ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact of ketogenic diet (KD) on children with pharmacoresistant epileptic encephalopathy. Methods: In all, 52 children with pharmacoresistant epileptic encephalopathy that diagnosed in our hospital from July 2012 to June 2015 were selected, including West syndrome 38 cases, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome 7 cases, Doose Syndrome 1 case, and Dravet syndrome 6 cases, and the effect, compliance, adverse reactions, electroencephalogram (EEG), and cognitive function were analyzed. Modified Johns Hopkins protocol was used to initiate KD, and Engel scale was used to evaluate the effect, and evaluated the effect of KD on the cognition, language, and motor function. Results: At 12 weeks of KD treatment, the patients achieved I, II, III, and IV grade effect were accounted for 26.9% (14/52 cases), 17.3% (9/52 cases), 11.5% (6/52 cases), and 44.2% (23/52 cases), respectively, according to Engel scale. KD has different effect on different epileptic syndromes, best effect on Doose syndromes of 100%, and better effect on West syndrome with the effect rate of 57.9%, and the total effect number was 22 cases. The reduction of epileptiform discharges in the awake state before KD treatment was correlated with the seizure time after 3 months of KD treatment (r = .330, p = .017). The cognitive function of 23 patients was improved, 12 patients had language improvement, and the motor function was improved in 10 patients. In all, 23 patients had adverse reactions, and all patients were tolerated and improved. Conclusion: KD has certain effect on children with pharmacoresistant epileptic encephalopathy, and it can reduce interictal epileptic discharge frequency, and improve the background rhythm of EEG. The reduction of epileptiform discharges in awake state is in favor of the reduction of seizures frequency, thus increasing the efficacy, and improve the cognitive function, language, and motor function to varying degrees, combined with less adverse reaction, which is worthy of clinical application.
Subject(s)
Brain Diseases , Diet, Ketogenic/methods , Epileptic Syndromes , Spasms, Infantile , Brain Diseases/diet therapy , Brain Diseases/etiology , Brain Diseases/physiopathology , Brain Diseases/psychology , Child , Child, Preschool , Cognition , Drug Resistance, Multiple , Electroencephalography/methods , Epileptic Syndromes/complications , Epileptic Syndromes/diet therapy , Epileptic Syndromes/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Infant , Language Tests , Male , Prospective Studies , Psychomotor Performance , Spasms, Infantile/complications , Spasms, Infantile/drug therapy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The paper aimed to evaluate the effects of lead stress on photosynthetic performance and ginsenoside content in ginseng (Panax ginseng). To accomplish this, three years old ginseng were cultivated in pot and in phytotron with different concentrations of lead, ranging from 0 to 1000 mg x kg(-1) soil for a whole growth period (about 150 days). The photosynthetic parameters in leaves and ginsenoside content in roots of ginseng were determined in green fruit stage and before withering stage, respectively. In comparison with the control, net photosynthetic rate and SPAD value in ginseng leaves cultivated with 100 and 250 mg x kg(-1) of lead changed insignificantly, however, ginseng supplied with 500 and 1 000 mg x kg(-1) of lead showed a noticeably decline in the net rate of photosynthesis and SPAD value (P < 0.05), the lowest net photosynthetic rate and SPAD value showed in the treatment supplied with 1 000 mg x kg(-1) of lead, with decline of 57.8%,11.0%, respectively. Total content of ginsenoside in ginseng roots cultivated with 100 mg x kg(-1) of lead showed insignificantly change compared to the control, but the content increased remarkably in treatments supplied with 250, 500, 1 000 mg x kg(-1) of lead (P < 0.05), and highest content appeared in these ginsengs exposed to 1000 mg x kg(-1) of lead. The net photosynthetic rate and SPAD value in leaves of ginseng both showed significantly negative linear correlations with lead stress level (P < 0.01), and significant positive linear correlations between total content of ginsenoside and lead concentration was also observed (P < 0.05). These results strongly indicate that exposing to high level of lead negatively affects photosynthetic performance in ginseng leaves, but benefits for accumulation of secondary metabolism (total content of ginsenoside) in ginseng root.
Subject(s)
Ginsenosides/metabolism , Lead/pharmacology , Panax/drug effects , Panax/metabolism , Photosynthesis/drug effects , Ginsenosides/analysis , Panax/chemistry , Panax/growth & development , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Plant Leaves/drug effects , Plant Leaves/growth & development , Plant Leaves/metabolism , SpectrophotometryABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the changes in the hippocampal volume in the acute phase after febrile convulsions (FC) in children. METHODS: The brain MRI was performed on 30 children with FC (15 simple and 15 complex) and 30 normal children (control). The hippocampal volume for both sides was compared between groups. RESULTS: In the control group, the average volume of the right hippocampus was significantly larger than that of the left side (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the hippocampal volume between the left and right sides in the FC group. The average volumes of both the left and right hippocampus in the FC group (2.03 + or - 0.25 cm(3) and 2.18 + or - 0.21 cm(3) respectively) were enlarged compared to the control group (1.90 + or - 0.24 cm(3) and 1.97 + or - 0.20 cm(3) respectively) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the hippocampal volume between the simple and the complex FC groups. CONCLUSIONS: The hippocampal volume is enlarged in the acute phase after FC in children. The hippocampal volume in children with simple FC is similar to that in children with complex FC in the acute stage.
