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Biomedical subjects

B Friis-Hansen

Publications and source records attributed to B Friis-Hansen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Investigation of 89 children born by drug-dependent mothers. I. Neonatal course.

Among 89 infants born by opiate- and methadone-addicted mothers 20% were preterm and 31% were light for gestational age. Mean gestational age and birth weight were lower in infants of mothers who had taken mainly opiates compared with infants of mothers who had taken mainly methadone. Preterm labor was more frequent among women who had been acutely withdrawn on methadone within the last month before birth than among women who were maintained on methadone at birth. 85% of the newborns had withdrawal symptoms and 12% had convulsions the severity of which was not correlated with the type of drug abuse. The duration of withdrawal, however, correlated with the amount of methadone taken by the mother at birth. 20% had signs of perinatal asphyxia and had an increased frequency of neonatal convulsions. These babies represent a special high-risk group of newborns. Prevention, therapy and care demand extraordinary combined efforts by politicians, social welfare personnel, midwives, doctors and nurses.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Investigation of 89 children born by drug-dependent mothers. II. Follow-up 1-10 years after birth.

72 of 89 children born by opiate- and methadone-addicted mothers were reinvestigated 1 to 10 years after birth. Only 25% were found to by physically, mentally and behaviorally normal. 56% were hyperactive, aggressive, with a lack of concentration and social inhibition. 10% had a severely and 11% a moderately impaired psycho-motor development mainly due to deprivation. 43% of the children had been removed from their mothers by the courts. The average number of shifts from one milieu to another was 6 per child with an upper range of 30 shifts for some of the children. The average number of shifts from one caregiver to another was 5 with an upper range of 11. These findings indicate that there is an urgent need for politicians, social welfare and health personnel to reexamine their roles in helping these children, who will otherwise develop into a new generation of social loosers.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The effect of vitamin E on erythrocyte hemolysis and lipid peroxidation in newborn premature infants.

The biochemical effect of vitamin E supplementation to mothers with threatened premature delivery and to premature infants after birth has been studied. Although a weak correlation was found between maternal and cord blood vitamin E levels at birth, cord blood levels were not significantly higher in the infants from supplemented mothers than those from unsupplemented mothers. Furthermore, maternal vitamin E treatment did not prevent either erythrocyte hemolysis or lipid peroxide formation in the premature infants after birth. On the other hand, intramuscular vitamin E to infants after birth produced a marked biochemical effect, with both zero erythrocyte hemolysis and low lipid peroxide formation when serum vitamin E increased above 2 mg/100 ml. We conclude that intramuscular vitamin E immediately after birth is necessary to achieve a biochemical effect of vitamin E in the early neonatal period. (No cases of retrolental fibroplasia occurred in the present study.)

Erythrocytes↗
PubMed1983

Water distribution in the foetus and newborn infant.

A short survey is given over changes in water metabolism from early foetal life to infancy. The close connection between water metabolism and body composition is described as well as the changes taking place after birth. The impact of intrauterine malnutrition, delivery and postnatal nutrition is discussed.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1983

Drug-induced displacement of bilirubin from albumin in the newborn.

Kernicterus is probably caused by precipitation of insoluble bilirubin acid in brain cells. The pigment is transferred from blood plasma to cells. The tendency for precipitation depends upon the ratio of unconjugated plasma bilirubin concentration to the concentration of reserve albumin for binding of bilirubin and is increased when part of the albumin is occupied by competitive binding of a drug. Laboratory methods are available whereby it is possible, on certain well-defined presumptions, to measure this drug effect in quantitative terms. Measurements can be made in systems with pure albumin as well as in plasma samples from treated patients. It would thus appear feasible at the present stage to establish a basis for official testing of the bilirubin-displacing effects of drugs.

Bilirubin↗
PubMed1982

Unaffected blood boron levels in newborn infants treated with a boric acid ointment.

No rise in the boron content of the plasma of 22 newborn infants was demonstrated following repeated daily application of a water-emulsifying ointment containing the equivalent of 3% boric acid to the napkin region. The mean plasma-boron concentration fell over 5 days from a pretreatment value of 0.49 to 0.29 mg/litre, the corresponding values in ten untreated neonates being 0.62 and 0.21 mg/litre, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found. The results confirm the safety of such ointments for application to the skin, a conclusion predicted by theoretical estimates of the maximum possible boric acid absorption following application of the ointment.

Boric Acids↗
PubMed1982

Hypertensive peaks in the pathogenesis of intraventricular hemorrhage in the newborn. Abolition by phenobarbitone sedation.

Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was measured continuously for 3 to 5 days after birth in 27 premature infants with a birth weight under 1500 g, and who required umbilical artery catheterisation. All had respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) occurred in 9 infants (33%), diagnosed by computered tomography (CT). IVH was more common in infants of lower gestational age, in infants delivered vaginally and in infants with perinatal asphyxia. Variable increases in MABP over the resting value occurred in all infants associated with increases in both active and passive motor activity. In 6 infant pairs matched for birth weight, gestational age, mode of delivery and severity of perinatal asphyxia, the infants who developed IVH had higher peak MABP valued compared to matched controls. Resting and minimum MABP values were not different in the two groups. We conclude that the large increases in arterial blood pressure which occur with both spontaneous motor activity and in association with nursing procedures, are an important cause of development of IVH in very low birth weight infants. An example is given to show that pressure peaks can be abolished by phenobarbitone sedation.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1982

Body water metabolism in early infancy.

A short survey is given over water metabolism from early fetal life to infancy. The close connection between water metabolism and body composition is described as well as the changes taking place during growth. The impact of intrauterine malnutrition, delivery and postnatal nutrition is discussed, and it is pointed out how the premature infant differs from the full-term infant.

Body Composition↗
PubMed1982

Water--the major nutrient.

Water metabolism is a major problem in infants of very low birth weight. Their surface is proportionally larger, they have a relatively low intracellular water volume and a high extracellular and total body volume. Kidney function is immature compared to bigger infants, and the neuroendocrine function is also immature. Finally the large surface and the high skin permeability causes a very high insensible water loss in the early neonatal period. Water imbalance presents itself as either dehydration or overhydration. Dehydration gives poor peripheral--and renal circulation and thereby decreased renal function with acidosis. Furthermore hyperosmolar dehydration will give increased hematocrit and blood viscosity and hyperbilirubinaemia. Excessive administration of water will give oedema and congestive heart failure and possibly an increased risk for patent ductus arteriosus, bronchopulmonal dysplasia and necrotising enterocolitis. The evaporative water losses varies according to the thermal environment and air humidity and it is therefore impossible to give narrow limits for the daily water intake. Clinical examination, frequent controls of body weight (twice daily) and measurements of urine volume and osmolarity serve as guide lines. Yet inappropriate secretion of ADH may confuse the value of measuring urine osmolarity. Finally a neonatal weight loss of 5-10% may be beneficial as a decrease in extracellular water may lessen the working load of the heart and therefore possibly lessen the risk for a patent ductus. Renal immaturity in handling sodium reabsorption on the other hand, will often give an excessive dehydration. For this reason about 2 mmol Na/kg body weight should be given daily to very low birth weight infants from the fourth day of life to the 3rd-4th week if the baby is on human milk or a low salt formula.

Body Fluid Compartments↗
PubMed1981

Hyperlipemia among 1407 Danish children whose fathers have died from ischemic heart disease before age 45.

1407 children whose fathers had died from ischemic heart disease before age 45 were investigated. 15% had hypercholesterolemia and 8% hypertriglyceridemia at visit 1. At visit 2 and 3 this number of children with hyperlipemia fell to a minimum of 3% and 1.4%, resp. which is around 10 times higher than in a reference population. 1.8% of the children had familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) which is 10-15 times higher than in a reference population. These findings indicate that serum lipids should always be measured in children from such coronary heart risk families, and a decision made whether or not their permanent hyperlipemia should be treated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Is arterial hypertension crucial for the development of cerebral haemorrhage in premature infants?

Computerised tomography has revealed that more than 40% of premature neonates (birth weight smaller than 1500 g) have cerebral bleeds in the first 3 or 4 days of extrauterine life. Injection studies done at necropsy have shown that they usually originate in the capillaries of the germinal matrix. It is suggested that premature neonates are hypertensive when their blood-pressure is compared with that in utero, and that events that lead to further rises in pressure are common. Their capillaries are not protected against rises in arterial pressure because autoregulation is impaired. Furthermore, the capillaries in the germinal matrix are not supported by firm glial structures. Arterial pressure rises are therefore likely to be responsible for germinal matrix haemorrhage in the premature neonate, and the risk of haemorrhage probably diminishes as autoregulation of cerebral blood-flow is restored a few days after birth.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1979

Impaired autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in the distressed newborn infant.

Cerebral blood flow was measured, using the 133Xe clearance technique, a few hours after birth in 19 infants with varying degrees of respiratory distress syndrome. Ten of these infants had had asphyxia at birth. The least affected infants with normotension (systolic blood pressure 60 to 65 mm Hg) had CBF values of about 40 ml/100 gm/minute. Hypotensive infants with asphyxia at birth or RDS or both had values for CBF of about 20 ml/100 gm/minute, or less. CBF was strongly correlated with the arterial blood pressure, showing a linear relationship that was identical in infants with asphyxia at birth and infants with RDS only. CBF varied considerably with spontaneous variations in blood pressure, suggesting that autoregulation was lacking. This finding may explain why distressed premature infants are prone to develop massive capillary bleeding in the germinal layer with penetration to the ventricles.

Blood Pressure↗