Prenatal ultrasound-and MRI-based imaging predictors of respiratory symptoms at birth for congenital lung malformations.

BACKGROUND: Congenital lung malformations (CLM) are rare developmental anomalies of the fetal lung with a minority of patients exhibiting symptoms around the time of birth. Although ultrasound remains the gold standard, fetal MRI has recently been incorporated as an adjunct imaging modality in the workup and prenatal counseling of patients with CLM as it is thought to more accurately delineate lesion boundaries and diagnose lesion type. We evaluate what prenatal variables correlate with postnatal respiratory symptoms. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients with prenatal diagnosis of CLM treated at our institution between 2006-2020. Fetal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters including maximal congenital pulmonary airway malformation volume ratio (CVR), absolute cyst volume, and observed to expected normal fetal lung volume (O/E NFLV) were correlated with outcomes including postnatal respiratory symptoms, need for supplementary oxygen or mechanical ventilation, delay in tolerating full feeds, resection in the neonatal period. RESULTS: Our study included 111 patients, all of whom underwent fetal ultrasound with 64 patients additionally undergoing fetal MRI. Postnatal respiratory symptoms were noted in 22.5% of patients, 19.8% required supplemental oxygen, 2.7% mechanical ventilation and two patients requiring urgent resection. Ultrasound parameters including absolute cyst volume and maximal CVR correlated with need for mechanical ventilation (p=0.034 and p=0.024, respectively) and for urgent resection (p=0.018 and p=0.023, respectively) and had a marginal association with postnatal respiratory symptoms (p=0.050 and p=0.052). Absolute cyst volume became associated with postnatal respiratory symptoms (p=0.017) after multivariable analysis controlling for maternal steroid administration and gestational age. O/E NFLV did not correlate with perinatal outcomes. CONCLUSION: We have found that ultrasound-based measurements correlate with postnatal respiratory symptoms, while MRI derived O/E NFLV does not. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of MRI in the prenatal workup of congenital lung malformations. TYPE OF STUDY: Study of Diagnostic Test. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I.

The Application of Medical Games in Doctor-patient Communication in Pediatric Otolaryngology / 中国医学伦理学

This paper mainly explored the application of medical games in doctor-patient communication in pediatric otorhinolaryngology. Taking the "Little Warrior Break Through" medical game service of Shenzhen Longgang District Otolaryngology Hospital as an example, doctors, nurses and social workers formed a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team. Focusing on the three major problems in pediatric otorhinolaryngology, namely, the tense doctor-patient relationship, the insufficient doctor-patient communication, and the difficulty of children to cooperate with treatment, the team carried out a series of themed medical games covering the three stages of admission preparation, preoperative counseling, and postoperative rehabilitation for pediatric otolaryngology patients and their families. This paper showed that medical games can effectively help children and their families to ease tension, promote doctor-patient communication, increase the symmetry of doctor-patient information, improve children’s adaptation and acceptance of diseases, and ease the tense doctor-patient relationship. It is hoped that the exploration of the medical game service of "Little Warrior Break Through" will inspire medical social work, and then build micro-operation methods in clinical practice to help construct a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.

Expression Levels of MicroRNA-125b in Serum Exosomes of Patients with Asthma of Different Severity and its Diagnostic Significance.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of microRNA (miRNA)-125b in serum exosomes and its diagnostic efficacy for asthma severity. METHODS: The study included 80 patients with untreated asthma and 80 healthy volunteers. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to disease severity: 20 with the intermittent state, 20 with the mildly persistent state, 20 with the moderately persistent state, and 20 with the severely persistent state. The expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes of each group were detected using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction and compared. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the correlation between the expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes and asthma severity. The diagnostic efficacy of the expression levels of miRNA-125b in exosomes for asthma severity was evaluated using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: The expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes of patients with intermittent, mildly persistent, moderately persistent, and severely persistent asthma were all higher than those in the healthy control group, with statistically significant differences. The expression levels of miRNA-125b were also statistically significantly different among patients in each group. The Spearman correlation analysis showed a positive correlation of the relative expression of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes with asthma severity. The area under the ROC curve of the diagnostic efficacy of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes for patients with intermittent, mildly, moderately, and severely persistent asthma was 0.7770, 0.8573, 0.9111, and 0.9995, respectively. CONCLUSION: The expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes had a high diagnostic efficacy and might serve as a noninvasive diagnostic marker for asthma severity.

Effect of taurine on respiratory chain enzyme activities in mitochondria from rats with severe traumatic brain injury / 中华创伤杂志

Objective To investigate effect of taurine on respiration chain enzyme activity of mitochondria 24 hours after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats.Methods Fifty-six SD rats were divided into sham group,TBI group,taurine treatment group,and taurine prevention group according to the random number table,with 14 rats per group.Fluid percussion brain injury models were used.Via the caudal vein,normal saline was administered to animals in sham and traumatic brain injury groups immediately after injury,while taurine (200 mg/kg)was administered to animals in taurine treatment group after injury and in taurine prevention group 4 days before injury.Brains were harvested 24 hours postinjury for assays of HE staining and electron microscopy.Mitochondrial respiratory chain complex Ⅰ-Ⅴ activities were detected.Results TBI group presented swelling neurocytes,cell loss,karyopyknosis,shortened even vanished process,and inflammation cell infiltration at the edge of necrosis in HE staining.By contrast,morphological improvement was significant in taurine treatment group but only some neurons were intact in taurine prevention group.Swelling mitochondria and broken or vanished mitochondrial crests were seen in TBI group under the electron microscope.However,normal or minor swelling mitochondria was seen in taurine treatment group and cytoplasm slightly porous and absence of mitochondrial crests were seen in taurine prevention group.Activities of complex Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅴ were significant lower in TBI group (32.52±2.41,4.68 ±0.15,2.49 ±0.73) compared to those in sham group (34.03 ±0.46,5.04 ±0.29,3.20±0.68) and in taurine treatment group (33.95±0.85,5.12-±0.23,3.53 ±0.48) (P＜0.05).And complex Ⅰ in taurine prevention group was significantly enhanced as well (34.44 ± 0.36,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Taurine may protect the brain tissues and mitochondrial structure from impairment in TBI rats by improving mitochondrial enzymes activity and reducing secondary energy loss.

Protection role of taurine transporter in rats brain edema followed severe traumatic head injury / 天津医药

Objective To investigate the effect of taurine transporter in the process of protection of brain edema in rats with severe traumatic head injury. Methods A total of 24 Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups. Except the control rats (Group Sham), all other three groups were subjected to lateral fluid percussion head injury. The TBI (Traumatic brain injury) models (Group TBI) and surgical control rats (Group Sham) were injected with saline through caudal vein after surgery, while the Taurine prevention and Taurine treatment models (Group Pre Tau and Group Tau) were injected with 120 g/L taurine solution before or after surgeries respectively. Water content in each brain, mRNA and protein expres?sion of aquaporin 4 and taurine transporter in the injured rat brain hemispheres were all evaluated over the time course of the study (7 d) in each group. Results Compared with rats in Group Sham, water content in each brain increase, mRNA tran?scription and protein expression of AQP4 were both up regulated but the mRNA transcription and protein expression of TauT were both down-regulated in rats in TBI group. Compared with rats in TBI group, brain water content, mRNA transcription and protein expression of AQP4 all decrease while mRNA transcription and protein expression of TauT all increase in rats in Pre tau and Tau groups. There is no statistical difference of TauT expression between rats in pre-tau group and Tau group. Conclusion Taurine exert its neuron protection role through draining water content from brain and down regulating expres?sion of AQP4 but rising expression of TauT after TBI.

An experimental study on thymus immune tolerance to treat surgical brain injury / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Many researches demonstrate that the secondary brain injury which is caused by autoimmune attack toward brain antigens plays an important role in surgical brain injury (SBI). Although traditional immunosuppression can reduce autoimmune attack, it will lower the body immunity. Immune tolerance, by contrast, not only does not lower the body immunity, but also could lighten autoimmunity. This study used thymus tolerance to develop an immune system that is tolerant to autologous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and autologous brain tissue so that autoimmune injury can be suppressed following the disruption of the blood-brain barrier, thereby reducing brain damage.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty experimental rabbits were divided into five groups by random number table method: 16 in SBI group (group A), 16 in SBI+CSF drainage group (group B), 16 in SBI+CSF drainage+PBS injection group (group C), 16 in SBI+CSF drainage+CSF intrathymic injection group (group D), and 16 in SBI+brain homogenate intrathymic injection group (group E). Rabbits' CSF was drained in group B; was drained and injected PBS into thymus in group C; was drained and injected CSF into thymus in group D; and was injected brain homogenate in group E. Half of the rabbits in each group were phlebotomized on 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 14th days to observe the changes in IL-l, TGF-β by ELISA test, and CD4CD25 regulatory T cells ratio by flow cytometry, and in other animals brain tissues were taken on 7th day for exploring FasL expression by RT-PCR. The least significant difference (LSD) test was used to make paired comparisons; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of FasL, TGF-β, and the ratios of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells in groups D and E were apparently higher than those in other three groups (P < 0.05). Likewise, the levels of IL-1 in these two groups were lower than the other three groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, the ratios of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells and the levels of TGF-β in groups B and C were higher than those in group A, but the level of IL-1 was lower than that in group A (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between groups B and C, and groups D and E.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Thymic injection of CSF and brain homogenate may be able to reduce inflammation after SBI, so thymus immune tolerance may be a useful therapy to treat SBI.</p>

Impact of mild hypothermia on changes of somatosensory evoked potential and synaptophysin mRNA level following traumatic brain injury / 中华创伤杂志

Objective To investigate effect of mild hypothermia on changes of somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and synaptophysin mRNA level after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and determine hypothermia-induced neuroprotection.Methods Forty-five SD rats were allocated into mild hypothermia group,TBI group and sham operation group with 15 rats per group according to the random number table.Left-side fluid percussion impact was performed to induce models of TBI.Rats were exposed to hypothermia environment (32-35℃) for 6 hours in mild hypothermia group after TBI.Rats in sham operation group were treated by only drilling on left side of the head,rather than hitting.To evaluate function outcome,modified neurological severity score (mNSS),SEP and synaptophysin mRNA level were measured at 6 hours,24 hours and 7 days postinjury.Results The mNSS in mild hypothermia group lowered compared with TBI group,especially at 24 hours and 7 days (P ＜ 0.05).SEP in mild hypothermia group was significantly shortened at 6 and 24 hours compared with TBI group (P ＜ 0.05),but SEP revealed no significant difference among the 3 groups at 7 days (P ＞ 0.05).Level of synaptophysin mRNA in mild hypothermia group increased at 6 hours postinjury compared with TBI group [(0.08 ± 0.02) vs (0.12 ±0.04)],with further increase at 7 days postinjury[(0.06 ± 0.01) vs (0.33 ± 0.10)] (P ＜0.05).Conclusion The shortage of nerve conduction time of the injured side and promotion of nerve regeneration suggest the neuroprotective role of mild hypothermia following TBI.