Objective:To study the influence of periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (PVH-IVH) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) of preterm infants in the late postnatal period using arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Methods:From January 2023 to June 2023, 65 preterm infants (gestational age <32 weeks, birth weight <1 500 g) who were born in the Department of Obstetrics, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were included in the prospective study.They were examined by the brain MRI and ASL at the corrected gestational age of 35-40 weeks.According to the results of the brain ultrasound within 1 week after birth, they were divided into the mild IVH group (25 cases) and the non-IVH group (40 cases). The CBF values in regions of interest (frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, thalamus, and basal ganglia) on ASL images were compared.Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the effect of PVH-IVH on CBF values in different ASL regions of interest, including frontal cortex, temporal cortex, parietal cortex, occipital cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia.Results:Compared with those of non-IVH group, infants in the mild IVH group presented significantly older gestational age [29.0 (28.5, 30.4) weeks vs.28.2 (27.0, 31.0) weeks, Z=-2.398, P=0.016], higher hematocrit (HCT) in the latest examination prior to the brain MRI [29.6(26.4, 32.3)% vs.27.8 (25.6, 30.5)%, Z=-2.155, P=0.031], and larger body weight at the time of examination [2 015.0 (1 930.0, 2 127.5) g vs.1 950.0 (1 900.0, 1 997.5) g, Z=-3.314, P=0.001]. After adjustment for confounding factors of gestational age at birth, latest HCT and weight at the time of examination, the multivariable linear regression analysis showed that CBF values in the frontal lobe (95% CI: -8.367--4.042; P<0.001), temporal lobe (95% CI: -19.077--2.854; P=0.008), parietal lobe (95% CI: -8.344--3.502; P<0.001), occipital lobe (95% CI: -9.446--3.645; P<0.001), basal ganglia (95% CI: -7.543--1.963; P=0.001) and thalamus (95% CI: -8.051--2.372; P<0.001) were significantly lower in infants of the mild IVH group than those of non-IVH group. Conclusions:At the same corrected gestational age, mild IVH is correlated with low CBF values in local cerebral cortex and subcortical gray matter in premature infants.However, the predictive potential of CBF values in long-term neurological prognosis requires further explorations.

Objective:To study the current status of critical neonatal care centers (CNCC) construction and treatment of critically-ill neonates at city- and county-level in Henan Province.Methods:A questionnaire survey was conducted in January 2022 to city- and county-level CNCC in Henan Province. The basic information of CNCC, ward settings, neonatal management in the Department of Obstetrics and the treatment of critically-ill neonates in 2019-2021 were analyzed.Results:A total of 188 questionnaires were sent and 183 (97.3%) eligible questionnaires were analyzed, including 30 from city centers and 153 from county centers. The bed occupancy rate in county centers was significantly lower than city centers (67.3%±24.1% vs. 86.1%±23.2%), and the doctor/bed ratio, doctor/rescue bed ratio and nurse/rescue bed ratio were significantly higher than city centers ( P<0.05). All city centers had set up independent Department of Neonatology and the number is 92.8% (142/153) in county center. For 80.9% (148/183) centers, neonates were managed in the Department of Obstetrics with consultations and referrals to the Department of Pediatrics and 19.1% (35/183) were managed in the Department of Pediatrics/Neonatology. The average number of deliveries and admissions to the Department of Neonatology in both city and county centers decreased year on year during 2019-2021, but the proportion of premature and low/very low birth weight infants treated in these centers increased year on year. During 2019-2021, the top three diseases treated at the city centers were neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal asphyxia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, while the top three diseases treated at the county centers were neonatal asphyxia, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and meconium aspiration syndrome. The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome in city and county centers was (10~30)/100,000. Conclusions:The construction of CNCC in Henan Province is facing challenges such as decreased hospital admissions, increased critically-ill neonates, insufficient cooperation between Obstetrics and Pediatrics and waste of resources. Rationally allocated and optimised use of resources to improve the ability to treat critically-ill neonates is warranted.

Objective:To explore the relationship between preterm labor with different causes and cerebral perfusion in different regions of interest in very preterm infants.Methods:This was a prospective cohort study. A total of 145 preterm infants with gestational age of 28-31 +6 weeks who were hospitalized in the Neonatology Department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University within 24 h after birth from April 2022 to May 2023 were selected for the study, and were categorized into the iatrogenic preterm labor group ( n=55), spontaneous preterm labor with premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) group ( n=47), and spontaneous preterm labor with intact membranes group ( n=43) according to the cause of preterm labor. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) values in the cortex and deep gray matter of different regions of interest (frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, thalamus, and basal ganglia) were measured using the arterial spin labeling technique in the very preterm infants in each group. One-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis H test and Bonferroni correction, Chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability method, analysis of covariance, and LSD test were used to compare the differences in CBF among the groups. Results:The differences in the incidence of complications such as cerebral white matter injury, Ⅰ-Ⅱ grade intracranial hemorrhage, and late-onset sepsis during hospitalization among the three groups of preterm infants were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). In the iatrogenic preterm labor group, compared with the spontaneous preterm labor with PROM group, CBF [in units of ml/ (100 g·min)] was higher in regions of interest such as the right temporal lobe [20.5 (16.1-24.6) vs. 17.1 (14.5-23.0)], bilateral parietal lobe [left side: 22.4 (17.1-25.3) vs. 16.9 (14.4-24.1); right side: 23.0 (18.2-27.4) vs. 17.0 (14.0-22.2)], right occipital lobe [22.1 (18.6-29.5) vs. 19.4 (13.7-24.5)], bilateral basal ganglia [left side: 33.0 (29.1-36.3) vs. 24.9 (22.9-33.1); right side: 32.8 (29.0-37.0) vs. 26.1 (22.3-35.0)], and bilateral thalamus [left side: 39.2 (36.0-45.0) vs. 32.6 (25.1-42.2); right side: 38.6 (34.6-44.1) vs. 32.0 (25.4-44.9)] (Bonferroni corrected, all P<0.017). Compared with the spontaneous preterm labor group with intact membranes, CBF in the iatrogenic preterm labor group was higher in the cortex and deep gray matter of regions of interest such as bilateral frontal lobe [left side: 21.4 (18.3-25.3) vs. 17.0 (12.0-22.2); right side: 22.1 (16.7-25.0) vs. 15.9 (12.0-23.3)], temporal lobe [left side: 21.4 (17.0-24.8) vs. 18.4 (14.0-22.0); right side: 20.5 (16.1-24.6) vs. 17.3 (13.3-22.3)], parietal lobe [left side: 22.4 (17.1-25.3) vs. 15.3 (10.4-20.8); right side: 23.0 (18.2-27.4) vs. 15.7 (11.1-23.6)], occipital lobe [left side: 22.7 (18.8-28.4) vs. 18.2 (11.4-23.4); right side: 22.1 (18.6-29.5) vs. 19.6 (14.0-25.8)], basal ganglia [left side: 33.0 (29.1-36.3) vs. 27.7 (19.1-32.4); right side: 32.8 (29.0-37.0) vs. 27.7 (21.5-33.0)] and thalamus [left side: 39.2 (36.0-45.0) vs. 33.9 (26.0-43.7); right side: 38.6 (34.6-44.1) vs. 33.3 (27.8-40.4)] (Bonferroni corrected, all P<0.017). Analysis of covariance revealed that the cause of preterm birth had a significant effect on CBF values in the cortex and deep gray matter of very preterm infants ( P=0.007), and that iatrogenic preterm birth elevated CBF perfusion in the localized cerebral cortex and deep gray matter of very preterm infants as compared to the spontaneous preterm births with PROM group and spontaneous preterm births with intact membranes group (LSD test, all P<0.05). Conclusion:Cerebral blood perfusion in very preterm infants is related to the causes leading to preterm birth, and local cortical and deep gray matter blood perfusion levels in the brain are increased in those with iatrogenic preterm birth compared to spontaneous preterm birth.

Background::Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.Methods::A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.Results::All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex. Conclusions::The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.