The use of glucocorticoids (GCs) in the perinatal period is suspected of being associated with adverse effects on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes for preterm infants. Repeated administration of antenatal GCs to mothers at risk of preterm birth may adversely affect fetal growth and head circumference. Fetal exposure to excess GCs during critical periods of brain development may profoundly modify the limbic system (primarily the hippocampus), resulting in long-term effects on cognition, behavior, memory, co-ordination of the autonomic nervous system, and regulation of the endocrine system later in adult life. Postnatal GC treatment for chronic lung disease in premature infants, particularly involving the use of dexamethasone, has been shown to induce neurodevelopmental impairment and increases the risk of cerebral palsy. In contrast to studies involving postnatal dexamethasone, long-term follow-up studies for hydrocortisone therapy have not revealed adverse effects on neurodevelopmental outcomes. In experimental studies on animals, GCs has been shown to impair neurogenesis, and induce neuronal apoptosis in the immature brains of newborn animals. A recent study has demonstrated that dexamethasone-induced hypomyelination may result from the apoptotic degeneration of oligodendrocyte progenitors in the immature brain. Thus, based on clinical and experimental studies, there is enough evidence to advice caution regarding the use of GCs in the perinatal period; and moreover, the potential long-term effects of GCs on brain development need to be determined.
Adult ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Apoptosis ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Brain* ; Cerebral Palsy ; Cognition ; Critical Period (Psychology) ; Dexamethasone ; Endocrine System ; Fetal Development ; Fetus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucocorticoids ; Head ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Limbic System ; Lung Diseases ; Memory ; Mothers ; Neurogenesis ; Neurons ; Oligodendroglia ; Premature Birth

Malformations of umbilicus are a feature of many dysmorphic syndromes and the measurement of periumbilical skin length should be considered as the basic step in the description of the umbilical malformations. So, we measured the periumbilical skin length in the 103 normal neonates and obtained the following results. 1) The means (+SD) of the periumbilical skin length were the 11.7mm (+3.0) in the cranial site and the 8.2mm (+2.5) in the caudal site, and the cranial length was 3.5mm longer than the caudal length. 2) No difference was observed between the male and female groups in the periumbilical skin length. 3) Age was the only statistically significant variable associated with the periumbilical skin length and it was observed that the periumbilical skin length decreased according to the advance of age (hour).
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Reference Values* ; Skin* ; Umbilicus

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Mycobacterium bovis* ; Skin* ; Tuberculin Test* ; Tuberculin*

Clothing dermatitis frequently goes unrecognized either becaue he clinical picture is mistaken for other disorders, such as seborrheic dermatitis, and prurius, or beacuse it is difficult to trace the causal agent. Contact dermatitis to disperse dyes, especially to azo dyes, has been well known and the most frequent sources of sensitization to dyes are dresses, stockings, and trousers made of synthetic fabrics We described a case of hat band contact dermatitis due to disperse dyes, proven by a patch test. Although chrome was not proven by the diphenylcirbizide method, many dyes known to be contact allergens were proved in different kinds of hat bands.
Allergens ; Clothing* ; Coloring Agents* ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Patch Tests

No abstract available.
HLA-DR Antigens*

The pulmonary microvasculatures of rats were studied by injection replicas prepared from Mercox. This medium enabled us to easily obtain consistent, stable, and complete injected replicas of the pulmonary vasculature. In order to investigate the three dimensional structures of the tributaries of the bronchial artery, such as the capillary plexus and vasa vasorum, we performed a scanning electron microscopic(SEM) study of the vascular casts, using Mercox CL-2B as a media. The alveolar capillaries revealed hexagonal or pentagonal rings of vascular networks. In some areas, the vascular rings composed a square network, The bronchial tree was supplied by the bronchial arteries which form a coarse capillary extending as far as the terminal bronchioles. Occasionally the capillary plexus was connected with adjacent capillary networks in and around the alveolar walls. The walls of the pulmonary artery revealed only a single layer of the vasa vasorum, but those of the pulmonary vein were surrounded by more complicated and well developed vasa vasorum than the pulmonary arterial side. The mean diameters of the venous vasa vasorum are greater than the arterial vasa vasorum.
Rats ; Animals

No abstract available.
Brain Injuries* ; Brain*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Survival Rate ; Ventilators, Mechanical*

PURPOSE: To observe the abnormal white matter findings on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infant brains at term-equivalent age and to determine the clinical risk factors for the development of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). METHODS: In all, MRI was performed in 98 VLBW infants and the white matter abnormalities were observed. Clinical risk factors for cystic and noncystic PVL were determined. RESULTS: MRI scans of 74 infants (75.5%) showed diffuse excessive high signal intensity (DEHSI) in the periventricular white matter, 17 (17.3%) lateral ventricle dilation, 5 (5.1%) and 11 (11.2%) focal punctate lesions and cystic changes in the periventricular white matter, respectively, 9 (9.1%), germinal layer hemorrhage (GLH) or subependymal cysts 3 (3.1%) intraventricular hemorrhage (>grade 2) 2 (2.0%) posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and 2 (2.0%) periventricular hemorrhagic infarct. Gestational age (GA), 1-minute Apgar score, Clinical Risk Index for Babies-II (CRIB-II) score, and inotrope use, and GA, CRIB-II score, postnatal steroid administration, inotrope use, and abnormal white blood cell (WBC) count at admission were related to cystic PVL and noncystic PVL development, respectively (P<0.05). However, in logistic regression analysis, CRIB-II (odds ratio, 1.63, 295% confidence interval, 1.15-2.30 P=0.006) for cystic PVL, and GA (odds ratio 0.90, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-9.99 P=0.036) for noncystic PVL were only significant independently. CONCLUSION: White matter abnormalities could be observed on MRI scans of the VLBW infant brains at term-equivalent age, and CRIB-II and GA were only independently significant for cystic and noncystic PVL development, respectively.
Apgar Score ; Brain ; Gestational Age ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Lateral Ventricles ; Leukocytes ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular ; Logistic Models ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: The evaluation of pain in neonates is difficult due to their limited means of communication. The aim of this study was to determine whether the behavioral reactions of facial action and cry provoked by an invasive pain-induced procedure could be discriminated from the reactions to a noninvasive pain-induced procedure in normal full-term neonates. METHODS: Thirty-six healthy full-term neonates received three pain-induced procedures in counterbalanced order:intramuscular injection, tactile stimulus, and rubbing thigh with alcohol. The facial actions to the pain-induced procedures were measured and analysed by Neonatal Facial Action Coding System (NFACS) and the cry measures were analysed by the speech analysis after recording. RESULTS: 1) A cluster of facial actions comprised of brow bulging, eye squeezing, deepening of nasolabial furrow and open mouth was associated most frequently with the invasive procedure and the total facial action was the highest score in intramuscular injection. 2) Acoustic analysis of cry showed the shortest latency to the first cry and the lonegst duration of the first cry in intramuscular injection. 3) Two variables, total facial action and duration of the first cry, were most statistically significant in discriminating the invasive pain-induced procedure from the noninvasve pain-induced procedure. CONCLUSION: The facial actions and cry responses to the invasive pain-induced procedure were significantly different from the responses to the noninvasive pain-induced procedure in healthy full-term neonates.
Acoustics ; Clinical Coding ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Mouth ; Thigh