Transcriptomics integrated with metabolomics reveals partial molecular mechanisms of nutritional risk and neurodevelopment in children with congenital heart disease

To explore molecular mechanisms affecting nutritional risk and neurodevelopment in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) by combining transcriptome and metabolome analysis. In this study, transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of blood and serum samples from 26 children with CHD was performed to search for key DEGs and DEMs, and explore molecular mechanisms affecting nutritional risk and neurodevelopment in children with CHD. A total of 26 blood and serum samples from 3 groups of children with CHD (low nutritional risk combined with normal neurodevelopment (group A), low nutritional risk combined with neurodevelopmental disorders (group B) and high nutritional risk combined with normal neurodevelopment (group C)) were analyzed by transcriptome and metabolomics to search for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and metabolites (DEMs). Functional analysis was conducted for DEGs and DEMs. Further, the joint pathway analysis and correlation analysis of DEGs and DEMs were performed.