Quantity of spontaneous touches to body and surface in very preterm and healthy term infants.

Background: Spontaneous movements are a crucial part of early motor development. Healthy term infants may produce up to 200 spontaneous touches to their body and surface in 10 minutes with their hands. The existing literature shows differences in early motor development between very preterm (<32 weeks gestation) and healthy term infants.

The effect of live-performed music therapy with physical contact in preterm infants on parental perceived stress and salivary cortisol levels.

Introduction: Parents of preterm infants face a stressful life event which might have long term impact on the parent-child relation as well as on the infant's cognitive and socio-emotional development. Both music therapy (MT) and physical contact (PC) are stress-reducing interventions for parents and preterm infants on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Meanwhile, especially close PC is considered as standard care (SC) in most NICUs.

A Simple MRI Score Predicts Pathological General Movements in Very Preterm Infants with Brain Injury-Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background/objectives: Very preterm infants are at increased risk of brain injury and impaired brain development. The Total Abnormality Score and biometric parameters, such as biparietal width, interhemispheric distance and transcerebellar diameter, are simple measures to evaluate brain injury, development and growth using cerebral magnetic resonance imaging data at term-equivalent age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the Total Abnormality Score and biometric parameters with general movements in very preterm infants with brain injury.

Effects of an early transfer from incubator to a warming crib in very low birthweight preterm infants.

Purpose: Very low birth weight infants are cared for postnatally in the incubator because of adverse consequences of hypothermia. Data on the optimal weight of transfer to a warming crib are rare. The aim of this study was to determine the course of temperature and body weight during a standardized transfer to a warming crib at a set weight.

COMFORTneo scale in preterm infants during live performed music therapy-Difference between close physical contact and hand touch contact.

There is evidence that music therapy combined with physical contact to parents stabilizes the vital signs of hospitalized preterm infants. Yet, there is no evidence for the difference between simple contact by touching the infant in the incubator or cod, or close physical contact during music therapy sessions (MT). Behavioral effects of the various forms of attention toward the infant during therapy need to be elucidated.

Adaption of Follow-Up Visits for Preterm and High-Risk Children for Video Consultations.

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Music therapy modulates mothers' perception of their preterm infants.

Premature birth imposes considerable challenges on the preterm infant, but also challenges the mother, who may not yet be prepared for motherhood and encounter psychological stress during the post-partum period. This secondary analysis of a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to investigate how mothers perceive their preterm infants. We surveyed 33 mothers of preterm infants born before 32  weeks of gestation, who were participating in an RCT on music therapy.

Early Prediction of Mortality after Birth Asphyxia with the nSOFA.

(1) Birth asphyxia is a major cause of delivery room resuscitation. Subsequent organ failure and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) account for 25% of all early postnatal deaths. The neonatal sequential organ failure assessment (nSOFA) considers platelet count and respiratory and cardiovascular dysfunction in neonates with sepsis.

Music Therapy in Preterm Infants Reduces Maternal Distress.

Preterm delivery is a stressful event for mothers, posing them at risk for post-traumatic stress reactions. This study examined the degree of depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress in mothers of preterm infants born before 32 gestational weeks depending on whether the infant received music therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or not. We included 33 mothers of preterm infants enrolled in a previously described prospective randomized controlled trial, of whom 18 received music therapy (mean mothers' age 34.

Does chronic use of amphetamine-type stimulants impair interference control? - A meta-analysis.

In substance use and addiction, inhibitory control is key to ignoring triggers, withstanding craving and maintaining abstinence. In amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) users, most research focused on behavioral inhibition, but largely neglected the equally important subdomain of cognitive interference control. Given its crucial role in managing consumption, we investigated the relationship between interference control and chronic ATS use in adults.

Feasibility of Video Consultation for Preterm Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cohort Study.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents of infants born very preterm or at risk were exceptionally worried about being infected. The only means of protection during the onset of the pandemic was social distancing. Video consultations for neurodevelopmental follow-up care were offered as an alternative way to stay in contact with patients and their families, to provide expert support, and to monitor and assess children's development.

Ataxia Rating Scales Reveal Increased Scores in Very Preterm Born 5-6-Year-Old Preschool Children and Young Adults.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether scores in ataxia rating scales (ARS) are different in very preterm (VP) preschool and adult participants compared to term controls. This is a case-control study. Sixty VP children (years: 5.

Impact of Physical Contact on Preterm Infants' Vital Sign Response to Live Music Therapy.

Evidence that music therapy stabilises vital parameters in preterm infants is growing, but the optimal setting for therapy is still under investigation. Our study aimed to quantify the effect of physical contact during live music therapy in preterm infants born < 32 weeks’ gestational age (GA) on post-therapy vital sign values. Live music therapy was delivered twice-weekly until discharge from hospital to 40 stable infants < 32 weeks’ GA.

The Impact of Increased Maternal sFlt-1/PlGF Ratio on Motor Outcome of Preterm Infants.

Background: The sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1)/PlGF (placental growth factor) ratio serves as a clinical biomarker to predict the hypertensive, placenta-derived pregnancy disorder pre-eclampsia which is often associated with placental dysfunction and fetal growth restriction. Additionally elevated levels also indicate an increased risk for prematurity. However, its predictive value for subsequent neonatal neurological outcome has not been studied.

[Physiotherapy in German Neonatal Intensive Care Units - Indication and Clinical Application of the General Movements Assessments].

Background: Standardized recommendations for inpatient and outpatient physiotherapy for preterm infants are lacking in Germany. The aim of this study was to investigate the prescription practice in German neonatal intensive care units. Are standardized assessments used to determine indications? How important is the General Movements Assessment in postnatal diagnostics?

Methods: We conducted an online survey in German neonatal intensive care units asking 21 questions on indication and prescription practices for inpatient and outpatient physiotherapy in preterm infants' care as well as on General Movements Assessment and its clinical application via Lime Survey.

Music Therapy Is Effective during Sleep in Preterm Infants.

Recent research found evidence supporting music therapy for preterm infants to stabilize vital signs and possibly promote neurodevelopment. Even though preterm infants spend a considerable amount of time sleeping, the effectiveness of music therapy during sleep has not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of music therapy on preterm infants' vital signs with respect to the state of wakefulness.

Visual Perception, Fine Motor, and Visual-Motor Skills in Very Preterm and Term-Born Children before School Entry-Observational Cohort Study.

Very preterm children (<32 weeks gestation at birth; VP) are at risk of developmental difficulties. Specific functional difficulties and delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills have received little research attention, although they are critical for daily life and school readiness. Our aim was to assess these skills in a contemporary cohort of 60 VP and 60 matched term-born children before school entry.

Metastable Atomic Layer Deposition: 3D Self-Assembly toward Ultradark Materials.

Black body materials are promising candidates to meet future energy demands, as they are able to harvest energy from the total bandwidth of solar radiation. Here, we report on high-absorption near-blackbody-like structures (>98% for a wide solar spectrum range from 220 to 2500 nm) consisting of a silica scaffold and Ag nanoparticles with a layer thickness below 10 μm, fabricated using metastable atomic layer deposition (MS-ALD). Several effects contribute collectively and in a synergistic manner to the ultrahigh absorption, including the pronounced heterogeneity of the nanoparticles in size and shape, particle plasmon hybridization, and the trapping of omnidirectionally scattered light in the 3D hierarchical hybrid structures.

Time-Resolved Study of Site-Specific Corrosion in a Single Crystalline Silver Nanoparticle.

We followed over 24 h a corrosion process in monocrystalline triangular-shaped nanoparticles at a single-particle level by atomic force microscopy and optical spectroscopy techniques under ambient laboratory conditions. The triangular-shaped form of the particles was selected, because the crystallographic orientation of the particles is well defined upon their deposition on a substrate. We observed that the particles already start to alter within this time frame.

Fabrication of micro-patterned substrates for plasmonic sensing by piezo-dispensing of colloidal nanoparticles.

In this work we describe a very fast and flexible method for fabrication of plasmon-supporting substrates with micro-patterning capability, which is optimized for plasmonic sensing. We combined a wet chemistry approach to synthesize metallic nanoparticles with a piezo-dispensing system enabling deposition of nanoparticles on the substrates with micrometer precision. In this way, an arbitrary pattern consisting of 200 μm small spots containing plasmonic nanostructures can be produced.

Plasmonic Nanosensor Array for Multiplexed DNA-based Pathogen Detection.

In this research we introduce a plasmonic nanoparticle based optical biosensor for monitoring of molecular binding events. The sensor utilizes spotted gold nanoparticle arrays as sensing platform. The nanoparticle spots are functionalized with capture DNA sequences complementary to the analyte (target) DNA.

AFM-Based Probing of the Flexibility and Surface Attachment of Immobilized DNA Origami.

The flexible and precise immobilization of self-organizing DNA nanostructures represents a key step in the integration of DNA-based material for potential electronic or sensor applications. However, the involved processes have still not been well studied and are not yet fully understood. Thus, we investigated the potential for the mechanical manipulation of DNA origami by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to study the interaction between intramolecular flexibility and surface-attachment forces.