Barley malt-based composition as a galactagogue — a randomized, controlled trial in preterm mothers

Objectives: Delayed or insufficient breast milk production, as well as low milk supply, is still a challenging problem toovercome, particularly in the case of preterm delivery. Herbal galactagogues might be a good way to increase milk supply,however, there is a lack of clinical studies confirming their efficacy and safety.The aim of this study was to verify the safety and effectiveness as a galactagogue of the unique galactagogue compositionbased on barley malt with β -glucan and lemon balm.Material and methods: The study included 117 mothers of preterm infants randomly divided into the GalactagogueGroup given galactagogue and the Placebo Group. A complete data set was obtained for 80 participants, divided equallybetween two groups.Volume of milk expressed by mothers during the first two weeks after delivery was the primary outcome and safetyof the product was the secondary outcome.Results: Volume of milk recorded on participants’ last visit in the Galactagogue Group was significantly higher than in thePlacebo Group (95 mL vs 62.5 mL, p = 0.049). The total expressed milk volume during the study was 4209 ± 335 mLin the Placebo Group vs 6036 ± 498 mL (p = 0.003) in the Galactagogue Group.Conclusions: Supplementation with unique Galactagogue composition was safe and increased milk output which allowedachieving target minimal volume of 500 mL per day in first week of lactation in preterm mothers

New Achievements in High-Pressure Processing to Preserve Human Milk Bioactivity

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a non-thermal technology that is being increasingly applied in food industries worldwide. It was proposed that this method could be used as an alternative to holder pasteurization (HoP; 62.5°C, 30 min) in milk banks but its impact on the immunologic, enzymatic and hormonal components of human milk has not yet been evaluated in detail. The aim of our study was to compare the effects of HPP in variants: (1) 600 MPa, 10 min (2) 100 MPa, 10 min, interval 10 min, 600 MPa, 10 min (3) 200 MPa, 10 min, interval 10 min, 400 MPa, 10 min (4) 200 MPa, 10 min, interval 10 min, 600 MPa, 10 min in temperature range 19–21°C and HoP on the leptin, adiponectin, insulin, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), lactoferrin and IgG contents in human milk. HoP was done at the Regional Human Milk Bank in Warsaw at the Holy Family Hospital on S90 Eco pasteurizer (Sterifeed, Medicare Colgate Ltd). Apparatus U4000/65 (Unipress Equipment, Poland) was used for pascalization. Milk samples were obtained from women during 2–6 weeks of lactation. Post-treatment culture showed no endogenous bacterial contamination in any tested option. Concentrations of selected components were determined using ELISA tests. The level of all analyzed components were significantly decreased by HoP: leptin 77.86%, adiponectin 32.79%, insulin 32.40%, HGF 88.72%, lactoferrin 60.31@.%, IgG 49.04%. All HPP variants caused an increase in leptin concentration, respectively (1) 81.79% (2) 90.01% (3) 86.12% (4) 47.96%. Retention of insulin after HPP was (1) 88.20% (2) 81.98% (3) 94.76% (4) 90.31% HGF (1) 36.15% (2) 38.81% 97.15% (3) 97.15% (4) 43.02%, lactoferrin (1) 55.78% (2) 57.63% (3) 78.77% (4) 64.75%. Moreover, HPP variant as 200 + 400 MPa preserved IgG (82.24%) better than HoP and resulted not statistically significant change of adiponectin level (38.55%) compare to raw milk. Our results showed that HPP leads to preservation of adipokines, growth factor, and lactoferrin, IgG much better or comparable with HoP

Quality of life in childhood epilepsy with lateralized epileptogenic foci

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Measuring quality of life (QOL) helps to delineate mechanisms underlying the interaction of disease and psychosocial factors. In adults, epileptic foci in the left temporal lobe led to lower QOL and higher depression and anxiety as compared to the right-sided foci. No study addressed the development of QOL disturbances depending on the lateralization of epileptogenic focus. The objective of our study was to examine QOL in children with lateralized epileptiform discharges.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-one parents of children with epilepsy filled the Health-Related Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE). Fifteen children had foci in the left hemisphere and sixteen in the right, as verified with Electroencephalography (EEG) examinations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found a significant correlation between foci lateralization and reduced QOL (Spearman's rho = 0.361, p < 0.046). Children with right hemispheric foci exhibited lower overall QOL, particularly in five areas: anxiety, social-activities, stigma, general-health, and quality-of-life.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We demonstrated for the first time that in children left- and right-hemispheric foci were associated with discordant QOL scores. Unlike in adults, foci in the right hemisphere led to worse emotional and social functioning demonstrating that seizures impact the brain differentially during development.</p

Construction and validation of an inventory examining the locus of control in primary school pupils

The term “locus of control” means the individual’s conviction about localisation of the control of reinforcements. The locus of internal control refers to perceiving the achieved results as if they were conditioned by one’s own behaviour or individual traits. When the result of activities is perceived as an effect of a chance, luck, destiny, as the effect controlled by other people or unpredictable, we speak about the external locus of control. Admittedly, the internal locus of control is associated with a better emotional and social adaptation. The locus of control is an effect of recurrent experiences and may be subject to modification due to therapeutic effects. Owing to a considerable importance of this variable for psychosocial functioning, creation of reliable tools for investigating it is essential. As far as the authors know, there has been no inventory in Polish as yet that would examine the locus of control in children aged from 8 to 12. In view of the potential importance of monitoring the locus of control in children starting the school education, a decision was taken to draw up a scale designed for this age group. The Locus of Control Scale – Primary Schools (LCS-PS) consists of 20 test items examining the locus of control on Scales of Success and Failure. To estimate the psychometric properties of LCS-PS, 131 pupils of randomly selected primary schools in Warsaw were examined. The reliability of α-Cronbach scale amounts to 0.69. The validity is confirmed by correlations with the average grade and scales of Self-concept, Anxiety, Depression and Anger in the Beck Youth Inventories of Emotional and Social Impairment. A short scale was drawn up, in Polish, of good reliability and validity, examining the locus of control in children aged from 7 to 12. The scale constitutes a supplementation of the tools designed for other age groups, existing on the Polish market.Pojęcie poczucia kontroli oznacza przekonanie jednostki o umiejscowieniu kontroli wzmocnień. Poczuciem kontroli wewnętrznej nazywamy spostrzeganie osiąganych rezultatów jako uwarunkowanych własnym zachowaniem bądź osobistymi cechami. Gdy wynik działań jest spostrzegany jako skutek przypadku, szczęścia, przeznaczenia, jako kontrolowany przez innych ludzi lub nieprzewidywalny, mówimy o poczuciu kontroli zewnętrznej. Uważa się, że poczucie kontroli wewnętrznej wiąże się z lepszym przystosowaniem emocjonalnym i społecznym. Umiejscowienie kontroli jest wynikiem powtarzających się doświadczeń i może podlegać modyfikacji w wyniku oddziaływań terapeutycznych. Ze względu na duże znaczenie tej zmiennej dla funkcjonowania psychospołecznego ważne jest tworzenie wiarygodnych narzędzi do jej badania. Zgodnie z wiedzą autorów do tej pory nie istniał polskojęzyczny kwestionariusz badający poczucie kontroli u dzieci między 8. i 12. rokiem życia. Ze względu na potencjalne znaczenie monitorowania poczucia kontroli u dzieci rozpoczynających edukację szkolną zdecydowano się na stworzenie skali przeznaczonej dla tej grupy wiekowej. Opracowana Skala Poczucia Kontroli – Szkoły Podstawowe (SPK-SP) złożona jest z 20 pozycji testowych, badających poczucie kontroli na Skalach Sukcesu i Porażki. W celu oszacowania własności psychometrycznych SPK-SP zbadano 131 uczniów trzech losowo wybranych szkół podstawowych w Warszawie. Rzetelność skali α-Cronbacha wynosi 0,69. Trafność potwierdzają korelacje ze średnią ocen oraz Skalami Samooceny, Lęku, Depresji oraz Złości Kwestionariusza Becka dla Dzieci. Powstała krótka polskojęzyczna skala o dobrej rzetelności i trafności, badająca poczucie kontroli u dzieci w wieku 7-12 lat. Skala stanowi uzupełnienie dotychczas istniejących na polskim rynku narzędzi przeznaczonych dla innych grup wiekowych

Lipid Profile, Lipase Bioactivity, and Lipophilic Antioxidant Content in High Pressure Processed Donor Human Milk

Human milk fat plays an essential role as the source of energy and cell function regulator; therefore, the preservation of unique human milk donors&rsquo; lipid composition is of fundamental importance. To compare the effects of high pressure processing (HPP) and holder pasteurization on lipidome, human milk was processed at 62.5 &deg;C for 30 min and at five variants of HPP from 450 MPa to 600 MPa, respectively. Lipase activity was estimated with QuantiChrom&trade; assay. Fatty acid composition was determined with the gas chromatographic technique, and free fatty acids content by titration with 0.1 M KOH. The positional distribution of fatty acid in triacylglycerols was performed. The oxidative induction time was obtained from the pressure differential scanning calorimetry. Carotenoids in human milk were measured by liquid chromatography. Bile salt stimulated lipase was completely eliminated by holder pasteurization, decreased at 600 MPa, and remained intact at 200 + 400 MPa; 450 MPa. The fatty acid composition and structure of human milk fat triacylglycerols were unchanged. The lipids of human milk after holder pasteurization had the lowest content of free fatty acids and the shortest induction time compared with samples after HPP. HPP slightly changed the &beta;-carotene and lycopene levels, whereas the lutein level was decreased by 40.0% up to 60.2%, compared with 15.8% after the holder pasteurization