Sense – a biofeedback system to support the interaction between parents and their child with the Prader-Willi syndrome : a pilot study

Parents of children with the Prader-Willi syndrome have shown to experience difficulties in interpreting their child’s signals and experience a lack of interest from their child, which causes a risk for a disrupted bonding process between the child and his or her parents. Evidence suggests that this is mainly due to the fact that these children are excessively sleepy, hardly cry and express movement to a lesser extent. In this paper an intelligent biofeedback system is proposed to support parents in their interaction with their child. The proposed system – called Sense – uses a galvanic skin response sensor to monitor the child’s arousal response and visually communicates this to the parents. A prototype of the system is created and evaluated with users. Furthermore, thirteen tests are carried out with Prader-Willi patients to validate whether the galvanic skin response sensor provides a meaningful output signal for the system. The results from the tests show that galvanic skin response is a valuable biofeedback source to provide more information about the child’s emotions and reaction to the environment. As a result of evaluating the intelligent system, parents expect Sense will improve the interaction and bonding between parents and their child with the Prader-Willi syndrom

Furosemide in preterm infants treated with indomethacin for patent ductus arteriosus.

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of furosemide on renal function and water balance in preterm infants treated with indomethacin (3 x 0.2 mg/kg at 12-h intervals) for symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus. Patients and METHODS: We performed a retrospective multi-centre double cohort study in preterm infants <32 weeks of gestational age. Thirty-two infants treated with furosemide (1 mg/kg i.v.) before each indomethacin dose (furosemide group) were matched with 32 infants with indomethacin treatment alone (control-group). Renal effects (urine output, weight gain, serum creatinine, sodium concentration) were registered. RESULTS: The study groups were comparable for gestational age, birth weight and day of therapy. Pretreatment differences were observed for urine output, weight and serum sodium. However, no differences were noticed in day-to-day urine output change or weight gain between the groups. A significant increase in serum creatinine concentration (50% vs. control, 18%; p < 0.05) and a concomitant significant decrease in serum sodium (-9 vs. control, -3 mmoL/L; p < 0.05) in the furosemide group was observed 72-96 h after starting therapy. CONCLUSION: Furosemide before each indomethacin dose resulted in a significant increase in serum creatinine and hyponatremia, without increasing urine output

Hugsy: a comforting solution for preterm neonates designed to enhance parent-child bonding

Premature neonates frequently need to spend several weeks or months in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). These neonates will experience a significant amount of pain, stress and discomfort during their hospital stay due to various medical interventions they will receive ranging from feeding to surgery. Although pharmacological pain treatments are available, often they are not suited for relieving of day-to-day discomfort and pain. Evidence is accumulating in the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions to relieve pain and discomfort for premature neonates, for example: Kangaroo care, facilitated tucking, and aromatherapy. This paper describes a new non-pharmacological comforting solution that combines various non-pharmacological interventions in a holistic way to provide comfort to neonates. The proposed solution, Hugsy, facilitates kangaroo care moments, and simulates the kangaroo care experience within the incubator by providing the neonate with a parent's unique smell, heartbeat, and feeling of support. We discuss the design and application of the solution, as well as the clinical study conducted with the first prototypes. Results indicate the Hugsy is a promising solution for comforting premature neonates and enhancing parent-child bonding

Maternal rigidity in infancy and level of intelligence at school age in children born preterm

Forty-four children who had been born preterm and their mothers participated in the follow-up study. At 3 and 14 months (corrected age) cognitive development was assessed using the BOS 2-30, the Dutch version of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The BOS yields measures of mental and motor development. At 7.5 years, intelligence was measured using the WISC-RN, the Dutch version of the WISC-R. A composite measure of maternal rigidity, tapping rigidity as a personality trait and rigid attitudes to child-rearing was used. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that maternal rigidity, measured in the first year of the child's life, was not associated with mental performance at 3 or 14 months. At 7.5. years, however, it was strongly associated with cognitive development, contributing uniquely to performance IQ

Maternal allopurinol administration during term labor for neuroprotection in case of fetal asphyxia: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Epidemiology in Pediatrics and Child Healt

Maternal allopurinol administration during suspected fetal hypoxia: a novel neuroprotective intervention? A multicentre randomised placebo controlled trial

Developmen