Biomedical subjects

Newra T Rotta

Publications and source records attributed to Newra T Rotta.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Auditory hypersensitivity in children and teenagers with autistic spectrum disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To verify if the clinical behavior of auditory hypersensitivity, reported in interviews with parents/caregivers and therapists/teachers of 46 children and teenagers suffering from autistic spectrum disorder, correspond to audiological findings. METHOD: The clinical diagnosis for auditory hypersensitivity was investigated by means of an interview. Subsequently, a test of the acoustic stapedial reflex was conducted, and responses to intense acoustic stimulus in open field were observed. RESULTS: Of the 46 subjects, 11 (23.9%) were clinically diagnosed as oversensitive to sound and only 2 showed discomfort when exposed to intense acoustic stimulus in open field. There was no statistically significant difference for the test of the ipsilateral acoustic stapedial reflex between the groups. CONCLUSION: Behavioral manifestations to sounds are not associated to hypersensitivity of the auditory pathways, but instead these are associated to difficulties in the upper processing, involving systems that usually are impaired in autistic spectrum patients, such as the limbic system.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed2004

Clinical and electroencephalographic follow-up after a first unprovoked seizure.

We studied the role of clinical and electroencephalographic factors in the follow-up of children and adolescents after a first unprovoked seizure, and their correlation with recurrence and risk for epilepsy. We conducted a 24-month follow-up of 109 patients aged 1 month to 16 years who had a first unprovoked seizure. We analyzed the characteristics of the first seizure, perinatal history, family history of seizures, electroencephalographic patterns and their influence on seizure recurrence, and calculated risk for subsequent epilepsy. Fifty-six patients (51.4%) had recurrent seizures. The bivariate statistical analysis revealed that maternal prenatal disease (relative risk = 2.02, P = 0.03) and an abnormal electroencephalogram (relative risk = 2.89, P = 0.0003) were significantly associated with seizure recurrence. Other factors (male sex, partial first seizure, vaginal delivery, family history of seizures, and sleep state) approached statistical significance. Logistic regression revealed that the only variable significantly associated with recurrence was an abnormal electroencephalographic pattern on the first examination (relative risk = 2.48, P = 0.003). Cumulative risk ranged from 50-68% at 24 months when the first electroencephalogram was abnormal, and from 26-36% when it was normal. We concluded that the electroencephalogram may have an important diagnostic value in the prognosis of epileptic seizure recurrence in children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Babkin reflex and other motor responses to appendicular compression stimulus of the newborn.

This cross-sectional study evaluated 106 normal newborns with the aim of determining the prevalence of mouth opening, neck rotation, and limb flexion or extension responses triggered by pressure stimuli applied to the hand, forearm, arm, foot, leg, or thigh. Mouth opening, neck rotation, and lower limb flexion responses were found in the three segments of the lower limb, with mouth opening obtained in 100% of newborns, neck rotation in 88.7%, and flexion of lower limbs in 67.9% with stimuli to the hand. Upper limb extension response was obtained by stimulation of the three segments of the lower limb and was found in 86.7% of the infants with stimuli to the foot. The limb segment more effective in eliciting a response was the hand, followed by the foot, forearm, leg, arm, and thigh. When pressure was applied to the three upper segments, the reflex responses of the head, neck, and limb flexion predominated, whereas when pressure was applied to the three lower segments, extension responses of the upper limbs predominated.

Arm↗

PubMed2004

[Autism and pervasive developmental disorders].

OBJECTIVE: To review the current knowledge on neurobiological aspects of autism and pervasive developmental disorders, as well as to provide pediatricians with up to date information on diagnosis and treatment of autism. SOURCES OF DATA: Review of MEDLINE and Internet. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: Autism is the 3rd developmental disorder, with an incidence of 40 to 130/100,000 individuals. Diagnosis is based on clinical findings, following DSM IV criteria. Neuroimaging, investigation of fetal neurological status, and genetic investigation contribute towards a better understanding of the neurobiology of autism. CONCLUSION: Pediatricians are the first health professional to come in contact with patients with autism. Thus, they should be able to diagnose and to coordinate the multidisciplinary treatment of these patients.

Autistic Disorder↗

PubMed2003

Neurological examination in the healthy term newborn.

We carried out a cross-sectional study with a sample of 106 normal full-term newborns examined within 24 to 72 hours of birth. The following findings were evaluated: head and chest measurements, muscle strength, tone, tendon reflexes, superficial reflexes, primitive reflexes, and cranial nerves. All 106 newborns were considered neurologically normal. We found no differences in the neurological examination findings for newborns with different gestational ages. Primitive reflexes and appendicular tone in newborns examined at earlier postnatal ages tended to be less intense. We were able to determine the prevalence of certain neurological examination findings for the normal newborn and to discuss some differences between our results and those of other studies. Prevalence estimations for the different findings in our study may be valid for different populations as long as the same methodology is adopted.

Anthropometry↗

PubMed2003

Parachute and lateral propping reactions in preterm children.

A non-controlled, prognostic cohort study was performed with the aim of establishing markers of neurological development and defining a clinical and epidemiological profile of preterm newborns at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of gestation-corrected age in terms of parachute and lateral propping reactions. Newborns with gestational age of up to 36 weeks and 6 days, weighing 2,000 g or less at birth, were included in the study At 6 months of age, parachute and lateral propping reactions were present in 8.1% of the patients. At 9 months, the parachute reaction was present in 87.5%, and the lateral propping reaction was present in 90% of the children. It was possible to assess parachute and lateral propping reactions in preterm children in the first year of life. Alterations in trunk-limb coordination may be evidenced in the 1st year of life through postural reactions, which are maintained as prematurity markers until school age.

Child Development↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Hyperechogenicity of thalamic vessels in preterm newborn infants].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate possible pathologies associated with hyperechogenicity of thalamic vessels (HETV), which are found on brain ultrasounds (BUS), as well as to observe the frequency of their occurrence. METHODS: The sample was composed of 206 preterm newborn infants at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) from July 1998 to May 1999. All of them were submitted to BUS in the first week of life. Preterm children who needed hospital admission and had a term of informed consent signed up by their guardians were included in this study. Preterm newborn children with BUS showing intracranial hemorrhage and/or associated congenital malformation were excluded from this study. RESULTS: Through BUS it was possible to identify 65 preterm newborn children with HETV and 141 preterm newborn children without HETV. CONCLUSIONS: We identified the following risk factors for HETV: pelvic presentation, longer gestational period, increased birthweight and big for gestational age classification. On the other hand, mothers hypertension during the gestational period tended to protect infants from HETV. The newborn infants that presented convulsive crises during hospitalization had a 3.2-fold higher risk of having HETV when compared to the ones who did not go through any convulsive crises.

English Abstract↗