Publications by authors named "Stoffel L"

Background/objectives: Parents of premature infants experience depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and increased stress, which can negatively impact parent-infant relationships and infant development. To reduce negative consequences and optimally support families, we developed the Transition to Home model (TtH). In this randomized controlled pilot trial (RCT), the feasibility of performing an experimental study to analyse the effects of TtH on parental mental health over time was evaluated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As a highly heterogeneous tumor, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits non-uniform responses to therapies across subtypes. Overcoming therapeutic resistance stemming from this heterogeneity remains a significant challenge. Here, we report that Vitamin D-resistant PDAC cells hijacked Vitamin D signaling to promote tumor progression, whereas epigenetic priming with glyceryl triacetate (GTA) and 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza) overcame Vitamin D resistance and shifted the transcriptomic phenotype of PDAC toward a Vitamin D-susceptible state.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study compared the effectiveness of 2D and 3D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and dermatologists in detecting melanoma in real-life scenarios, involving 1,690 melanocytic lesions in high-risk patients.
  • The results showed that 3D-CNN outperformed both 2D-CNN and dermatologists in terms of sensitivity (90%) and had a high ROC-AUC score (0.92), although dermatologists and augmented intelligence matched the sensitivity of 3D-CNN while having superior specificity.
  • The 2D-CNN performed poorly with a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of only 40%, indicating that the 3D-CNN is more reliable in early melanoma detection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: In this pilot study, the aims were to determine the feasibility of whether pain behavior in extremely and very preterm infants and perceived parental stress change when parents are involved in pain reducing measures, either actively, performing facilitated tucking or passively, observing the intervention, in comparison to the involvement of nurses only. In addition, the infant's pain reactivity and parental stress over three time points of measurement was of interest.

Methods: Extremely and very preterm infants in need of subcutaneous erythropoietin were randomly assigned to the two intervention groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The self-esteem of students may be significantly associated with their academic performance. However, past research in developing contexts on this issue is limited, particularly among early adolescents. Using a sample of 3101 students from rural primary and junior high schools in China, this study measured their self-esteem by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and explored its association with academic performance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There are few programs available aimed at preventing short- and long-term negative consequences after preterm birth and covering the entire care continuum. The "Transition to Home (TtH)" model is such a program, offering structured, individual support for families with preterm infants before and after hospital discharge. This study gathers and examines the parents' views of receiving support from an interprofessional team under the TtH model of care during hospitalization and after discharge.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To systematically review the literature related to the effectiveness of parents' active involvement during painful interventions for their preterm infants.

Data Sources: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE/Ovid, CINAHL, Livivio, and PsycInfo using the keywords "preterm infants," "pain," and "parents."

Study Selection: Articles were eligible for inclusion if they were published between 2000 and 2021 and reported randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which preterm infants underwent painful interventions, and parents were present and actively involved in pain-reducing measures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We report the unprecedented complete absence of pediatric enteroviral meningitis in 2020 in the area of Bern, Switzerland. Presumably an unintended effect of coronavirus disease 2019 public health measures, this finding highlights the potential of community-wide nonpharmaceutical interventions for controlling the circulation of a major pediatric pathogen, which is mainly transmitted by the fecal-oral route.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Families with preterm infants find life after hospital discharge challenging and need tailored support to thrive. The "Transition to Home (TtH)"-model offers structured, individual support for families with preterm infants before and after hospital discharge. TtH improves parental mental health and competence, promotes child development and fosters interprofessional collaboration (IPC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To investigate whether the early administration of Euphrasia eye drops® in preterm neonates presenting with ocular discharge fosters the resolution of the ocular discharge and reduces the need for topical antibiotic therapy, as compared to placebo. We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial at the University Children's Hospital Bern, Switzerland. Preterm neonates with white, yellow, or green ocular discharge were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * It involved videotaping 154 neonates during heel sticks and analyzing their pain responses using the modified Bernese Pain Scale for Neonates (BPSN), taking into account various contextual factors.
  • * Results indicate that factors such as premature birth, caffeine intake, and behavioral states significantly affect both behavioral and physiological pain scores, suggesting these elements need to be included in a revised BPSN for better clinical assessments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Assessing pain in neonates is challenging because full-term and preterm neonates of different gestational ages (GAs) have widely varied reactions to pain. We validated the Bernese Pain Scale for Neonates (BPSN) by testing its use among a large sample of neonates that represented all GAs.

Methods: In this prospective multisite validation study, we assessed 154 neonates between 24 2/7 and 41 4/7 weeks GA, based on the results of 1-5 capillary heel sticks in their first 14 days of life.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess nutritional status and associated factors in elderly individuals.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in residential homes with a probabilistic cluster sample. Two-hundred eighty-seven individuals 65-74 y of age were interviewed and examined in the city of Cruz Alta, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers conducted a chart review of 149 patients who died in 2011 or 2012, revealing that most died in intensive care, often after withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, with significant reliance on invasive interventions and medications.
  • * Findings highlighted varied symptom prevalence among diagnostic groups and showed that while many patients stayed in hospitals during their final weeks, only about half received community-based healthcare at home.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The Bernese Pain Scale for Neonates (BPSN) is a multidimensional pain assessment tool that is already widely used in clinical settings in the German speaking areas of Europe. Recent findings indicate that pain responses in preterm neonates are influenced by individual contextual factors, such as gestational age (GA), gender and the number of painful procedures experienced. Currently, the BPSN does not consider individual contextual factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To compare the influence of three different nonpharmacological interventions on cortical activation, heart rate and peripheral oxygen saturation (SaO2 ) after heelstick in preterm infants.

Methods: Twenty five preterm infants between 24 0/7 and 32 0/7 weeks of gestational age were randomized to either oral sucrose (S), facilitated tucking (FT) or a combination of the two interventions (SFT) prior to five heelsticks each within the first 14 days of life. SaO2 , heart rate and oxygenation of the somatosensory cortex, measured by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), were analysed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To test the comparative effectiveness of 2 nonpharmacologic pain-relieving interventions administered alone or in combination across time for repeated heel sticks in preterm infants.

Methods: A multicenter randomized controlled trial in 3 NICUs in Switzerland compared the effectiveness of oral sucrose, facilitated tucking (FT), and a combination of both interventions in preterm infants between 24 and 32 weeks of gestation. Data were collected during the first 14 days of their NICU stay.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: There is an impressive body of knowledge on pain management in infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units. However, deficits in the clinical management of pain in these infants remain. One reason is the gap between research evidence and translation of this knowledge into the clinical setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: The skin of preterm infants is anatomically and physiologically premature. This quality of the skin as well as the need for intensive monitoring and treatment/care represent additional stress factors for the integrity of the babies' skin. The babies have an increased vulnerability and risk of skin injuries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Ventilated preterm infants are at high risk for procedural pain exposure. In Switzerland there is a lack of knowledge about the pain management in this highly vulnerable patient population. The aims of this study were to describe the type and frequency of procedures and to determine the amount of analgesia given to this patient group in two Swiss neonatal intensive care units.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pain associated with routine procedures in NICUs is often inadequately managed. Barriers to more appropriate pain management are nurses' and physicians' knowledge and the challenges of collaborative decision-making. Few studies describe the differing perceptions of procedural pain intensity among nurses and physicians in NICUs which could complicate common decision-making.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit are exposed to a high number of painful procedures. Since repeated and sustained pain can have consequences for the neurological and behaviour-oriented development of the newborn, the greatest attention needs to be paid to systematic pain management in neonatology. Non-pharmacological treatment methods are being increasingly discussed with regard to pain prevention and relief either alone or in combination with pharmacological treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in the neonatal intensive care unit are painful for the preterm or term infant. Pain is therefore a central issue in neonatal intensive care nursing. As significant side effects are associated with analgesics, non-pharmacological methods of pain prevention and relief are being favoured over pharmacological therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF