[The possibilities of Mexidol usage in neuropediatrics]. / Vozmozhnosti primeneniya Meksidola v neiropediatrii.

Mexidol (ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate) is a modern neurometabolic medication increasingly being used in neuropediatrics. The results of recent studies confirming the positive effects of Mexidol pharmacotherapy in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), perinatal damages of the central nervous system (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy) and their consequences, neurological disorders and neurodevelopmental delay after surgery for congenital heart defects, neuroinfections (meningitis, encephalitis), posttraumatic epilepsy. Taking into account the unique multimodal action of Mexidol, it seems promising to expand the range of indications for its application in neuropediatrics, based on the results of new clinical trials organized in accordance with modern principles of evidence-based medicine.

[Neurodevelopmental disorders in children and the possibilities of their pharmacotherapy]. / Rasstroistva nervno-psikhicheskogo razvitiya u detei i vozmozhnosti ikh farmakoterapevticheskoi korrektsii.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are characterized by disturbances of the formation of cognitive functions, communication skills, behavior characteristics and/or motor skills, which are caused by abnormalities in the course of the processes of neuroontogenesis. In the clinical practice of a pediatric neurologist and pediatrician, a significant part consists of patients with NDD without a general decrease in intelligence, primarily with speech development disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific learning disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia). NDD represent a heterogeneous group of diseases, having multifactorial origin and a neurobiological nature, which are caused by genetic mechanisms and early (perinatal) brain damage. Among children with NDD, there is a higher occurrence of anxiety disorders compared to their peers. With NDD, early intervention is indicated, and its positive effect is possible during the period when the brain is most plastic and capable of changes. The published results of multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials of pharmacotherapy with the medication "Tenoten for children" for ADHD, specific learning disorders, anxiety disorders and the consequences of perinatal damage to the central nervous system are reviewed.

[Features of neurological manifestations of the COVID-19 in children and adults]. / Osobennosti nevrologicheskikh proyavlenii COVID-19 u detei i vzroslykh.

The number of COVID-19 patients is increasing worldwide and the number of patients with neurological manifestations of a new coronavirus infection is increasing as well. Pathognomonic for COVID-19 is the presence of cephalgic syndrome, infectious-toxic encephalopathy, hypo- and anosmia and ageusia. Inducing of pathological autoimmune response contributes to the development of Miller Fischer and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Hyperergic reaction with the generation of the so-called «cytokine storm¼ provokes multisystem hemorrhagic complications such as Kawasaki disease and acute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalopathy. There is also a special form of COVID-19-associated stroke. Almost all post-COVID-19 patients complain of severe fatigue, emotional lability, and sometimes have features of asthenic-neurotic, anxiety-phobic disorders and apato-abulic syndromes, which require rehabilitation measures, as well as courses of restorative neurotrophic and nootropic therapy.

[Pharmacotherapy of psychomotor developmental delay in 6-12 months preterm infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (the double-blind comparative multicenter placebo-controlled study)]. / Farmakoterapiia zaderzhki psikhomotornogo razvitiia u detei 6-12 mes, rozhdennykh nedonoshennymi i perenesshikh gipoksicheski-ishemicheskoe porazhenie golovnogo mozga (dvoinoe slepoe sravnitel'noe mnogotsentrovoe platsebo-kontroliruemoe issledovanie).

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hopantenic acid (Pantogam) in the complex treatment of prematurely born infants, aged 6-12 months, with psychomotor developmental delay due to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty-seven patients were randomized into two groups: 44 received standardized treatment and pantogam for two months, 43 standardized treatment and placebo. Pantogam (syrup 100 mg/ml) or placebo were prescribed orally 15-30 minutes after feeding, twice a day, in a daily dosage of 30-50 mg/kg body weight. The assessment of psychomotor development from birth to two years was performed with the Griffiths Mental Development Scales (GMDS-ER) twice (before and after completion of therapy). RESULTS: The response to two month therapy determined as the reduction of developmental delay for more than 6% of the initial GMDS-ER general quotient (GQ) score was significantly better in the group I after pantogam treatment (63.6% of patients) compared to group II (36.4%, p=0.021). Group I demonstrated the significant decrease of the developmental delay in two domains ('Personal-Social' and 'Performance') and a trend to overcome the delay in three other domains: 'Locomotor', 'Hearing and Speech', 'Eye and Hand Coordination'. The improvement after pantogam treatment was more obvious in the subgroup of infants born late preterm (gestational age 34-36 weeks) compared to infants born moderate preterm (gestational age 32-33 weeks). The favorable safety profile of pantogam was confirmed, comparable to that of placebo. CONCLUSION: Pantogam is efficient and safe medication in the complex treatment of psychomotor developmental delay in preterm infants, aged 6-12 months.

[Assessment of neurodevelopment in children of different gestational age with neonatal seizures]. / Otsenka nervno-psikhicheskogo razvitiia detei razlichnogo gestatsionnogo vozrasta s neonatal'nymi sudorogami.

AIM: To assess psychomotor development in infants with neonatal seizures (NS) born with different gestational age, by means of Bayley-III scales of infant and toddler development, in their corrected age of 1 year. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 52 infants, who had NS and were born with different gestational age: 28 weeks or less (n=26) - group I, 29-32 weeks (n=16) - group II, 33-36 weeks (n=3) - group III, 37-41 weeks (n=7) - group IV. The infants' neurodevelopment was evaluated in their corrected age of 1 year by means of N. Bayley scales of infant and toddler development, third edition: Cognitive, Language, Motor, Social-Emotional, and Adaptive Behavior. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Only 17 (32,7%) of 52 examined infants did not demonstrate any developmental delay on each of five Bayley-III scales. Significant developmental delay (composite score <70) on at least one scale was revealed in 23 (44,2%) patients, including 12 (46,2%) in group I, 5 (31,3%) in group II, 6 (60%) of 10 in the combined group III-IV. In most cases, neurodevelopmental delays were attributed to only one domain and could be indicated as partial. The conclusion about global developmental retardation (the composite scores 55 or less on all five scales) was done in 3 patients, each of whom had a co-morbidity of cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

[Neurodevelopment of children born very preterm with extremely low and very low body weight]. / Nervno-psikhicheskoe razvitie detei, rodivshikhsia gluboko nedonoshennymi s ékstremal'no nizkoi ili ochen' nizkoi massoi tela.

AIM: To evaluate the characteristics of neurodevelopment by the age of 5-8 years in children who were born very preterm with extremely low body weight (ELBW) and very low body weight (VLBW). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-two patients, aged from 5 years to 8 years were examined. Patients were divided into group I (36 patients born preterm with ELBW (16 boys, 20 girls)) and group II (36 patients born with VLBW (16 boys, 20 girls)). The control group included 30 healthy peers (16 boys, 14 girls). All children were assessed by means of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales, Extended Revised: 2 to 8 years (GMDS-ER 2-8). RESULTS: The value of general quotient (GQ) in patients born with ELBW (73.4±2.1) was significantly lower compared to their healthy peers (80.9±2.1; p=0.036). The same tendency was found in patients born with VLBW who's GQ was decreased by 73.1±3.0 (p=0.101). Concurrently the patients demonstrated lower scores on all six scales, which achieved significant difference with the controls for the 'Locomotor' and 'Performance' scales in group I, and for the 'Performance' and 'Practical reasoning' scales in group II. The boys born with ELBW tended to demonstrate lower results on all six scales and received significantly lower scores on the 'Locomotor' and 'Language' scales. The boys born with VLBW demonstrated significantly lower scores on the 'Language', 'Eye and hand co-ordination' and 'Practical reasoning' scales. In girls significantly lower score on the 'Performance' scale only was shown for those, who were born with ELBW. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and characterization of developmental delays in children born very preterm determine the effectiveness of therapeutic measures based on the individual approach and comprehensive medical-psychological-pedagogical support.

[Speech and language neurodevelopmental disorders in epilepsy: pathophysiologic mechanisms and therapeutic approaches]. / Narusheniia razvitiia rechi pri épilepsii: patofiziologicheskie mekhanizmy i terapevticheskie podkhody.

Speech and language development may be impaired in all forms of epilepsy involving specialized functional areas in the dominant cerebral hemisphere and their connections. The concept of epilepsy-aphasia clinical spectrum was recently proposed, but the notion of aphasia is quite conditional here as many of these patients demonstrate disorders of speech and language development from their infancy. Those forms of epilepsy are considered as continuum from the most severe Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) and epilepsy with continuous spike-and-wave during sleep (CSWS) (also indicating as electrical status epilepticus during sleep - ESES) to intermediate epilepsy-aphasia disorders (with incomplete correspondence to diagnostic criteria of LKS and epilepsy with CSWS). The mild end of the spectrum is represented by benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (rolandic), which is often associated with speech and language disorders. The importance of genetic factors is discussed, including mutations in SRPX2, GRIN2A and other genes. The perspectives of individualized pharmacotherapy in epilepsy, co-morbid with neurodevelopmental disorders or impairments of speech and language development, are depending on the progress in genetic studies. In the new generation of antiepileptic drugs the positive influence on neuroplasticity mechanisms and higher cerebral functions are supposed for levetiracetam.

[Neurodevelopmental disorders in children with epilepsy]. / Narusheniia nervno-psikhicheskogo razvitiia u detei s épilepsiei.

Neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autistic-spectrum disorders, speech disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, are more prevalent in children with epilepsy compared with the general population. Marked developmental delay and regression of acquired skills are characteristic of epileptic encephalopathies. Conditions, in which neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with the marked epileptiform EEG activity, while clinical epileptic seizures are absent, represent a serious problem. The authors consider the features of epilepsy with electrical status epilepticus during slow-wave sleep, pseudo-Lennox syndrome, Landau-Kleffner syndrome, children autistic epileptiform regression, autosomal-dominant rolandic epilepsy with verbal dispraxy and a combination of epilepsy and subclinical epileptiform EEG activity with developmental dysphasia and ADHD. In addition to the optimization of basic treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), nootropic drugs which do not increase epileptiform activity (hopantenic acid), are recommended.

[Clinical and neurophysiological objectification and evaluation of treatment efficacy in children with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic injury of the CNS].

OBJECTIVE: To objectify indications for treatment with pantogam in premature infants with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic injury of the CNS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 71 children, with GA (gestation age) 24-36 weeks (32,9±2,9 weeks), with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic injury of the CNS, I-II grades, and hyperexitability syndrome. The main group (33 patients) received pantogam in dose 50 mg/kg/day at the adjusted age (AA) 36-40 weeks from the conception. The comparison group included 38 patients. EEG day sleep monitoring was performed before and at the end of treatment. RESULTS: Shortening of sleep cycle was observed in 78,8% children of the main group and in 78,9% of the comparison group. Duration of transitional sleep over 1 min was 78,79% and 81,58%. At AA 44-46 weeks, the frequency of sleep disorders decreased to 45,45% (p=0,012) and 52,63% (p=0,05). Duration of transitional sleep over 1 min was 45,45% and 65,79%. Duration of the latent period of the 2nd stage of slow wave sleep was 6,4±2,57 and 12,5±7,18 min (p=0,0004). CONCLUSION: The treatment reduced sleep disorders, changed the duration of transitional sleep stage and latent period of the 2nd stage of slow wave sleep.

[Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: the role of parent and teacher questionnaire in the assessment of patient's social-psychological adaptation].

Parents and teachers of 342 school children, aged from 7 to 11 years, were questioned with the <> (SDQ) using non-randomized method. The following comparative analysis of SDQ items measured in parents and teachers of children with ADHD and age-matched controls was carried out. It has been shown that the spectrum of disturbances characteristic of ADHD is not confined only to main symptoms of ADHD. The results of questionnaire of both parents and teachers indicated the marked intensity of emotional disturbances, behavioral problems and difficulties in interactions with peers as well as the underdevelopment of social trends in behavior in children with ADHD compared to the controls. The data obtained confirm the necessity of treatment extension beyond the core symptoms with considering more general parameters of the patients quality of life.