Mothers' beliefs about infant teething in Enugu, South-east Nigeria: a cross sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Parents and Health Care Workers have traditionally attributed a variety of symptoms to teething in young children. Some of these symptoms may however connote underlying serious medical condition in a child. There is little evidence to support these beliefs despite their implications on management of a symptomatic teething child. This study therefore seeks determine the beliefs and problems mothers associate with teething in Enugu, South-east Nigeria.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey involving sixty mothers presenting at a Children's clinic in Enugu metropolis using questionnaire. More than 90% of the respondents thought that babies can experience medical problems as a result of teething. The commonest medical problems perceived to be associated with teething were fever (71.7%), loose stools (58.3%) and vomiting (35%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mothers still associate a variety of symptoms of childhood illnesses to teething and this association is not evidence based and could lead to delayed interventions, increased morbidity and mortality of children. It is important therefore that mothers and health workers caring for young children are educated on the need to seek prompt medical attentions in a symptomatic child.</p

Ribose versus dextrose supplementation, association with rowing performance: a double-blind study.

OBJECTIVE: It has been hypothesized that ribose supplementation rapidly replenishes adenosine triphosphate stores and thereby improves exercise performance. We compared the effects of ribose versus dextrose on rowing performance. DESIGN: Double-blind randomized trial. SETTING: Rowing team training area of large midwestern university. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one women collegiate rowers. INTERVENTIONS: We studied the effects of ribose versus dextrose supplementation (10 g each in 8 oz water) for 8 weeks before and after practice and 2000-m time trials. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: In the time trials, the dextrose group showed significantly more improvement at 8 weeks than the ribose group (median, 15.2 vs. 5.2 s; P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: We doubt ribose impaired, and hypothesize dextrose enhanced, rowing performance. Further research is needed to define what role, if any, dextrose and ribose play as athletic supplements

Passive hinge forces in the feeding apparatus of Aplysia aid retraction during biting . . .

Swallowing and biting responses in the marine mollusk Aplysia are both mediated by a cyclical alternation of protraction and retraction movements of the grasping structure, the radula and underlying odontophore, within the feeding apparatus of the animal, the buccal mass. In vivo observations demonstrate that Aplysia biting is associated with strong protractions and rapid initial retractions, whereas Aplysia swallowing is associated with weaker protractions and slower initial retractions. During biting, the musculature joining the radula/odontophore to the buccal mass (termed the &quot;hinge&quot;) is stretched more than in swallowing. To test the hypothesis that stretch of the hinge might contribute to rapid retractions observed in biting, we analyzed the hinge&apos;s passive properties. During biting, the hinge is stretched su#ciently to assist retraction. In contrast, during swallowing, the hinge is not stretched su#ciently for its passive forces to assist retraction, because the odontophore&apos;s anterior movement is smaller than during biting. A quantitative model demonstrated that steadystate passive forces were su#cient to generate the retraction movements observed during biting. Experimental measures of the relative magnitude of the hinge&apos;s active and passive forces at the protraction displacements of biting suggest that passive forces are at least a third of the total force

Infant feeding practices and sleep development in pre-schoolers from the EDEN mother- child cohort

International audienceSleep problems affect 20% to 30% of toddlers and preschoolers. Few longitudinal studies focused on the impact of infant feeding practices on sleep. We aimed to study the associations between feeding practices up to 8 months and trajectories of sleep quantity or quality from 2 to 5-6 years. Analyses included 1028 children from the EDEN mother-child cohort. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires. Associations between feeding practices (breastfeeding, complementary feeding, use of thickened infant formula, night feeding) and sleep trajectories (sleep onset difficulties, night waking, nighttime in bed) were analyzed by multiple logistic regressions. Predominant breastfeeding for more than 4 months was associated with lower risk for belonging to the persistent sleep onset difficulties trajectory. Night feeding at 4 months or at 2 years of age was associated with higher risk for belonging to the persistent sleep onset difficulties trajectory and night feeding at 8 months was associated with higher risk for night waking and with higher risk for short nighttime in bed. Early introduction (<4 months) to complementary foods (excluding baby cereals) was related to lower risk for short nighttime in bed. Use of baby cereals or thickened infant formula was related neither to sleep quality nor to sleep quantity. In conclusion, infant feeding practices are associated with sleep trajectories in preschoolers, with notably a potential protective role of breastfeeding. Further researches are needed to clarify the mechanisms of these relationships