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Martin Bax

Publications and source records attributed to Martin Bax.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Evidence supporting the use of melatonin in short gestation infants.

Pineal melatonin regulates circadian rhythms and influences sleep. Melatonin also has protective actions against tissue damage from free-radicals and other toxins. Evidence is presented that this indoleamine is involved in pre- and postnatal brain (and ocular) development and intrauterine growth. In the absence of maternal melatonin, short gestation infants have a prolonged period of melatonin deficiency. Melatonin supplementation, which has a benign safety profile, may help reduce complications in the neonatal period that are associated with short gestation. We believe that this treatment might result in a wide range of health benefits, improved quality of life and reduced healthcare costs.

Dietary Supplements↗
PubMed2006

Clinical and MRI correlates of cerebral palsy: the European Cerebral Palsy Study.

CONTEXT: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings have been reported for specific clinical cerebral palsy (CP) subgroups or lesion types but not in a large population of children with all CP subtypes. Further information about the causes of CP could help identify preventive strategies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlates of CP in a population sample and compare clinical findings with information available from MRI brain studies. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional, population-based investigative study conducted in 8 European study centers (North West London and North East London, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Lisbon, Portugal; Dublin, Ireland; Stockholm, Sweden; Tübingen, Germany; and Helsinki, Finland). PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred eighty-five children with CP were identified who had been born between 1996 and 1999; 431 children were clinically assessed and 351 had a brain MRI scan. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Standardized clinical examination results, parental questionnaire responses, MRI results, and obstetric, genetic, and metabolic data from medical records. RESULTS: Important findings include the high rate of infections reported by mothers during pregnancy (n = 158 [39.5%]). In addition, 235 children (54%) were born at term while 47 children (10.9%) were very preterm (<28 weeks). A high rate of twins was found, with 51 children (12%) known to be from a multiple pregnancy. Clinically, 26.2% of children had hemiplegia, 34.4% had diplegia, 18.6% had quadriplegia, 14.4% had dyskinesia, 3.9% had ataxia, and 2.6% had other types of CP. Brain MRI scans showed that white-matter damage of immaturity, including periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), was the most common finding (42.5%), followed by basal ganglia lesions (12.8%), cortical/subcortical lesions (9.4%), malformations (9.1%), focal infarcts (7.4%), and miscellaneous lesions (7.1%). Only 11.7% of these children had normal MRI findings. There were good correlations between the MRI and clinical findings. CONCLUSIONS: These MRI findings suggest that obstetric mishaps might have occurred in a small proportion of children with CP. A systematic approach to identifying and treating maternal infections needs to be developed. Multiple pregnancies should be monitored closely, and the causes of infant stroke need to be investigated further so preventive strategies can be formulated. All children with CP should have an MRI scan to provide information on the timing and extent of the lesion.

Brain↗
PubMed2005

Proposed definition and classification of cerebral palsy, April 2005.

Because of the availability of new knowledge about the neurobiology of developmental brain injury, information that epidemiology and modern brain imaging is providing, the availability of more precise measuring instruments of patient performance, and the increase in studies evaluating the efficacy of therapy for the consequences of injury, the need for reconsideration of the definition and classification of cerebral palsy (CP) has become evident. Pertinent material was reviewed at an international symposium participated in by selected leaders in the preclinical and clinical sciences. Suggestions were made about the content of a revised definition and classification of CP that would meet the needs of clinicians, investigators, and health officials, and provide a common language for improved communication. With leadership and direction from an Executive Committee, panels utilized this information and have generated a revised Definition and Classification of Cerebral Palsy. The Executive Committee presents this revision and welcomes substantive comments about it.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed2002

Long-term evaluation of the impact of the h1-receptor antagonist cetirizine on the behavioral, cognitive, and psychomotor development of very young children with atopic dermatitis.

The impact of the prolonged use of cetirizine at high dose (0.25 mg/kg twice a day over 18 mo) on behavior and cognitive ability was examined in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (ETAC-Early Treatment of the Atopic Child) designed to establish whether it was possible to prevent young children (1-2 y old at study entry) with atopic dermatitis from developing asthma. Well-validated and standardized measures of behavior (Behavior Screening Questionnaire) and cognition (McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities) were used. In addition, the ages of attainment of psychomotor milestones were established. These measures were taken between an average of 32 and 53 mo of age, both during the study treatment with cetirizine or placebo and after the study treatment had been discontinued. The Behavior Screening Questionnaire was completed at least once on approximately 300 children in each group and on approximately 200 children on five occasions. The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities were administered to approximately 100 in each group at three different times. There were no significant differences between the cetirizine and placebo groups on either of the behavior and cognition measures or in psychomotor milestones during or after the study treatment. These findings suggest that there are no adverse effects on behavior or learning processes associated with the prolonged use of cetirizine in young children with atopic dermatitis.

Cetirizine↗