Risk Factors of Germinal Matrix Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Premature Infants

Objective

To determine whether some clinical parameters can be used to predict the hemorrhage and whether the relationship between these clinical variables and the grades of hemorrhage is linear.

Methods

A total of 230 premature infants, born at a gestational age less than 34 weeks were retrospectively reviewed. Germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GM-IVH), the grade of the hemorrhage, and clinical data were assessed with a checklist. Variables were analyzed by using Mann Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests and then multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent risk factors.

Findings

Resuscitation, gestational age, hypotension, multiple birth, and birth weight were found to be independent risk factors. We determined non-linear relationship between the grades of hemorrhage and the clinical parameters. But when we classified hemorrhages as grade 1, grade 2-3 and grade 4, the relationships were found linear.

Conclusion

Premature infants who had resuscitation, low gestational age, hypotension, multiple birth, and low birth weight are more likely to have GM-IVH. The relationship between the clinical variables and the grades of GM-IVH does not seem to be linear.     

婴幼儿法洛四联症矫治术后毛细血管渗透症的诊断与治疗

目的:探讨婴幼儿法洛四联症(tetralogy of Fallot,TOF)矫治术后,毛细血管渗透症发病机制、诊断及处理。方法:我院2005年3月至2010年1月施行婴幼儿TOF矫治术161例,术后并发毛细血管渗透症6例,男性4例,女性2例,年龄9~36个月,平均(8±0.6)个月;体质量8.5~15.5kg,平均(8.2±2.10)kg。全组均及时给予提高胶体渗透压、应用血管活性药、腹膜透析、呼吸机辅助维持呼吸、循环稳定和组织灌注治疗。结果:治愈5例,死亡1例,死于肾、肺、心多脏器衰竭。结论:婴幼儿心脏术后毛细血管渗透症发病机制与补体致炎性介质释放,使毛细血管通透性增加有关,低心排出量综合征(低心排)、呼吸衰竭、急性肾衰竭、脑损害是致死主要原因,及时采用腹膜透析和免疫球蛋白可获得较好疗效。     

Infants' neural processing of positive emotion and eye gaze

Abstract

Previous research demonstrated that young infants' neural processing of novel objects is enhanced by a fearful face gazing toward the object. The current event-related potential (ERP) study addresses the question of whether this effect is driven by the particular threat-value of a fearful expression or whether a positive emotion could elicit a similar response. Three-month-old infants' brain responses were measured while infants were presented with happy and neutral faces gazing toward simultaneously presented objects (Experiment 1) or happy and neutral faces gazing away from objects (Experiment 2). Then the objects were presented again without the face. While infants showed an increased neural response for happy relative to neutral faces looking towards objects, infants did not differentiate between happy and neutral faces gazing away from the objects. Furthermore, infants showed no different response to objects alone in Experiment 1. However, infants responded with an increased negative central component (Nc) indicating increased attention for objects in the neutral face condition in Experiment 2. The current results confirm previous findings showing that infants allocate increased attention to an emotional face if it directs eye gaze toward an object in the environment. However, a happy expression does not increase subsequent processing of the gaze-cued object. The findings are discussed in terms of early social cognitive development.     

非淤胆型婴儿巨细胞病毒性肝炎治疗68例

目的:探讨非淤胆型婴儿巨细胞病毒性肝炎的治疗方法.方法:选择2008-01/2010-07本院儿科住院的68例非淤胆型婴儿巨细胞病毒性肝炎患儿,随机分为治疗组34例和对照组34例,均予复方甘草酸苷2 mL/(kg.次),1次/d,共3 wk.治疗组加用更昔洛韦5 mg/(kg.次),2次/d,2 wk;1次/d,1 wk.结果:治疗组和对照组总有效率分别为94.1%和91.1%,治疗3 wk复查肝功能指标结果提示丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)、天门冬氨酸氨基转移酶(AST)、总胆红素(total bilirubin,T B I L)、谷氨酰转肽酶(g a m m a g l u t a m y ltranspeptidase,GGT)和碱性磷酸酶(alkalinephosphatase,ALP)指标较治疗前均明显下降,差异有显著意义(P<0.05);直接胆红素(directbilirubin,DBIL)、总胆汁酸(total bile acid,TBA)指标较治疗前均无明显变化,差异无显著意义(P>0.05).治疗前或治疗后2组间比较上述指标差异无显著意义(P>0.05).随访1年,失访5人,余患儿肝功能均正常;尿CMV-DNA,治疗组18人(54.5%)阳性,对照组15人(50.0%)阳性,差异无显著意义(P>0.05).结论:非淤胆型婴儿巨细胞病毒性肝炎不建议常规予更昔洛韦抗病毒治疗.     

Peritoneal Dialysis for Acute Renal Failure in Infants: A Comparison of Three Types of Peritoneal Access

Peritoneal access for peritoneal dialysis (PD) poses a significant problem in infants due to their small size and can result in considerable morbidity and occasional mortality. This study was carried out to compare the complications associated with three different types of PD catheters for intermittent PD. A total of 79 sessions of PD were given to 51 infants with acute renal failure. Twenty-nine infants received 1, 18 received 2 and 2 infants received 3 and 4 sessions of PD, respectively. For PD access an intravenous cannula was used in 36, stylet catheter in 18, and guide wire inserted femoral vein catheter in 25 procedures. Percentage reduction of serum creatinine per PD session was comparable in infants being dialysed with different types of PD access. Local puncture site and intraperitoneal bleed were associated with the use of a stylet catheter during 4 procedures each (22.2%). Catheter blockade was commonest with the intravenous cannula (22.2%), followed by guide wire inserted femoral vein catheter (16%), and was least with the stylet catheter (5.5%). Total mechanical complications were lower with guide wire inserted femoral vein catheter (16%) as compared to intravenous cannula (25%) and stylet catheter (66%) (p < 0.05). There were 4 episodes of peritonitis (5.0%), 3 bacterial and 1 fungal. Although peritonitis was more common with intravenous cannula (8.3%) than guide wire inserted catheter (4%) and stylet catheter (nil), the difference was not statistically significant. Total complications including mechanical and infective were least with guide wire inserted femoral vein catheter (20%), followed by intravenous cannula (33%) and stylet catheter (66%) (p < 0.05). Of 51 infants, 20 died (39.0%). The PD procedure per se resulted in mortality in 2 cases, 1 because of massive intraperitoneal bleed due to stylet induced injury of an intra abdominal blood vessel and the other due to fungal peritonitis. To conclude, of the three types of access for intermittent PD, complications related to the PD procedure are the least with guide wire inserted femoral vein catheter.     

Early childhood caries screening tools: a comparison of four approaches

BackgroundEarly childhood caries (ECC) is prevalent and consequential. Risk assessment tools have been proposed that can be used to identify children who require intensive interventions. In this study, the authors compare four approaches for identifying children needing early and intensive intervention to prevent or minimize caries experience for their accuracy and clinical usefulness.MethodsThe authors screened 229 predominantly low-income Hispanic children younger than 3 years with ECC and 242 without ECC by using the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Caries-risk Assessment Tool (CAT) and the optional screening measure of culturing Streptococcus mutans. The authors compared four approaches (CAT, CAT minus socioeconomic status, CAT minus socioeconomic status plus mutans streptococci [MS] and MS alone) for accuracy and clinical usefulness.ResultsThe results of the CAT demonstrated high sensitivity (100.0 percent) and negative predictive value (NPV) (100.0 percent) but low specificity (2.9 percent) and positive predictive value (PPV) (49.4 percent). The MS culture alone had the highest combination of accuracy and clinical usefulness (sensitivity, 86.5 percent; specificity, 93.4 percent; PPV, 92.5 percent; NPV, 87.9 percent). When we removed the socioeconomic status element, the CAT's performance improved.ConclusionsSalivary culture of MS alone in a population of young, low-income Hispanic childrenoutperformed the CAT and variations on the CAT for test accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) and clinical usefulness (predictive values).Clinical ImplicationsScreening for ECC by using salivary MS cultures and variations on the CAT are promising approaches for identifying children who need early and intensive intervention to prevent or minimize caries experience.     

Role of MRI in patient selection for surgical treatment of intractable epilepsy in infancy

Epilepsy surgery is an effective treatment in selected patients with localization-related intractable epilepsy. The success of epilepsy surgery is in part dependent upon identification of a lesion on MRI. In infants, the surgical epileptogenic substrates include focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), hemimegalencephaly, tuberous sclerosis complex, Sturge Weber syndrome, hypoxic-ischemic or cerebrovascular injury and low-grade tumor. The sensitivity of MRI in identifying the epileptogenic substrate is influenced by the nature of the epileptogenic substrate, MRI technique and expertise of the interpreting physician. The MRI features of some lesions such as FCD may differ in infants compared to children and adults; the white matter adjacent to FCD may demonstrate lower T2 and higher T1 signal in some infants due to premature myelination, while in others, the white matter demonstrates higher T2 or lower T1 signal due to demyelination, dysmyelination or gliosis, similar to children and adults. The appearances of some lesions, such as FCD, may change with time, due to brain maturation or seizure related changes. MRI for patients with localization-related intractable epilepsy should have high-resolution, multiplanar and multisequence. In infants, volumetric T1 and high-resolution T2 imaging are recommended. FLAIR and proton density sequences are less helpful in infants due to lack of myelin in the white matter. The physician interpreting the scan should be familiar with the imaging appearances of epileptogenic substrates and may need to review the scan more than once if a lesion is not seen on initial inspection.     

Growth hormone combined with child-specific motor training improves motor development in infants with Prader-Willi syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

Although severe motor problems in infants with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) are striking, motor development has never been studied longitudinally and the results of growth hormone (GH) treatment on motor development are contradictory. The authors studied whether GH treatment can enhance the effect of physical training on motor development in infants with PWS. Twenty-two infants were followed for two years during a randomized controlled trial. The treatment and control groups began GH after baseline or following a control period, respectively. Both groups followed a child-specific physical training program. Motor performance was measured every three months. Multi-level regression analysis revealed that motor development differed significantly between infants (p < .001), and this could be partially explained by baseline motor developmental level (p < .01). GH treatment enhanced the effects of child-specific physical training on both motor developmental rate and motor developmental potential. Moreover, this effect was more pronounced when GH treatment was initiated at a younger age.     

Early socio-communicative forms and functions in typical Rett syndrome

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder characterized by a developmental regression in motor and speech-language domains. There is, however, limited research on socio-communicative development of affected children before the onset of regression. We analyzed audio–video recordings made by parents of six 9- to 12-month old girls later diagnosed with typical RTT, applying the Inventory of Potential Communicative Acts (IPCA) to identify early communicative forms and functions. Each girl used at least one communicative form (e.g., body movement, eye gaze, or vocalizations) to gain attention and answer, but none were observed to make choices or request information. Varying numbers of children were observed to perform other communicative functions according to the IPCA including social convention, rejecting or requesting an object. Non-verbal forms (e.g., reaching, moving closer, eye contact, smiling) were more common than non-linguistic verbal forms (e.g., unspecified vocalizations, pleasure vocalizations, crying). (Pre-)linguistic verbal forms (e.g., canonical or variegated babbling, proto-words) were not used for communicative purposes. These data suggest that atypical developmental patterns in the socio-communicative domain are evident prior to regression in young individuals later diagnosed with RTT.     

头孢噻肟结合中成药对婴幼儿肺炎C-反应蛋白的影响

目的:探讨头孢噻肟结合中成药对婴幼儿肺炎患儿血C-反应蛋白(CRP)水平的影响。方法:对未能住院的42例婴幼儿肺炎采用头孢噻肟结合中成药治疗,并对其治疗前及治疗7d后的血CRP水平、临床症状和体征等进行评估。结果:总有效率为81.0%;血CRP水平从治疗前的(45.27±15.70)mg.L-1降至(10.38±7.26)mg.L-1,前后比较有统计学差异(P<0.01)。结论:头孢噻肟结合中成药对婴幼儿肺炎患儿的血CRP有较好的干预效果,该方法治疗婴幼儿肺炎是可取的、有效的、安全的。