Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of mild hypothermia via selective head cooling as a neuroprotective therapy in term infants with perinatal asphyxia.Study design: Full-term newborns who had 5 min Apgar scores <6, first arterial blood gas pH<7.10 or BD>15 mEq/l, and with the clinical signs of encephalopathy were enrolled within 6 h after birth. Patients were randomized to receive mild hypothermia treatment via selective head cooling for a total of 72 h or receive routine treatment as a control. Brain hypoxic-ischemic injury was quantified based on the head computed tomographic scan (CT scan) at postnatal age 5-7 days and a Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment (NBNA) score at 7-10 days of life.Results: A total of 58 patients (30 hypothermia, 28 control) completed the study. Hypothermia was well tolerated in this study and attenuated the hypoxic-ischemic brain injury due to perinatal asphyxia. Head CT scan demonstrated moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic changes in only 4/30 cases from the hypothermic group. In contrast, 18/28 cases in the control group showed moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic changes (w 2 ¼ 15.97, P<0.01). Brain hypothermia also significantly improved the NBNA score (32±2 in the hypothermic group vs 28±3 in the control group, P<0.01). Conclusions:Our results suggest that selective head cooling may be used as a neuroprotective therapy in term neonates with perinatal asphyxia. A long-term follow-up study is needed to further validate the results of this study.

A vortex-unbinding mechanism for dissipation in epitaxial thin-film microstrips of YBa,Cu30, is established for zero and small magnetic fields. Excellent self-consistent quantitative agreement is found with the two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau Coulomb gas theory at low currents above the Kosterlitz-Thouless temperature Tt, , and with a simple nucleation theory for three-dimensional vortex rings at higher currents and lower temperatures.

ABSTRACT. The aims of this study were to establish a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprint database of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) from different cultivars of Cornus officinalis and to convert RAPD markers to sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) markers. A method of extraction was established that was suitable for obtaining cpDNA from samples rapidly dried in silicone; an RAPD fingerprint database was built; and the genetic distance between samples was used as statistical clustering variables for calculating DICE genetic similarity coefficients and for building a kinship tree chart. RAPD markers were converted to SCAR markers to design specific primers, and samples from C. officinalis cultivars, plants of the same family, and its adulterants, were used for amplification and identification. Fifteen amplified primers with stable polymorphisms were screened for amplification of 130 copies of materials. In total, 57 sites were achieved, 40 of which were polymorphic, and the polymorphic rate was up to 70.18%. A genetic tree was built based on (2015) seven cultivars. SCAR markers of C. officinalis cpDNA were successfully converted into RAPD markers. cpDNA samples from hawthorn, C. officinalis, Cornus wood, and grape were used for SCAR amplification, and their bands were distinctly different. In conclusion, SCAR markers and cpDNA may be used for research on C. officinalis and its adulterants, and the results may provide a basis for identifying germplasm and screening fine varieties at a molecular level.