Acceptability of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) by Mothers with Low-Birth-Weight Babies at Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital, in Ndola, Zambia

Background: Kangaroo Mother Care is a simple safe method used to care for low-birth-weight babies. Low-birth-weight is a global public health issue that pose significant challenge to perinatal care systems. Globally, complications due to low-birth-weight are the leading cause of neonatal mortality, resulting in an estimated 1 million deaths annually. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a low-cost method of care for low-birth-weight infants in areas with inadequate incubators and power outages with positive outcomes. Objectives: To assess factors influencing acceptability of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in NICU at Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital in Ndola, Zambia. Methodology: A cross sectional quantitative analytical study design was used. The study was conducted at Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital (ADCH) in Ndola, Zambia. The purposive sampling method was used to select the study participants and a total of 129 mothers with Low Weight Babies A were selected to participate structured closed ended questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants using an interview. Data was analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) software version 26. Cross tabulations were done to determine association of variables using a Chi square (x2) test at 95% confidence interval and were assumptions where not met, fishers exact test was used. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Results: Most of the respondents had male babies 77%, 69% of the babies weighed 1000 g - 1400 g, majority 79% had normal delivery, 71% of the respondents were multigravida and most of the respondents 79% were married. The study reviewed that 85% of those who attained secondary education accepted KMC, 74% of the respondents without monthly income accepted KMC, 80% of the respondents had positive attitude and accepted KMC. 82% of the respondents who had positive perception accepted KMC. Conclusion: Acceptance of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) among 75% of the mothers underscores its widespread favourability as a beneficial method for infant care.

Perceptions of Mothers with Preterm Babies towards Donor Breast Milk at Women and Newborn Hospital,Lusaka Zambia

Breast milk offers essential nutrients crucial for the development of the preterm immune system, thus reducing the incidence of infection and mortality often associated with prematurity. In the absence of breast milk, the preferred option is donated breast milk, the best alternative for hospitalized neonates whose mothers have insufficient breast milk or are unavailable. In Zambia, donor breast milk is unavailable. Instead, the protocol recommends the administration of formula milk. However, the use of formula milk in preterm babies is associated with an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis and sepsis. Zambia needs to establish a donor milk bank, hence the need to understand the perception of mothers towards donated breast milk. A qualitative descriptive case study utilized 10 focus group discussions with in-depth interviews, purposively selected using a variation strategy. Data was thematically analysed. Participants demonstrated potential acceptance to donor breast milk utilization, as more nutritional compared to formula despite lack of awareness. Concerns related to safety, quality, fear of disease transmission and discomfort feeding from a different bloodline were identified as hinderance to possible utilisation. These perceptions underscore the importance of educational initiatives aimed at dispelling myths and misconceptions surrounding donor breast milk and establishing donor breast milk programs. Therefore, the study recommends educational initiatives tailored to raise awareness to mothers about donor breast milk.

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions in newborn babies with and without late-term maternal iron deficiency anaemia

Background:Studies on animals have demonstrated that maternal iron deficiency anaemia(IDA)could result in decreased cochlear sensory hair cells and reduced amplitudes of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions(DPOAEs)of young guinea pigs.Thus,it is essential to study the functioning of cochlear hair cells using DPOAEs in human newborn babies with maternal IDA.The current study explores maternal IDA’s effect on DPOAEs in newborn babies.Method:A total of 110 newborn babies with gestational age≥34 weeks were considered and a‘betweensubjects’design was used.The participants were divided into 3 groups-“Normal”(61 babies without maternal IDA),“Mild”(28 babies with mild maternal IDA)and“Moderate”(21 babies with moderate maternal IDA).The cord blood was collected and the DPOAEs were recorded for each baby for a range of frequencies(1 k 8 kHz)and a range of intensities(7040 dB SPL in 10 dB steps).Results:The analysis of both DP-gram and DP input-output(I/O)function showed that there was no significant difference(p>0.05)across the normal,mild,and moderate groups in the overall presence of DPOAEs as well as the amplitude across frequencies or intensities(7040 dB SPL).Also,the overall correlation of RBC indices with DPOAE amplitude across frequencies as well as the slope of the I/O function showed no relationship.Conclusion:The current study concludes that there is no effect of late-term maternal IDA on the DPOAEs of newborn babies.

Maternal and Neonatal Factors Associated with Mortality of Preterm Babies Admitted in Newborn Unit of Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya

Background: Preterm birth is a primary cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality especially in low-income countries. Although understanding the preventable factors of neonatal deaths in preterm infants is required for timely interventions, data on those factors is lacking in Kenya. We attempted to determine mortality and its associated factors in preterm babies in Kenya. Methods and Materials: A hospital-based, prospective study was implemented from July 2019 to October 2019 involving 163 preterm neonates and their mothers admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital. A systematic random sampling method was used to recruit the study participants. Data on mortality and the associated factors in preterm neonates were collected using a pretested questionnaire for mothers and neonatal medical records. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mortality rate was 18.4%. Of the neonates who died, respiratory distress syndrome (63.3%) and neonatal sepsis (20.0%) were documented as the primary causes. Neonates born of single mother (AOR = 8.006, 95% CI 2.267 to 28.272, p = 0.001), unemployed (6.960, 1.059 - 45.757, p = 0.043), self-employed (4.040, 1.067 - 15.302, p = 0.040), anemic (7.465, 2.530 - 22.023, p < 0.001) and with history of bleeding during pregnancy were more likely to have died. The neonates born before 28 weeks of gestation (126.188, 14.554 - 1094.060, p < 0.001), those who did not cry immediately at birth (54.271, 5.970 - 493.395, p < 0.001) and the resuscitated at birth (54.406, 6.807 - 434.851, p < 0.001) were likely to die. Conclusion: High mortality rates of preterm neonates are attributed to both maternal and neonatal factors. Focused antenatal care should aim at early identification of high-risk mothers for early management of bleeding during pregnancy, close monitoring of nutritional status for mothers and health education.

Transfusion related morbidity in premature babies: Possible mechanisms and implications for practice

Many premature babies, especially those with a low birth weight are given multiple transfusions during their first few weeks of life. The major serious complications of prematurity include bronchopulmonary dysplasia, with lesser incidences of retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular haemorrhage, and necrotising enterocolitis. Many studies have shown correlations between the receipt of blood transfusions and the development of these conditions, but little is known of the underlying pathophysiology of this relationship. Recent studies are beginning to provide some answers. This review examines recent findings with regard to the influence of preparation and storage of paediatric packed red blood cell units on heme, iron, and oxidative status of the units and relates these to the ability of the premature baby to deal with these changes following the receipt of blood transfusions. Paediatric packed red blood cell units are a potential source of heme, redox active iron and free radicals, and this increases with storage age. Haemolysis of transfused red blood cells may add further iron and cell free haemoglobin to the recipient baby. Premature babies, particularly those with low birth weight and gestational age appear to have littlereserve to cope with any additional iron, heme and/or oxidative load. The consequences of these events are discussed with regard to their contribution to the major complications of prematurity and a novel hypothesis regarding transfusion-related morbidity in premature babies is presented. The review concludes with a discussion of potential means of limiting transfusion related iron/heme and oxidative load through the preparation and storage of packed red blood cell units and through modifications in clinical practice.

Automated Speech Recognition System to Detect Babies’ Feelings through Feature Analysis

Diagnosing a baby’s feelings poses a challenge for both doctors and parents because babies cannot explain their feelings through expression or speech.Understanding the emotions of babies and their associated expressions during different sensations such as hunger,pain,etc.,is a complicated task.In infancy,all communication and feelings are propagated through cryspeech,which is a natural phenomenon.Several clinical methods can be used to diagnose a baby’s diseases,but nonclinical methods of diagnosing a baby’s feelings are lacking.As such,in this study,we aimed to identify babies’feelings and emotions through their cry using a nonclinical method.Changes in the cry sound can be identified using our method and used to assess the baby’s feelings.We considered the frequency of the cries from the energy of the sound.The feelings represented by the infant’s cry are judged to represent certain sensations expressed by the child using the optimal frequency of the recognition of a real-world audio sound.We used machine learning and artificial intelligence to distinguish cry tones in real time through feature analysis.The experimental group consisted of 50%each male and female babies,and we determined the relevancy of the results against different parameters.This application produced real-time results after recognizing a child’s cry sounds.The novelty of our work is that we,for the first time,successfully derived the feelings of young children through the cry-speech of the child,showing promise for end-user applications.

Evaluation of the Babies At Risk Surveillance System in Rushinga District, Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe, 2015

Background: About 15% of world’s population lives with some disability. Zimbabwe’s prevalence of disability was at 7% in 2013. ARSS is a paper-based system to monitor and detect neuro-developmental conditions and childhood disability early. Indicators for registering a baby into ARSS include: low Apgar score, low birth weight and birth asphyxia. Active case finding in Rushinga District in July 2015 identified nine cerebral palsy cases that were missed by the system out of 14 randomly chosen babies delivered at Chimhanda District Hospital. We evaluated the performance of the ARSS in Rushinga District. Methods: We evaluated the system using CDC guidelines for surveillance systems evaluation. All 12 health facilities in Rushinga were included. Health workers involved in ARSS were purposively recruited. Interviewer administered questionnaire, key informant interview guide, checklists and records review were used for data collection. Knowledge of participants on the system was assessed using five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using Epi Info 7. Results: Fifty-one participants were recruited for the study. Median years in service for all participants was 7 (Q1 = 6;Q3 = 12). Average knowledge score was 3. Majority participants (82.4%) were not trained on ARSS and cited lack of: knowledge, reporting guidelines, induction and focal persons as reasons for missing AR cases. Currently, ARSS is able to detect only 12.5% of cases. Prevalence of AR babies in Rushinga for period November 2014 to November 2015 was 21.1%. Monthly cost of detecting and registering a case was USD$52.46. Conclusions: ARSS was found to be useful, simple, acceptable and affordable, however was found to be unstable and not sensitive. Training of health workers particularly village health workers and integrating ARSS with the DHIS2 could improve system performance. As a result of the evidence from this evaluation, it has been agreed to include ARSS data on the monthly return form (T5) beginning June 2016.

Assessing gestational age of babies: Performance of obstetric ultrasound scan compared to that from the combination of Naegle’s rule and Dubowitz score in the 21st century

Background: Some researchers have suggested that when Naegle’s rule (NR) and Dubowitz score (DS) are combined, it could out-perform obstetric ultrasound scan (USS). Others still believe that obstetric USS alone is still effective relative to the combination of NR rule and DS in assessing the gestational age (GA) of babies. Objectives: To determine and compare the GA of babies using obstetric USS, NR and DS;and to provide relevant public health information on obstetric USS in the 21st century. Methods: Subjects were selected using systematic random sampling and the GA of babies was determined using obstetric USS, NR, and DS. Statistical package for social science (SPSS) statistical software version 16, Illinois, Chicago USA was used for all data analysis. Results: Eightyfive mother-baby pairs were studied. Forty-four babies (52%) were males and 41 (48%) females. Sixty four (75%) were term with a mean (SD) BW of 3.02 (0.59) at 95%CI (2.89 -?3.14) kg. The overall mean GA of the babies was 38.49 (2.89) at 95%CI (38.14 -?38.85) weeks. The mean GA using obstetric USS, NR and DS were 38.52 (1.98) at 95%CI (38.14 -?38.99), 38.09 (4.13) at 95%CI (37.20-?38.99) and 38.82 (2.02) at 95%CI (38.39 -?39.26), but comparison of these means was not significant (p = 0.256). Combined mean GA by NR and DS was 38.46 (3.26) at 95%CI (37.96 -?38.95). Comparing this mean with mean GA obtained by obstetric USS was also not significant (p = 0.885). Conclusion: The GA assessments by Obstetric USS, NR and DS were all reliable, and Obstetric USS performed effectively relative to combined NR and DS.

Cohesion Analysis inThe Water Babies --Based on Systemic-Functional Grammar

Under the guidance of Systemic-Functional Grammar(SFG),cohesion is applied to analyze the selected context.Cohesion plays a great role in organizing a whole context and it can be further divided into grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion.Main ideas of cohesion are illustrated and made it for application,which employs British children's literature-The Water Babies as the object.The research method adopted here is mainly quantitative.Through analyzing selected sections,it is obvious that cohesion helps readers understand the contexts better.Besides,the use of cohesion makes the context more precise and compact.For context,the role of cohesion is irreplaceable.

Human genome editing after the "CRISPR babies":The double-pacing problem and collaborative governance

How to ensure the safe,effective,and ethical use of emerging biotechnologies,such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)-based genome editing,is a global challenge.The occurrence of the"CRISPR babies"in 2018 publicly brought this issue into sharp focus,and led to comprehensive regulatory reforms in China and various countries around the world.The current article analyzes this event-driven regulatory reform in China by elaborating the most salient provisions designed to prevent risk and protect individual rights,public health,and social morality relating to human genome editing in four important sectors of law:biosecurity law,civil code,criminal law and patent law.It highlights that,although regulation is being undertaken,the gaps between the law and advancing technology remain discernible,at both a national and transnational level(i.e.,the "double-pacing problem").Further attention and collaboration will be required to address the ongoing challenges associated with the use of human genome editing.

Development and validation of the Mothers of Preterm Babies Postpartum Depression Scale

Postpartum depression,a common complication in childbearing women,is of great public health concern.Previous screening tools have focused on depressed mood,with less attention paid to postpartum anxiety and suicidal ideation.This study developed and validated a tool to measure postpartum depression among mothers of preterm babies.From the clinical interviews and a pilot survey(n=121)the Mothers of Preterm Babies Postpartum Depression Scale was developed.The Mothers of Preterm Babies Postpartum Depression Scale and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale questionnaires were completed by 152 mothers who delivered preterm babies at Massey Street Children’s Hospital,Lagos.Data were analyzed with use of confirmatory factor analysis,principal component analysis,and Cronbach’s alpha at the P≤0.05 level of significance.The new scale demonstrated a reliability(α)of 0.91.Construct validity with exploratory factor analysis(Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure 0.70)yielded three dimensions of cognitive and emotional difficulty(α=0.92),hopelessness and suicidal ideation(α=0.93),and physiological distress(α=0.71).Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a good fit:18 degrees of freedom;goodness of fit index 0.97;adjusted goodness of fit index 0.93;and root mean square error of approximation 0.04.Convergent validity was established with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale(r=0.66,P=0.00).The new screening tool was demonstrated to have meritorious validity,faster and easier to administer to the obstetric population.

Clinical usefulness of the baby vision test in young children and its correlation with the Snellen chart

AIM:To investigate the efficacy of a new visual acuity(VA)screening method,the baby vision test for young children.METHODS:A total 105 eyes of 65 children aged 2-8y were included in the study.Acuity testing was conducted using a standardized recognition acuity chart(Snellen visual chart:at 3 m)and the baby vision model assessment.The baby vision device includes a screen,a near infrared camera and a computer.Children were seated at a measured distance of 33-40 cm from a display for testing.VA was estimated according to the highest resolution the children could follow.Decimal VA data were converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution(logMAR)for statistical analysis.The VA results for each child were recorded and analyzed for consistency.RESULTS:The mean VA measured using the Snellen visual chart was 0.62±0.32,and that assessed using the baby vision test was 0.66±0.27.The 95%limit of agreement was-0.609 to 0.695,with 95.2%(100/105)plots within the 95%limits of agreement.VA values of the baby vision test were significantly correlated with those of the Snellen chart(R=0.274,P=0.005).CONCLUSION:The baby vision test can be used as a relatively reliable method for estimating VA in young children.This new acuity assessment might be a valid predictor of optotype-measured acuity later in preverbal children.

More Damage Found in Babies of Moms Who Drink

U.S.researchers said on Monday they had found a whole new level of dam-age in babies born to mothers who drank heavily during pregnancy-this time tothe nerves in their arms and legs. 【原译】美国研究者周一宣布孕期母亲酗酒,婴儿会有新的伤害,这次他们判断伤害是在四肢神经。 【改译】美国的研究人员周一说,他们发现了见所未见的受损婴儿,他们的母亲在孕期曾经酗酒。而这些新损害出现于婴儿的四肢神经上。

The theoretical study on babies and toddlers' reading programs in the United States

Reading should start from the birth of a baby.American society emphasizes the importance of reading to babies and toddlers since it lays a good foundation for their future reading and study.At the same time,the leading role of public libraries is also strengthened in reaching such goals in the United States.The reading programs towards babies and toddlers are participatory and interactive educational activities embodied with various reading elements.

Superstitions Endanger Babies

泰国妇女择日分娩,为了让子女在“黄道吉日”来到这个世界,泰国1/5以上的孕妇实行了剖腹产。殊不知,此举将严重影响孩子大脑的发育。可怜天下父母心！本则消息出现“剖腹产”一词:caesarean/caesarean section([医]剖腹生产术)。另如:Their first baby was born by caesarean。/他们的头胎婴儿是剖腹产的。需注意的是,首字母大写的Cesarean却别具含义:凯撒的;皇帝的。 此外,文中一个way,用法新鲜,别具含义。

Dr. Chang Min Chueh——Father of Test Tube Babies

CHANG Min Chueh (1908-1991)—the father of test tube babies, was a Chinese-born American scientist and inventor who developed the first oral contraceptives. Dr. Chang was from Dunhou Township, Lanxian County, Shanxi Province. In middle school, he was fascinated with biology. Later he was accepted to the Animal Psychology Department at Qinghua University.

Girl Babies Make Mothers Sick

已经或是将要做母亲的女性阅读此文一定兴味盎然。本文告诉我们: …women suffering from extreme morning sickness during the first three months of pregnancy are more likely to be carrying a daughter than a son. 这个结论不是凭空想象出来的,其调查的对象人数多达百万,令人吃惊: Askling and his team compared more than a million births in Sweden with records of women admitted to hospital for extreme morning sickness. 更令人吃惊的是,除了现代的调查之外,研究人员还引用了古希腊名医希波克拉底的观点: …female fetuses gave the mother a pale face, whereas a mother carrying a male fetus has a healthier tone(气色)to her skin.】

What Do Babies Know?

幼小的孩子到底知道些什么?出生时他们小小的脑袋里装着些什么?他们的认知、思维和行为能力是如何发展的?对于这些问题相信不少人都很好奇。曼彻斯特大学的“宝宝实验室”为我们提供了一个探索幼儿大脑发展的一个窗口。

Tiniest Babies Grow Up to Be Mostly Healthy Adults

利物浦女子医院的Richard W.I.Cooke医生对一群1980年后出生的体重 不足的孩子做了一项研究。结果表明,尽管他们青少年时期在学习和社交方面可 能会遇到一些问题,但成年之后,他们的生活质量和正常体重的孩子并无差别。

Italy Cloning Guru Says Babies on Their Way

The Italian fertility expert whose avowed aim is to create the first human clone,said on Wednesday three women were pregnant with clones, but complained that thebabies would be viewed as freaks by a hostile society.