Communication and Technology: Ida Orlando's Theory Applied.

Today's bedside nurse communicates with patients in an environment that incorporates a wide variety of technology, from simple instruments such as a penlight to complex devices including cellphones, interactive computers, and computerized intravenous pumps. This is an excellent time to examine communication between the nurse and patient in today's fast-paced, technologically driven environment. Orlando's theory of the dynamic nurse-patient relationship provides a theoretical framework for understanding that communication.

Immuno-modulator inter-alpha inhibitor proteins ameliorate complex auditory processing deficits in rats with neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury is recognized as a significant problem in the perinatal period, contributing to life-long language-learning and other cognitive impairments. Central auditory processing deficits are common in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and have been shown to predict language learning deficits in other at risk infant populations. Inter-alpha inhibitor proteins (IAIPs) are a family of structurally related plasma proteins that modulate the systemic inflammatory response to infection and have been shown to attenuate cell death and improve learning outcomes after neonatal brain injury in rats.

Effects of age, experience and inter-alpha inhibitor proteins on working memory and neuronal plasticity after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia.

Neonatal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia (HI) commonly results in cognitive and sensory impairments. Early behavioral experience has been suggested to improve cognitive and sensory outcomes in children and animal models with perinatal neuropathology. In parallel, we previously showed that treatment with immunomodulator Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins (IAIPs) improves cellular and behavioral outcomes in neonatal HI injured rats.

Electronic Documentation and Nurse-Patient Interaction.

This author explored the culture of nurse-patient interactions associated with electronic bedside documentation. Data were collected through passive participant observation, audiotaping of nurse-patient interactions, and interviews with nurses. Nurses acknowledged that they need to share their attention between the patient and the computer.

Effects of inter-alpha inhibitor proteins on neonatal brain injury: Age, task and treatment dependent neurobehavioral outcomes.

Hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury is frequently associated with premature and/or full term birth related complications. HI injury often results in learning and processing deficits that reflect widespread damage to an extensive range of cortical and sub-cortical brain structures. Further, inflammation has been implicated in the long-term progression and severity of HI injury.

Use of an eight-arm radial water maze to assess working and reference memory following neonatal brain injury.

Working and reference memory are commonly assessed using the land based radial arm maze. However, this paradigm requires pretraining, food deprivation, and may introduce scent cue confounds. The eight-arm radial water maze is designed to evaluate reference and working memory performance simultaneously by requiring subjects to use extra-maze cues to locate escape platforms and remedies the limitations observed in land based radial arm maze designs.