Newborns Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Studies on adults have demonstrated that the perception our own body can be manipulated by varying both temporal and spatial properties of multisensory information. While human newborns are capable of detecting the temporal synchrony of... more

Studies on adults have demonstrated that the perception our own body can be manipulated by varying both temporal and spatial properties of multisensory information. While human newborns are capable of detecting the temporal synchrony of visuo-tactile body-related cues, it remains unknown whether they also utilise spatial information for body perception. Twenty newborns were presented with a video of an infant’s face touched with a paintbrush, while their own face was touched either in the spatially congruent, or an incongruent, location. We found that newborns show a visual preference for spatially congruent synchronous events, supporting the view that newborns have a rudimentary sense of their own body.

A reference value is an analytical result obtained from a healthy reference individual of the community. It is very important that each institution determines reference intervals for the population attending its clinical laboratory and... more

The first steps toward bilingual language acquisition have already begun at birth. When tested on their preference for English versus Tagalog, newborns whose mothers spoke only English during pregnancy showed a robust preference for... more

The first steps toward bilingual language acquisition have already begun at birth. When tested on their preference for English versus Tagalog, newborns whose mothers spoke only English during pregnancy showed a robust preference for English. In contrast, newborns whose mothers spoke both English and Tagalog regularly during pregnancy showed equal preference for both languages. A group of newborns whose mothers had spoken both Chinese and English showed an intermediate pattern of preference for Tagalog over English. Preference for two languages does not suggest confusion between them, however. Study 2 showed that both English monolingual newborns and Tagalog-English bilingual newborns could discriminate English from Tagalog. The same perceptual and learning mechanisms that support acquisition in a monolingual environment thus also naturally support bilingual acquisition.

Background: Intravenous nutrition preparations that are not photoprotected generate oxidants, which are deleterious for cell survival. The question remains: are these observations of clinical relevance in individuals receiving parenteral... more

Background: Intravenous nutrition preparations that are not photoprotected generate oxidants, which are deleterious for cell survival.
The question remains: are these observations of clinical relevance in individuals receiving parenteral nutrition (PN), especially in
those who exhibit immature antioxidant defenses such as premature infants? Objective: To review clinical trials reporting the effect of
light-exposed vs light-protected PN to determine whether photoprotection reduces neonatal mortality in preterm infants. Data source:
Electronic databases, abstracts in relevant journals, and references in manuscripts between 1980 and 2014. Selection criteria: Newborn,
premature infants, PN, photoprotection, shielding from light, randomization, mortality, death. Methods: Consensus for inclusion reached
by 2 reviewers; meta-analysis of trials and observational studies reporting mortality at 36 weeks’ gestational age or hospital discharge.
Results: Four trials meeting selection criteria, which involved a total of 800 newborn premature infants, were included. Across trials,
gestational age (mean ± SD) ranged from 26 ± 1 to 31 ± 2 weeks, birth weight from 775 ± 161 to 1588 ± 366 g, and mortality from
5%–32%. Mortality in the light-protected group was half of that in the light-exposed group (95% confidence interval, 0.32–0.87) and
twice as high in males compared with females (χ2, P = .01). Conclusion: Shielding PN from light has vital repercussions that call for action
to provide photoprotected delivery systems and infusion sets in premature infants. Further studies should be extended to the increasing
number of children and adults receiving long-term home PN to evaluate the effects of light protection on severe complications that impede
their quality of life

Анализ последних исследований выявил неблагоприятное влияние сахарного диабета I типа матери на формирование и функционирование многих органов и систем, в том числе иммунной. Клетки Купфера по происхождению и строению являются... more

Анализ последних исследований выявил неблагоприятное влияние сахарного диабета I типа матери на формирование и функционирование многих органов и систем, в том числе иммунной. Клетки Купфера по происхождению и строению являются макрофагами, влияют на рост и регенерацию гепатоцитов, поддерживают иммунологический гомеостаз. Данные о влиянии СД І типа матери на макрофагальную систему печени плодов и новорожденных немногочисленны и разноречивы. Цель исследования – выявление морфологических особенностей клеток Купфера печени плодов и новорожденных от матерей с сахарным диабетомI типа. Материалом для исследования послужили препараты печени плодов и новорожденных от матерей, беременность которых была осложнена сахарным диабетом различной степени тяжести. Морфологически печень изучалась с помощью гистологических, морфометрических, иммуногистохимических и статистических методов исследования. В ходе проведенного исследования установлено, что СД І типа матери оказывает неблагоприятное влияние на морфологическое состояние паренхимы печени плодов и новорожденных, вызывая развитие венозного полнокровия, жировой дистрофии и склеротических изменений, причем степень выраженности обнаруженных изменений находится в прямой зависимости от тяжести сахарного диабета.При тяжелом СД в печени плодов и новорожденных обнаруживается выраженная диффузная жировая дистрофия гепатоцитов, появляются гипертрофированные одно-и двуядерные гепатоциты по периферии дольки, а также сморщенные с фрагментированными ядрами гепатоциты в средней трети дольки и местами центролобулярно. Проведенное исследование показало, что морфофункциональная активность клеток Купфера печени плодов и новорожденных увеличивается при сахарном диабете легкой и средней степени тяжести. Адаптационно-приспособительные механизмы в виде гиперплазии, гипертрофии признаков активного метаболизма ДНП и РНП максимально выражены при сахарном диабете легкой и средней степени тяжести и снижаются при тяжелой. Отмечается массивная пролиферация клеток Купфера, однако, в большинстве клеток отсутствуют псевдоподии, цитоплазма их светлая, ядра фрагментированы. Таким образом, при более легкой степени СД неблагоприятные обстоятельства, обусловленные сосудистыми нарушениями, приводят к стимуляции компенсаторных реакций макрофагальной системы, а при более тяжелом течении СД клетки Купфера неспособны к проявлению достаточно выраженных компенсаторных процессов. Одной из причин этого возможно является наличие в таких случаях наряду с микро-и макроангиопатией хронической гипоксии. По-видимому, повышенная активация клеток Купфера при СД средней степени тяжести приводит к их морфофункциональному истощению при дальнейшем утяжелении сахарного диабета матери. Проведенное исследование позволяет сделать вывод, что максимальное напряжение адаптационно-приспособительных реакций отмечается в печени плодов и новорожденных от матерей с сахарным диабетом средней степени тяжести, тогда как при тяжелом СД они истощены.

A newborn's behavioral state comes from one of his six states of consciousness. These states include two sleep states, three awake states and one transitional state. Your newborn's facial expression and body movement vary within each... more

A newborn's behavioral state comes from one of his six states of consciousness. These states include two sleep states, three awake states and one transitional state. Your newborn's facial expression and body movement vary within each state, but newborns who have healthy nervous systems instinctively and smoothly transition from one state to the next.

Abstract: Canadian healthcare insurance is not universal for all newcomer populations. New immigrant, refugee claimant, and migrant women face various barriers to healthcare due to the lack of public health insurance coverage. This... more

Abstract: Canadian healthcare insurance is not universal for all newcomer populations. New immigrant, refugee claimant, and migrant women face various barriers to healthcare due to the lack of public health insurance coverage. This retrospective study explored the relationships between insurance status and various perinatal outcomes. Researchers examined and compared perinatal outcomes for 453 uninsured and provincially insured women who delivered at two general hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area between 2007 and 2010. Data on key perinatal health indicators were collected via chart review of hospital medical records. Comparisons were made with regional statistics and professional guidelines where available. Four-in-five uninsured pregnant women received less-than-adequate prenatal care. More than half of them received clearly inadequate prenatal care, and 6.5% received no prenatal care at all. Insurance status was also related to the type of health care provider, reason for caes...

Background: Worldwide, modern life is characterized by excess of toxicTE due to pollution (domestic and industrial waste) and reduced intake of essential TE, consequence of imbalanced diet. In the context of cases of environmental... more

Background: Worldwide, modern life is characterized by excess of toxicTE due to pollution (domestic and industrial waste) and reduced intake of essential TE, consequence of imbalanced diet. In the context of cases of environmental pollution by TE documented in the city for years, the purpose of this study was to determine blood concentrations of essential TE and correlation coefficients in post-delivery mothers and their newborns living ˂ of 3km and >3km from the mining processing plants in the city of Lubumbashi, Congo. Method: Two prospective cohorts were formed based on distance between the home of the pregnant women and mineral processing plants (˂ of 3km and >3km). Journal of Environmental Science and Public Health 443 Four TE (Cr, Cu, Se and Zn) were tested at the laboratory of the Congolese Control Office of Lubumbashi by ICP-OES in total blood samples of 378 post-delivery mothers and 378 newborns, voluntarily and consecutively recruited. Results: The difference in TE geometric means concentrations between the two cohorts (study population living ˂ of 3km and >3km from the mining processing plants) was not significant (p>0.05).Our study showed excessive geometric means of Cr estimated at 4.86 µg/L in the post-delivery mothers and 5.03 µg/L in the newborns (RV: < 1 µg/L), lower geometric means estimated at 218 µg/L in the post-delivery mothers for Cu (RV:700-1500 µg/L) ;47.32 µg/L in the post-delivery mothers and 46.61µg/L in the newborns for Se (RV: < 142 µg/L) ;419 µg/L in the post-delivery mothers and 384 µg/L in the newborns for Zn (RV: < 7270 µg/L) but within normal range :215 µg/L in the newborns for Cu (RV: 90-460 µg/L).This was confirmed by their respective bioaccumulation factors. The correlation coefficient between TE concentration of the post-delivery mothers and their newborns was positive but statistically significant for Cu, Se and Zn (p˂0.05). Conclusion: Our study has noticed low geometric means of the concentrations of Cu, Se and Zn in total blood of post-delivery mothers and their newborns living ˂ 3km and >3 km from the mining operating plants with no statistical difference between the two cohorts along with bioaccumulation factor ˂1. We also found excessive geometric mean for Cr. These findings hence the importance of an early diagnosis and intervention of marginal TE status. Analysis of determinants of the essential TE bioaccumulation and their impact on maternal and neonatal morbidity should be purpose of future studies.

Recent studies demonstrated neural systems in bilateral fronto-temporal brain areas in newborns specialized to extract linguistic structure from speech. We hypothesized that these mechanisms show additional sensitivity when identically... more

Recent studies demonstrated neural systems in bilateral fronto-temporal brain areas in newborns specialized to extract linguistic structure from speech. We hypothesized that these mechanisms show additional sensitivity when identically structured different pseudowords are used communicatively in a turn-taking exchange by two speakers. In an fNIRS experiment newborns heard pseudowords sharing ABB repetition structure in three conditions: two voices turn-takingly exchanged different pseudowords (Communicative); the different pseudowords were produced by a (Single Speaker); two voices turn-takingly repeated identical pseudowords (Echoing). Here we show that left fronto-temporal regions (including Broca’s area) responded more to the Communicative than the other conditions. The results demonstrate that newborns’ left hemisphere brain areas show additional activation when various pseudowords sharing identical structure are exchanged in turn-taking alternation by two speakers. This indicat...

Background: Oxygen is an essential medical therapy that is poorly available globally. We evaluated the quality of oxygen therapy in 12 secondary-level Nigerian hospitals, including access to oxygen equipment, equipment functionality,... more

Background: Oxygen is an essential medical therapy that is poorly available globally. We evaluated the quality of oxygen therapy in 12 secondary-level Nigerian hospitals, including access to oxygen equipment, equipment functionality, healthcare worker knowledge and appropriateness of use. Methods: We conducted a three-part evaluation of oxygen access and use involving: (1) facility assessment (including technical evaluation of oxygen equipment), (2) clinical audit (children and neonates admitted January 2014-December 2015) and (3) survey of healthcare worker training and experience on the clinical use of oxygen (November 2015). Results: Oxygen access for children and newborns is compromised by faulty equipment, lack of pulse oximetry and inadequate care practices. One hospital used pulse oximetry for paediatric care. Eleven hospitals had some access to oxygen supplies. Testing of 57 oxygen concentrators revealed two (3.5%) that were 'fit for use'. Overall, 14.4% (3708/25 677) of children and neonates received oxygen some time during their admission ; 19.4% (1944/10 000) of hypoxaemic children received oxygen; 38.5% (1217/3161) of children who received oxygen therapy were not hypoxaemic. Conclusions: Oxygen access for children in Nigerian hospitals is poor, and likely results in substantial excess mortality. To improve oxygen access for children globally we must focus on actual provision of oxygen to patients-not simply the presence of oxygen equipment at the facility level. This requires a systematic approach to improve both oxygen (access [including equipment, maintenance and affordability]) and oxygen use (including pulse oximetry, guidelines and continuing education).

The present study investigated whether 2-day-old newborns are able to discriminate two translating meaningless Point-Light Displays (PLD) videos, in which the shape of one of them changes compared to that of the other along the... more

The present study investigated whether 2-day-old newborns are able to discriminate two translating meaningless Point-Light Displays (PLD) videos, in which the shape of one of them changes compared to that of the other along the trajectory, independently from movement kinematics, and if this ability is present both when stimuli differed at the end or at the beginning of the movement. To manipulate the instant in which along the movement the difference between stimuli was evident, and to maintain every unspecific dissimilarity possibly determining the preference, videos were played in a loop either forward or backwards. In
Experiment 1, PLD stimuli moved with natural accelerated-decelerated kinematics; in Experiment 2 they moved at constant velocity. Four groups of newborns were submitted to the preferential looking technique experiments. Results showed that newborns looked longer at natural kinematics and that, irrespective of the type of kinematics, they discriminated the two stimuli only when videos were played forward, that is, only when stimuli differed at the end of the movement. These data suggest that, independently from kinematics, movement translational components induce newborns to allocate attention at the end of the observed movement. Given the strict link between attention and eye movements, we suggest that this effect may bootstrap the system and give rise to proactive gaze, the typical gaze behaviour present during executed and observed goal-directed actions.

In 2010, the International Liaison Committee On Resuscitation (ILCOR) guidelines for care of the newborn baby immediately after birth were published. Using a questionnaire that was distributed to a sample of 44 prehospital emergency... more

In 2010, the International Liaison Committee On Resuscitation (ILCOR) guidelines for care of the newborn baby immediately after birth were published. Using a questionnaire that was distributed to a sample of 44 prehospital emergency physicians (April 2014), we assessed knowledge of these guidelines, in particular specificities for newborns as compared to adults. Twenty-five questions, starting with a birth with no problems to one resulting in neonatal distress, were used to profile the practice of the surveyed physicians. Among the solicited physicians, 30 responded to the questionnaire (68%). Priority was given to efficient respiratory resuscitation during the first minutes of extrauterine life and the difficulties of newborn respiratory adaptation are well-known, but their implementation remains imperfectly understood. The assessment showed very mixed results, partly explained by the low frequency of newborn scenarios experienced by the practitioners who responded to the questionnaire. To move from guidelines to their practical implementation is always delicate, with room for improvement such as continuing education, knowledge assessment and practice in the context of a quality approach. Well accepted, this evaluation process could be renewed upon publication of the next guidelines on this subject, thus contributing to their knowledge.

To the Editor: Anemia is a common disorder. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is highest among children and thus, its prevention during infancy is a priority. The first step to reduce anemia can be taken at the time of birth.... more

To the Editor: Anemia is a common disorder. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is highest among children and thus, its prevention during infancy is a priority. The first step to reduce anemia can be taken at the time of birth. Delayed cord clamping could be a cost-effective intervention to improve the iron status of infants by enhancing their red cell mass [1]. It allows time for the transfer of fetal blood in the placenta to the infant at the time of birth. “Placental transfusion” can provide the infant with an additional 30 % more blood volume and up to 60 % more red blood cells, the only oxygen-carrying component in the body. Both are lost with immediate cord clamping [2, 3]. A study was conducted among 61 term infants30 in Group I (cord clamped within 15 s of birth) and 31 in Group II (cord clamped at 3 min of birth or immediately after cessation of pulsation). Hemoglobin level was checked from cord blood and after 24 h by heel prick method. The mean hemoglobin level of subjects at birth was 17.15±1.56 and 19.97±1.51 in Group I and Group II respectively with ‘t’ value of 5.644, (p<0.000) (Table 1). The mean hemoglobin level at 24 h was 16.97±1.13 and 19.59±1.39 in Group I and Group II respectively with ‘t’ value 7.599, (p<0.000) (Table 2). Shirvani et al. conducted a study on effect of umbilical cord clamp timing on newborn’s iron status among hundred motherinfant pairs, divided into two groups: early cord clamp time [within 15 s (n =70)] or delayed cord clamp time [15 s after delivery (n =30)] [4]. The mean infant hemoglobin (Hgb; 16.08 g/dL vs. 14.5 g/dL; P<0.001) levels were significantly higher in the delayed clamping group. The Pan American Health Organization released new recommendations favoring delayed cord clamping over immediate cord clamping. This intervention has not only been proven effective, but is cost-free, making it a particularly appropriate and sustainable intervention for low-resource areas of the world.

Even with the very high infant mortality rates before vaccination, children were for a long time considered to be of secondary importance for the understanding of ancient societes, and therefore frequently neglected in bioarcheological... more

A critical question in Cognitive Science concerns how knowledge of specific domains emerges during development. Here we examined how limitations of the visual system during the first days of life may shape subsequent development of face... more

A critical question in Cognitive Science concerns how knowledge of specific domains emerges during development. Here we examined how limitations of the visual system during the first days of life may shape subsequent development of face processing abilities. By manipulating the bands of spatial frequencies of face images, we investigated what is the nature of the visual information that newborn infants rely on to perform face recognition. Newborns were able to extract from a face the visual information lying from 0 to 1 cpd (Experiment 1), but only a narrower 0–0.5 cpd spatial frequency range was successful to accomplish face recognition (Experiment 2). These results provide the first empirical support of a low spatial frequency advantage in individual face recognition at birth and suggest that early in life low-level, non-specific perceptual constraints affect the development of the face processing system.

""Introduction: Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) programs generate an ethical tension between promoting the uptake of effective public health measures and facilitating informed consent from individuals. Aim: To explore the factors that... more

""Introduction: Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) programs generate an ethical tension between promoting the uptake of effective public health measures and facilitating informed consent from individuals.
Aim: To explore the factors that affect parental perceptions of decision quality when accepting NBS
Methods: Survey of parents with children screened in 2008 (n=154, 32% response rate). Questions were based on previous research and existing measures. The primary outcome was decision quality. Predictors were latent constructs of Attitudes to Medicine, Perceived Knowledge, Attitudes to Screening, and Perceived Choice. Responses were analysed using structural equation modelling.
Results: Increases in perceived choice and positive attitudes towards screening improved decision quality. Perceived knowledge had a significant and positive relationship with attitudes to screening (0.375, P<0.01) as did perceived choice on perceived knowledge (0.806, P<0.01). Attitudes to screening were also significantly influenced by attitudes to medicine, although less so than the effect of perceived knowledge. The model had good fit on all indices (χ2 = 61.396, df=48, p = 0.093; CFI = 0.979; RMSEA = 0.043).
Conclusions: Our results implicate the presentation of screening as a key determinant of decision quality both in terms of the immediate information regarding the potential benefits and risks, but also the way in which consent processes are managed. If we want to better understand parent decision making we need to go beyond analyses of information content, or parental recall of this, but consider the context in which screening is provided.
""

; Tel: +(286) 218 0018 / 1346; Faks: +(286) 218 0545 Özet Hayvansal üretimde üreme sürecinin sorunsuz olarak tamamlanabilmesi, doğumların sorunsuz bir şekilde gerçekleşebilmesinin yanında doğan yavrunun da hayatta kalabilmesi önemlidir.... more

; Tel: +(286) 218 0018 / 1346; Faks: +(286) 218 0545 Özet Hayvansal üretimde üreme sürecinin sorunsuz olarak tamamlanabilmesi, doğumların sorunsuz bir şekilde gerçekleşebilmesinin yanında doğan yavrunun da hayatta kalabilmesi önemlidir. Gebelik süresince yeterli besin alımı ve fetusun gelişmesi arasındaki ilişki, gebeliğin başarısını, sağlıklı bir hayat sürmesini ve bireysel üretkenliği etkileyen en önemli noktadır. Doğumun son bulması ile uterus dışı dünyaya geçen yavru farklı çevresel etkilere maruz kalmakla birlikte, vücudunda metabolik, morfolojik ve fizyolojik değişimler şekillenmeye başlamaktadır. Bu durum yavrunun dış dünyaya adaptasyonu olarak tanımlanır. Doğumdan sonra sınırlı enerji rezervlerine sahip yavrular en kısa sürede anası ile bağ kurmalı, kolostruma ulaşmalı ve maruz kaldığı çevresel etkilerin olumsuzluklarına karşı direnebilmelidir. Sütten kesim öncesi yavru ölümleri üzerinde etkili faktörlerin incelendiği araştırmalarda yeni doğanların adaptasyon yetenekleri ile ilgili konulara büyük önem verildiği görülmektedir. Bu derlemede de gebelik, doğum ve doğum sonrası dönemlerde yeni doğanların canlılığı, yaşama yeteneği ve adaptasyonu üzerinde etkili olabilecek bazı faktörlerin incelenmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Abstract In animal production, succesful completion of reproduction process, birth free of problems and high survival rate of newborn are important. The relationship between enough food intake of mother and the development of fetus during the gestation period is also crucial. This factor affects the success of gestation, healthy life of newborn and individual productivity of mother. Following the birth process, newborn is exposed to different environmental conditions. During this transition period, metabolic, morphological and physiological changes take place in newborn. This period is called as the adaptation of newborn in extra utarine life. Newborn, which has a restricted energy reserve, must immediately constitue mother-newborn bond, take colostrum and so develop resistance against the environmental factors to which it is exposed. Several studies on mortality in post weaning period suggested that adaptation deficiency increases mortality rate. This review focused on the effects of several factors on vitality of newborn, survival capability and adaptation parameters during gestation, birth and post partum period.

ABSTRACT I ntroduction: Breast feeding is protective for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, obesity, Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and hypertension. Serum lipoprotein is principal risk factor for atherosclerosis. There is growing evidence... more

ABSTRACT
I
ntroduction: Breast feeding is protective for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, obesity, Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and hypertension. Serum lipoprotein is principal risk factor for atherosclerosis. There is growing evidence that risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) begins to emerge from infancy. Lipoprotein level is affected by different feeding pattern during infancy.
A
im: To compare serum lipoprotein profile of exclusively breast fed, mixed fed and formula fed preterm infant.
Materials and Methods: A total of two fifty preterm newborn were recruited at birth and divided into three groups. Group A were Exclusively Breast Fed (EBF), Group B were Mixed Fed (MF) and Group C were Formula/bovine milk Fed (FF) infants. Preterm newborns with severe sepsis, hypoglycemia, Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) stage II and III, meconium stained amniotic fluid, pathological jaundice, Hyaline Membrane Disease (HMD), less than 28 weeks gestation, with major congenital anomaly and infants born to mothers with DM, gestational diabetes, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia or on long term medications were excluded from the study. Lipoprotein profile estimation was done at four weeks and again at 16 weeks of age.
R
esults: At four weeks of age, Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglyceride (TG), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) were higher in EBF infants as compared to MF and FF infants. For TC, difference was significant between EBF vs. MF (p<0.001), EBF vs. FF (p<0.001) and MF vs. FF (p=0.005) infants. At 16 weeks also, TC and HDL were higher in EBF infants as compared to MF and FF infants. For TC, this difference was significant between EBF vs. MF (p<0.001) and EBF vs. FF (p<0.001) infants. When infants were followed up to 16 weeks of age, TC and LDL level fell significantly (p<0.001) in EBF and MF group, a significant (p<0.05) rise for TC was seen in FF group. At 16 weeks of age, there was no significant rise in HDL in EBF infants, but significant fall was seen in MF (p=0.0001) and in FF (p=0.001) infants.
Conclusion: Breastfeeding, even MF is beneficial in preterm infants as compared to FF in terms of lipoprotein profile which is protective for atherosclerosis.

The aims of this article are to describe the neurobehavioral integrity of chimpanzee newborns, to investigate how early experiences affect the neurobehavioral organization of chimpanzees, and to explore species differences by comparing... more

The aims of this article are to describe the neurobehavioral integrity of chimpanzee newborns, to investigate how early experiences affect the neurobehavioral organization of chimpanzees, and to explore species differences by comparing chimpanzee newborns to a group of typically developing human newborns. Neurobehavioral integrity related to orientation, motor performance, arousal, and state regulation of 55 chimpanzee (raised in four different settings) and 42 human newborns was measured with the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) a semi-structured 25-minute interactive assessment. Thirty-eight chimpanzees were tested every other day from birth, and analyses revealed significant developmental changes in 19 of 27 NBAS scores. The cross-group and cross-species comparisons were conducted at 2 and 30 days of age. Among the 4 chimpanzee groups, significant differences were found in 23 of 24 NBAS scores. Surprisingly, the cross-species comparisons revealed that the human group was distinct in only 1 of 25 NBAS scores (the human group had significantly less muscle tone than all the chimpanzee groups). The human group was indistinguishable from at least one of the chimpanzee groups in the remaining 24 of 25 NBAS scores. The results of this study support the conclusion that the interplay between genes and environment, rather than genes alone or environment alone, accounts for phenotypic expressions of newborn neurobehavioral integrity in hominids.

The Streptococcus agalactiae colonization prevalence and its susceptibility to antimicrobials in pregnant women at University Hospital of Santa Maria (HUSM) were evaluated from June to December 2009. The vaginal-rectal material was... more

The Streptococcus agalactiae colonization prevalence and its susceptibility to antimicrobials in pregnant women at University Hospital of Santa Maria (HUSM) were evaluated from June to December 2009. The vaginal-rectal material was inoculated into tubes containing Todd-Hewitt broth with subsequent subculture on blood agar. The GBS identification was made through presumptive tests, confirmed by serological test and its susceptibility was evaluated. The occurrence ofGBS maternal-fetal transmission in the colonized pregnant women was researched. The GBS colonization was 11.11%. All strains were susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, and vancomycin. Two strains (50%) were intermediate to clindamycin and one (25%) intermediate to erythromycin. A newborn whose mother was colonized had early-onset neonatal infection by GBS. By this, it is very important the research about the colonization by GBS in all pregnant women from 35 to 37 weeks of gestation and the use of intrapartum antibiotic pr...

Authors: K. Bercun, O. Nazarchuk, O. Dobrovanov, D. Surkov, V. Vidiščák We aimed to study the influence of prolonged administration of fentanyl on postoperative pain, intra-ab- dominal pressure and mechanical lungs’ changes that may... more

Authors: K. Bercun, O. Nazarchuk, O. Dobrovanov, D. Surkov, V. Vidiščák
We aimed to study the influence of prolonged administration of fentanyl on postoperative pain, intra-ab- dominal pressure and mechanical lungs’ changes that may happen in neonates in early post-operative period. 30 newborns (in the period from January 2017 to May 2021) with gastroschisis were divided into two groups ac- cordingly to the method of analgesia (14 – morphine hydrochloride; 16 – prolonged infusion of fentanyl). Lungs’ mechanical characteristics, effectiveness of post-operative analgesia, abdominal wall relaxation was studied by monitoring of dynamic compliance (Cdyn), pressure and flow-volume loops, capnography. Apprising analgesia sta- tus, we measured hemodynamic, SаO2, blood level of cortizol, C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose, analyzed post- operative pain syndrome using visual analogue scales (VAS). Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was controlled by Cron. For statistic analysis we used Student’s t-test. In the group with morphine, thete was the increase of IAP by 11–12 cm H2O, being stable during some period of time, and also variable levels of pain according to VAS, the in- creasing of CRP from 0.8 ± 0.25 mg/dl by 5 mg/dl, cortisol by 674.4 nmol/l, and blood glucosae rate – 7.4 mmol/l.
Periods with high traumatic effects and poor analgesia (morphine group) reasoned the increasing IAP, step by step dynamic compliance decreasing in 3.4 times, resistance increasing in 2.42 times and PIP rising till 22 cm H2O. Di- rect correlation between IAP increase and lungs’ mechanical changes took place. The study has demonstrated that prolonged administration of fentanyl prevented high increase of IAP, CRP, levels of glucose and cortizol and changes of VAS data, lungs’ mechanical characteristics.
Key words: fentanyl, gastroschisis, lungs function, newborns, postoperative pain.

Background: The environmental pollution contributes to human exposure to TE through direct skin contact with soil, inhalation of wind-blown dust, direct deliberate or unintentional ingestion of soil and ingestion of foods grown on... more

Background: The environmental pollution contributes to human exposure to TE through direct skin contact with soil, inhalation of wind-blown dust, direct deliberate or unintentional ingestion of soil and ingestion of foods grown on TE-contaminated soils and waters. Method: A prospective cohort study of mothers and newborns exposed to TE was conducted. Informations on exposure conditions were collected by a questionnaire-based interviews of 378 post-delivery mothers from whom TE (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb) were tested at the laboratory of the Congolese Control Office of Lubumbashi by ICP-OES in total blood samples.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is the most common cause of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in the newborn period. The disorder results from placental transfer of maternal alloantibodies directed against paternally inherited... more

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is the most common cause of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in the newborn period. The disorder results from placental transfer of maternal alloantibodies directed against paternally inherited antigens carried on fetal platelets. While most cases are mild, some neonates have very low platelet counts associated with serious bleeding in hours to days following birth. The treatment for severely affected neonate is typically transfusion of
compatible random donor platelets in addition to intravenous immunoglobulins. The diagnosis is confirmed by genotyping of parental platelet antigens and serological testing for maternal serum antibodies.
We present a newborn with early onset symptomatic thrombocytopenia, in whom early clinical recognition and prompt therapeutic intervention resulted in the complete recovery. The importance of correct diagnosis for future pregnancies is emphasized.