Active clinical trials for "Birth Weight"

The effects of additional weight on early motor skills of infants have been increasingly studied. During the reaching behavior, the additional weight has been shown benefits in certain kinematic variables in full term and preterm infants. There is a growing interest in the study of populations at risk for motor development, especially considering interventions based on functional activities with the purpose of improving the neuromotor control, functional capacity and muscle strength. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of a functional training with additional weight in the reaching behavior of preterm infants with low birth weight and to compare the effects with a full term population. A controlled and randomized trial will be carried out with full term infants of adequate birth weight and preterm infants with low birth weight at 6 months of chronological or corrected age. The participants will be recruited by convenience from the charts of a Public Hospital. Participants will be randomly allocated into four groups: 1) adequate weight placebo group (AWPG); 2) adequate weight intervention group (AWIG); 2) low weight placebo group (LWPG) and 4) low weight intervention group (LWIG). . The assessor will be blinded (no knowledge of groups allocation). All infants will undergo a training program of eight sessions (2x/week; 4 weeks). The AWIG and LWIG will receive the training with an additional weight (characterized by a bracelet with a weight of 20% of the mass of the upper limbs)and the AWPG and LWPG will receive the same training, however, without the additional weight (only the bracelets).. All infants will be assessed in three different moments: 1) Pre-intervention: baseline, before the start of the intervention program; 2) Post-intervention: evaluation performed after the end of the program; and 3) Follow-up: evaluation performed seven days after the post-intervention assessment. The following kinematic dependent variables will be calculated: straightness index, mean velocity and motion units and electromyographic variables: pattern of activation and recruitment of muscle fibers - Biceps brachialis, Triceps brachialis, Deltoid and Pectoralis Major muscles; co-activation between biceps and triceps. The Qualisys Track Manager (QTM) and a wireless surface electromyography with 8-channels will be used. If normality assumptions are met, a mixed 2X2 ANOVA with repeated measures will be applied, in order to verify differences between the intervention programs, considering the dependent variables. Otherwise, non-parametric procedures of the same nature will be adopted. The significance will be set at 5% (P<0.05).

Pharmacological closure of ductus arteriosus with prostaglandin (PG) inhibitors has been used for years. Previous studies indicated that ibuprofen has similar effect on ductal closure as indomethacin but has less adverse effects on renal function, cerebral blood flow and mesenteric blood flow.1-7 There are, however, very few studies being done specifically on extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infant < 1000 g. This group of infants has immature kidney and often has poor response to PG inhibitors and has high mortality and morbidity. We hypothesized that, in ELBW infants, the ductal and renal response to PG inhibitors may be different between indomethacin and ibuprofen.

Probiotic supplementation to preterm infants have been reported to be beneficial in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Our pilot study also showed accelerated feeding in preterm infants who received Bifidobacterium bifidum early after birth. In order to evaluate these beneficial effects of Bifidobacterium bifidum, a prospective randomized control study is conducted. The hypothesis of the study is that Bifidobacterium bifidum supplementation to preterm infants improve enteral feeding and growth in very low birth weight infants.

Gastrografin is a radiopaque contrast agent for the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) which can be applied orally or rectally. In neonatal intensive care, Gastrografin is used to detect otherwise radiologically invisible perforations or an insufficient GIT anastomosis after surgery. Furthermore it is used for the treatment of meconium ileus. Gastrografin has a strong osmotic effect and leads to water influx into the intestine lumen. Thereby the peristaltic movement is accelerated and the premature infant excretes stool during the hours following application. Therefore Gastrografin might be effective to mobilize meconium from small bowel and deep parts of the colon. The investigators hypothesized that enteral application of Gastrografin accelerates meconium evacuation in premature infants, and thereby enhances feeding tolerance in this population.

The main aim of this prospective interventional study is to compare quantitative EEG findings and cognitive and neuropsychological test results before and after training with the Cogmed JM program in a group of very-low-birth-weight children in preschool age, i.e. ages 5-6 years. The investigators hypothesize that the children in the study may respond positively to the computerized training and improve working memory, but probably to different degrees depending on the underlying neurological condition. The investigators also hypothesize that training may benefit additional executive functions.

Very low birthweight neonates commonly develop high blood sugar levels. There is an association between high blood sugar levels and poorer short term outcomes but it is not known whether the high sugar level itself actually causes the problems. There are a range of ways to manage high sugar levels but there are no consensus guidelines to follow. One option is to manage the high sugar levels with an infusion of insulin. Studies looking at insulin infusions have often used fixed protocols to guide the amount of insulin to be given and are often complicated by hypoglycaemia. This study investigated whether using a model-based approach to individualise insulin administration to neonates with high sugar levels would provide a safe and effective management option for controlling blood sugar levels and avoid the complication of low blood sugar levels.

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the antioxidant effect of lactoferrin and its ability to reduce free radicals related diseases in the newborn. This evaluation will be done through the assessment of neuro-developmental follow-up. The secondary objective is to identify a panel of markers for assessing oxidative stress and for a correlation with the lactoferrin antioxidant effect.

The primary question to be addressed by this study is: compared with a functional oxygen saturation level (SpO2) of 91-95%, does targeting SpO2 85-89% in extremely preterm infants from birth or soon after, result in a difference in mortality or major disability in survivors by 2 years corrected age (defined as gestational age plus chronological age)?

Objective: To investigate whether recombinant EPO reduces the need for transfusion in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants and to determine the optimal time for treatment. The concentrations of trace elements and of antioxidant enzymes were investigated in all patients, too. Study population: 219 patient randomized into 3 groups

The goal of this study is to examine acceptability and efficacy of 2 kinds of BV treatment among women at low risk for preterm delivery. The objectives are: To examine the side effects and patient acceptability of oral versus intravaginal metronidazole. To compare the efficacy of oral and intravaginal metronidazole for the treatment of BV To study the efficacy of oral and intravaginal metronidazole for the prevention of hospital admission during the 3rd trimester, chorioamnionitis, preterm delivery, and maternal infectious morbidity.