Active clinical trials for "Premature Birth"

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of continuous positive airway pressure and nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation on breathing pattern variables of very low birth weight neonates immediately after extubation.

This study compares a fifteen second sustained inflation (SI) to five repeated two - three second 'inflation breaths' during resuscitation at delivery of infants born prematurely.

Aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of vented base bottles on respiration-swallow patterns and on gastroesophageal refluxes in preterm infants with clinical suspect of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this crossover-randomized study, we compared the effects of standard feeding bottles (A) versus vented base feeding bottles (B) on a group of patients with at least 2 clinical GERD symptoms. 24 hours of synchronized cardiorespiratory (CR) and Esophageal Multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII/pH) monitoring were evaluated for each patient. During this period, patients were fed alternatively with feeding bottle A and B.

Although screening exams for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) prevent blindness they are physiologically stressful for infants. The investigators postulate that photosensitivity during mydriasis contributes to post-examination stress and that reducing light stimulation with a phototherapy mask can make infants more comfortable. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of a phototherapy mask worn during mydriasis on infant stress in the 12 hour period following ROP screening.

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the most common cause of respiratory failure in the first few days in life. It is characterized by the tendency of alveoli and terminal bronchioles to collapse due to the lack of surfactant. RDS is inversely related to gestational age and remains a dominant clinical problem encountered among preterm infants. The reduction in tidal volume secondary to alveolar collapse may result in alveolar derecruitment, cyclic opening and closing of atelectatic alveoli and distal small airways leading to inflammation and lung injury). On the other hand, the use of high positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) may be associated with excessive lung parenchyma strain and unfavorable hemodynamic effects. Therefore, lung recruitment maneuvers have been proposed and used to open collapsed lung while managing with low pressure PEEP. However, the best recruitment maneuver technique is currently unknown. Proinflammatory cytokines are synthesized by alveolar macrophages, type II pneumocytes and other local pulmonary cells causing inflammation that starts a cascade leading to lung injury. Nevertheless, they are released systemically and can lead to injury of other organs. This study aims to measure inflammatory cytokines in the serum of premature infants who receive and do not receive sustained lung inflation. The study hypothesis is that, in premature infants supported with CPAP, the use of sustained inflation is associated with decreased inflammatory biomarkers and improved respiratory outcomes. The study includes infants with gestational age of 28-24 weeks during the first 6 hours of life who will be randomly assigned to either receive (or do not receive) sustained inflations. Serum concentrations of cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α) will be measured at enrollment and at 96 hours. The primary outcome of this study will be the change in serum cytokine concentrations after intervention in both groups. Clinical respiratory outcomes will be monitored.

This study evaluate the effect of two different doses of vitamin D on T-regulatory cells in preterm infants. Half of the subjects receives 400 IU vitamin D and the other half receives 800 IU vitamin D.

Background: Transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation is an effective therapy for controlling urinary incontinence. Premature ejaculation (PE) and urinary incontinence are anatomically and physio-pathologically similar. Based on this, the use of this therapy is considered to be viable for the control of PE. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve electrostimulation for the ejaculatory reflex. Patients and Methods: Phase II clinical trial. Patients with a diagnosis of premature ejaculation who are treated at the Colombia Boston Medical Group clinic will be included. The participants will receive 3 transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation therapies per week for 12 weeks. The IELT and the PEDT scale will be evaluated on week 6, at the end of treatment and three months after completing the protocol.

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).

Strategies to prevent lung injury, facilitate lung development, and to support the preterm infant's capacity to breathe are decisive. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard in non-invasive breathing support in preterm infants with a positive pressure that keeps the alveoli slightly inflated during expiration. Non-invasive neurally adjusted ventilator assist (NIV NAVA) is a novel method of breathing support and uses the electrical activity from the diaphragm to trigger the ventilator and synchronize with the breathing cycle. During NIV NAVA the preterm infant controls the onset of the inspiration, the respiratory rate, inspiratory time and peak pressure. This method has the potential to improve the positive pressure transmission to the infant's lower airways, accurate synchronization with the breathing pattern and be a comfortable breathing support system for the preterm infant. The investigators will compare the effect on breathing effort in preterm infants during continuous positive airway pressure and non-invasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist measured by electrical activity in the diaphragm, respiratory vital signs, systematic clinical scoring of breathing effort and comfort, and parent reported outcomes.

Comparing with a randomized controlled trial two different feeding systems in two groups of late-preterm newborns for evaluating which is more efficient in promoting the coordination in the process of sucking-swallowing-breathing and better cardiorespiratory stability. The B-ESP group will be fed with a feeding system with a valved ergonomic teat; the B-STD with a standard feeding system.