Effect of a light-darkness cycle on the body weight gain of preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.

The Continuous bright light conditions to which premature infants are subjected while hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) can have deleterious effects in terms of growth and development. This study evaluates the benefits of a light/darkness cycle (LDC) in weight and early hospital discharge from the NICU. Subjects were recruited from three participating institutions in Mexico.

Development of the circadian system and relevance of periodic signals for neonatal development.

Circadian rhythms are generated endogenously with a period of approximately 24h. Studies carried out during the last decade indicate that the circadian system develops before birth, and that the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a structure that is considered the mammalian circadian clock, is present in primates from the middle of pregnancy. Recent evidence shows that the infants' circadian system is sensitive to light from very early stages of development; it has also been proposed that low-intensity lighting can regulate the developing clock.

A light/dark cycle in the NICU accelerates body weight gain and shortens time to discharge in preterm infants.

Background: Bright constant light levels in the NICU may have negative effects on the growth and development of preterm infants

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of an alternating light/dark cycle in the NICU on weight gain and early discharge from the therapy in premature infants.

Patients And Methods: A randomized interventional study was designed comparing infants in the NICU of Hospital Juarez de México, exposed from birth either to an LD environment (LD, n=19) or to the traditional continuous light (LL, n=19). The LD condition was achieved by placing individual removable helmets over the infant's heads.

Anatomical reasons for the discrepancies in atrioventricular block after inferior myocardial infarction with and without right ventricular involvement.

The incidence of arrhythmias after acute myocardial infarction of the inferior wall varies with the affected segment and increases when there is right ventricular involvement. This paper provides a clear review of the blood supply to the conduction system and gives an anatomic explanation of that supply.We dissected 20 human hearts after anterograde and retrograde injection of latex.