Epileptic Seizures in Neonates Treated with Hypothermia for Hypoxo-Ischemic Encephalopathy in Brazzaville, Congo: Types and Evolution

Background: Moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates is often treated with hypothermia. However, some neonates may experience epileptic seizures during therapeutic hypothermia (TH). Data on the electrophysiologic and evolutionary aspects of these seizures are scarce in African countries. Objectives: To determine the types of epileptic seizures caused by HIE in neonates in Brazzaville;to describe the evolution of background EEG activities during TH and rewarming;to report the evolution of epileptic seizures. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted from January 2020 to July 2022. It took place in Brazzaville in the Neonatology Department of the Blanche Gomez Mother and Child Hospital. It focused on term neonates suffering from moderate or severe HIE. They were treated with hypothermia combined with phenobarbital for 72 hours. Results: Among 36 neonates meeting inclusion criteria, there were 18 boys and 18 girls. Thirty-one (86.1%) neonates had grade 2 and 5 (13.9%) grade 3 HIE. In our neonates, HIE had induced isolated electrographic seizures (n = 11;30.6%), electroclinical seizures (n = 25;69.4%), and 6 types of background EEG activity. During TH and rewarming, there were 52.8% of patients with improved background EEG activity, 41.7% of patients with unchanged background EEG activity, and 5.5% of patients with worsened background EEG activity. At the end of rewarming, only 9 (25%) patients still had seizures. Conclusion: Isolated electrographic and electroclinical seizures are the only pathological entities found in our studied population. In neonates with moderate HIE, the applied therapeutic strategy positively influences the evolution of both seizures and background EEG activity. On the other hand, in neonates with severe HIE, the same therapeutic strategy is ineffective. .

Resting-state network complexity and magnitude changes in neonates with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging has revealed disrupted brain network connectivity in adults and teenagers with cerebral palsy. However, the specific brain networks implicated in neonatal cases remain poorly understood. In this study, we recruited 14 termborn infants with mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and 14 term-born infants with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy from Changzhou Children's Hospital, China. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data showed efficient small-world organization in whole-brain networks in both the mild and severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy groups. However, compared with the mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group, the severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group exhibited decreased local efficiency and a low clustering coefficient. The distribution of hub regions in the functional networks had fewer nodes in the severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group compared with the mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group. Moreover, nodal efficiency was reduced in the left rolandic operculum, left supramarginal gyrus, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus. These results suggest that the topological structure of the resting state functional network in children with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is clearly distinct from that in children with mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, and may be associated with impaired language, motion, and cognition. These data indicate that it may be possible to make early predictions regarding brain development in children with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, enabling early interventions targeting brain function. This study was approved by the Regional Ethics Review Boards of the Changzhou Children's Hospital(approval No. 2013-001) on January 31, 2013. Informed consent was obtained from the family members of the children. The trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration number: ChiCTR1800016409) and the protocol version is 1.0.

Can we further optimize therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy?

Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a leading cause of neonatal death and disability.Therapeutic hypothermia significantly reduces death and major disability associated with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy;however,many infants still experience lifelong disabilities to movement,sensation and cognition.Clinical guidelines,based on strong clinical and preclinical evidence,recommend therapeutic hypothermia should be started within 6 hours of birth and continued for a period of 72 hours,with a target brain temperature of 33.5 ±0.5℃ for infants with moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.The clinical guidelines also recommend that infants be re warmed at a rate of 0.5℃ per hour,but this is not based on strong evidence.There are no randomized controlled trials investigating the optimal rate of rewarming after therapeutic hypothermia for infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.Preclinical studies of rewarming are conflicting and results were confounded by treatment with sub-optimal durations of hypothermia.In this review,we evaluate the evidence for the optimal start time,duration and depth of hypothermia,and whether the rate of rewarming after treatment affects brain injury and neurological outcomes.

Brainstem tegmental lesions in neonates with hypoxicischemic encephalopathy: Magnetic resonance diagnosis and clinical outcome

Lesions of the brainstem have been reported in the clinical scenarios of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE), although the prevalence of these lesions is probably underestimated. Neuropathologic studies have demonstrated brainstem involvement in severely asphyxiated infants as an indicator of poor outcome. Among survivors to HIE, the most frequent clinical complaints that may be predicted by brainstem lesions include feeding problems, speech, language and communication problems and visual impairments. Clinical series, including vascular and metabolic etiologies, have found selective involvement of the brainstem with the demonstration of symmetric bilateral columnar lesions of the tegmentum. The role of brainstem lesions in HIE is currently a matter of debate, especially when tegmental lesions are present in the absence of supratentorial lesions. Differential diagnosis of tegmental lesions in neonates and infants include congenital metabolic syndromes and drug-related processes. Brainstem injury with the presence of supratentorial lesions is a predictor of poor outcome and high rates of mortality and morbidity. Further investigation will be conducted to identify specific sites of the brainstem that are vulnerable to hypoxic-ischemic and toxic-metabolic insults.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for promoting the intellectual rehabilitation of infants with severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy A 5-year follow-up

It has been reported that early intervention of hyperbaric oxygen （HBO） can promote the intellectual rehabilitation of infants with severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy （HIE） and can prevent mental retardation recently. However, the prior observations on the therapeutic effect almost were short-term. How about the observations on prospective efficacy and the following up on systematic intelligence test？ OBJECTIVE： To investigate the short-term and long-term effects of HBO therapy on the promotion of the intellectual rehabilitation in infants with severe HIE. DESIGN： A comparative observation. SETTING： Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College. PARTICIPANTS： Forty-seven infants with severe HIE （35 males and 12 females） were treated with HBO in the Department of Pediatrics, the Affiliated Hospital of the Medical College of Qingdao University from October 1996 to July 1999. All of them were consistent with the diagnostic criteria and clinical grading on severe HIE which were designed by Chinese Medical Association pediatrics committee neonate group in Hangzhou, October, 1996. Informed contents were obtained from the relatives of all the infants. METHODS： ① Grouping： The infants were randomly divided into two groups according to the order of admission, those of odd numbers were HBO group （n =24） and those of even numbers were control group （n =23）. All the infants were treated with routine therapy for 3 months, in addition to HBO therapy in the HBO group, once a day for 4 courses of l0 days with the interval of l0 - 15 days since 8 to l0 days after birth. HBO chamber produced by the 701 Institute of China Ship Industry Company was used, and the therapy pressure was 0.14- 0.16 MPa, and the time of compression and decompression were both 15 minutes while voltage-stabilizing was 30 minutes. ② In order to evaluate the short-term and long-term effects of HBO on intellectual rehabilitation in infants with HIE, neonatal behavioral neurological assessment （NBNA） was employed at 7 and 28 days after birth, and Bayley scale of infant development （BSID） was got at two years old in both groups, as well as Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence （WPPSI） at five years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Comparison of short-term and long-term intelligence between the two groups. RESULTS： ① Results of NBNA： The NBNA score at 28 days was significantly higher in the HBO group than in the control group （P 〈 0.01）. ② Results of BSID： The score of mental development index （MDI） of BSID at two years old in the HBO group was significantly higher than that in the control group （P 〈 0.05）. ③ Results of WPPSI： The score of full-scale intelligence quotient （FIQ） and verbal intelligence quotient （VIQ） of WPPSI in the HBO group were significantly higher than those in the control group （P 〈 0.05）. In addition, the rate of mental retardation in the HBO group was significantly lower than that in the control group [12.5% （3/24）, 39.1%（9/23）, P 〈 0.05]. CONCLUSION： Not only the short-term intellectual rehabilitation but also the long-term one in infants with severe HIE could be promoted by HBO therapy, which might be benefit to the prevention of mental retardation.

Effect of erythropoietin combined with hypothermia on serum tau protein levels and neurodevelopmental outcome in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Although hypothermia therapy is effective to treat neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy,many neonatal patients die or suffer from severe neurological dysfunction.Erythropoietin is considered one of the most promising neuroprotective agents.We hypothesized that erythropoietin combined with hypothermia will improve efficacy of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy treatment.In this study,41 neonates with moderate/severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy were randomly divided into a control group（hypothermia alone for 72 hours,n = 20） and erythropoietin group（hypothermia ＋ erythropoietin 200 IU/kg for 10 days,n = 21）.Our results show that compared with the control group,serum tau protein levels were lower and neonatal behavioral neurological assessment scores higher in the erythropoietin group at 8 and 12 days.However,neurodevelopmental outcome was similar between the two groups at 9 months of age.These findings suggest that erythropoietin combined with hypothermia reduces serum tau protein levels and improves neonatal behavioral neurology outcome but does not affect long-term neurodevelopmental outcome.

Mild hypothermia combined with neural stem cell transplantation for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: neuroprotective effects of combined therapy

Neural stem cell transplantation is a useful treatment for ischemic stroke, but apoptosis often occurs in the hypoxic-ischemic environment of the brain after cell transplantation. In this study, we determined if mild hypothermia （27-28~C） can increase the survival rate of neural stem cells （1.0 x 105/~tL） transplanted into neonatal mice with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Long-term effects on neurological functioning of the mice were also examined. After mild hy- pothermia combined with neural stem cell transplantation, we observed decreased expression levels of inflammatory factor nuclear factor-kappa B and apoptotic factor caspase-3, reduced cerebral infarct volumes, increased survival rate of transplanted cells, and marked improvements in neurological function. Thus, the neuroprotective effects of mild hypothermia combined with neural stem cell transplantation are superior to those of monotherapy. Moreover, our findings suggest that the neuroprotective effects of mild hypothermia combined with neural stem cell transplantation on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy are achieved by anti-inflammatory and an- ti-apoptotic mechanisms.

Thioperamide treats neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy by postsynaptic H1 receptors

Thioperamide, a selective histamine H3 receptor antagonist, can increase histamine content in the brain, improve brain edema, and exert a neuroprotective effect. This study aimed to examine the mechanism of action of thioperamide during brain edema in a rat model of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Our results showed that thioperamide significantly decreased brain water content and malondialdehyde levels, while significantly increased histamine levels and superoxide dismutase activity in the hippocampus. This evidence demonstrates that thioperamide could pre vent oxidative damage and attenuate brain edema following neonatal hypoxicischemic encepha Iopathy. We further observed that changes in the above indexes occurred after combined treatment of thioperamide with the H1 receptor antagonist, pyrilamine, and the H2 receptor antagonist, ci metidine. Experimental findings indicated that pyrilamine reversed the effects of thioperamide; however, cimetidine had no significant influence on the effects of thioperamide. Our present findings suggest that thioperamide can increase brain histamine content and attenuate brain edema and oxidative damage by acting in combination with postsynaptic H1 receptors in a rat model of neo natal hypoxicischemic encephalopathy.

Neurodevelopmental Problems in Children at 9 Months of Age Associated with Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy

Introduction: Neonatal asphyxia is a major cause of infant morbidity in Cameroon. The aim of this study was to describe the short-term neurological outcome of children following neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methodology: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from May 2010 to September 2013. We included 39 exposed cases against 78 non-exposed cases followed-up for at least 9 months. The variables studied were: age, sex, head circumference, neurological sequelae, postural anomalies and motor skills and developmental age/quotient. The data collected were analyzed using Epi info software version 3.5.3. The Fisher Exact Test was used to compare the variables with a significance threshold defined for p Results: We recruited 39 cases for 78 controls. The majority (74.40%) of cases were classified as HIE Sarnat 3 and 25.60% Sarnat 2. Most of the children were aged 12 - 36 months with a mean age of 18 months. The male sex was predominant with a sex ratio of 1.2;and 61.50% of children with HIE had head circumference Conclusion: The frequency of neurological sequelae following HIE was high in our series. Efforts should be made to prevent perinatal asphyxia and to ensure the availability of material and staff trained to help babies’ breath in all the delivery rooms in our maternities.

Molecular chaperones and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy（HIE） is a disease that occurs when the brain is subjected to hypoxia,resulting in neuronal death and neurological deficits,with a poor prognosis.The mechanisms underlying hypoxic-ischemic brain injury include excitatory amino acid release,cellular proteolysis,reactive oxygen species generation,nitric oxide synthesis,and inflammation.The molecular and cellular changes in HIE include protein misfolding,aggregation,and destruction of organelles.The apoptotic pathways activated by ischemia and hypoxia include the mitochondrial pathway,the extrinsic Fas receptor pathway,and the endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced pathway.Numerous treatments for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury caused by HIE have been developed over the last half century.Hypothermia,xenon gas treatment,the use of melatonin and erythropoietin,and hypoxic-ischemic preconditioning have proven effective in HIE patients.Molecular chaperones are proteins ubiquitously present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.A large number of molecular chaperones are induced after brain ischemia and hypoxia,among which the heat shock proteins are the most important.Heat shock proteins not only maintain protein homeostasis; they also exert anti-apoptotic effects.Heat shock proteins maintain protein homeostasis by helping to transport proteins to their target destinations,assisting in the proper folding of newly synthesized polypeptides,regulating the degradation of misfolded proteins,inhibiting the aggregation of proteins,and by controlling the refolding of misfolded proteins.In addition,heat shock proteins exert anti-apoptotic effects by interacting with various signaling pathways to block the activation of downstream effectors in numerous apoptotic pathways,including the intrinsic pathway,the endoplasmic reticulum-stress mediated pathway and the extrinsic Fas receptor pathway.Molecular chaperones play a key role in neuroprotection in HIE.In this review,we provide an overview of the mechanisms of HIE and discuss the various treatment strategies.Given their critical role in the disease,molecular chaperones are promising therapeutic targets for HIE.

Research progress of relationship between hyptoxic ischemic encephalopathy and interleukin in neonates

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) refers to brain lesions caused by hypoxia in perinatal neonates, usually combined with damage or dysfunction of other organs. The pathogenesis of HIE is very complex, which is still unclear, and it is one of the important subjects of perinatal medicine research. In recent years, the role of immune system in the pathogenesis of HIE has attracted more and more attention, especially interleukin (IL), which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HIE. Therefore, further study on the immune mechanism of neonatal HIE, to realize early diagnosis and early intervention is of great significance for preventing HIE complications.

Relation of nitric oxide and neonate hypoxic- ischemic encephalopathy

Objective To study the changes of the nitric oxide(NO) in process of neonate hypoxic－ ischemic encephalopathy(HIE) and the relations between the concentrations of NO and HIE. Methods Tested the concentrations of NO in CSF of newborn infants suffered HIE the third day and in plasma of newborn infants suffered HIE just attacked instant(within 2 hours), the first day ,the third day and restoring stage and compared with them of normal contrast term. We tried to analyse the reasons and significance of NO change .Results The NO concentration is the highest in plasma of newborn infants suffered HIE the first day. There is significant difference(P<0.01) after comparing the NO concentrations in plasmas of newborn infants suffered HIE just attacked instant, the first day, the third day with of normal contrast team respectively. But there is not significant difference(P >0.05) between NO in plasmas of restoring stage and of normal contrast team. There is positive correlation between the NO concentration in plasma and in CSF of newborn infants suffered HIE the third day. The more serious the disease is, the higher the NO concentration is, the worse the prognosis is. Conclusion NO play along with the course of HIE and play an important role in neonate HIE. Testing the concentration of NO in plasma and in CSF can also help to judge the degree of disease.

Effects of mild hypothermia combined EPO therapy on cerebral injury, myocardial injury and oxidative stress of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Objective:To explore the effects of mild hypothermia combined EPO therapy on cerebral injury, myocardial injury and oxidative stress of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Methods: A total of 72 children with HIE who were diagnosed and treated in the hospital between December 2015 and June 2017 were chosen as the study subjects and divided into control group (n=36) and EPO group (n=36) by random number table method. Control group received mild hypothermia therapy on the basis of conventional therapy, and EPO group received EPO therapy on the basis of the therapy for control group. The differences in serum levels of cerebral injury indexes, myocardial injury indexes and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.Results: The differences in serum levels of cerebral injury indexes, myocardial injury indexes and oxidative stress indexes were not statistically significant between the two groups before treatment. After the treatment ended, serum cerebral injury indexes VILIP-1, NPY and NSE levels of EPO group were lower than those of control group whereas IGF-1 level was higher than that of control group;myocardial injury indexes CT-1, Myo and cTnⅠ levels were lower than those of control group;oxidative stress indexes GSH-Px and SOD levels were higher than those of control group whereas AOPP and ROS levels were lower than those of control group.Conclusion: Mild hypothermia combined with EPO therapy can improve the cerebral injury, myocardial injury and oxidative stress of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

The influence of ganglioside on the blood gas analysis and serum inflammatory cytokines in newborns with anoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Objective:To observe the influence of ganglioside on the blood gas analysis and serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in newborns with anoxic ischemic encephalopathy.Method: A total of 100 newborns with anoxic ischemic encephalopathy in our hospital were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups: the control group and the observation group. Conventional oxygen inhalation, reducing intracranial pressure, controlling eclampsia and neurotrophic drug treatment were given to the observation group. Treatment of ganglioside was given to the control group on the basis of observation group. Blood gas analysis and serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were detected before treatment (T0), 3 d after treatment (T1), and 7 d after treatment (T2).Result: (1) The comparison of pH, PaO2, PaCO2, SaO2 in the two groups in T0 was not statistically significant. The comparison of pH, PaO2, PaCO2, SaO2 in T0, T1, T2 was considered to be statistically significant. Among these, the result of comparision of pH, PaO2, SaO2: T0<T1<T2. comparision of PaCO2: T0>T1>T2. The pH, PaO2, SaO2 in observation group were higher, PaCO2 in observation group was lower compared with that in control group in T1 and T2. The difference was considered to be statistically significant. (2) The comparision of IL-2, IL-6, hs-CRP, TNF-α in the two groups in T0 was not statistically significant. IL-2 in the observation in T1 and T2 was higher than that in the control group, IL-6, hs-CRP, TNF-α in the observation in T1 and T2 was lower than that in the control group. The difference was considered to be statistically significant.Conclusion: Ganglioside can improve blood gas analysis indexes, decrease the serum inflammatory cytokines in newborns with anoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

The evaluation value of the quantitative electroencephalogram for the prognosis of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and its relationship with serological indicators

Objective:To study the evaluation value of the quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) for the prognosis of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and its relationship with serological indicators.Methods: 76 children with HIE who were born and treated in our hospital between April 2013 and February 2017 were collected as observation group, and 50 healthy newborns who were born in our hospital during the same period were collected as normal control group. qEEG parameter values of two groups of children were determined, serum levels of nerve injury indexes, nerve apoptosis indexes and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups, and Pearson test was used to evaluate the inner link between qEEG parameter values and disease severity in children with HIE.Results: qEEG Fp1, Fp2, C3, C4, T3, T4, O1 and O2 loci power spectrum values of observation group were significantly lower than those of normal control group. Serum NSE, NPY, S-100B and MBP contents in observation group were higher than those in normal control group;nerve apoptosis indexes sFas, sFasL and Caspase-3 contents were higher than those in normal control group while Bcl-2 content was lower than that in normal control group;serum oxidative stress indexes AOPP and MDA contents were higher than those in normal control group while SOD content was lower than that in normal control group. Pearson test showed that qEEG Fp1, Fp2, C3, C4, T3, T4, O1 and O2 loci power spectrum values in children with HIE were directly correlated with the contents of nerve injury indexes, nerve apoptosis indexes and oxidative stress indexes. Conclusion: The qEEG parameter values in children with HIE are lower than those in normal children, and the specific values are closely related to the severity of the disease.

Xuefuzhuyu decoction and astragalus prevent hypoxic-ischemic brain injury

Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury models were generated by bilateral carotid artery ligation in Sprague-Dawley rats. Successful models were treated with a combination of Xuefuzhuyu decoction and 10g of astragalus. The experimental results showed that neuronal morphology and structure recovered, nerve growth factor mRNA expression increased in brain tissues, and neurological function signifi-cantly improved. There was no significant difference in these measures compared with rats treated with Xuefuzhuyu decoction alone or a combined treatment of Xuefuzhuyu decoction with 40 g as-tragalus. These experimental findings revealed that, Xuefuzhuyu decoction combined with astra-galus may up-regulate the expression of nerve growth factor mRNA and accordingly exert a neu-roprotective effect; however, this protection is not dependent on astragalus dosage.

Applications of advanced signal processing and machine learning in the neonatal hypoxic-ischemic electroencephalography

Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic-encephalopathy significantly contributes to neonatal death and life-long disability such as cerebral palsy. Advances in signal processing and machine learning have provided the research community with an opportunity to develop automated real-time identification techniques to detect the signs of hypoxic-ischemic-encephalopathy in larger electroencephalography/amplitude-integrated electroencephalography data sets more easily. This review details the recent achievements, performed by a number of prominent research groups across the world, in the automatic identification and classification of hypoxic-ischemic epileptiform neonatal seizures using advanced signal processing and machine learning techniques. This review also addresses the clinical challenges that current automated techniques face in order to be fully utilized by clinicians, and highlights the importance of upgrading the current clinical bedside sampling frequencies to higher sampling rates in order to provide better hypoxic-ischemic biomarker detection frameworks. Additionally, the article highlights that current clinical automated epileptiform detection strategies for human neonates have been only concerned with seizure detection after the therapeutic latent phase of injury. Whereas recent animal studies have demonstrated that the latent phase of opportunity is critically important for early diagnosis of hypoxic-ischemic-encephalopathy electroencephalography biomarkers and although difficult, detection strategies could utilize biomarkers in the latent phase to also predict the onset of future seizures.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment promotes neural stem cell proliferation in the subventricular zone of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage has been used clinically for many years, but its effectiveness remains controversial. In addition, the mechanism of this potential neuroprotective effect remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the influence of hyperbaric oxygen on the proliferation of neural stem cells in the subventricular zone of neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats （7 days old） subjected to hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. Six hours after modeling, rats were treated with hyperbaric oxygen once daily for 7 days. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the number of 5-bromo-2＇-deoxyuridine positive and nestin positive cells in the subventricular zone of neonatal rats increased at day 3 after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and peaked at day 5. After hyperbaric oxygen treatment, the number of 5-bromo-2＇- deoxyuddine positive and nestin positive cells began to increase at day 1, and was significantly higher than that in normal rats and model rats until day 21. Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that hyperbaric oxygen treatment could attenuate pathological changes to brain tissue in neonatal rats, and reduce the number of degenerating and necrotic nerve cells. Our experimental findings indicate that hyperbaric oxygen treatment enhances the proliferation of neural stem cells in the subventricular zone of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage, and has therapeutic potential for promoting neurological recovery following brain injury.

Estrogen inhibits lipid peroxidation after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats

Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats within 7 days after birth were used in this study. The left common carotid artery was occluded and rats were housed in an 8% O2 environment for 2 hours to establish a hypoxic-ischemic brain damage model. 17β-estradiol （1 × 10-5 M） was injected into the rat abdominal cavity after the model was successfully established. The left hemisphere was obtained at 12, 24, 48, 72 hours after operation. Results showed that malondialdehyde content in the left brain of neonatal rats gradually increased as modeling time prolonged, while malondialdehyde content of 17β-estrodial-treated rats significantly declined by 24 hours, reached lowest levels at 48 hours, and then peaked at 72 hours after injury. Nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate histochemical staining showed the nitric oxide synthase-positive cells and fibers dyed blue/violet and were mainly distributed in the cortex, hippocampus and medial septal nuclei. The number of nitric oxide synthase-positive cells peaked at 48 hours and significantly decreased after 17β-estrodial treatment. Our experimental findings indicate that estrogen plays a protective role following hypoxic-ischemic brain damage by alleviating lipid peroxidation through reducing the expression of nitric oxide synthase and the content of malondialdehyde.

HIE新生儿血清内B淋巴细胞和NLR水平与病情进展程度及预后的相关性

目的:探讨新生儿缺氧缺血性脑病血清内B淋巴细胞和NLR水平与病情进展程度及预后的相关性。方法:选取商丘市第一人民医院2020年3月至2022年3月诊断的120例新生儿缺氧缺血性脑病患儿作为疾病组,根据新生儿窒息的脑损伤情况分析,其中轻度患儿48例,中度患儿41例,重度患儿31例,另选取同期健康新生儿120例作为对照组,比较疾病组与对照组、不同严重程度以及不同预后患者的NLR、CD19^(+)、CD19^(+)CD25^(+)水平之间的差异,分析血清内B淋巴细胞和NLR水平与病情进展程度及预后的相关性。结果:疾病组患儿的NLR水平显著高于对照组,CD19^(+)、CD19^(+)CD25^(+)水平显著低于对照组(P<0.05);不同严重疾病患儿的NLR、CD19^(+)、CD19^(+)CD25^(+)水平之间的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),经过两两比较,CD19^(+)、CD19^(+)CD25^(+)水平从高到低依次为轻度、中度以及重度,NLR水平从高到低依次为重度、中度以及轻度(P<0.05);预后不良组患儿的NLR水平显著高于预后良好组,CD19^(+)、CD19^(+)CD25^(+)水平显著低于预后良好组(P<0.05);通过相关性分析,患儿的预后不良以及疾病严重程度与NLR呈现正相关,与CD19^(+)、CD19^(+)CD25^(+)水平呈现负相关(P<0.05);针对预后不良患儿,联合诊断的灵敏度显著高于单独检测,同时,通过对ROC曲线分析,预后不良患儿的NLR、CD19^(+)、CD19^(+)CD25^(+)水平分别为3.50,16.33,0.54。结论:HIE新生儿血清内B淋巴细胞和NLR水平与病情进展程度及预后呈现显著相关性,未来可通过对患儿的B淋巴细胞和NLR水平对患儿的不良预后进行有效预测。