scholarly journals Neurobehavioral conditions and effects of gender, weight and severity in preterm infants according to the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Alvarez-Garcia ◽  
Albert Fornieles-Deu ◽  
Carme Costas-Moragas ◽  
Francesc Botet-Mussons
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Learning Effect ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Assessment Scale ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Social ◽  
Preterm Group ◽  
Preterm Babies

<p>The increasing number of preterm babies in recent years has raised interest in studying the consequences of prematurity as a risk factor. In the present paper, 30 preterm babies (at 40 weeks of gestational age (GA)) were assessed using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale and the results were compared with those of a control group of 28 full term babies. Moreover, the influence of weight, sex and GA was analyzed considering the Brazelton results in the preterm group.</p><p>The preterm group showed significantly lower scores than the control group for 9 of the 28 behavioral items in the Scale and for 2 of the 5 clusters. However, preterm babies performed better in habituation to disturbing stimuli (light and sound) during sleep. In relation to the influence of sex, premature girls performed better in the Social-Interactive cluster.</p>The preterm group has lower neurobehavioral conditions than the full term group, probably due to the abrupt interruption of their intrauterine maturation. In contrast, they showed a better ability of habituation, maybe as a consequence of a learning effect due to earlier additional extrauterine exposition.

Effectiveness of Individualized Developmental Care for Low-Risk Preterm Infants: Behavioral and Electrophysiologic Evidence

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah M. Buehler ◽  
Heidelise Als ◽  
Frank H. Duffy ◽  
Gloria B. McAnulty ◽  
Jacqueline Liederman
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Special Care ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
Developmental Care ◽  
Experimental Group

Objective. We assessed the effectiveness of individualized developmental support in the special care nursery for low-risk preterm infants. Setting. A university-affiliated teaching hospital. Participants. Twelve healthy full-term infants, and 24 low-risk preterm infants randomly assigned to a control or an experimental group. Design. The preterm control group received standard care and the preterm experimental group received individualized developmental care at the same special care nursery. Outcome Measures. Medical, behavioral (Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior and Prechtl's Neurological Examination of the Full-Term Newborn Infant), and electrophysiologic outcome (using quantitative electroencephalography with topographic mapping) of all three groups was assessed 2 weeks after the expected due date. Results. No between-or among-group medical differences were seen for this low-risk, healthy sample. The preterm experimental group showed behavioral and electrophysiologic performances comparable to those of the full-term group, whereas the preterm control group performed significantly less well. Behavioral measures suggested significantly poorer attentional functioning for the preterm control group. Electrophysiologic results implicated the frontal lobe. Conclusions. Individualized developmental intervention supports neurobehavioral functioning as measured at 2 weeks post-term. It appears to prevent frontal lobe and attentional difficulties in the newborn period, the possible causes of behavioral and scholastic disabilities often seen in low-risk preterm infants at later ages.

scholarly journals Placental Vascular Obstructive Lesions: Risk Factor for Developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laure Dix ◽  
Matthias Roth-Kleiner ◽  
Maria-Chiara Osterheld
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Necrotizing Enterocolitis ◽  
Premature Infants ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe neonatal disease affecting particularly preterm infants. Its exact pathogenesis still remains unknown. In this study, we have compared the prevalence of vascular obstructive lesions in placentae of premature newborns which developed NEC and of a control group. We further compared separately the findings of placentae of infants of less than 30 weeks of gestation, the age group in which NEC occurs most frequently. We found signs of fetal vascular obstructive lesions in 65% of the placentae of preterm patients developing NEC, compared to only 17% of the placentae of preterm patients in the control group. In the age groups below 30 weeks of gestation, 58.5% of placentae of later NEC patients presented such lesions compared to 24.5% in the control group. The significant difference between NEC and control group suggests a strong association between fetal vascular obstructive lesions and NEC. Therefore, we propose that fetal vascular obstructive lesions might be considered as a risk factor for the development of NEC in premature infants.

scholarly journals Is Prematurity a Risk Factor for Refractive Errors in Children? Results from School Vision Screening Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (42) ◽  
pp. 2380-2383
Author(s):  
Kajal Seema Sukumaran ◽  
Jayalekshmi Thankamma ◽  
Prasenna Meleaveetil ◽  
Kavitha Syamala
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Vision Screening ◽  
School Vision ◽  
Preterm Group

BACKGROUND The prevalence of refractive errors is reported to be higher in children born preterm. Factors like gestational age, birth weight and retinopathy of prematurity status have a significant impact on the refractive development in preterm infants. Population based long term follow up studies on the refractive status in preterm infants are limited. We designed this study to assess whether prematurity is a risk factor for refractive errors in children. METHODS This study was conducted among children aged 5 - 16 years who participated in the school vision screening program over a period of one year. All children underwent detailed ocular examination including measurement of best corrected visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction and fundoscopy. Visual acuity was assessed using an internally illuminated Snellen’s chart at 6 meters. Objective refraction by streak retinoscopy after instilling 1 % cyclopentolate eye drops was done in all children with visual acuity ≤ 6 / 9. Children were divided into two groups based on their gestational age at birth - preterm group and full-term group. Preterm birth was defined as childbirth before 37 completed weeks of gestation. Children were enrolled in the study only if the hospital birth document showing gestational age and birth weight was available. Children with co-existing organic disease affecting the eye contributing to the diminished visual acuity such as congenital cataract, glaucoma, and corneal opacities were excluded from the study. Those who had undergone any ocular surgery were also excluded. RESULTS One thousand two hundred and ninety-five children were enrolled in the study of which 700 (54.1 %) were boys and 595 (45.9 %) were girls. Median age of the enrolled children was 12 years. The number of pre-term births was 287 (22.2 %). Of the 1295 students screened, 273 (21 %) had refractive errors. Among the children with refractive errors, astigmatism was the most common refractive error (10.6 %), followed by myopia (8.5 %) and hypermetropia (1.9 %). Refractive errors were statistically more prevalent in preterm group (34.1 %), when compared with term born children (17.3 %), p = < 0.001. Compared to the term born children, preterm group had significantly higher prevalence of myopia; 16.4 % vs 6.3 % (p = < 0.001) and astigmatism; 15.3 % vs 9.3% (p = 0.003). There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of hypermetropia among the two groups; 2.4 vs. 1.8 (p = 0.477). CONCLUSIONS There is strong association between prematurity and refractive errors. These findings prompt long term monitoring of the refractive and visual outcome in preterm infants for diagnosing refractive errors at the earliest. This helps to prevent the consequent amblyopia and the ensuing permanent visual function deficits. KEYWORDS Prematurity, Refractive Error, Myopia, Hypermetropia, Astigmatism

scholarly journals Role of probiotics in preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukanyaa S. ◽  
Vinoth S. ◽  
Ramesh S.
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Control Group ◽  
P Value ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Preterm Babies ◽  
Average Weight Gain

Background: Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Probiotics are proposed to aid in the quicker colonisation of the preterm gut by various mechanisms thereby providing innumerable health benefits to the preterm infants. Hence we conducted a study to analyse the role of probiotics in preterm babies. Our primary aim was to compare the weight gain pattern among preterm infants: those receiving probiotic and those who did not receive the probiotic.Methods: Preterm/VLBW babies were selected, randomized and placed into two groups. One group was given the chosen probiotic and the other was kept as control. The weight gain pattern and the duration of hospital stay among the two groups was compared at the end of one month of age.Results: The average weight gain in the probiotic group was higher than the control group which was statistically significant. (mean difference: 0.230 + 0.11 95% CI: -0.796 to -0.251 p value <0.000).Conclusions: Our study was yet another evidence proving the utility of probiotics in the field of neonatalogy.

scholarly journals Impact of physiotherapy on neuromotor development of premature newborns

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giselle Athayde Xavier Coutinho ◽  
Daniela de Mattos Lemos ◽  
Antônio Prates Caldeira
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Perinatal Care ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Neuromotor Development

Introduction The population of children born prematurely has increased in line with improving the quality of perinatal care. It is essential to ensure to these children a healthy development. Objective We evaluate the neuromotor development of a group of preterm infants regularly assisted by a physiotherapy service in comparison to full-term newborns, checking, so the impact of the service. Materials and methods We randomly assigned preterm and full-term infants that formed two distinct groups. The group of preterm infants was inserted into a monitoring program of physiotherapy while the other infants were taken as a control group not receiving any assistance in physiotherapy. The groups were compared using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) at forty-week, four and six months of corrected gestational age and the scores were compared using Student's t-test, assuming a significance level of 5% (p < 0.05). Results The preterm group had significantly lower scores at 40th week compared to the control group, but subsequent scores showed no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion The timely and adequate stimulation was efficient to promote the motor development of premature infants included in a follow up clinic.

scholarly journals A 3D Follow-Up Study of Cranial Asymmetry from Early Infancy to Toddler Age after Preterm versus Term Birth

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1665
Author(s):  
Anniina M. Launonen ◽  
Henri Aarnivala ◽  
Panagiotis Kyteas ◽  
Ville Vuollo ◽  
Tuomo Heikkinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Full Term ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Deformational Plagiocephaly ◽  
Equivalent Age ◽  
Cranial Asymmetry ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Preterm Group

Preterm infants are at higher risk for both symmetrical and asymmetrical head molding. This study involved 3D stereophotogrammetry to assess the cranial growth, molding, and incidence of deformational plagiocephaly (DP) in preterm children compared to term born children. Thirty-four preterm infants and 34 term born controls were enrolled in this study from Oulu University Hospital, Finland. Three-dimensional head images were obtained at the age of 2–4 months (T1), 5–7 months (T2), 11–13 months (T3), and 2.5–3 years (T4) from the term equivalent age (TEA). There was no statistically significant difference in oblique cranial length ratio (OCLR), cephalic index (CI), or weighted asymmetry score (wAS) between the two groups. Occipital flattening, defined by flatness score (FS) was statistically significantly greater in the preterm group than in the term group at T1–T4 (p < 0.05). In both groups, OCLR improved gradually over time. There were no instances, in either group, of severe DP and no moderate DP after T2. Results indicate that DP affects preterm and full-term children almost equally during the first three years of life, and cranial asymmetry resolves at a similar rate in both preterm and term groups after three months of corrected age. Preterm infants present with more occipital flattening than full-term children.

scholarly journals Craniofacial Morphology in Prematurely Born Children

2009 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liselotte Paulsson ◽  
Lars Bondemark
Keyword(s):  
Head Circumference ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Craniofacial Morphology ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Preterm Children ◽  
Very Preterm ◽  
Anterior Cranial Base ◽  
Extremely Preterm ◽  
Preterm Group

Abstract Objective: To test the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the craniofacial morphology of prematurely born children and that of matched full-term born controls. Materials and Methods: White children 8 to 10 years of age, born at the University Hospitals of Lund and Malmö and living in the same part of Sweden, were included. One group consisted of 36 very preterm children, born during gestational weeks 29 to 32; the other group included 36 extremely preterm children, who were born before the 29th gestational week. Subjects were compared with a control group of 31 full-term children, who were matched for gender, age, nationality, and living area. One lateral head radiograph was taken for each child, and the cephalometric analysis included 15 angular and 11 linear variables. Also, the height, weight, and head circumference of each child were registered. Results: A significantly shorter anterior cranial base and a less convex skeletal profile were found among extremely preterm children, and significantly shorter maxillary length was noted in both extremely preterm and very preterm groups as compared with full-term children. The lower incisors were significantly more retroclined and retruded in the extremely preterm group compared with the very preterm group and the full-term control group. Extremely preterm children were significantly shorter, and both extremely preterm and very preterm children had significantly lower weight and smaller head circumference compared with full-term children. Conclusion: The null hypothesis was rejected because several craniofacial parameters differed significantly between preterm and full-term born control children.

scholarly journals Early neonatal morbidities in late preterm compared to term neonates born in a tertiary care private hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 565
Author(s):  
Yogesh P. Mehta ◽  
Manjusha Bhicurao Naik ◽  
Kinnera Putrevu
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Late Preterm ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
Term Neonates ◽  
Late Preterm Infants ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Preterm Babies ◽  
Term Newborns

Background: Late preterm babies, born between 34 completed weeks of gestation through 36 weeks 6/7 gestation, tend to be physiologically less mature than term infants, subjecting them to an increased risk of developing various morbidities. Limited information is available regarding the current scenario in India. Therefore, the objective of this study was to understand and compare the early morbidities in late preterm newborns with those in full term babies in a tertiary hospital in India.Methods: The current prospective, observational study consisted of total 150 babies divided into two groups equally; late preterm neonates born between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation and full-term neonates. Weight (at birth, at 72 hours), heart rate, temperature and respiratory parameters were noted of all babies. The newborns were examined for respiratory morbidities, ability to breastfeed, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, neonatal jaundice and signs of sepsis. The need for resuscitation, admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and parenteral nutrition was also assessed. Data was expressed as mean±SD and was analyzed using the Student ‘t’ and Mann Whitney U tests.Results: The mean length and weight at birth in late preterm babies was significantly lesser than term newborns. Late preterm babies were found to have significantly higher incidence of complications like hyperbilirubinemia (62.7% vs 13.3%), respiratory morbidities (16% vs 4%), poor feeding, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and sepsis compared to term newborns (p<0.01).Conclusions: Late preterm infants are at a higher risk than term infants for a number of neonatal complications. Initiatives imparting special care to late preterm infants are required in order to lower the morbidities endured by this population.

scholarly journals Developmental Features of Corpus Callosum in Children Revealed by MRI

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel A. Zykin ◽  
Anatolij N. Yalfimof ◽  
Timofey A. Aleksandrov ◽  
Elena I. Krasnoshchekova ◽  
Lyubov A. Tkachenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Relative Area ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Developmental Features

With the wide use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in clinical practice, more attention is paid to corpus callosum hypoplasia in children with various central nervous system diseases, including the cerebral palsy. We compared the areas of corpus callosum segments on the mid-sagittal MR images of the children with cerebral palsy and a control group; full-term infants and preterm infants. During the postnatal development, overall callosum area naturally increases, but single segments change differently in both absolute and relative values. In the control group, the relative area of the splenium grew insignificantly, whereas for the genu, it was stable. Children with cerebral palsy also show age-specific growth, but the area of corpus callosum is smaller compared with equal age children in the control group. We found an increased relative area of corpus callosum genu and a decrease of anterior body and splenium in the cerebral palsy group compared with the control group. The kCC index shows higher values in the control group than in any age subgroup of children with cerebral palsy. Mean values for the control group steadily increase with age, whereas in the cerebral palsy group, they remain the same. For every age-specific group, the difference of kCC was statistically significant. Mean kCC index values depend on gestational age and are statistically lower in preterm infants compared with full-term infants. Selective corpus callosum hypoplasia found in the current research could be due to Wallerian degeneration or a decreased number of axons in some of its segments. This could be explained by the disruption of neurogenesis in certain cortical areas. The morphometric index kCC can be used to detect deviations in the corpus callosum structure associated with prematurity and cerebral palsy.

Plasma Free Fatty Acids and their Binding Proteins in Preterm Infants

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-120
Author(s):  
Barbara K. Kościelniak ◽  
Nina Mól ◽  
Przemko Kwinta ◽  
Krystyna Sztefko ◽  
Przemysław J. Tomasik
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Free Fatty Acids ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Plasma Free Fatty Acids ◽  
Preterm Babies ◽  
Feeding Protocol ◽  
Breast Fed

Background/Aims: The objective of the study was to evaluate the circulating concentrations of plasma free fatty acids (FFA), fatty acid binding proteins: FABP-1 and FABP-4 in preterm infants depending on different feeding protocol. Methods: A total of 43 premature infants (≤34 weeks) were enrolled in the study, and divided into 3 subgroups: nursed while staying in the department (53%), breast-fed only during the first 24 h (16%), and formulafed from the beginning (31%). The control group consisted of 12 healthy, full-term, breast-fed newborns. Blood samples were collected after delivery and 1 month later. We measured plasma concentrations of FFA, FABP-1, and FABP-4. Results: FFA plasma concentrations were significantly lower in preterm babies when compared to control group (p = 0.003) in the prenatal period. After 1 month, a significant decrease in FFA concentration was noted in all groups of preterm babies independently from feeding protocol. After a month, breast-fed preterm infants and controls had significantly lower FABP-1 levels than preterm formula-fed infants (all p < 0.05), while the highest concentrations of FABP-4 were noted in formula-fed preterm infants when compared to breast-fed preterm infants and the control group (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Prematurity is connected with disturbances in plasma FFA concentrations. FABP-1, as well as FABP-4, plasma levels in preterm infants depend on feeding protocol.

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