Biology of the neonate
-
Biology of the neonate · Jul 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSensorial saturation: an effective analgesic tool for heel-prick in preterm infants: a prospective randomized trial.
Pain is traumatic for preterm infants and can damage their CNS. We wanted to assess whether multisensorial stimulation can be analgesic and whether this effect is only due to oral glucose or sucking. We performed a randomized prospective study, using a validated acute pain rating scale to assess pain during heel-prick combined with five different procedures: (A) control, (B) 10% oral glucose plus sucking, (C) sensorial saturation (SS), (D) oral water, and (E) 10% oral glucose. ⋯ SS and sucking plus oral glucose have the greater analgesic effect with respect to no intervention (p < 0.001). The effect of SS is statistically better than that of glucose plus sucking (p < 0.01). SS promotes interaction between nurse and infant and is a simple effective form of analgesia for the NICU.
-
Biology of the neonate · Jul 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialBrain hemodynamic changes in preterm infants after maintenance dose caffeine and aminophylline treatment.
To investigate the acute effects of low-dose caffeine and aminophylline on cerebral blood flow in preterm infants, using both near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and cerebral Doppler ultrasonography. ⋯ Caffeine does not significantly affect brain hemodynamics, while aminophylline induces a significant transient increase in O(2)Hb and HHb concentration and CBV.
-
Biology of the neonate · May 2000
ReviewTreatment of acute (Adult) respiratory distress syndrome. The holy grail of surfactant therapy.
The treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome with surfactant represents a successful culmination of decades of basic and clinical research. In many babies, respiratory distress syndrome is a relatively pure expression of surfactant deficiency. ⋯ Until recently, surfactants available for human use have been easily susceptible to inactivation and this may explain why they have been less successful for treatment of ARDS than for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. This review outlines recent information on surfactant inactivation and describes initiatives that may result in 'inactivation-proof' surfactants that may be of increased benefit in ARDS.
-
Biology of the neonate · May 2000
The efficacy of pentoxifylline as an anti-inflammatory agent in experimental Escherichia coli meningitis in the newborn piglet.
This study was done to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect and the ensuing neuroprotective effect of pentoxifylline in neonatal experimental bacterial meningitis. Newborn piglets were divided into three groups: 10 in the control group (CG), 13 in the meningitis group (MG), and 13 in the meningitis with pentoxifylline group (PG). Meningitis was induced by intracisternal injection of 10(8) colony-forming units of Escherichia coli in 100 microl of saline. ⋯ The extent of CSF leukocytosis was even higher in PG than in MG. Increased cerebral cortical cell membrane lipid peroxidation products and decreased Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity observed in MG, indicative of meningitis-induced brain cell membrane dysfunction, tended to improve without statistical significance in PG. In summary, although some anti-inflammatory effects have been observed, the overall anti-inflammatory effects of pentoxifylline was very weak, and it failed to significantly reduce the brain damage in experimental neonatal bacterial meningitis.
-
Biology of the neonate · May 2000
Glutathione ethyl ester supplementation prevents mortality in newborn rats exposed to hyperoxia.
Human premature neonates suffer from respiratory distress syndrome due to immature lungs and require assisted ventilation with high concentrations of oxygen. Hyperoxic exposure and/or antioxidant deficiency causes an increase in the lung levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to oxidative stress-induced cellular damage. In this study, we explored the protective role of the nonenzymatic antioxidant glutathione, by administering glutathione ethyl ester (GSHEE), in newborn rats exposed to hyperoxia (>95% FiO(2)). ⋯ Electron microscopic studies on the lung of GSHEE-treated hyperoxic rats showed normal histology and an absence of the marked swelling and degeneration of mitochondria and lamellar bodies, which are typically observed in the hyperoxic lungs of newborn rats. Furthermore, there were no apparent differences in weight gain or general appearance/activity among room air and hyperoxic GSHEE-supplemented animals when monitored, post-treatment, in room air for 30 days. Our results show a preventive/therapeutic role of GSHEE supplementation against mortality caused in newborn rats due to hyperoxic exposure, and may further be applicable to a variety of degenerative diseases that are caused as a result of ROS accumulation.