SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Infant Development”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,243 records · Page 69Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

Ocular manifestations of the congenital varicella-zoster syndrome.

The congenital varicella syndrome is a rare disorder in which affected infants developed characteristic ocular and systemic manifestations. We present an infant who showed this syndrome, following maternal varicella during pregnancy. The infant had low birth weight, cicatricial skin lesions, limb contractures, hypotonia, areflexia and chorioretinal scarring. Fetal infection was demonstrated with the presence of varicella-zoster-specific IgM in the baby.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMed1995

Parenteral nutrition infused by epicutaneous catheter: pulmonary complication.

We present three preterm infants with pulmonary complications due to central venous silicone catheters malpositioned in the left or right pulmonary artery. One infant developed an arterial-bronchial fistula. The other two infants had pneumonitis without evidence of vessel perforation. The course of these complications was good after the catheter was withdrawn into the superior vena cava.

Bronchial Fistula↗

PubMed2002

Pathways to infant mortality in urban slums of Delhi, India: implications for improving the quality of community- and hospital-based programmes.

The study aimed at obtaining insights into the processes underlying infant deaths to help identify preventive interventions which may bring down infant mortality rates further. Verbal autopsies were performed on 162 deaths of liveborn infants that occurred in a birth cohort in two urban slums of Delhi, India, between February 1995 and August 1996. A structured verbal autopsy form was used for ascertaining the cause of death. The narratives of caretakers on seeking of care and treatment received for illness were reviewed to identify the actions and behaviours that might have contributed to death. Seeking of care was less common (57%) for illnesses that led to death in the first week of life than at later ages. The first-week deaths commonly (61%) occurred within 24 hours of recognition of illness which might have been too a short time for effective interventions by care providers. Only six of 45 neonates who had features of sepsis, pneumonia or meningitis, major congenital malformations, birth asphyxia, or prematurity were advised by primary care providers for hospitalization. Similarly, only 25 (41%) of 61 older infants who had severe malnutrition and sepsis or meningitis, diarrhoea or pneumonia, or other illnesses were referred to hospital. Parenteral antibiotics were prescribed less often than warranted. Only two of 16 neonates with serious bacterial infections and eight of 19 postneonates with features of sepsis or meningitis received parenteral antibiotics. Inappropriate healthcare practices were common among the practitioners of modern and indigenous systems of medicine and registered medical practitioners. Forty percent of the neonates and a little over half of the older infants, advised for hospitalization, were taken to hospital. Fifteen percent of the infants taken to hospital were refused admission. Of 21 hospitalized infants discharged alive, five (23%) died within 48 hours and 13 (62%) within a week of returning home. A major effort is required to improve skills of healthcare providers of the biomedical and indigenous systems of medicine in caring for neonates and infants. Development of home-based treatment regimens for young infants and objective criteria for their hospitalization and discharge should receive a high priority.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1985

Management of infants with severe respiratory failure and persistence of the fetal circulation, without hyperventilation.

The successful management of 15 infants suffering from persistence of fetal pulmonary circulation and in severe respiratory failure is presented. The treatment regimen focused on minimizing barotrauma. Infants were intubated nasotracheally and ventilated with intermittent mandatory ventilation. Peak inspiratory pressures were determined by the clinical assessment of chest excursion. Ventilator settings and fractional inspiratory oxygen (FiO2) were selected to maintain a PaO2 between 50 and 70 mm Hg; PaCO2 was not a controlling parameter and was allowed to increase as high as 60 mm Hg. Hyperventilation and muscle relaxants were not used. High ventilator rate was used in ten infants who required high inspiratory pressure to maintain chest excursion, with a favorable response in five. Tolazoline was given to 14 infants of whom ten showed an improvement in oxygenation; dopamine was given to three infants who were oliguric. All infants survived, and only one infant developed chronic lung disease which was defined by the infant's need for supplemental oxygen beyond 30 days of life.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed1995

The late administration of surfactant.

Current recommendations for surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) in the treatment of hyaline membrane disease (HMD) are to administer the drug as soon as possible after starting ventilation in order to prevent ventilator lung damage. We present a review of 18 infants (gestational age 32.4 +/- 1.9 weeks and birth weight 1,795 +/- 427 g) who received the initial dose of SRT after they were 12 hours old. Fourteen infants were assessed as having HMD and 4 as having congenital pneumonia. Overall there was a significant and sustained improvement in oxygenation as measured by arterial/alveolar oxygen ratios. The outcome of these infants was good, with a duration of ventilation of 7.9 +/- 4.3 days and a duration of hospitalisation of 26.2 +/- 12.6 days. No infant developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Of particular interest is that 3 infants weighing > 2,400 g with congenital pneumonia responded to a single delayed dose of SRT. Late SRT is effective and there may be a place for SRT in the treatment of conditions other than HMD.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The early feeding skills assessment for preterm infants.

Preterm infants develop the skills necessary to begin oral feeding as their health stabilizes and as they reach a postconceptional age that supports coordination of breathing and swallowing with oral-motor functioning. The time from initiation of oral feeding to full oral feedings (with adequate intake for growth and maintenance of physiologic stability) can vary from days to months for the preterm infant. The approach to feeding the infant during this transition period must be developmentally supportive and tailored to meet the needs of the individual. To accomplish this, caregivers--notably nurses and parents--need to communicate about the specific skills that the infant has gained, about skills that are emerging, and about skills that the infant has not yet developed. The Early Feeding Skills (EFS) Assessment is a checklist for assessing infant readiness for and tolerance of feeding and for profiling the infant's developmental stage regarding specific feeding skills: the abilities to remain engaged in feeding, organize oral-motor functioning, coordinate swallowing with breathing, and maintain physiologic stability. This article introduces the EFS.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1982

Haematological and obstetric aspects of antenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassaemia: experience with 200 cases.

The results of 200 antenatal diagnoses in pregnancies at risk for homozygous beta-thalassaemia, carried out on fetal blood samples obtained by placental aspiration in the second trimester, are described. Globin chain synthesis in the fetuses was measured by means of 3H-leucine incorporation and separation of the chains on carboxy-methyl-cellulose columns. Fetal red cell enrichment was performed by NH4Cl-NH4HCO3 differential lysis of maternal cells or anti-i differential agglutination. Sufficient fetal blood for analysis was obtained in 97.5% of the cases. The overall fetal loss rate was 6.5%, but it declined from 10% in the first consecutive 100 cases to 3% in the last 100 cases. Fetal loss was the result of early or late intrauterine death or spontaneous abortion. Forty-two homozygous fetuses had no beta-chain synthesis and one had a very low beta/gamma ratio (0.005). Of the pregnancies, 37 were terminated at parental request and four aborted spontaneously. Absence of beta-chain radioactivity was confirmed in 12 abortuses with suitable cord blood samples for analysis. Two pregnancies with homozygous fetuses were not terminated, as one member of each couple was a devout Catholic. As expected, both infants developed Cooley's anaemia. Follow-up of the 146 infants, diagnosed in utero as non-homozygotes, showed cerebral palsy in one and a small cutaneous needle injury in three. None of these developed homozygous beta-thalassaemia. Even beta-thalassaemia trait with a beta/gamma ratio of 0.046 +/- 0.012 can be distinguished from normal, showing a beta/gamma ratio of 0.086 +/- 0.019 with a high degree of certainty.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed2000

Physical growth and biochemical indicators of protein adequacy in exclusively breastfed neonates weighing less than 1500 g.

The objective of our study was to evaluate biochemical indicators of protein adequacy and the growth pattern in very low birthweight infants, weighing less than 1500 g, who were exclusively breastfed by their mother in the first 4 months of infancy in a tertiary level referral neonatal unit. The study design was descriptive. The study population comprised neonates admitted to the referral neonatal unit by 48 h of age, weighing less than 1500 g, whose mothers were willing to breastfeed and in whom enteral feeds could be given by day 6 of life. Detailed history, clinical evaluation and anthropometry were recorded and blood samples drawn for serum total proteins, serum albumin and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). All infants were given feeds as per the Unit policy. Infants were discharged when they were exclusively suckling and showed a positive trend in weight gain. Follow-up longitudinally for 4 months included clinical evaluation, growth velocity, biochemical indicators of protein adequacy, and occurrence of any morbidity. Growth parameters were compared with available postnatal growth standards. The mean velocity of weight gain for all neonates for the first 4 months was 19.78 g/day or 14.78 g/kg/day. The mean velocity of gain after regaining birthweight was 23.2 g/day. Mean velocity of gain in length and head circumference was 0.84 cm/week and 0.71 cm/week, respectively. Serum total proteins, albumin and BUN were within the normal range. No infant developed hypoproteinemia or hypoalbuminemia at any time during the study period. All infants obtained sufficient volume of milk from their mothers and could be successfully breastfed until 4 months of age. The velocity of growth of the neonates was comparable to the available reference standards. Indicators of protein metabolism were within normal limits. Thus, exclusive feeding of mother's own milk can be strongly recommended for very low birthweight babies particularly in the weight group 1251-1500 g.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed1994

Maxillary dental arch affected by different sleep positions in unilateral complete cleft lip and palate infants.

The development of the dental arch is well designed for adaptive and compensatory growth. In this study, the relationship between the sleep position and dental arch development was investigated. A group of 42 infants with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate with either prone (16) or supine (26) sleep position were seen in the craniofacial center. All infants were less than 1 month of age at the initial visit. Dental impressions of the maxillary arch were taken at the initial visit and just before cheiloplasty. Ten arch dimensions were measured in each dental cast and the longitudinal change in each dimension was compared between the prone sleep group and the supine sleep group. Statistically significant changes were detected in the growth rate of the following dimensions: intercanine width, intertuberosity width, alveolar cleft width, anterior cleft width, and posterior cleft width. This study indicated that sleep position affected maxillary arch development. Infants sleeping in the prone sleep position tended to have narrower arch width and cleft width.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMedDate not supplied

When half a word is enough: infants can recognize spoken words using partial phonetic information.

Adults process speech incrementally, rapidly identifying spoken words on the basis of initial phonetic information sufficient to distinguish them from alternatives. In this study, infants in the second year also made use of word-initial information to understand fluent speech. The time course of comprehension was examined by tracking infants' eye movements as they looked at pictures in response to familiar spoken words, presented both as whole words in intact form and as partial words in which only the first 300 ms of the word was heard. In Experiment 1, 21-month-old infants (N = 32) recognized partial words as quickly and reliably as they recognized whole words; in Experiment 2, these findings were replicated with 18-month-old infants (N = 32). Combining the data from both experiments, efficiency in spoken word recognition was examined in relation to level of lexical development. Infants with more than 100 words in their productive vocabulary were more accurate in identifying familiar words than were infants with less than 60 words. Grouped by response speed, infants with faster mean reaction times were more accurate in word recognition and also had larger productive vocabularies than infants with slower response latencies. These results show that infants in the second year are capable of incremental speech processing even before entering the vocabulary spurt, and that lexical growth is associated with increased speed and efficiency in understanding spoken language.

Eye Movements↗

PubMed1975

Peer behavior conceptualized as a variable influencing infant and toddler development.

It is hypothesized that interaction between infants may serve to facilitate their overall behavioral development, particularly if the environment is structured to maximize the developmental quality of the interaction. The developmental literature, which has largely ignorned the potential value of infant peer interaction is reviewed, and several lines of psychological theory and investigation are cited in support of the hypothesis. Development of a technology for enhancing infant interaction is proposed, and initial research questions are suggested.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1985

The influence of intra-uterine growth retardation on brainstem development of preterm infants.

This study examined brainstem function in 76 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) and 25 small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants born at less than 35 weeks gestation, using brainstem auditory evoked responses. During the preterm period the mean brainstem conduction time (BCT) of the 25 SGA infants was significantly shorter than that of AGA babies of the same gestation. The BCTs of the AGA infants decreased rapidly during postnatal development to term-equivalent age; those of the SGA infants did not change significantly. It is likely that prenatal factors are responsible for the alteration of early development in the neural function of non-asphyxiated SGA infants. This change in neural development may be important in determining later neurological performance.

Auditory Pathways↗

PubMed1982

Acrodermatitis in breast-fed premature infants: evidence for a defect of mammary zinc secretion.

Two 9-week-old, breast-fed premature infants developed acrodermatitis and hypozincemia because of low zinc content in their mothers' breast milk. All symptoms of zinc deficiency disappeared within seven days after the infants were treated orally with zinc and did not recur when zinc was discontinued after 11 months (infant 1) and three weeks (infant 3). After a subsequent term pregnancy, one of the mothers had lower breast milk zinc content (P less than .025) and greater exponential decline (P less than .025) of zinc content through 40 weeks of lactation compared with 34 control subjects. Her second infant (infant 2) had hypozincemia at 7 months of age but did not develop clinical zinc deficiency. When the mothers of the affected infants took oral zinc supplements, there was no increase in their breast milk zinc content. Zinc secretion into breast milk appears to be a controlled process that is independent of maternal zinc intake or serum zinc level. Breast milk may be low in zinc because of defective mammary secretion and this may lead to severe symptomatic zinc deficiency in premature infants.

Acrodermatitis↗

PubMed2005

Motion- and orientation-specific cortical responses in infancy.

During the first 3 months, infants develop visual evoked potential (VEP) responses that are signatures of cortical orientation-selectivity and directional motion selectivity. Orientation-specific cortical responses develop in early infancy. This study compared these responses directly in the same infants, to investigate whether the later appearance of direction selectivity was intrinsic, or a function of the spatio-temporal characteristics of the stimuli used. Steady-state orientation-reversal (OR-) VEPs and direction-reversal (DR-) VEPs were recorded in infants aged 4-18 weeks. DR-VEPs were elicited with random pixel patterns and with gratings spatially similar to those used for OR-VEPs, at velocities of 5.5 and 11 deg/s, and reversal rates of 2 and 4 reversals/s. Infants throughout the age range showed significant responses to orientation-reversal. Direction-reversal responses appeared in less than 25% of infants under 7 weeks of age, rising to 80% or more at 11-13 weeks, whether tested with dots or gratings and for both speeds and reversal rates. However, 2 reversals/s elicits the DR-VEP on average about 2 weeks earlier than 4 reversal/s stimulation. We conclude that human cortical direction selectivity develops separately from orientation-selectivity and emerges at a later age, even with tests that are designed to optimise the former.

Aging↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Use of the Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener with low birth weight infants.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the utility of the Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener (BINS) as a screening technique for premature, low birth weight infants. METHODS: One hundred thirty-three preterm infants <1,500 grams received a BINS assessment at mean adjusted age 6.8 months and a Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II) assessment at mean adjusted age 12.9 months. Infants' BINS scores were compared to their BSID-II Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) scores. RESULTS: The BINS score showed significant association with the MDI (r =.40, p = <.001) and with the PDI (r =.35, p = <.001). The BINS showed moderate predictive validity (67%-76%) for identifying lower functioning infants. CONCLUSIONS: The BINS is a satisfactory screening tool for low birth weight infants when used in conjunction with other known biologic and social risk factors.

Developmental Disabilities↗

PubMed2005

Improved neurodevelopmental outcomes following long-term high-dose oral acyclovir therapy in infants with central nervous system and disseminated herpes simplex disease.

OBJECTIVE: Infants with neonatal herpes, classified as central nervous system or disseminated disease, have a high incidence of moderate and severe neurologic deficits despite standard acute therapy. STUDY DESIGN: Following completion of parenteral therapy, infants with central nervous system and/or disseminated disease received 2 years of continuous oral acyclovir therapy. Target minimum peak serum acyclovir concentrations were >2 microg/ml for the first three patients, and >3 microg/ml for the subsequent 13 patients. Safety assessments were made every 3 months. We evaluated neurodevelopmental outcomes with Bayley Scales of Infant Development. RESULTS: A total of 16 consecutive herpes simplex virus-infected infants born during 1990 to 2003 received the treatment plan; 13/16 infants had central nervous system disease; 3 had disseminated disease without central nervous system involvement. A total of 69% (11/16) had Bayley scores in the normal range for mental development and 79% (11/14) had motor scores in the normal range. At the final assessment, five children had developmental delays. One child had severe mental delay with normal motor development. Four children had mild mental delays, with severe motor delays in three. All children were independently mobile, without seizure disorder, had normal vision, and had speech development. During the 2-year course of treatment, five children had brief recurrences of dermal lesions, and none had evidence of neurologic deterioration. There were no serious or sustained adverse drug reactions. CONCLUSION: This pilot study reports improved outcomes in a small cohort of infants with a prolonged course of oral acyclovir. A minority of these children exhibited mild or significant developmental delays. Further investigation of this approach to treatment is warranted.

Acyclovir↗

PubMed1996

The relation of transient hypothyroxinemia in preterm infants to neurologic development at two years of age.

BACKGROUND: Transient hypothyroxinemia, a common finding in premature infants, is not thought to have long-term sequelae or to require treatment. We investigated whether hypothyroxinemia in premature infants is a cause of subsequent motor and cognitive abnormalities. METHODS: In this historical cohort study, we retrieved blood thyroxine values, obtained on routine screening in the first week of life, from state screening records on children who weighted 2000 g or less at birth, who were born at 33 weeks' gestation or earlier, and who were enrolled in a population-based study of the late sequelae of neonatal brain hemorrhage. We investigated the relation of these values to the odds for disabling cerebral palsy among 463 subjects for whom data were available and to the mental-development score on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development or the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales for Children at the age of two years in 400 subjects. The effects of severe hypothyroxinemia, defined as a blood thyroxine value more than 2.6 SD below the mean for New Jersey newborns, were assessed before and after adjustment for gestational age and potentially confounding variables. RESULTS: In analyses adjusted for gestational age, infants with severe hypothyroxinemia had a risk of disabling cerebral palsy that was nearly 11 times that of infants without hypothyroxinemia (odds ratio, 10.8; 95 percent confidence interval, 3.0 to 39.3) and a mean mental-development score at the age of two that was 15.4 points lower (95 percent confidence interval, 8.1 to 22.6 points) than the mean score of children with normal neonatal blood thyroxine concentrations. After adjustment for gestational age and multiple prenatal, perinatal, and early and last neonatal variables, severe hypothyroxinemia was still associated with an increased risk of disabling cerebral palsy (odds ratio, 4.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.0 to 18.6) and a reduction of nearly 7 points (95 percent confidence interval, 0.3 to 13.2 points) in the mental-development score. CONCLUSIONS: Severe hypothyroxinemia in preterm infants may be an important cause of problems in neurologic and mental development detected at the age of two years.

Cerebral Palsy↗

PubMed2005

Effects of prenatal exposure to mercury on cognitive and psychomotor function in one-year-old infants: epidemiologic cohort study in Poland.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to assess the cognitive and psychomotor status of 1-year-old infants whose mothers were exposed to low, but varying, amounts of mercury during pregnancy. METHODS: Mercury levels in cord and maternal blood at delivery were used to assess prenatal environmental exposure to mercury. Bayley Scales of Infant Development were used to assess neurobehavioral health outcomes. The cohort consisted of 233 infants who were born at 33 to 42 weeks of gestation between January 2001 and March 2003 to mothers attending ambulatory prenatal clinics in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Enrollment included only nonsmoking women with singleton pregnancies between the ages of 18 and 35 years who were free from chronic diseases. RESULTS: The geometric mean (GM) for maternal blood mercury level for the group of infants with normal neurocognitive performance was lower (GM = 0.52 mug/L; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46-0.58) than that observed in the group with delayed performance (GM = 0.75 mug/L; 95% CI, 0.59-0.94), and this difference was significant (p = 0.010). The GM of cord blood mercury level in the normal group also was lower (GM = 0.85 mug/L; 95% CI, 0.78-0.93) than that observed in the group with delayed performance (GM = 1.05 mug/L; 95% CI, 0.87-1.27), and this difference was of borderline significance (p = 0.070). The relative risk (RR) for delayed performance increased more than threefold (RR = 3.58; 95% CI, 1.40-9.14) if cord blood mercury level was greater than 0.80 mug/L. Risk for delayed performance in the group of infants with greater maternal mercury levels (>0.50 mug/L) also was significantly greater (RR = 2.82; 95% CI, 1.17-6.79) compared with children whose mothers had mercury levels less than 0.50 mug/L. CONCLUSIONS: The results may be of public health importance because delayed psychomotor or mental performance in infants is assumed to be an indicator of later neurocognitive development in children, which may persist into adult life.

Adolescent↗