Sonographic spectrum and postnatal outcomes of early-onset versus late-onset fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly.

OBJECTIVES: To review the prenatal characteristics and postnatal outcomes of Early-onset and Late-onset cerebral ventriculomegaly (VM). METHODS: Single-center retrospective study 2013-2017; VM cases grouped into Early-onset VM (EVM; Diagnosis at/before 24 weeks) and Late-onset VM (LVM; Beyond 24 weeks). LVM cases had normal ventricle width measurement at mid-trimester scan. Infection serology, cytogenetics, MRI, sonographic follow-up, perinatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: During the 5-year period, 64,662 women underwent an anomaly screening scan and 302 fetuses were identified with ventriculomegaly; 183 (60.6%) classified as early-onset and 119 (39.4%) LVM. The mean ventricular width was significantly higher in LVM cohort (14.1 mm vs 11.6 mm; p < .01). EVM cases were more often associated with structural anomalies (p < .05). Possible etiologies for EVM were aneuploidy and cerebral malformations like Absent Corpus Callosum, spina bifida, Dandy-Walker malformation, etc., whereas LVM followed aqueductal stenosis, hemorrhage, porencephaly, cerebral tumors, etc. Pregnancy outcomes were available for 251 cases. The pregnancy resulted in more live births in LVM group (87.4% vs 65.6%, p = < .01). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated additional malformations (p < .0001, OR11.5 [95%CI: 4-35.2]), progression of VM (p = .004, OR 10.2 [95% CI: 2.1-52.3]) and severity of VM (OR 5.3 [95%CI: 0.8-37.7]) were significant predictors of Neurodevelopmental Impairment (NDI). Late gestation at diagnosis was more often associated with NDI (p = .063, OR2.4 [95%CI: 0.9-6.2]), although statistically insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: EVM has a significantly different sonographic spectrum and outcomes compared to LVM. EVM is milder and associated with an increased risk of aneuploidy and structural malformations. LVM often occurs secondary to acquired brain lesions.

Optimal first trimester HbA1c threshold to identify Singaporean women at risk of gestational diabetes mellitus and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A pilot study.

This pilot study examined the use of early HbA1c in screening for gestational diabetes mellitus and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Singapore. One hundred and fifty-one pregnant women with a gestational age of under 14 weeks had an HbA1c test measured with their antenatal bloods prior to a second trimester oral glucose tolerance test. Patient characteristics and pregnancy outcome data were collected. Gestational diabetes mellitus prevalence was 11%. A receiver operating characteristic curve showed an HbA1c level of 5.2% (33 mmol/mol), had an 82% sensitivity, 72% specificity, 97% negative predictive value and 27% positive predictive value to predict gestational diabetes mellitus. Women with HbA1c of 5.2% (33 mmol/mol) or over 5.2% (33 mmol/mol) were older, had higher BMI and were less likely to be Chinese than those with HbA1c less than 5.2% (33 mmol/mol). There was no difference in pregnancy outcomes. Early HbA1c less than 5.2% (33 mmol/mol) may be useful to exclude low-risk Singaporean women from further testing, while those with HbA1c of 5.2% (33 mmol/mol) or greater would still need a oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 28 weeks' gestation.

Gender-Specific Reference Charts of Fetal Head Circumference in a Singaporean Population

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>With the global outbreak of Zika virus and its association with microcephaly, an up-to-date fetal head circumference (HC) nomogram is crucial to offer a reference standard in order to make an accurate diagnosis. This study was conducted to revise the local fetal HC nomogram.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>In this retrospective study, ultrasound data was used for construction of the fetal HC nomogram from a total of 6155 pregnancies in the ethnic Chinese population with low risk profile at KK Women's and Children's Hospital over a 10-year period. Regression model was fitted to calculate the mean and standard deviation of HC at each gestational age (GA). Comparison of HC between ethnic groups (no significant differences) and genders were made. The revised chart was compared with another commonly used reference chart (Hadlock). In an independent test population, different reference charts were used to estimate number of cases with microcephaly.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A statistically significant difference of HC between the genders was observed across all gestational ages. Gender-specific reference charts and equation were computed. Our revised fetal HC chart showed a different distribution from the Hadlock chart. Compared with the gender-specific charts, the Hadlock HC chart would significantly under-report microcephaly cases in male fetuses, and tend to over-report in female fetuses.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study provides a new set of gender-specific fetal HC charts in the Singaporean population for antenatal ultrasound surveillance of microcephaly.</p>

Clinical observation on rheumatoid arthritis treated with modified Duhuo-Jisheng decoction and Western conventional treatment / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To evaluate the effects of rheumatoid arthritis treated with modified Duhuo-Jisheng decoction and western conventional treatment. Methods 120 patients with heumatoid arthritis of our hospital from January 2010 to 2013 August were recruited and randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, 60 patients in each group. The control group was treated with oral intake of Methotrexate, Sulfasalazine and Meloxicam in acute stage and oral intake of diclofenc in stable stage, while the treatment group was further added modified Duhuo-Jisheng decoction on the basis of the control group. TCM symptom score, arthritis symptom score, symptomatic relief time, ESR, CRP, RF were observed after 3 months’ treatment. Results After 3 mouths’ treatment, the total effective rate was 90.0%(54/60) in the study group and 70.0%(42/64) in the control group. There was no significant difference(χ2=4.193,P0.05);Number of joint tenderness, The number of swollen joints, Time of morning stiffness, Dual hands grip strength , 20 m walking time decreased obviously in both groups after the treatment[After the treatment, the treatment group respectively (3.43 ± 1.46), (2.95 ± 1.35), (19.32 ± 16.54)min,(79.35±22.14)mmHg,(19.32±4.81)s,the control group respectively (4.63±4.21), (3.55±2.47), (21.23 ± 19.37)min,(77.81 ± 16.22)mmHg,(25.15 ± 5.81)s before the treatment, the treatment group respectively(10.71±5.12), (7.95±3.97), (109.32±68.52)min, (47.12±18.22)mmHg, (36.21±6.62)s, the control group respectively (11.54±5.32), (7.64±4.01), (96.02±58.39)min, (49.67±16.48)mmHg, (36.33± 7.23)s](P<0.05). Conclusion Duhuo-Jisheng decoction could effectively improve the clinical symptoms of aged patients with osteoporosis and reduce the levels of their ESR, CRP, and RF.

Effects of Strengthening Internal and External Abdominal Oblique Muscles on Sitting Balance in Stroke Patients with Hemiplegia / 中国康复理论与实践

@#ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of strengthening internal and external abdominal oblique muscles on sitting balance in stroke patients with hemiplegia. Methods60 cases of patients with hemiplegia were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 30 cases in each group. Control group patients were treated with conventional treatment. Internal and external abdominal oblique muscles training were accepted in treatment group in addition. Before and 1 month after treatment, all the patients were assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment of balance function and muscle strength. ResultsAfter treatment, the Fugl-Meyer assessment scores of balance, muscle strength were significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group（P＜0.01）. ConclusionMuscle strengthen training in internal and external abdominal oblique muscles will promote sitting balance in hemiplegic patients.