Pediatrics
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Baby CareLink: using the internet and telemedicine to improve care for high-risk infants.
To evaluate an Internet-based telemedicine program designed to reduce the costs of care, to provide enhanced medical, informational, and emotional support to families of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants during and after their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay. ⋯ CareLink significantly improves family satisfaction with inpatient VLBW care and definitively lowers costs associated with hospital to hospital transfer. Our data suggest the use of telemedicine and the Internet support the educational and emotional needs of families facilitating earlier discharge to home of VLBW infants. We believe that further extension of the Baby CareLink model to the postdischarge period will significantly improve the coordination and efficiency of care.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Bronchial hyperresponsiveness before and after the diagnosis of bronchial asthma in children.
To assess at what age bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is acquired in children with asthma. ⋯ These data suggest that BHR in many infants with asthma is acquired after several asthma attacks.bronchial hyperresponsiveness, childhood asthma, methacholine inhalation challenge, transcutaneous oxygen pressure.
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The overall improvement in the health of Americans over the 20th century is best exemplified by dramatic changes in 2 trends: 1) the age-adjusted death rate declined by about 74%, while 2) life expectancy increased 56%. Leading causes of death shifted from infectious to chronic diseases. In 1900, infectious respiratory diseases accounted for nearly a quarter of all deaths. ⋯ The child dependency ratio far exceeded the elderly dependency ratio during most of the 20th century, particularly during the first 70 years. The elderly ratio has gained incrementally since then and the large increase expected beginning in 2010 indicates that the difference in the 2 ratios will become considerably less by 2030. The challenge for the 21st century is how to balance the needs of children with the growing demands for a large aging population of elderly persons.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Infant feeding mode affects early growth and body composition.
Differences in the growth pattern of breastfed (BF) and formula-fed (FF) infants are well-recognized and have been attributed to differences in nutrient intake. However, the impact of qualitative and quantitative differences in nutrient intake on the body composition of BF and FF infants has been unclear. Furthermore, it is unknown whether putative differences in body composition persist beyond weaning. ⋯ Infant feeding mode is associated with differences in body composition in early infancy which do not persist into the second year of life.
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Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is a condition of paradoxical adduction of the vocal cords during the inspiratory phase of the respiratory cycle. VCD often presents as stridorous breathing, which may be misdiagnosed as asthma. The mismanagement of this disorder may result in unnecessary treatment and iatrogenic morbidity. ⋯ Because the diagnosis of VCD was confirmed, the patient was encouraged to use self-hypnosis and speech therapy techniques to control his symptoms. He also was referred for counseling. To our knowledge this is the first description in the medical literature of the use of hypnotic suggestion for making a diagnosis of VCD. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)