A sleep disturbance in high risk for SIDS infants

A developmentally immature sleep pattern has been identified in infants with a recent history of an unexplained life-threatening episode of sleep apnoea who are considered at risk for SIDS. In these infants there is a persistence of Sleep Onset REM Periods (SOREMPS) after prolonged wakefulness when compared to controls matched for age, sex, birthweight and race. This sleep characteristic has not been previously reported.     

早期干预对高危儿智能发育影响的研究

目的探讨定期随访高危儿,进行早期发育评价及干预,对高危儿智能发育的影响。方法将82例高危儿随机分成干预组42例和常规组40例,干预组接受早期干预,两组患儿定期随访,以中国婴幼儿发育量表（CDCC）和《Ge-sell发育诊断量表》进行智能发育评估。结果3、6、9月龄时干预组患儿智力发育指数（MD I）和运动发育指数（PD I）均显著高于常规组;1岁时Gesell智能检查,干预组除大运动能区与常规组有显著性差异外（P〈0.05）,其他四大能区均存在非常显著性差异（P〈0.01）。结论早期干预可促进高危儿的智能发育,改善其预后。     

Time course of EEG background activity level before spontaneous awakening in infants

This research aimed to investigate the time course of the cortical activity level preceding spontaneous awakening as a function of age and state. Two groups of infants (1-4 and 9-14 weeks of age) were continuously monitored by polygraphic recording and behavioural observation during the night. The electroencephalographic (EEG) activity recorded by the C3-O1 lead was analysed through an automatic analysis method which provides, for each 30-s epoch, a single measure, time domain based, of the EEG synchronization. The EEG parameter values were computed in the 6 min preceding each awakening out of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and out of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The EEG background activity level did not change in the minutes preceding awakening out of REM sleep. Awakening out of NREM sleep was preceded by a change of EEG activity level in the direction of higher activation with different time course according to the age. Both REM and NREM sleep results suggest that a high level of EEG activity is a prerequisite for the occurrence of a spontaneous awakening.     

Effects of priming duration on retention over the first 1 1/2 years of life

Exposing individuals to an isolated component (a prime) of a prior event alleviates its forgetting. Two experiments with 120 human infants between 3 and 18 months of age determined the minimum duration of a prime that can reactivate a forgotten memory and how long the reactivated memory persists. Infants learned an operant task, forgot it, were exposed to the prime, and later were tested for renewed retention. In Experiment 1, the minimum duration of an effective prime decreased logarithmically with age, but was always longer than the duration of a mere glance. In Experiment 2, the reactivated memory was forgotten twice as fast after a minimum-duration prime as after a full-length one, irrespective of priming delay and infant age. These data reveal that the minimum effective prime duration psychophysically equates the accessibility of forgotten memories. We conclude that priming is perceptually based with effects that are organized on a ratio (log) scale.     

Urinaryα 1 as an index of proximal tubular function in early infancy

Urinary ₁-microglobulin (U-A₁M) was measured in healthy term infants on days 1, 4, 7, 14, 28, 90 and 180 of life. U-A₁M was high until day 14 and declined thereafter. It was significantly correlated with urinary ₂-microglobulin (U-B₂M) throughout the study, but not with serum A₁M on days 1 or 7. Similar to U-B₂M, U-A₁M in the clinically stable term infants with intrauterine growth retardation (n=4–7) was not elevated on days 1–7. In the sick infants who needed immediate resuscitatio at birth (n=4–8), U-A₁M as well as U-B₂M was high on days 1–7 and then decreased to normal levels, suggesting that U-A₁M can be used as a sensitive marker of acute proximal tubular damage and its recovery. These observations indicate that U-A₁M is a useful index of proximal tubular function in early infancy.     

Laser Doppler velocimetry in retinal arteries of infants

The present study was conducted to assess the feasibility of laser Doppler velocimetry in young infants, as a prelude to ultimately undertaking such measurements in premature infants. A portable, unidirectional laser Doppler velocimeter was developed based on a Kowa RC-2 hand-held fundus camera. Six infants between 1 and 21 weeks of age were studied. Relative red blood cell velocity (f_max) at the centre of retinal arteries was measured over approximately 10 heart cycles. A pulsatility parameter (P=1–f_max.dia/f_max.sys), a summary index of vascular status, was determined from the average diastolic and systolic values of f_max. Velocity waveforms were obtained in four of the six infants. Arterial pulsatility for the group was 0.63±0.13. Precise non-invasive measurement of arterial red blood cell velocity waveforms in young infants was achieved. The high signal-to-noise ratio and temporal resolution of this data suggest that relative measurements of retinal blood flow may permit assessment of haemodynamic changes in premature infants.     

Effect of an allergy prevention programme on incidence of atopic symptoms in infancy

A total of 105 "high-risk" infants born in 1988 were studied prospectively from birth to 18 months of age. The infants were recommended breastfeeding and/or hypoallergenic formula (Nutramigen or Profylac) combined with avoidance of solid foods during the first 6 months of life. All mothers had unrestricted diet. Avoidance of daily exposure to tobacco smoke, furred pets and dust-collecting materials in the bedroom were advised. This prevention group was compared with a control group consisting of 54 identically defined "high-risk" infants born in 1985 in the same area. All infants had either severe single atopic predisposition combined with cord blood IgE > or = 0.5 KU/l or biparental atopic predisposition. The control group had unrestricted diet and was not advised about environmental factors. Apart from the prevention programme and year of birth the prevention group and the control group were comparable. The parents were highly motivated and compliance was good. The rate of participation was 97%, and 85% followed the dietary measures strictly. The cumulative prevalence of atopic symptoms was significantly lower at 18 months in the prevention group (32%), as compared with the control group (74%) (p < 0.01), due to reduced prevalence of recurrent wheezing (13% versus 37%; p < 0.01), atopic dermatitis (14% versus 31%; p < 0.01), vomiting/diarrhoea (5% versus 20%; p < 0.01) and infantile colic (9% versus 24%; p < 0.01). The cumulative prevalence of food allergy was significantly lower in the prevention group (6% versus 17%; p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

215例正常新生儿瞬态诱发耳声发射测试分析及随访研究

目的：进一步了解正常新生儿瞬态诱发耳声发射（TEOAE）的特征，为新生儿听力筛查提供帮助。方法：采用ILO96型耳声发射仪，对出生后0（出生当天）-8d的215例（425耳）正常新生儿进行TEOAE测试，并跟踪随访结果：TEOAE总检出率为89%，检出率与检测时的天龄有一定的关系。新生儿出生后0-3d检出率平均为72%，4-8d为97%，分娩方式，左右耳，孕龄36至41周间的差异对检出率无明显影响；女性的检出率显著高于男性，快速扫描较TEOAE测试敏感，经随访确诊有1耳听力损害。结论：新生儿听力筛查应在出生后≥4d出院前进行；分娩方式对耳蜗功能无明显影响；人耳蜗毛细胞的成熟是在怀孕36周以前；快速扫描不能代替TEOAE测试；对于1耳或双耳未检出TEOAE的受测者必须跟踪随访和复检，并结合ABR测试尽早确诊。