Analysis of posttraumatic stress disorder in children with road traffic injury in Wenzhou, China.

OBJECTIVE: Road traffic accidents are the leading health threat to children and cause significant long-term mental health problems. This study aimed to characterize posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children suffering from road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Wenzhou, China. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 537 children (aged 1 to 13 years old) with RTIs. The epidemiological features, PTSD incidence, clinical manifestation, and risk factors were analyzed based on a customized PTSD risk factor questionnaire. The outcome factors were also evaluated by means of the logistic regression method. RESULTS: The PTSD incidence was 24.77% in children with RTIs. The incidence of PTSD was related to the personality, family environment, and family care of the children. It was found that early psychological intervention and reasonable family care from the family might promote physical and mental welfare as well as contribute to the development of more effective treatments to prevent PTSD. CONCLUSION: For susceptible children, in addition to dealing with the somatic injury, psychological intervention and family care should be carried out as early as possible.

ERCC1 polymorphisms and risk of adult glioma in a Chinese population: a hospital-based case-control study.

To examine the associations of two polymorphisms in excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency complementation group 1 (ERCC1) gene, C8092A (rs3212986) and T19007C (rs11615), with the risk of adult glioma, we performed a hospital-based case-control study with 257 new cases of glioma and 278 controls in Wenzhou, China. Results showed that polymorphisms C8092A and T19007C in ERCC1 gene were not associated with the risk of glioma in a Chinese population. Further studies in Chinese populations with larger sample sizes are still warranted.

Expression of GLUT4 mRNA of peripheral tissues and insulin resistance in rats with severe traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) mRNA in skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissues and investigate the mechanism of posttraumatic insulin resistance. METHODS: Sixteen adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 group (n equal to 8 in each group), i.e., severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) group due to falls from a height and normal control group. Blood glucose and serum insulin were measured at 0.5 h before trauma and 3 h, 24 h, 72 h, 7 d after trauma, respectively. And insulin sensitivity was calculated by insulin activity index (IAI) formula. Skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were collected at the same time when blood was sampled. The changes of expression of GLUT4 mRNA were observed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Accompanied by the decrease of insulin sensitivity, the expression of GLUT4 mRNA was significantly decreased in adipose tissues at 24 h and 72 h after trauma (P less than 0.01), however, such phenomena did not appear in skeletal muscle samples. CONCLUSIONS: To some extent, the development of posttraumatic insulin resistance is related to the abnormality of transcription activity of GLUT4 gene. Adipose tissues show some difference in the transcriptional level of GLUT4 gene after trauma as compared with skeletal muscle tissues.

Dynamic change of serum protein S100b and its clinical significance in patients with traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the dynamic change of serum protein S100b in patients with traumatic brain injury and its clinical value in assessing brain damage. METHODS: According to Glasgow coma scale (GCS), 102 cases of traumatic brain injury were divided into mild brain injury group (GCS > or = 13, n = 31, Group A), moderate brain injury group (8 < GCS < 13, n = 37, Group B) and severe brain injury group (GCS < or = 8, n = 34, Group C). Serial S100b concentrations were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in blood samples taken on admission, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 7 days after traumatic brain injury. RESULTS: The severe brain injury group showed significantly higher concentration of serum S100b, with earlier increase and longer duration, than the mild and moderate brain injury groups. The patients with higher S100b exhibited lower GCS scores and poor clinical prognosis. The increase in S100b could emerge before clinical image evidence indicated so. CONCLUSIONS: Serum S100b can be used as a sensitive index for assessment and prediction of traumatic brain injury severity and prognosis.