Objective: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to explore whether vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for symptom improvement in children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: We systematically searched the PubMed database, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Sino-Med, Wanfang Data, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure mainly up to September 2019. Using a fixed effects model, we calculated the standard mean difference with 95% confidence interval. Furthermore, we analyzed baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and outcome scores including the Social Responsiveness Scale and Child Autism Rating Scale scores after vitamin D supplementation. Results: There was no significant difference in baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels among 203 children included from three studies in the meta-analysis. After vitamin D supplementation, the outcome scores in the experimental group were dramatically elevated compared with those in the control group (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation improves the typical symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, as indicated by reduced Social Responsiveness Scale and Child Autism Rating Scale scores; thus, it is beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background Community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections (CA-LRTIs) are the primary cause of hospitalization among children globally. A better understanding of the role of atypical pathogen infections in native conditions is essential to improve clinical management and preventive measures. The main objective of this study was to detect the presence of 7 respiratory viruses and 2 atypical pathogens among hospitalized infants and children with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections in Luzhou via an IgM test. Methods Overall, 6623 cases of local hospitalized children with 9 pathogen-IgM results from 1st July 2013 to 31st Dec 2016 were included; multidimensional analysis was performed. Results 1) Out of 19,467 hospitalized children with lower respiratory tract infections, 6623 samples were collected, for a submission ratio of 33.96% (6623 /19467). Of the total 6623 serum samples tested, 5784 IgM stains were positive, for a ratio of 87.33% (5784 /6623). Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) was the dominant pathogen (2548 /6623, 38.47%), with influenza B (INFB) (1606 /6623, 24.25%), Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (LP1) (485 /6623, 7.32%) and parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3 (PIVs) (416 /6623, 6.28%) ranking second, third and fourth, respectively. 2) The distribution of various pathogen-IgM by age group was significantly different (χ 2 = 455.039, P < 0.05). 3) Some pathogens were found to be associated with a certain age of children and seasons statistically. Conclusions The dominant positive IgM in the area was MP, followed by INFB, either of which prefers to infect children between 2 years and 5 years in autumn. The presence of atypical pathogens should not be underestimated clinically as they were common infections in the respiratory tract of children in the hospital.

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