1,721,036 research outputs found
Challenges in the growth and development of newborns with extra-uterine growth restriction
No full textIntroduction: Extra-uterine growth restriction (EUGR) is a condition caused by the failure of very preterm infants to reach their potential growth during the NICU hospital stay. Despite enormous improvements in nutritional support and strategies, the growth pattern of preterm infants is still far from the one expected. Areas covered: This review focuses on what EUGR is, highlighting controversial aspects of this topic. EUGR is still missing a univocal definition, and the international debate is also open on what is the best growth chart to use. Moreover, professionals in NICU may not be trained on how to perform anthropometric measurements, increasing the risk of over- or underestimation, especially for length assessment. EUGR has recently been described as one of the main comorbidities in NICU, influencing growth, metabolism, and neurodevelopment later in life. Expert opinion: There is still much to investigate about what the best growth pattern in the NICU should be. What is known so far is that the majority of preterm neonates develop EUGR, and this leads to several short- and long-term consequences. It is imperative that neonatologists and pediatric endocrinologists work together, to modulate growth in the NICU
Clinical expression of endocrine disruptors in children
No full textPURPOSE OF REVIEW: Health status is the result of complex interaction between individual factors, general environmental factors and specific factors as nutrition or the presence of chemicals. Aim of this review is to point out the more recent knowledge covering the role of the endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) on pediatric population wellbeing. RECENT FINDINGS: Prenatal, postnatal life and puberty are the three main temporal windows of susceptibility when EDCs may act. The mechanism is independent from dose or duration of exposition, sex, age or combination of chemicals and may also be transgenerational, affecting both growth and pubertal timing. A window of susceptibility for breast cancer has been detected. Thyroid gland is influenced by environmental chemicals, both in utero and during childhood. Alteration in Thyrotropin stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and neurodevelopmental impairment have been demonstrate. It has been detected a pro-obesogenic action of specific chemicals, impairing also glucose homeostasis during childhood. SUMMARY: With a multidisciplinary approach and the use of big data platforms, an attempt has to be made to verify biological variations related to a disease, and how much the risk is influenced by the presence of the endocrine disruptors. This may help the future generation to better interpret uncommunicable diseases
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Intrapartum beta-lactam antibiotics for preventing group B streptococcal early-onset disease: can we abandon the concept of ‘inadequate’ intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis?
No full textIntroduction: Neonatal sepsis remains a serious and potentially fatal illness. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) prevents group B streptococcal (GBS) early-onset sepsis. The optimal duration of IAP (adequate IAP) to reduce vertical transmission of GBS has been debated. Understanding the mechanism of action of IAP may help in minimizing neonatal evaluation and unnecessary antibiotic use. Areas covered: In recent years, several studies on pharmacokinetics and clinical use of IAP have been published. Although penicillin and ampicillin are the most preferred antibiotics, the clinical efficacy of non-beta-lactam antibiotics, including clindamycin and vancomycin, used in cases of penicillin anaphylaxis-associated allergy, remains debatable. This is a narrative review of the literature regarding the impact of ‘inadequate’ IAP on the clinical management of women and newborns. Expert opinion: Recent evidence suggests that ‘inadequate’ IAP with beta-lactams is more effective in preventing vertical transmission of GBS than previously thought. Newborns exposed to intrapartum beta-lactams and who are asymptomatic at birth are likely uninfected, irrespective of IAP duration before delivery. Hence, we may abandon the concept of ‘inadequate’ IAP with beta-lactams in early-onset GBS sepsis, relying primarily on clinical signs observed at birth for managing IAP-exposed neonates
Parenting infants at the times of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study on parental stress in the province of Modena (Northern Italy)
Get PDFBackground and aim of the work: The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent measures to prevent virus’s spread particularly affected families with young children, that represent a complex system characterized by a constant interaction between the infant’s and the parent’s well-being. The present study aims to investigate the parenting stress experienced by parents with 6-month-old healthy infants surveyed from September 2019 to April 2021 in the Modena province (Northern Italy). Research design and methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) questionnaire to assess stress levels in the parent-child system. Since the questionnaire is meant to be self-completed by the participant, the survey could continue to be conducted remotely during the pandemic lockdown months. Results: Most parents exhibited physiological stress scores, but parents who have been interviewed during the pandemic period had a higher prevalence of stress problems. Subjects in the COVID group also showed a drop in the defensive response and a lower prevalence of stress problems when parenting siblings. Conclusions: These findings underline the importance of early detection of isolation’s negative effects on households and strengthen the need for tailored familial support during stressful events, in order to pro-mote parent and children’s emotional well-being
“A casa tutto bene?” Valutazione dell’impatto delle restrizioni sociali sul quoziente di sviluppo neuro-cognitivo di una coorte di bambini e considerazioni post-pandemiche.
No full textL’avvento del virus SARS-CoV-2 ha modificato la quotidianità delle famiglie ed è cruciale indagare il potenziale impatto delle restrizioni sociali legate al contenimento della pandemia sulla crescita dei bambini. La finalità dello studio è quindi quella di descrivere il livello di sviluppo raggiunto all’età di 6 mesi da una coorte di bambini sani
residenti nella provincia di Modena, visitati in parte prima e in parte dopo lo scoppio della pandemia, attraverso le scale Griffiths III, uno strumento validato per la valutazione del profilo evolutivo di neonati e bambini fino ai 6 anni.
Si tratta di uno studio trasversale condotto su una coorte di bambini sani arruolati presso il Policlinico di Modena, nell’ambito di un più ampio studio di coorte prospettico.
I punteggi ottenuti mediante le scale Griffiths III, che analizzano 5 aree evolutive chiave (basi dell’apprendimento, linguaggio e comunicazione, coordinazione oculo-manuale, abilità personali-sociali-emotive, abilità grosso-motorie) sono stati stratificati in due periodi di tempo (pre e post-COVID) in base alla data di valutazione (pre o post il
29/2/2020).
104 bambini sani nati a termine con età mediana di 6 mesi (IQR 6-7) sono stati inclusi nello studio; 34 soggetti sono stati valutati prima del 29/02/2020, 70 dopo il 1/03/2020.
Il valore medio del quoziente di sviluppo (QS) globale è risultato pari a 95,56 (DS ±7,99) e presenta differenze significative nei bambini esaminati nei due periodi considerati (99,7 vs 93,4).
I QS nei domini dello sviluppo motorio e delle basi dell’apprendimento sono risultati nella maggioranza dei bambini sopra la media o nella media dei punteggi nazionali indicativi di sviluppo regolare e non hanno presentato differenze importanti nei due periodi di tempo considerati. Al contrario, i QS nelle scale relative alle abilità sociali
appaiono in una percentuale importante di bambini sotto la media dei punteggi nazionali e risultano particolarmente ridotti nel gruppo post-COVID, nel quale il QS medio è di circa 10 punti inferiore rispetto a quello del gruppo pre-COVID.
Le abilità sociali dei bambini di 6 mesi valutati in questo studio sembrano essere fortemente impattate dai periodi di isolamento domestico imposti dalla pandemia. È opportuno valutare se tale tendenza si confermi nel tempo e se sia effettivamente legata alle restrizioni dettate dall’emergenza sanitaria in corso, allo scopo di identificare eventuali interventi correttivi sulla popolazione esaminata e di progettare futuri interventi mirati a prevenire difficoltà di sviluppo neuro-cognitivo in neonati legate alla pandemia
Early-life exposure to phthalates in a population of infants from the north of Italy: characterization and time trends
No full textPhthalates are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Nowadays, they are considered reproductive toxicants and in-utero exposure is well documented, although evidence of early life exposure is
scarce, and needs to be described. Aim of this study is to assess
phthalate exposure and its changes over the first months of life in a cohort of healthy full term infants and their mothers from a
restricted area of the north of Italy
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