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Biomedical subjects

J O Forfar

Publications and source records attributed to J O Forfar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Low birthweight: a 10-year outcome study of the continuum of reproductive casualty.

Disability rates among low-birthweight infants, particularly those related to congenital abnormality and cerebral palsy, are high. Both prenatal and perinatal factors are likely to be involved in the aetiology of most types of disability. IQ tends to be lower among low-birthweight infants, but does not appear to be closely related to birthweight alone. The confounding effect of social class should be considered when assessing aetiology and outcome. The long-term outcome for the increasing number of low-birthweight infants who survive and receive intensive neonatal care requires to be continually assessed; however, studies should not be confined to the very- and extremely-low-birthweight infant requiring prolonged intensive care, but should include abortions, stillbirths and neonatal deaths. As disability in survivors can relate to preterm birth but not perinatal complications, all low-birthweight infants require to be studied if selective bias is to be solved.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1984

Parenteral nutrition compared with transpyloric feeding.

Fifty nine infants of birthweight less than 1500 g were allocated alternately to initial total parenteral nutrition or to transpyloric feeding. Mortality was similar between the two groups. Ten of the 29 infants in the transpyloric group failed to establish full enteral nutrition during the first week of life. No beneficial effects on growth were shown in infants receiving parenteral nutrition. Acquired bacterial infection was higher in the parenteral group and associated with morbidity and mortality. Conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia occurred only in the parenterally fed infants. The incidence of necrotising enterocolitis was higher in the transpyloric group. Parenteral nutrition does not confer any appreciable benefit and because of greater complexity and higher risk of complications should be reserved for those infants in whom enteral feeding is impossible.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1984

Klebsiella infection in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Fourteen infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit became colonized with Klebsiella pneumoniae. Ten developed septicaemia. All infants survived the acute infection. Details are given of clinical observations and the control measures that were taken.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1983

Congenital lobar emphysema: problems in diagnosis and management.

A retrospective study was made of 9 patients with congenital lobar emphysema who presented over the past 13 years. The ages of the patients at diagnosis ranged from 2 weeks to 10 years. The earlier the presentation, the more severe were the symptoms. Two patients were misdiagnosed initially at the referring hospitals with near disastrous results. Pitfalls in diagnosis are outlined and the various investigative procedures discussed. A flow chart for the diagnostic approach is presented. Treatment was usually by lobectomy but 2 older children presenting late with mild symptoms were managed conservatively with satisfactory results.

Child↗
PubMed1982

Plasma alkaline phosphatase activity in rickets of prematurity.

Plasma alkaline phosphatase activity was measured in 349 infants aged between 5 and 10 days to establish a normal range for different gestational ages. Significant differences were observed between term and preterm infants, the highest values being associated with the shortest lengths of gestation. Plasma calcium, phosphate, and alkaline phosphatase activity were measured sequentially in 51 preterm infants less than 1500 g at birth. A significant correlation was found between raised plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and radiological changes of osteoporosis, metaphyseal change, and periosteal reaction. Plasma alkaline phosphatase appears to be of value in screening for and monitoring rickets of prematurity.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1981

Neonatal spongioform myelinopathy after restricted application of hexachlorophane skin disinfectant.

At least four out of 97 low birth weight (less than 1750 g) newborn infants who had received only limited skin disinfection with 3% hexachlorophane (HCP) emulsion developed spongioform myelinopathy in association with detectable amounts of HCP in their brains. These four cases were found in a post-mortem survey of 20 out of the 27 infants who died. Another nine of these infants had detectable amounts of HCP in the brain but no myelinopathy. It is at present not possible to define a 'safe" level of exposure to 3% HCP emulsion for small preterm infants in the first 2 weeks of life.

Brain↗
PubMed1980

Maternal vitamin D intake and mineral metabolism in mothers and their newborn infants.

Pregnant women receiving daily supplements of 400 IU (10 microgram) of vitamin D2 from the 12th week of pregnancy had plasma calcium concentrations higher at 24 weeks but similar at delivery to those in control pregnant women who did not receive the supplements. Infants of the women receiving the supplements had higher calcium, lower phosphorus, and similar magnesium concentrations on the sixth day of life and a lower incidence of hypocalcaemia than infants of the control women. Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, which showed a seasonal variation, were higher in mothers and infants in the treated group. Cord-blood calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations correlated with maternal values at delivery. Breast-fed infants had higher calcium and magnesium and lower phosphorus and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations than artificially fed infants. A defect of dental enamel was found in a high proportion of infants (many of whom had suffered from hypocalcaemia) born to the control women. These results suggest that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy would be beneficial for mothers, whose intake from diet and skin synthesis is appreciably less than 500 IU of vitamin D daily.

Blood Proteins↗
PubMed1977

Magnesium therapy in neonatal tetany.

104 infants with symptomatic hypocalcaemia were randomly allocated to treatment with calcium gluconate, phenobarbitone, or magnesium sulphate. Infants treated with magnesium sulphate had higher plasma-calcium concentrations after 48 hours' treatment and fewer convulsions during and after the treatment period. Magnesium sulphate is recommended as the treatment of choice in symptomatic neonatal tetany whether or not there is hypomagnesaemia.

Administration, Oral↗