrument for the early identification of infants at risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Background Presentation-day serum iron and total Kt/V are both lower in peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis, but their significance at the moment of presentation has been incompletely characterised. Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study (January 2022–December 2024), 90 peritonitis episodes (59 patients) were compared with 80 non-peritonitis peritoneal dialysis surveillance observations (79 patients; unmatched prevalent controls) using sequential-adjustment logistic regression with cluster-robust standard errors; exposures were expressed per one standard deviation. Results Cases exhibited a coherent acute-phase iron-sequestration phenotype on the presentation day (low serum iron, low total iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation, high ferritin), indicating that the presentation-day iron profile reflects systemic inflammation rather than pre-existing iron deficiency, although the cross-sectional design cannot establish temporal precedence. Total Kt/V was significantly lower in cases, driven predominantly by loss of residual renal clearance, and was associated with lower peritonitis odds in the episode-level complete-case analysis (odds ratio 0.36, 95% confidence interval 0.15–0.86; an exploratory estimate based on 43 events across seven adjusted predictors); the point estimate was directionally consistent across first-episode, multiple-imputation, and penalised specifications, while statistical significance was specification-dependent. Conclusions This study provides an explicitly quantified description of the iron-sequestration phenotype and of the lower total Kt/V in cases.

Objective: This study was aimed to analyze 10 pediatric cases of pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) of the knee to elucidate their clinical features, diagnosis, treatments, and prognosis for providing reference regarding its clinical management in children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was made pertaining to the clinical manifestations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, pathology, immunohistochemical results, treatment methods, and follow-up outcomes of 10 pediatric PVNS patients of the knee treated from January 2022 to January 2024 at our hospital. They were compared and analyzed with existing literature. Results: (1) All 10 patients had joint swelling with restricted movement, mainly in older female children with male-to-female ratio of 3:7 and average age of 14.1 ± 3.6 years; (2) diagnostic positive rate of MRI was 80%; (3) significant features of PVNS were the appearance of villous and nodular hyperplasia on synovial surface and deposition of brownish-yellow granular hemosiderin. Immunohistochemical staining results were clusterin (synovial cells+), D2-40 (synovial cells+), CD163 (histiocytes+), KP-1 (histiocytes+), CD31 (vascular+), P63 (−), and Ki67 (+, 1%-10%); and (4) all patients underwent arthroscopic surgery with 20% recurrence rate. Conclusion: Pediatric knee PVNS is more prevalent in older female children. The PVNS diagnosis is carried out by MRI, pathology, and immunohistochemistry. Arthroscopic surgery is effective for treating this condition in children.