Physical growth and neurodevelopment of preterm infants at the corrected age of 18-24 months / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the levels of physical growth and neurodevelopment in preterm infants at the corrected age of 18-24 months.@*METHODS@#The physical growth data and neurodevelopment data of 484 preterm infants at corrected age of 18-24 months were prospectively collected by a post-discharge follow-up system for preterm infants. The infants were regularly followed up in Shenzhen Bao'an Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Jinan University from April 2018 to December 2021. The neurodevelopment was evaluated by the Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016. A total of 219 full-term infants served as controls. The infants were divided into groups (extremely preterm, very preterm, moderate late preterm, and full-term) based on gestational age, and the groups were compared in the levels of physical growth and neurodevelopment.@*RESULTS@#Except that the moderate preterm group had a higher length-for-age Z-score than the full-term group (P=0.038), there was no significant difference in physical growth indicators between the preterm groups and the full-term group (P>0.05). Each preterm group had a significantly lower total developmental quotient (DQ) than the full-term group (P<0.05). Except for the social behavior domain, the DQ of other domains in the extremely preterm and very preterm groups was significantly lower than that in the full-term group (P<0.05). The <32 weeks preterm group had a significantly higher incidence rate of global developmental delay than the full-term group (16.7% vs 6.4%, P=0.012), and the incidence rate of global developmental delay tended to increase with the reduction in gestational age (P=0.026).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Preterm infants can catch up with full-term infants in terms of physical growth at the corrected age of 18-24 months, but with a lower neurodevelopmental level than full-term infants. Neurodevelopment monitoring and early intervention should be taken seriously for preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks.

Chemical and pharmacological progress on a Tibetan folk medicine formula Bawei Chenxiang Powder / 中国中药杂志

Bawei Chenxiang Powder is a traditional Tibetan folk medicine formula, consisting of resinous wood of Aquilaria sinensis, kernel of Myristica fragrans, fruit of Choerospondias axillaris, travertine, resin of Boswellia carterii or B. bhaw-dajiana, stem of Aucklandia lappa, fruit of Terminalia chebula(roasted), and flower of Gossampinus malabarica. It has the function of clearing heart heat, nourishing heart, tranquilizing mind, and inducing resuscitation, which has been used for the treatment of coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. Modern research shows that the medicine materials of this formula mainly contain terpenoids like sesquiterpenes and triterpenes and polyphenols like flavonoids, lignans, and tannins, displaying some pharmacological activities such as anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-cerebral ischemia, and spatial learning and memory promotion. This review summaries the traditional uses, chemical constituents, and pharmacological activities research progress, hopefully to provide a reference for clarification of its pharmacological active ingredients.

Analgesic and sedative effects of Mongolian medicine Syringa pinnatifolia / 中国中药杂志

The peeled root,stem or twig of Syringa pinnatifolia is a representative Mongolian folk medicine with the effects of antidepression and pain relief. It has been used for the treatments of heart tingling,heart palpitations,upset,insomnia and other symptoms. Inspired by Mongolian medical theory and clinical practices,this study evaluated the analgesic effect of S. pinnatifolia ethanol extract( T) through three analgesic models including acetic acid writhing test,formalin test,and hot plate test,and the sedative effect of T was evaluated by locomotor activity and synergistic sleeping experiments,and furthermore the effects of T on the GABAergic nervous system were investigated by ELISA,immunohistochemistry,Western blot,and PCR methods. The results showed that T can significantly reduce the number of writhing,the time of paw licking and extend the thermal threshold of mice,suggesting the analgesic effect of T.T also can indicate its sedative effect by reducing the number of activities,decreasing latency of sleeping and extending sleeping time of mice. ELISA results showed that T can increase the content of GABA/Glu in rat cortex,hippocampus,and hypothalamus,and the most significant increase in hypothalamus. The immunohistochemistry and Western blot results showed that T can up-regulate the expression of GAD67 protein in hypothalamus,and the PCR results showed that T can up-regulate the expression of GABAA Rα1,α2,α3,α5,β1-3,γ1-3 genes,suggesting a sedative effect through the GABAergic nervous system. In conclusion,this study shed insight into the theoretical basis and clinical application of S. pinnatifolia,and also provides inspiration for subsequent development and application.