Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Although previous studies have described the clinical aspects of COVID-19, few studies have focused on the early detection of severe COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the predictors of severe COVID-19 and to compare clinical features between patients with severe COVID-19 and those with less severe COVID-19. Patients admitted to designated hospital in the Henan Province of China who were either discharged or died prior to February 15, 2020 were enrolled retrospectively. Additionally, patients who underwent at least one of the following treatments were assigned to the severe group: continuous renal replacement therapy, high-flow oxygen absorption, noninvasive and invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The remaining patients were assigned to the non-severe group. Demographic information, initial symptoms, and first visit examination results were collected from the electronic medical records and compared between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of severe COVID-19. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to identify a threshold for each predictor. Altogether,104 patients were enrolled in our study with 30 and 74 patients in the severe and non-severe groups, respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that patients aged �63 years (odds ratio = 41.0; 95% CI: 2.8, 592.4), with an absolute lymphocyte value of �1.02×10 9 /L (odds ratio = 6.1; 95% CI = 1.5, 25.2) and a C-reactive protein level of �65.08mg/L (odds ratio = 8.9; 95% CI = 1.0, 74.2) were at a higher risk of severe illness. Thus, our results could be helpful in the early detection of patients at risk for severe illness, enabling the implementation of effective interventions and likely lowering the morbidity of COVID-19 patients.

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Background Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in childhood have recently been found to be the strongest predictive risk factor for coronary artery disease in adulthood. There is an increased level of LDL-C in children and adolescents with short stature. However, the underlying factors associated with increased LDL-C levels in children and adolescents with short stature are unknown. In addition, the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) level in the short-stature population is usually below the normal reference range. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between IGF-1 standard deviation score (IGF-1 SDS) and LDL-C level in children and adolescents with short stature. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in a single centre of China, 557 short-stature children and adolescents whose height SDS was lower than − 2 SD after adjustment for age and gender were included. The related clinical and laboratory examinations, including anthropometric parameters, lipid profiles, IGF-1 levels and the levels of other cofactors, were assessed in all participants. Results The univariate analysis results showed a significant negative correlation between IGF-1 SDS and LDL-C levels ( P = 0.006). Furthermore, a nonlinear relationship was observed between IGF-1 SDS and LDL-C by smooth curve fitting after adjusting for possible confounders. A multivariate piecewise linear regression model revealed a significant negative correlation between IGF-1 SDS and LDL-C when the IGF-1 level was greater than − 2 SDS (β − 0.07, 95% CI -0.12, − 0.02; P = 0.006). However, we did not observe a significant relationship between IGF-1 SDS and LDL-C when the IGF-1 level was lower than − 2 SDS (β 0.08, 95% CI -0.02, 0.17; P = 0.119). Conclusion This study demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between IGF-1 and LDL-C independent of other potential confounding factors, suggesting that circulating IGF-1 may contribute to the regulation of LDL-C levels, thus meriting further investigation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12944-019-1062-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Elevated triglyceride (TG) levels are a biomarker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The correlation between serum uric acid (SUA) and TG concentrations in adults or obese children is well established. However, studies on SUA and TG in children with short stature are limited. Aim To determine the relationship between SUA and TG levels in short children and adolescents. Method This was a cross-sectional evaluation of a cohort of 1095 patients with short stature (720 males and 375 females). The related clinical characteristics, including anthropometric and biochemical parameters, were determined. Results Smooth curve fitting, adjusted for potential confounders was performed, which indicated the existence of a non-linear relationship between these measures. Piecewise multivariate linear analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between SUA and TG at SUA concentrations over 7 mg/dL (β = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.05–0.22, P = 0.002) but no significant correlation at lower SUA levels (β = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.01–0.04, P = 0.799). Furthermore, a stratified analysis was performed to appraise changes in this relationship for different sexes and standard deviation levels of body mass index (BMI). The non-linear relationship remained consistent in males and females with BMI standard deviation scores (BMI SDS) ≥ 0, with inflection points of 6.71 mg/dL and 3.93 mg/dL, respectively. Within these two groups, SUA and TG levels showed a positive association when SUA levels were higher than the inflection point (β = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.11–0.31, P < 0.001 for males and β = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.03–0.17, P = 0.005 for females). However, a specific relationship was not observed at lower SUA levels. No significant relationships were found between SUA and TG levels in males and females with BMI SDS < 0. Conclusion The present study identified the non-linear association of SUA and TG levels with short children and adolescents. This relationship was based on BMI status. This finding suggests that health status should be considered for short stature children with high SUA levels, especially in children with a high BMI standard deviation score.

Background: The growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis is critical for the regulation of children's growth and development. Serum IGF-1 concentrations are usually low in individuals with idiopathic short stature (ISS) despite normal endogenous GH levels, and the associated underlying factors are unknown. This study aimed to explore the relationship between IGF-1 and hemoglobin (Hb) in children with ISS. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed including 178 children and adolescents with ISS who were enrolled from March 2013 to February 2019. The related clinical and biochemical parameters were evaluated for each patient. Univariate analysis, smooth curve fitting and multivariate piecewise linear regression were performed. Result: The mean levels of IGF-1 standard deviation scores (SDS) and Hb were − 0.99 (− 1.60-0.09) and 131.81 ± 9.36 g/L, respectively. Univariate analysis displayed a significant positive association between Hb and IGF-1 SDS (P < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the positive relationship between Hb and IGF-1 SDS remained (P = 0.001). Furthermore, there was an inflection point for Hb in the curve. In a multivariate piecewise linear regression model, IGF-1 SDS was significantly positively associated with Hb when Hb concentrations were lower than 145 g/L (B 0.05; 95% CI 0.02, 0.07; P < 0.001). However, IGF-1 SDS decreased with increasing Hb levels when Hb concentrations were greater than 145 g/L (B-0.15; 95% CI-0.23, − 0.06; P = 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Hb is associated with IGF-1 in Chinese children and adolescents with ISS. The levels of IGF-1 increased with the elevation of Hb, but when the concentration of Hb exceeded a certain range, with the increase of Hb, IGF-1 decreased instead.

Objective. This study aimed to examine the relationship between serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and growth hormone (GH) in children and adolescents with short stature. Methods. In this retrospective cohort study, 670 Chinese children and adolescents with short stature were included, and 253 of them received recombinant human GH (rhGH) therapy. Anthropometric and biochemical indicators were measured. GH peak levels were assessed after provocation tests with L-dopa and insulin. The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to the GH peak level. The association between the GH peak and ALT was analyzed. The change of ALT during rhGH therapy was assessed by a generalized additive mixed model. Results. Serum ALT and incidence of ALT elevation were both decreased across the GH tertiles (P = 0.002, 0.012, respectively). A univariate analysis showed that the GH peak was negatively associated with ALT (β: -0.12; 95%CI: -0.22, -0.02; P = 0.023). Furthermore, multiple linear stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that the GH peak was independently related to ALT after adjusting for other confounding variables (β: -0.12; 95%CI: -0.24, -0.00; P = 0.042). Besides, mean values of the change in ALT from baseline displayed that, during the early stages of rhGH treatment, serum ALT level indicated a temporary upward trend, but it subsequently gradually decreased (β: -0.16; 95%CI: -0.23, -0.09; P < 0.001). Conclusions. GH secretion level was strongly negatively correlated with ALT in short children and adolescents. And rhGH therapy could reduce ALT level over time.

Objective. Delays in skeletal maturity are related to bone mass and fracture risk in children, but the factors that determine it are unknown. We aimed to identify the association between insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and skeletal maturation before and after growth hormone (GH) treatment. Methods. In this retrospective cohort study, we observed 783 short children and adolescents, 229 of whom received GH therapy. Skeletal maturation was assessed based on the difference between bone age (BA) and chronological age (CA) (noted as BA-CA). Anthropometric data and laboratory values were measured, and BA was evaluated using the Greulich and Pyle method. Results. The delayed BA group was defined as BA‐CA<−2 SD (n=457), and the occurrence rate of BA delay was 58.37%. A nonlinear relationship was observed between the IGF-1 standard deviation score (IGF-1 SDS) and BA-CA before and after GH therapy. Before GH therapy, there was a significant positive association between the IGF-1 SDS and BA-CA when the IGF-1 level was greater than -2 SDS (β 0.17, 95% CI 0.08, 027; P<0.001). However, we did not observe a significant relationship between the IGF-1 SDS and BA-CA when the IGF-1 level was lower than -2 SDS (β 0.07, 95% CI -0.12, 0.26; P=0.454). After GH therapy, there was a significant positive association between the IGF-1 SDS and BA-CA when the IGF-1 level was lower than 2 SDS (β 0.20, 95% CI 0.12, 028; P<0.001). However, we did not observe a significant relationship between the IGF-1 SDS and BA-CA when the IGF-1 level was greater than 2 SDS (β -0.03, 95% CI -0.33, 0.27; P=0.866). Conclusion. BA is more delayed in short children and adolescents. There is a nonlinear relationship between IGF-1 and BA maturation in short children before and after GH treatment. These findings suggest that a low level of IGF-1 may contribute to BA delay in short children and adolescents.

Objective. To identify the aetiology of growth and development diseases and assess the long-term effectiveness of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy in a real-life clinical setting and provide better guidance in clinical strategy and decision making. Methods. This retrospective study included 1145 children and adolescents with short stature admitted to the Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, from January 2013 to December 2019, of whom 484 received rhGH treatment. The related anthropometrics and laboratory examinations were assessed in all participants. Results. A total of 1145 children and adolescents with short stature aged 10.5 ± 3.3 years, including 740 boys and 405 girls, were analysed in this study. The number of children and adolescents with short stature gradually increased per year from 2013 to 2019. The mean pretreatment height standard deviation score (SDS) and insulin-like growth factor-1 SDS were − 2.93 ± 1.05 and -1.01 (-1.83--0.16), respectively. The majority of the children (658, 57.47%) were prepubescent. In total, 484 subjects aged 10.6 ± 3.2 years received rhGH and were followed up, and among them, 292 children were treated for more than one year. As the treatment time increased, the children’s height SDS gradually increased, and most of them attained a height SDS within the normal range. The mean height SDS in children who were treated for more than one year was − 3.0 ± 1.0 at baseline and gradually increased to − 0.8 ± 0.3 by year 6. The results were consistent across subgroups of different aetiologies of short stature. Conclusions. Increasing attention has been given to the height of children during the period of 2013–2019 in eastern China. The present findings indicate that children with short stature need to be referred to a specialist centre to diagnose the cause of growth failure and that short children receiving rhGH therapy show a significant increase in height over time.