birth ball

INTRODUCTION: The study objectives were to determine the relationships between postpartum depression and maternal and infant sleep parameters and to examine the impact of infant feeding method on infant and maternal sleep and postpartum depression symptomatology. METHODS: Participants were 61 new mothers aged 18 to 45 years old, and their full-term, normal birth-weight, singleton infants. Participants were recruited from a large teaching hospital in northeast England...

Labor pain is among the most severe types of physical pain that women may experience during their lifetime. Thus, pain relief is an essential part of medical care during childbirth. Epidural analgesia is considered to be the most efficient method of pain relief during labor. Nevertheless, patient preferences, contraindications, limited availability, and technical failure may require the use of alternative pain reliving methods during labor including systemic pharmacologic agents, and nonpharmacologic methods...

Birthing balls and peanut balls have been used for decades by nurses and midwives as a nonpharmacologic adjunct to labor management based on anecdotal evidence. This article aimed to review the evidence regarding their safety and efficacy based on randomized controlled trials. Birthing balls are round exercise balls that a laboring individual can use for sitting, rocking, and pelvic rotation. The use of the birthing balls has been thought to increase maternal comfort and mimic upright positioning to widen the pelvic outlet for those laboring without an epidural...

We characterized cryoablation as a mode of clinical intervention in adult woodchucks with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Woodchucks ( n = 4) were infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus at birth and developed LI-RADS-5 hypervascular HCC. At 21 mo of age, they underwent ultrasound (US), contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) imaging, and US-guided subtotal cryoablation (IcePearl 2.1 CX, Galil, BTG) of their largest tumor (Mean HCC volume of 49 ± 9 cm³). Cryoablation was performed using two 10-min freeze cycles, each followed by an 8-min thaw cycle...

Congenital lobar overinflation, also known as congenital lobar emphysema (CLE), is an uncommon (1/20,000-30,000 live births) abnormality characterized by hyperinflation of one or more pulmonary lobes, usually with contralateral displacement of the mediastinum. While the etiology of most cases of CLE is poorly understood and labeled idiopathic, some cases are thought to be due to an intrinsic or extrinsic bronchial wall abnormality causing a ball valve mechanism with resultant hyperinflation of the affected lobe...

INTRODUCTION: Many parents swaddle their infants to promote sleep and reduce night-waking, however lack of definitive evidence about the pros and cons of swaddling when breastfeeding hinders postnatal recommendations regarding this infant care practice. This review critically examines research conducted on the impact of swaddling upon breastfeeding. METHODS: Only two recent studies on swaddling outcomes have reported infant feed-type, therefore the purpose of this paper is to consider the known effects of swaddling on breastfeeding babies and their mothers...

Malformations of cortical development (MCD) are neurological conditions involving focal disruptions of cortical architecture and cellular organization that arise during embryogenesis, largely from somatic mosaic mutations, and cause intractable epilepsy. Identifying the genetic causes of MCD has been a challenge, as mutations remain at low allelic fractions in brain tissue resected to treat condition-related epilepsy. Here we report a genetic landscape from 283 brain resections, identifying 69 mutated genes through intensive profiling of somatic mutations, combining whole-exome and targeted-amplicon sequencing with functional validation including in utero electroporation of mice and single-nucleus RNA sequencing...

Frequent positional changes and movements during labour is one of the recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent prolonged labour, thereby avoiding cesarean sections. However, labour induction, continuous fetal monitoring in supine position and immobilising the women during labour are standard practices in most private hospitals. To combat these problems and to implement WHO recommendations, the peanut ball is an effective device through which frequent positional changes will be achieved without disrupting the labour procedures...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) on cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) in IVF cycles. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of the SART CORS database, comparing CLBR for patients using autologous oocytes, with or without PGT-A. The first reported autologous ovarian stimulation cycle per patient between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015, and all linked embryo transfer cycles between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016, were included in the study...

BACKGROUND: Sense of control during childbirth is a critical issue concerning the association between high-quality maternity care and infant health. This study explored the facilitators of or barriers to a sense of control and the need for interventions to raise women's experience in childbirth. METHODS: The data came from 17 participants. Data collection was conducted in the childbirth room and within three days following childbirth, respectively. For tackling the research problems, participant observation and interviewing were applied...

INTRODUCTION: Concerns have been expressed globally about the decline in rates of physiological birth and rising intervention rates during labor and birth. The 'Labour Hopscotch' Framework, a visual depiction of steps required to remain active during labor was implemented in a large tertiary maternity hospital in Ireland. The aim of this study was to evaluate the steps of the Labour Hopscotch women found most useful, examine the use of non-pharmacological and pharmacological methods of pain relief used during labor and finally to investigate the labor and birth outcomes of women who used 'Labour Hopscotch' during labor...

INTRODUCTION: Transabdominal electrocardiographic (TAfECG) acquisition of fetal heart rate (FHR) signals has recently been introduced into leading commercial cardiotocographic (CTG) monitors. Continuous wireless transmission of signals has raised the possibility of the technology being used during maternal mobilization in labor. This study aims to evaluate signal quality and accuracy of TAfECG acquisition of FHR signals during static and active maternal positions in labor when compared with Doppler signals and with the gold-standard method of fetal scalp electrode (FSE)...

BACKGROUND: Women have reported dissatisfaction with care received on postnatal wards and this area has been highlighted for improvement. Studies have shown an association between midwifery staffing levels and postnatal care experiences, but so far, the influence of registered and support staff deployed in postnatal wards has not been studied. This work is timely as the number of support workers has increased in the workforce and there has been little research on skill mix to date. METHODS: Cross sectional secondary analysis including 13,264 women from 123 postnatal wards within 93 hospital Trusts...

BACKGROUND: Brachial plexus birth injuries (BPBI) can result in lasting impairments of external rotation and cross-body adduction (CBA) that disrupt functional activities such as dressing, grooming, or throwing a ball. The purpose of this study was to compare the quantification of shoulder humerothoracic (HT) external rotation (ER), and glenohumeral (GH) CBA by 3 methods - physician visual estimate, goniometer measurement by an occupational therapist, and motion capture. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with BPBI (average age of 9...

Common and minor birth defects, such as spina bifida occulta (SBO) and lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV), are largely asymptomatic and overlooked. However, it is important for clinicians to consider their potential impacts on spinal stability. Neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS) is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine that affects children with pre-existing neuromuscular conditions that are often complex to manage. The purpose of this case report is to describe the association of dual lumbosacral anomalies with complicated NMS...

This study aimed to develop an intelligible scale to measure the level of supply of best practices in labor, childbirth and delivery in maternity units in the Rede Cegonha (RC) based on the workers' perception. The scale consisted of seventeen items related to best practices, based on the instrument used in the "Evaluation of care during delivery and birth in maternity hospitals in the RC" research The three-parameter logistic model of Item Response Theory was used to create the scale and analyze the items...

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate-early 2 (IE2) protein is a multifunctional transcription factor that is essential for lytic HCMV infection. IE2 functions as an activator of viral early genes, negatively regulates its own promoter, and is required for viral replication. The mechanisms by which IE2 executes these distinct functions are incompletely understood. Using PRO-Seq, which profiles nascent transcripts, and a recently developed DFF-chromatin immunoprecipitation (DFF-ChIP; employs chromatin digestion by the endonuclease DNA fragmentation factor prior to IP) approach that resolves occupancy and local chromatin environment, we show that IE2 controls viral gene transcription in three distinct capacities during late HCMV infection and reveal mechanisms that involve direct binding of IE2 to viral DNA...

Determinants of the acquisition and maintenance of maternal microchimerism (MMc) during infancy and the impact of MMc on infant immune responses are unknown. We examined factors which influence MMc detection and level across infancy and the effect of MMc on T cell responses to BCG vaccination in a cohort of HIV exposed, uninfected and HIV unexposed infants in South Africa. MMc was measured in whole blood from 58 infants using a panel of quantitative PCR assays at day one and 7, 15, and 36 weeks of life. Infants received BCG at birth, and selected whole blood samples from infancy were stimulated in vitro with BCG and assessed for polyfunctional CD4+ T cell responses...

INTRODUCTION: Childbirth is a unique experience that affects women's life. Midwives can play an effective role in creating positive birth experiences for women using non-pharmacological and supportive methods. Accordingly, this study aims to determine the effect of delivery balls and warm showers on childbirth experiences of primiparous women. METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on primiparous pregnant women who referred to the Motazedi Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran...

BACKGROUND: Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants are at risk for end-organ hypoxia and ischemia. Regional tissue oxygenation of the brain and gut as monitored with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) may change with postnatal age, but normal ranges are not well defined. METHODS: A prospective study of ELBW preterm infants utilized NIRS monitoring to assess changes in cerebral and mesenteric saturation (Csat and Msat) over the first week after birth. This secondary study of a multicenter trial comparing hemoglobin transfusion thresholds assessed cerebral and mesenteric fractional tissue oxygen extraction (cFTOE and mFTOE) and relationships with perinatal variables...