Cerebral Neural Changes in Venous-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used as temporary cardiorespiratory support in patients with critical ailments, but very little is known about the functional cerebral changes in ECMO survivors. Degree centrality (DC), a graph-based assessment of network organization, was performed to explore the neural connectivity changes in ECMO survivors compared to controls and their correlation with cognitive and neurological measures. METHODS: This exploratory observational study was conducted from August 2020 to May 2022. ECMO survivors and controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain. We performed DC analysis to identify voxels that showed changes in whole-brain functional connectivity with other voxels. DC was measured by the fMRI graph method and comparisons between the two groups were performed. All participants underwent neuropsychological assessment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA). Blood serum neuron-specific enolase and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) were assessed in ECMO survivors. RESULTS: DC values in the right insula and right precuneus gyrus were lower in ECMO survivors and higher in the right medial superior frontal gyrus compared to controls (all p < 0.001). Decreased connectivity in the right insular and right precuneus gyrus correlated with total MoCA scores, delayed recollection, and calculation (all p < 0.05). Increased serum NSE levels, GCS score, and GCS-motor response correlated with decreased connectivity in the right insular and right precuneus gyrus and increased connectivity in the right medial superior frontal gyrus (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We showed that both functional impairment and adaptation were observed in survivors of ECMO, suggesting that neural connectivity changes may provide insights into the mechanisms that may potentially link ECMO survivors to neurological and cognitive disorders.

Neural Dysconnectivity in the Hippocampus Correlates With White Matter Lesions and Cognitive Measures in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.

Purpose: Recent neuroimaging reports have shown the microstructural changes in coronary artery disease (CAD) and its correlation with cognitive dysfunction while little is known about the functional characteristics of CAD. We hypothesize that functional characteristics may give clues to underlying pathology in CAD and its link with cognitive dysfunction. Degree centrality (DC), a graph-based assessment of network organization was performed to explore the neural connectivity changes in CAD patients compared with healthy controls and their correlation with cognitive measures. Methods: Thirty CAD patients and 36 healthy controls were included in our study. All participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain. We performed DC analysis to identify voxels that showed changes in whole-brain functional connectivity with other voxels. DC was measured by the fMRI graph method and comparisons between the two groups were done. All participants underwent neuropsychological assessment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA and Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE). Results: Our data analysis included 30 CAD patients (59.90 ± 7.53 years) and 36 HCs (61.61 ± 6.19 years). CAD patients showed a greater prevalence of white matter lesions using the Fazekas score than healthy controls (P < 0.001). Importantly, CAD patients showed significantly lower (P < 0.001) MoCA and MMSE scores compared with healthy controls. CAD patients showed significantly decreased DC value (P < 0.001) in the right hippocampus (hippocampus_R), right lingual gyrus (lingual_R), and significantly increased DC value (P < 0.001) in the left middle frontal gyrus (Frontal_Mid_L) when compared with healthy controls respectively. DC value in the hippocampus_R significantly correlated (P < 0.00) with MMSE and MoCA scores in CAD patients. Fazekas scores in CAD patients showed a significant correlation (P < 0.001) with the DC value in the hippocampus_R. Conclusion: These findings suggest that reduced cerebral neural connectivity in CAD may contribute to their cognitive impairment and white matter microstructural damage.

Irregular Baseline Brain Activity in Coronary Artery Disease Patients with Cognitive Impairment: A Resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive impairment has been suggested to be associated with coronary artery disease [CAD]; however, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Our current study aimed to explore the brain activity in CAD patients compared to healthy controls [HCs]. METHODS: Twenty-two CAD patients and 23 HCs were enrolled in our study. A low-frequency oscillation at the voxel level in all participants based on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations [ALFF] was measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. All participants underwent neuropsychological examinations [Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE and Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA] and visual acuity examination. RESULTS: CAD patients showed significantly lower ALFF values [P < 0.05] in the right precuneus gyrus [Precuneus_R], left supramarginal gyrus [Supramarginal_L], left angular gyrus [Angular_L], and left middle cingulum gyrus [Cingulum_Mid_L] than healthy controls. Lower MoCA scores in CAD patients significantly correlated with lower Supramarginal_L [P = 0.001] and Cingulate_ Mid_L [P = 0.004] ALFF values. Reduced visual acuity significantly correlated with lower Precuneus_R [P = 0.019] and Cingulate_Mid_L [P = 0.011] ALFF values in CAD patients. CONCLUSION: These findings may provide further insight into the underlying neuropathophysiology of CAD with cognitive impairment.

Clinical risk score for central precocious puberty among girls with precocious pubertal development: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The gold standard for the diagnosis of central precocious puberty (CPP) is gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or GnRH analogs (GnRHa) stimulation test. But the stimulation test is time-consuming and costly. Our objective was to develop a risk score model readily adoptable by clinicians and patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study based on the electronic medical record system was conducted in the Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China from January 2010 to August 2016. Patients with precocious puberty were randomly split into the training (n = 314) and validation (n = 313) sample. In the training sample, variables associated with CPP (P < 0.2) in univariate analyses were introduced in a multivariable logistic regression model. Prediction model was selected using a forward stepwise analysis. A risk score model was built with the scaled coefficients of the model and tested in the validation sample. RESULTS: CPP was diagnosed in 54.8% (172/314) and 55.0% (172/313) of patients in the training and validation sample, respectively. The CPP risk score model included age at the onset of puberty, basal luteinizing hormone (LH) concentration, largest ovarian volume, and uterine volume. The C-index was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81-0.89) and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.90) in the training and the validation sample, respectively. Two cut-off points were selected to delimitate a low- (< 10 points), median- (10-19 points), and high-risk (≥ 20 points) group. CONCLUSIONS: A risk score model for the risk of CPP had a moderate predictive performance, which offers the advantage of helping evaluate the requirement for further diagnostic tests (GnRH or GnRHa stimulation test).

Effect of a feedback system on the quality of 2-minute chest compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a randomised crossover simulation study.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the quality of 2-minute continuous chest compressions (CCCs) performed by emergency staff in 30-second intervals to determine the effect of a feedback system on maintaining the quality of CCCs. METHODS: Two hundred three physicians and nurses were randomised into two groups. Each participant performed 2-minute CCCs both with and without feedback. Group A performed CCCs under the guidance of a feedback device followed by performance without feedback, and Group B performed these tasks in reverse order. The primary outcome was the proportion of optimal compressions; i.e., compressions at both the correct rate (100-120 beats/minute) and correct depth (5-6 cm). RESULTS: During 2-minute CCCs, the proportion of optimal compressions was poor in personnel without feedback. The proportion of optimal compressions was unchanged and low from 2.4% (interquartile range, 0.0%-32.8%) in the first 30 seconds to 3.3% (0.0%-47.7%) in the last 30 seconds of the 2-minute period. Use of the feedback device significantly improved and maintained the quality of compressions from the first 30 seconds (53.3%; 29.2%-70.4%) to the last 30 seconds (82.8%; 50.8%-96.2%). CONCLUSION: Use of the feedback device was helpful for maintaining the quality of CCCs.