Objective To prospectively observe the changes of amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram(aEEG) in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).Methods Thirty-five HIE neonates with gestational age of 37 ～ 41 weeks were chosen as HIE group,and all of them were hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit of Bethune International Peace Hospital from Aug 2011 to Jan 2012.At the same time,40 healthy term neonates were chosen as control group.aEEG monitoring was done within 24 ～ 48 hours after birth with cerebral function monitor (CF3000) and each recording last at least 8 hours.The continuity,sleep-wake cycle,voltage of every aEEG tracing were analyzed.Results (1) The maximal voltage of aEEG tracing in control group was 30 μV,while that in HIE group was 16 μV.The minimal voltage of aEEG tracing in control group was 13 μV,while that in HIE group was 7 μV.The aEEG tracing amplitude both in highest and lowest in HIE group were significantly lower than those in the control group.There were significant differences between them (P ＜ 0.05).(2) There was significant difference of sleep-wake cycling between HIE group and control group[20％ (7/35) vs 100％ (40/40),x2 =51.064,P ＜ 0.05].While there was also significant difference of the continuity of the amplitude between HIE group and control group[31％ (11/35)vs 100％ (40/40),x2 =40.336,P ＜0.05].Conclusion aEEG has some specific changes in neonates with HIE,possiblility it can be used for earlier predicting the occurrence of brain damage after asphyxia and provides good evidence for the early diagnosis and treatment of HIE.

Objective Therapeutic hypothermia has become a standard neuroprotective treatment in term newborn infants following perinatal asphyxia,but active cooling with whole body surface or head cooling is both complex and expensive.The clinical feasibility of passive cooling in treatment of full term infants with severe asphyxia was investigated.Methods Thirty-two severe asphyxiated term newborns treated with hypothermia were analyzed,who were randomly divided into 2 groups:passive cooling group(n =17) and active cooling group(n =15).Active cooling group adopted MTRE ALLONTM-thermo regulatory systems,passive cooling group using natural cooling method.Hypothermia treatment time was 72 hours.At the end of treatment,the clinical manifestations,biochemical parameters and clinical efficacy of infants between the 2 groups were compared.Results During treatment all infants had no cardiac arrhythmia,hypoglycemia,sustained metabolic acidosis,blood-borne infections,local cold injury or bleeding.Infants in passive cooling group had a relatively wide range of rectal temperature fluctuations[average (33.47-0.71) ℃] and infants in active cooling group had a relatively narrow range of rectal temperature fluctuations[average (33.66 ± 0.29) ℃],but there was no statistically significant difference in their mean rectal temperature(t =1.941,P =0.055).One patient died in active cooling group,but there were no significant differences in suckling age,length of hospital stay,neonatal behavioral neurological assessment score,abnormal cranial ultrasound and MRI between the survivors of the two groups(all P ＞0.05).Conclusions In NICU,environmental temperature is relatively stable,passive cooling for asphyxiated newborns appears to be feasible for maintenance of hypothermia with a lower risk of adverse reactions.

Objectives To investigate the clinical characteristics of hypoglycemic brain damage, and to assess the ifndings of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) and its predictive value in hypoglycemic brain damage. Methods Twenty-four neonates diagnosed with hypoglycaemia were selected. 12-hour continuous aEEG recordings were performed on the day when hypoglycaemia was diagnosed and second aEEG tracings was performed on the same day or the day after. The variability of aEEG background, appearance of sleep-wake cycling, bandwidth span and amplitude of lower border were analysed and compared with the results of brain MRI. Results Different degrees of epileptic seizures were found in neonates with severe hypoglycemic brain damage and were persisted after the blood sugar was corrected. aEEG in hypoglycemic brain damage was characterized by calyptriform or jagged epileptiform activity, disappearance of the sleep-wake cycle, but little impact on amplitude of lower border and bandwidth span. The recovery of sleep-wake cycle was a sign of brain function recovery. The aEEG and MRI had a good consistency in monitoring the hypoglycemic brain damage. Conclusions aEEG have signiifcant changes in hypoglycemic brain damage and can be used to monitor dynamically hypo-glycemic brain damage.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic basis for a fetus suspected for Coffin-Siris syndrome. METHODS: Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and whole exome sequencing (WES) were carried out for the fetus. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Prenatal ultrasound at 23rd gestational week has revealed fetal ventriculomegaly. No abnormality was found by CMA, while WES revealed that the fetus has harbored a de novo heterozygous c.2851G>A (p.G951R) variant of the SMARCA4 gene, which was predicted to be pathogenic. CONCLUSION Genetic testing should be considered for fetuses featuring progressive widening of lateral cerebral ventricles.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; DNA Helicases/genetics* ; Fetus ; Genetic Testing ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Phenotype ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Exome Sequencing

Objective: Corydalis bungeana (CB) is a well-used medicinal herb in Mongolian folk medicine and has been traditionally applied as an antiobesity agent. However, the evidence-based pharmacological effects of CB and its specific metabolic alterations in the obese model are not entirely understood. This study aimed to utilize untargeted metabolomic techniques to identify biomarkers and gain mechanistic insight into the serum metabolite alterations associated with weight loss and lipid metabolism in obese rats. Methods: A high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diet was used to induce obese models in rats. CB extract was orally gavaged at 0.18, 0.9 and 1.8 g/kg doses for six weeks, and feed intake, body weight, fat pad weight, and blood indexes were measured. Blood serum metabolites were evaluated by gas chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS). Results: The results showed that compared with the obese group, the administration of CB extract caused significant decreases in body weight (P < 0.05), feed intake, Lee's index, and perirenal, mesenteric, epididymal fat weight. CB extract also reduced blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels (P < 0.05) of obese rats. Metabolomic findings showed that nine differential metabolites, including pyruvic acid, D-glucuronic acid, malic acid, dimethylglycine, oxoglutaric acid, pantothenic acid, sorbitol acid, fumaric acid and glucose 6-phosphate were identified under CB treatment and altered metabolic pathways such as TCA cycle, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. Conclusion: This study demonstrated weight loss and lipid lowering effects of CB on HFHS diet-induced obese rats and identified nine metabolites as potential biomarkers for evaluating the favorable therapeutic mechanism of CB via regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism.