The aim of the present study was to clarify clinical factors in low birth weight infants and their mothers associated with exclusive breastfeeding at both neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge and the start of complementary feeding. One hundred and fifteen low birth weight children and 98 mothers attending the follow-up clinic of two tertiary NICUs in Nara prefecture (Japan), between Ju...

PURPOSE There is extensive literature on the physical and physiologic benefits of breastfeeding premature infants. Less is known about mothers' perceptions of their own breastfeeding experience. This study explored the maternal experience of breastfeeding initiation and progression in the NICU. DESIGN A qualitative, descriptive design. SAMPLE A convenience sample of ten mothers was recruite...

OBJECTIVE In canonical modern bioethics, withholding and withdrawing medical interventions for dying patients are considered morally equivalent. However, electing not to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) struck us as easily distinguishable from withdrawing mechanical ventilation. Moreover, withdrawing mechanical ventilation from a moribund infant "feels" different from withdrawing ...

AIM We compared neonatal deaths and end-of-life decisions in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in a Dutch tertiary children's hospital. SUBJECTS All 235 full-term infants who died within 28 days of life between 2003 and 2013 in the NICU (n = 199) and PICU (n = 36) were retrospectively studied. RESULTS The median length of stay was three days in ...

Very preterm (VPT) infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are at risk for altered brain growth and less-than-optimal socio-emotional development. Recent research suggests that early NICU-related stress contributes to socio-emotional impairments in VPT infants at 3 months through epigenetic regulation (i.e., DNA methylation) of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4). In the pre...

Introduction: Neonatal intensive care unit induces the high level of anxiety for mothers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of NICU orientation program on the anxiety of mothers who had preterm newborns hospitalized in NICU. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial (three parallel groups). Participants included 99 mothers with preterm newborns hospitalized in NI...

Despite a proliferation of literature relative to pain physiology, assessment, and treatment, pain management in NICUs remains inconsistent--most often focused on assessment and treatment rather than prevention. The acceptance of pain as an inevitable part of NICU hospitalization is part of the culture in many NICUs. This article is intended to encourage discussion of pain prevention in the NIC...

BACKGROUND Wideband reflectance (WBR) provides important information about middle ear function and can explain variations in how the middle ear receives, absorbs, and transmits sound energy across a wide range of frequencies. However, as of yet, few normative studies have been published to guide clinicians in the practical applications of WBR. WBR has been measured more extensively in well babi...

Invasive fungal infections are associated with very high mortality and morbidity. Candida sp. is a leading etiological cause of invasive fungal infections (IFI). The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of FI in patients admitted to neonatal and paediatric ICU (NICU and PICU) to investigate risk factors that may contribute to FI development. In this retrospective epidemiologic ...

Pd-, Cu-, Ni- and NiCu-BaZr₀.₁Ce₀.₇Y₀.₁Yb₀.₁O₃₋δ anodes, designated as M-BZCYYb, were prepared by impregnating M-containing solution into BZCYYb scaffold, and investigated in the aspects of electrocatalytic activity for the reactions of H₂ and CH₄ oxidation and the resistance to carbon deposition. Impregnation of Pd, Ni or NiCu significantly reduced both the ohmic (RΩ) and polarization (RP) los...