Traumatic Brain Injury in Pregnancy / Traumatismo cranioencefálico na gravidez

Objective The present paper aims to provide a review on the main complications involving traumatic brain injury (TBI) during pregnancy and on the vegetative state after TBI. Methods A systematic review was performed in concordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria checklist. Results Seven studies were included, of which four were case reports, one was a follow-up, one was a comparative study, and one was a literature review. Discussion Presence of neurological deficits such as hemiparesis, neonatal seizures, cerebral palsy, hemorrhage or hydrocephalus was observed in children of mothers who suffered trauma during pregnancy. The prolongation of a pregnancy in these victims, even in brain death, is within the reach of current medicine. Ethical issues must be considered when deciding to prolong a pregnancy of a woman in brain death. Conclusion For the evaluation of pregnant women with TBI, there is a protocol that can be followed in the emergency care service. The cases reported in the literature suggest that there is no clear limit to restrict support to a pregnant patient in a vegetative state. Further studies should be done to elucidate this matter.

Objetivo O presente artigo buscou revisar as principais complicações envolvendo lesão cerebral traumática durante a gravidez e sobre estado vegetativo após esse trauma. Métodos Uma revisão sistemática foi realizada de acordo com o checklist dos critérios Principais itens para relatar Revisões sistemáticas e Metanálises (PRISMA, na sigla em inglês). Resultados Sete estudos foram incluídos, dos quais quatro eram relatos de caso, um era um acompanhamento, um era um estudo comparativo, e um era uma revisão de literatura. Discussão Presença de déficit neurológico como hemiparesias, convulsões neonatais, paralisia cerebral, hemorragia e hidrocefalia foram observadas em crianças cuja mãe sofreu trauma durante a gravidez. O prolongamento da gravidez nessas vítimas, mesmo nos casos de morte cerebral, está ao alcance da medicina atual. Dilemas éticos devem ser considerados na decisão de prolongar a gravidez em mulheres com trauma cerebral. Conclusão Para avaliação de grávidas com trauma cerebral, existe um protocolo que pode ser seguido em serviços de emergência. Os casos relatados na literatura sugerem que não há um limite claro para restringir o suporte a uma paciente grávida em estado vegetativo. Mais estudos devem ser realizados para elucidar a questão.

Development and reliability and validity testing of the assessment scale for patients with persistent vegetative state or minimally conscious state discharge from the anesthesia recovery room / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To develop and test the reliability and validity of the assessment scale for patients with persistent vegetative state (PVS) or minimally conscious state (MCS) discharge from the anesthesia recovery room after operation.Methods:From September 2018 to October 2020, three dimensions and 17 item pools were determined through literature review and discussion among the project members. Two rounds of expert consultation were conducted to determine the respiratory (R), circulatory (C), oxygenation (O), bispectral index (B) and neuromuscular monitoring (N) scale (RCOBN scale), the reliability and validity were tested. 87 patients with PVS or MCS after operation Affiliated Sichuan Bayi Rehabilitation Center of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected to verify the effectiveness.Results:In the first round, 23 questionnaires were distributed. The total score of experts was 50 ± 3, F=9.24, CV were 0.00-0.43. The Cronbach α coefficient of each dimension was 0.782-0.846, and the Cronbach α coefficient of the total scale was 0.813. In the second round, 10 questionnaires were distributed. The item-level content validity index was 0.7-1.0, the probability of random consistency ( Pc) was 0.001-0.117, the adjusted kappa value ( k*) was 0.567-1.000, and the sum of the index scores corresponding to k* > 0.74 was 8. The scale-level content validity index of the overall consistency was 0.87. The ratio of patients transferred out of PACU by two rounds of evaluation method was 100 : 96.55, and the difference was not statistically significant ( χ2=3.05, P>0.05). The time of the first round of assessment was significantly longer than that of the second round, which were (197 ± 52) s and (58 ± 14) s respectively. The difference was statistically significant ( t=26.52, P < 0.01). Conclusions:The RCOBN scale has high reliability and validity. It can be used as an assessment scale for patients with PVS or MCS to transfer out of PACU after surgery, and those with a total score of 8 can be transferred out of PACU.

Factors influencing the extubation of patients in a vegetative state after tracheotomy / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To explore the factors influencing the extubation time of patients in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) after tracheotomy so as to provide a theoretical basis for early extubation for such patients.Methods:Clinical data were collected on PVS patients after a tracheotomy. The cases were divided into an extubation group and a difficult extubation group according to whether the extubation was successful or not. Version 22.0 of the SPSS software was used to evaluate univariate and multivariate logistic regressions analyzing the factors influencing the success of extubation.Results:The single-factor analysis revealed significant differences between the groups in terms of average age, nursing level, nutrition, swallowing function, hypoalbuminemia and incubation time. Gender, brain injury, stroke, ischemic anoxic encephalopathy and lung infection were not, however, significant predictors. The multivariate logistic regression analysis highlighted nutritional mode, swallowing function, intubation time, pulmonary infection, full-time care and age as independent predictors of extubation success.Conclusions:Intermittent oral to esophageal tube feeding and full-time care are protective factors for extubation of patients in a PVS after a tracheotomy. Swallowing disorders, intubation for more than 30 days, pulmonary infection and greater age are risk factors for unsuccessful extubation. Nutritional support, swallowing function training and intensive nursing can effectively improve the success rate of extubation.

Effects of acupuncture on nutritional status in patients in a persistent vegetative state: a prospective randomized controlled study / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To explore the effects of acupuncture on nutritional status in patients in a persistent vegetative state. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial was designed. A total of 66 patients in a persistent vegetative state were randomized into a control group and an observation group, with 33 cases in each group. The control group was given conventional treatment plus enteral nutrition support. The observation group was treated with additional Tiao Shen Jian Pi acupuncture therapy (acupuncture for spirit-regulating and spleen-invigorating) based on the same interventions in the control group. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. The levels of total protein (TP), prealbumin (PA), albumin (Alb), and hemoglobin (Hb) were measured before and after treatment. The upper arm circumference and skinfold thickness of triceps brachii were measured. And the intestinal flora and fecal short-chain fatty acids contents were determined.Results: After treatment, the levels of TP, PA, Alb, and Hb in the control group were decreased (P<0.05), while in the observation group, compared with those before treatment, the levels of TP, PA, Alb, and Hb had no statistical differences (P>0.05), and the levels were all higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The upper arm circumference and skinfold thickness of triceps brachii in both groups decreased (P<0.05), and the values of these two items in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). In the control group, the contents of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in feces decreased (P<0.05), and the content of Enterococcus increased (P<0.05). In the observation group, the contents of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in feces increased (P<0.05), and the content of Enterococcus decreased (P<0.05). The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). In the control group, the total content of fecal short-chain fatty acids and the contents of acetic acid and butyric acid in feces decreased (P<0.05). In the observation group, the total content of fecal short-chain fatty acids and the contents of acetic acid and butyric acid in feces increased (P<0.05) and were all higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture can improve nutrition-related blood indicators in patients in a persistent vegetative state and delay the decrease of upper arm circumference and skinfold thickness of triceps brachii, which may be related to the regulation of intestinal flora and fecal short-chain fatty acids contents.

¿Es proporcionado suspender la nutrición e hidratación artificial en pacientes con pronóstico incierto? Perspectiva nutricional y bioética

para llevar a cabo esta investigación, se revisó la literatura sobre el caso de Terri Schiavo, paciente que se encontraba en estado vegetativo persistente y quien falleció luego de dos semanas, después de que se le suspendiera su alimentación e hidratación; se validó su diagnóstico y se indagó si fue una paciente terminal, así como también se verificó la evidencia disponible, en relación con la hidratación y nutrición artificial en este tipo de pacientes, para determinar la concordancia de estas medidas. Esta información fue analizada desde la perspectiva nutricional y bioética; en la búsqueda bibliográfica se consultaron las bases de datos Scopus, Scielo y PubMed, con los criterios de búsqueda nutrición e hidratación artificial en pacientes terminales y de pronóstico incierto. Estos hallazgos fueron analizados con el modelo de proporcionalidad terapéutica de Calipari. Por lo anterior, se determinó que la nutrición e hidratación artificial configuraban tratamientos de carácter obligatorio u optativo para Terri. Sin embargo, pese a que no existe información concluyente sobre la nutrición e hidratación artificial en pacientes terminales, ni de pronóstico incierto, se recomienda la evaluación caso a caso de parte del equipo médico, para determinar la proporcionalidad de estos procedimientos en conjunto con el paciente y su familia. Cabe resaltar que son necesarios más estudios para proporcionar mejor evidencia que permita contar con elementos objetivos para una mejor toma de decisiones.

to carry out this research, the literature was reviewed on the case of Terri Schiavo, a patient who was in a persistent vegetative state and who died after two weeks, after her nutrition and hydration were suspended; her diagnosis was validated, and it was investigated whether she was a terminal patient, as well as the available evidence, was verified, in relation to artificial hydration and nutrition in this type of patients to determine the concordance of these measures. This information was analyzed from the nutritional and bioethical perspective; in the bibliographic search, the Scopus, Scielo, and PubMed databases were consulted with the search criteria nutrition and artificial hydration in terminal patients and patients with uncertain prognosis; these findings were analyzed with Calipari's therapeutic proportionality model. Therefore, it was determined that artificial nutrition and hydration are mandatory or optional treatments for Terri. However, there is no conclusive information on artificial nutrition and hydration in terminally ill patients, nor is the prognosis uncertain, and a case-by-case evaluation by the medical team is recommended to determine the proportionality of artificial nutrition and hydration, together with the patient and family. It should be emphasized that more studies are needed to provide better evidence to provide objective elements for better decision-making.

Para realizar esta pesquisa, foi revisada a literatura sobre o caso de Terri Schiavo, paciente que se encontrava em estado vegetativo persistente e que faleceu após duas semanas depois de sua alimentação e hidratação terem sido suspensas. Foi avaliado seu diagnóstico e questionado se foi uma paciente terminal, bem como verificada a evidência disponível quanto à hidratação e à nutrição artificiais nesse tipo de pacientes para determinar a concordância dessas medidas. Essa informação foi analisada sob a perspectiva nutricional e bioética; na busca bibliográfica, foram consultadas as bases de dados Scopus, SciELO e PubMed, com os critérios de busca "nutrição e hidratação artificiais em pacientes terminais e de prognóstico incerto". Esses achados foram analisados com o modelo de proporcionalidade terapêutica de Calipari. Assim, foi determinado que a nutrição e a hidratação artificiais configuram tratamentos de caráter obrigatório ou opcional para Terri. Contudo, não existe informação conclusiva sobre a nutrição e a hidratação artificiais em pacientes terminais, nem em pacientes com prognóstico incerto. É recomendada a avaliação por parte da equipe médica caso a caso para determinar a adequação da nutrição e da hidratação artificiais em conjunto com o paciente e sua família. Cabe ressaltar que mais estudos são necessários para proporcionar melhor evidência que permita contar com elementos objetivos para uma melhor tomada de decisões.

Suspensión de soporte vital en el estado vegetativo permanente y muerte digna / Withdrawal of life support in the permanent vegetative state, and a dignified death

Es frecuente que familiares directos soliciten la suspensión de soporte vital, en particular de la hidratación y nutrición asistidas, en pacientes con estado vegetativo o de mínima conciencia permanente, y que recurran a la justicia en caso de desacuerdo. Dos casos recientes de suspensión, uno del exterior y otro argentino, autorizados por los tribunales respectivos, han sido motivo de controversia. Si bien puede parecer inhumano dejar de alimentar e hidratar, continuar haciéndolo solo prolonga un estado de supervivencia biológica irreversible. Las familias tienden a aceptar la suspensión si el paciente se mantiene sin cambios. Sin embargo, persiste preocupación por el posible sufrimiento desde la suspensión hasta la muerte, aunque el mismo es poco concebible en ausencia de función cortical y de conciencia. Si bien médicos y profanos consideran ético suspender el soporte vital, una cierta proporción de médicos considera que en el estado vegetativo, o más aún, en mínima conciencia, efectivamente se experimenta hambre, sed y dolor. En países como el Reino Unido, se han propuesto criterios de suspensión de soporte vital, y esquemas de tratamiento para el malestar durante el período de suspensión, aunque su beneficio efectivo es controvertido. La Argentina cuenta con recomendaciones de dos sociedades científicas, pero no con criterios reglamentados. Pero tanto la Ley 26.742 de "muerte digna" como el Código Civil consienten la suspensión del soporte vital en el estado vegetativo o de mínima conciencia, si se acompaña de medidas de alivio de los síntomas clínicos que puedan significar sufrimiento.

Patient relatives often request withdrawal of life support, especially artificial nutrition and hydration, in cases of permanent vegetative or minimally conscious state, and resort to court in case of disagreement. Two recent cases of withdrawal authorized by the courts concerned, one from abroad and one from Argentina, have been controversial. Although it may appear inhuman to stop feeding and hydrating such patients, to continue it only prolongs a state of irreversible biological subsistence. Families tend to increasingly accept withdrawal if the patient status remains unchanged. However, concern persists regarding the suffering that patients may undergo from onset of withdrawal till death, even though such suffering is little conceivable in the absence of cortical function and conscience content. While doctors and the layman consider ethical to withdraw life support, a nonnegligible proportion of doctors consider that vegetative state patients, even more minimally conscious state patients, do experience hunger, thirst and pain. In some countries, like the United Kingdom, strict withdrawal criteria were proposed, together with pharmacological treatment schemes for the distress arising during the withdrawal period, even though its benefit is controversial. In Argentina, two scientific societies have publicly advocated withdrawal, but not issued formal guidelines. In any case, both "dignified death" Law 26.742 and the Civil Code consent withdrawal of life support, if accompanied by appropriate relief of clinical symptoms indicating suffering.

Xiao's "xingnaofusu" needling for regaining consciousness and the influence on width of the third ventricle in patients with persistent vegetative state / 针刺研究

OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of Xiao's "xingnaofusu" needling (the technique for resuscitation) on regaining consciousness in the patients with persistent vegetative state (PVS). METHODS: A total of 50 patients of PVS were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 25 cases in each. The patients in the control group were treated by the routine western medicine, and those in the observation group treated by Xiao's "xingnaofusu" needling and routine western medicine. Baihui (GV20), Dingshen (Extra) to Shangen (Extra) (penetrating technique), Fengchi (GB20) to GB20 (penetrating technique), Neiguan (PC6) to Waiguan (TE5) (penetrating technique), Hegu (LI4) to Laogong (HT8) (penetrating technique) and Taichong (LR3) to Yongquan (KI1) (penetrating technique) were selected. The treatment was given once a day, 10 days as one treatment course, 3 courses in total. The coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R) score, the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) score and the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) were separately compared before and after the treatment. Additionally, CT scanning was adopted to measure the width of the third ventricle before and after treatment so as to evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect. RESULTS: After the treatment, the CRS-R and GCS scores in the two groups increased remarkably, and MAS score reduced obviously as compared with that before the treatment(P<0.05); and the CRS-R and GCS scores were higher, and MAS score lower in the observation group than those in the control group(P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the width of the third ventricle reduced obviously in the observation group after the treatment(P<0.05). At the end of the treatment courses, the effective rate was 79.2%(19/24)in the observation group and was 47.8%(11/23) in the control group. The effective rate of the observation group was obviously higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Xiao's "xingnaofusu" needling can remarkably improve the central nerve function, promote the recovery of brain function and the motor function of limbs, reduce the width of the third ventricle and improve the clinical therapeutic effect of regaining consciousness in the patients with PVS.

Trastornos prolongados de conciencia postinjuria cerebral aguda / Prolonged disorders of consciousness after an acute brain injury

Only a fraction of patients in coma secondary to a primary acute brain injury develop a vegetative state (VS). At least 20% of patients show late transitions to a minimally conscious states (MCS). They are particularly common in young adults with traumatic brain injury. The main problems faced by clinicians are the diagnostic accuracy of VS and MCS as well as the usefulness of sophisticated paraclinical investigations. Specific therapies are of limited effectiveness. This population is vulnerable to misdiagnosis and limited access to medical care and rehabilitation, thus generating ethical problems.

Clinical and neuroimaging determinants of minimally conscious and persistent vegetative states after acute stroke

BACKGROUND: Patients with persistent vegetative state (PVS) show no evidence of awareness of self or their environment, and those with minimally conscious state (MCS) have severely impaired consciousness with minimal but definite behavioral evidence of self or environmental awareness after stroke. Neuroimaging and clinical characteristics separating these two close consciousness states after stroke were insufficiently studied. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based cohort study of all patients with stroke (2011 to 2017) who underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging and consciousness assessment after 3 months of inclusion. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate the relative risk of neuroimaging markers for differentiation of PVS and MCS. RESULTS: Of 3,600 eligible subjects, 323 patients (0.09%) had PVS and 93 (0.02%) had MCS (mean age, 62.25±13.4 years). Higher stroke volume was strongly associated with PVS compared to MCS (odds ratio [OR], 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98 to 1.00; P=0.001). On univariate analysis, cingulate gyrus (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.62 to 4.36; P=0.001) and corpus callosum (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.28 to 3.44; P=0.003) involvement was significantly associated with PVS. However, on multivariate analysis, only cingulate gyrus involvement was independently associated with PVS (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.33 to 3.72; P=0.002). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that PVS and MCS are different consciousness states according to clinical and neuroimaging findings. To predict outcome, cognitive performance of these patients should be well questioned after stroke.

Rencent advance in transcranial direct current stimulation in rehabilitation of patients with disorder of consciousness / 中华神经医学杂志

Disorder of consciousness is the dysfunction of recognition and awareness of the surrounding environment and its own state. In recent years, studies have shown that transcranial direct current stimulation has achieved considerable results in improving the disorder of consciousness. In this paper, the research progress on the neural bases of transcranial direct current stimulation for treatment of disorder of consciousness, comparison of different stimulation protocols and its value of differential diagnosis for levels of consciousness are summarized as follows.

Recent advance in pain experience in patients with vegetable state and minimally conscious state / 中华神经医学杂志

The pain experience of patients with vegetative state and minimally conscious state is a problem that plagues clinical management and decision making.This article reviews the pain experience-related behavioral scales,neuroimaging,and neuroelectrophysiological studies in patients with this particular type of disorder of consciousness.

Evaluation of brain function in patients with chronic disorder of consciousness by auditory mismatch negativity / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective To investigate the application value of auditory mismatch negativity (aMMN) in evaluating the brain function of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness (DOC). Methods Thirty-three patients with DOC or escaped minimally conscious state (eMCS), admitted to our hospital from April to June 2018, were selected in this study. Based on the levels of consciousness assessed by Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), they were divided into vegetative state (VS) group, micro-consciousness state (MCS) group and eMCS group; 14 healthy subjects were included as control group. The differences of aMMN amplitude and latency in patients from different groups, patients with different etiologies and different lateral cerebra were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between CRS-R scores and aMMN. Results (1) There was statistically significant difference in aMMN amplitude between patients from any two groups (P<0.05); as compared with that in the control group, the latency of VS group and MCS group was significantly increased (P<0.05). (2) According to the etiology, the aMMN amplitude of brain injury group, cerebral hemorrhage group and hypoxic encephalopathy group was significantly lower than that of control group (P<0.05). (3) There was significant difference in the amplitude of aMMN between lesion side and contralateral side in 11 patients (t=5.798, P=0.000). (4) Statistical results showed that CRS-R scores were positively correlated with aMMN amplitude (R=0.876, P=0.000), but not with the latency (r=0.018, P=0.922). Conclusion The amplitude of aMMN is significantly positively correlated with levels of consciousness in DOC patients, which can be used as an important tool to assess the levels of consciousness and dynamically estimate the outcomes of consciousness in DOC patients.

Court decisions and legal considerations about the withdrawal of the life-prolonging medical care

The Supreme Court decision made on May 21, 2009 about the withdrawal of futile life-prolonging medical care from a persistently vegetative patient provided a legal basis for patients to consent to death with dignity, and also spurred a lively debate in Korea. The legal grounding of this decision was based on the principles of human dignity, worth, and the right to pursue happiness articulated in the Article 10 of the Constitution. The Death with Dignity Act was legislated to regulate decisions about life-prolonging medical care on February 3, 2016, after extensive debate and a focus on consensus that led to two revisions. However, the issue has not been completely resolved. First, the definition of the process of dying is unclear, because the points that determine whether a patient is dying are different from a simple assessment of whether an artificial ventilator should be attached or detached. Second, the purpose of this law is the protection of human dignity, worth, and the right to pursue happiness. However, nutrition, fluids, and oxygen must continue to be supplied, even after cessation of life-prolonging medical care. Is providing a continuous supply of nutrition, fluids, and oxygen a reasonable way to satisfy the goals of Article 10 of the Constitution? Third, if the withdrawal of life-prolonging medical care is possible based on the family's agreement without the patient's input, what is the legal value of advance directives? In conclusion, it may be necessary to partially revise the law regulating decisions on the withdrawal of life-prolonging medical care through further debate.

Research Progress of Music Therapy for Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Brain Injury (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

@#The recovery of disorders of consciousness after brain injury is very difficult, music therapy is one of the important ways to promote the awakening. The effects of music therapy are various among individuals, the vegetative state and the minimally conscious state, and the pieces of music. The default mode network is one of the most important networks to maintain awareness, which many other networks participate in. The brain regions affected by music involve in many networks, including hearing, cognition, emotion, and so on.

Therapeutic effect of music adjunctive therapy on persistent vegetative state after brain injury / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective To discuss the clinical effect of music adjunctive therapy (MAT) on patients with persistent vegetative state (PVS) after brain injury. Methods One hundred and eighty-nine patients with PVS after brain injury, admitted to our hospital from January 2013 to January 2018, were divided into two groups: 93 patients in a control group underwent routine treatment, medication (nerve cell nutritional agents, arousal medicine, and vasodilator)+rehabilitation (massage, acupuncture, physiotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy); 96 patients in a treatment group were treated by routine treatment plus MAT for 6 months. Abnormal rate of middle latency auditory evoked potential (ML-AEP) and clinical effects were compared between the two groups one, two, 4 and 6 months after treatment. Results (1) The abnormal rate of ML-AEP 4 and 6 months after treatment was significantly decreased as compared with that before treatment in both two groups (P<0.05); the abnormal rate of ML-AEP in control group 4 and 6 months after treatment (77.42％ and 65.59％) was significantly higher than that in the treatment group (55.21％ and 40.63％). (2) Total effective rate in the treatment group (91.18％) was significantly higher than that in the control group (79.57％, P<0.05). Conclusion MAT can promote the recovery of consciousness and neurological function in PVS patients after brain injury, and it is simple in operation, which is worthy of further clinical application.

The influence of moxibustion on the bone metabolism of persistent vegetative state patients / 国际中医中药杂志

Abjective To observe the influence of moxibustion on the bone metabolism of persistent vegetative state patients. Methods A total of 60 patients with persistent vegetative state were divided randomly into the treatment group and control group, 30 in each. Both groups were treated with routine therapy, and the patients used moxibustion on the acupoints of zhongwan, xiawan , qihai and guanyuan. The treatment lasted 12 weeks. The changes of T-lymphoctyte subgroups, serum immunoglobulin were tested and compared before and 12th week after treatment. Result After 12th week treatment, the BMD of distal radius (0.563 ± 0.205 g/cm2 vs. 0.451 ± 0.114 g/cm2, t=2.615), the second lumbar vertebra (0.596 ± 0.108 g/cm2 vs. 0.533 ± 0.127 g/cm2, t=2.069) and the femoral neck (0.567 ± 0.214g/cm2 to 0.463 ± 0.163g/cm2, t=2.117) in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (Ps＜0.05). The PTH (6.41 ± 0.56 pmol/L vs. 6.72 ± 0.42 pmol/L, t=0.018), CT (217.48 ± 57.35 ng/L vs. 228.46 ± 52.44ng/L, t=0.012) and BGP (9.16 ± 1.57 g/L vs. 10.37 ± 2.37 g/L, t=0.023) in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (Ps＜0.05). Conclusions Moxibustion can help to treat the bone metabolism of persistent vegetative state patients and prevent the osteoporosis.

Validation of Korean Version of Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (K-CRSR)

OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (K-CRSR) for evaluation of patients with a severe brain lesion. METHODS: With permission from Giacino, the developer of the Coma Recovery Scale Revised (CRSR), the scale was translated into Korean and back-translated into English by a Korean physiatrist highly proficient in English, and then verified by the original developer. Adult patients with a severe brain lesion following traumatic brain injury, stroke, or hypoxic brain injury were examined. To assess the inter-rater reliability, all patients were tested with K-CRSR by two physiatrists individually. To determine intra-rater reliability, the same test was re-administered by the same physiatrists after three days. RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability (k=0.929, p < 0.01) and intra-rater reliability (k=0.938, p < 0.01) were both high for total K-CRSR scores. Inter- and intra-rater agreement rates were very high (94.9% and 97.4%, respectively). The total K-CRSR score was significantly correlated with K-GCS (r=0.894, p < 0.01), demonstrating sufficient concurrent validity. CONCLUSION: K-CRSR is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of patients with brain injury by trained physiatrists. This scale is useful in differentiating patients in minimally conscious state from those in vegetative state.

The clinical curative effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on patients with disorders of consciousness / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To assess the clinical efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving consciousness in patients with severe disorders of consciousness.Methods Thirty-eight patients with disorders of consciousness were divided into an observation group and a control group according to a random number table,each of 19.Both groups received conventional rehabilitation therapy,while the observation group was additionally provided with tDCS at the intensity of 2 mA for 20 minutes per day,6 days per week,for 20 times,with the anodal electrode (isotonic saline gelatin sponge,7 cm×5 cm) placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cathodal stimulation over the right eye socket or right shoulder.The patients were evaluated with brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP),upper limb somatosensory evoked potential (USEP),electroencephalogram (EEG) and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and persistent vegetative state (PVS) scores before and after the treatment.Results There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to BAEP,USEP,EEG,GCS and PVS scores (P＞0.05).After the treatment,significant improvement was observed in all the measurements,with those of the observation group superior to the control group (P＜0.05).In the evaluation of clinical efficacy,the total effective rate and the significant effective rate of the observation group was 89.47％ and 78.95％,respectively,significantly higher than those of the control group (84.21％ and 42.11％) (P＜0.05).Conclusions Conventional rehabilita tion treatment can improve the BAEP,USEP,EEG,GCS and PVS scores of patients with severe disorders of con sciousness,and the addition of tDCS on the basis of conventional rehabilitation treatment is more effective.

Spatial Properties of Mismatch Negativity in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness / 神经科学通报·英文版

In recent decades, event-related potentials have been used for the clinical electrophysiological assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOCs). In this paper, an oddball paradigm with two types of frequency-deviant stimulus (standard stimuli were pure tones of 1000 Hz; small deviant stimuli were pure tones of 1050 Hz; large deviant stimuli were pure tones of 1200 Hz) was applied to elicit mismatch negativity (MMN) in 30 patients with DOCs diagnosed using the JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). The results showed that the peak amplitudes of MMN elicited by both large and small deviant stimuli were significantly different from baseline. In terms of the spatial properties of MMN, a significant interaction effect between conditions (small and large deviant stimuli) and electrode nodes was centered at the frontocentral area. Furthermore, correlation coefficients were calculated between MMN amplitudes and CRS-R scores for each electrode among all participants to generate topographic maps. Meanwhile, a significant negative correlation between the MMN amplitudes elicited by large deviant stimuli and the CRS-R scores was also found at the frontocentral area. In consequence, our results combine the above spatial properties of MMN in patients with DOCs, and provide a more precise location (frontocentral area) at which to evaluate the correlation between clinical electrophysiological assessment and the level of consciousness.

Comprehensive Proteomic Profiling of Patients' Tears Identifies Potential Biomarkers for the Traumatic Vegetative State / 神经科学通报·英文版

The vegetative state is a complex condition with unclear mechanisms and limited diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic methods. In this study, we aimed to explore the proteomic profile of tears from patients in a traumatic vegetative state and identify potential diagnostic markers using tears-a body fluid that can be collected non-invasively. Using iTRAQ quantitative proteomic technology, in the discovery phase, tear samples collected from 16 patients in a traumatic vegetative state and 16 normal individuals were analyzed. Among 1080 identified tear proteins, 57 were upregulated and 15 were downregulated in the patients compared to the controls. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the differentially-expressed proteins were mainly involved in the wound response and immune response signaling pathways. Furthermore, we verified the levels of 7 differentially-expressed proteins in tears from 50 traumatic vegetative state patients and 50 normal controls (including the samples used in the discovery phase) using ELISA. The results showed that this 7-protein panel had a high discrimination ability for traumatic vegetative state (area under the curve = 0.999). In summary, the altered tear proteomic profile identified in this study provides a basis for potential tear protein markers for diagnosis and prognosis of the traumatic vegetative state and also provides novel insights into the mechanisms of traumatic vegetative state.