Infant, Premature

BACKGROUND: Administration of oral sucrose with and without non-nutritive sucking is the most frequently studied non-pharmacological intervention for procedural pain relief in neonates.

OBJECTIVE: To review and critique the research on the effect of massage therapy and therapeutic touch in children, and to describe clinical implications and make suggestions for future study. DATA SOURCES: Studies were obtained through online computer searches of CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychInfo, and SocioFile. Key words used were tactile, kinesthetic, massage therapy, touch, therapeutic touch, infants, and children.

Preterm birth is associated with medical problems affecting the neuroendocrine system, altering cortisol levels resulting in negative effects on newborn neurobehavior. Newborn neurobehavior is regulated by DNA methylation of NR3C1 and HSD11B2. AIM: Determine if methylation of HSD11B2 and NR3C1 is associated with neurobehavioral profiles in preterm infants. PATIENTS & METHODS: Neurobehavior was measured before discharge from the hospital in 67 preterm infants. Cheek swabs were collected for DNA extraction.

DNA methylation (DNAm) plays a determining role in neural cell fate and provides a molecular link between early-life stress and neuropsychiatric disease. Preterm birth is a profound environmental stressor that is closely associated with alterations in connectivity of neural systems and long-term neuropsychiatric impairment. The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between preterm birth and DNAm, and to investigate factors that contribute to variance in DNAm.

Decisions on whether to resuscitate severely premature infants are especially difficult in "borderline viability" cases--those where the probability of survival is slim, and where, if survival is possible, multiple co-morbidities and severe disabilities are likely. The 2000 International Guidelines on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation are comprehensive, yet leave open some of the more difficult ethical questions that must be addressed by decision-makers.

PURPOSE: To investigate the development of feelings of attachment between fathers and their preterm infants and to identify factors that help or hinder this process. DESIGN: A longitudinal descriptive design was used to obtain fathers' perceptions of their infants, feelings for their infants, and other related factors. SAMPLE: A convenience sample of 27 fathers of preterm infants was recruited. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE: The main outcome variable was the time at which fathers first held their infants.

Transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) in neonates is rare. TTM can occur in both endemic and nonendemic areas because the current tests used to screen the donor blood for malaria are unreliable when there is low parasitemia. Malaria must be considered as an important differential diagnosis for neonatal sepsis after exchange transfusion. Management strategy in TTM in the neonatal period is not standardized; exchange transfusion is often considered.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE: To describe how African-American mothers' spirituality helped them cope during the time of their infants' hospitalization for a serious illness. DESIGN AND METHODS: Fourteen mothers whose infants were seriously ill in the early months of life were interviewed for this retrospective, descriptive study. RESULTS: The core theme related to prayer. Four mothers reported a strengthened faith, while two mothers continued to have difficulty relating to God or attending church.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of 5 days of massage therapy on the weight gain and sleep/wake behavior of hospitalized stable preterm infants. METHODS: Massage therapy (body stroking/passive limb movement for three 15-minute periods per day) was provided to 16 preterm neonates (mean gestational age, 30.1 weeks; mean birth weight, 1359 g), and their weight gain, formula intake, kilocalories, stooling, and sleep/wake behavior were compared with a group of 16 control infants (mean gestational age, 31.1 weeks; mean birth weight, 1421 g).