Innovative Journal of Medical and Health Sciences

The study evaluated how parents of hospitalized high-risk infants perceive Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A sample of 216 parents whose infants were hospitalized in the NICU of two Teaching hospitals in the South – East Zone of Nigeria was used for the study. One research question and four null hypotheses guided the study. Questionnaires on NICU Parental Stress Scale were administered to the parents. A parent – infant demographic sheet was also used to collect data on the parents and their infants’ characteristics. Mean score, standard deviation and Spearman Rank correlation co-efficient (rho) were used to answer the research question while Mann – Whitney U, Wilcoxon and Chi-square tests were adopted in testing the null hypotheses at 0.01 level of significance. The result revealed significant correlation between parental stress for NICU sights and sounds and parental role alteration. Also parental stress for NICU staff behaviour, and the sights and sounds significantly differ with regard to the number of children born by the parents and the sex of the parents. In addition, coping measures reported by the parents were observed to significantly differ among the married and single parents.

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion can be life saving. Although there has been increase in demand of blood supply, regular non remunerated voluntary blood donation is still a challenge. The WHO’s goal is to obtain blood supplies entirely from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020.An estimated 38% of reported voluntary blood donation are by people under the age of 25 years.Young students who are healthy, active can be pooled in as potential blood donors. Hence this study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice about blood donation among undergraduate health care medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted among first year under graduate students of a medical college in Gulbarga. 123 students participated on voluntary basis. A pre designed and pre-tested questionnaire was administered. Data obtained was analyzed using MS Excel and SPSS version 12. RESULTS: In the study over all knowledge on blood donation among respondents was 34.88% .Amongst them 75.61% had positive attitude towards blood donation while 24.39% had negative attitude. Only 8.13% of participants have donated blood and 91.87% are non donors. Non consideration (31.86%) and no chance of donating blood (23.01%) are the major reasons given for not donating blood. CONCLUSION: Medical students can be a source of accessible safe blood. This study shows that students have incomplete knowledge. There is a wide gap between the willingness to donate blood and actions of the students. There is a need to spread awareness, recruit and retain the students to donate blood on regular basis.

The cerebellum plays a significant role in the maintenance of equilibrium and the coordination of head and eye movements. The cerebellum receives extensive information from visual, somesthetic, vestibular and auditory sensory systems, as well as from motor and nonmotor areas of the cerebral cortex. The cerebellum was more active during independent rather than coordinated eye and hand tracking. Performance when tracking with the hand alone was worse than in the coordinated eye and hand condition. Cerebellum was significantly activated in coordinated eye–hand tracking compared to isolated eye and hand movements. Patients with cerebellar disease, eye movements, limb movements, gait and speech all may be affected. Bulbar muscles may also be affected, numerous disturbances of oculomotor activity, including nystagmus. In cerebellar disease decreased tone in postural muscles, Hypotonia in occulomotor muscles results in difficulty in maintaining the gaze. Studies investigating the relationship between the cerebellum and eyesight were revised in this manuscript.

Background -Most  of thrombocytopenic episodes in an NICU is reported as mild and self limiting,but a few of them progress to higher degrees. This study aims to identify neonates who develop moderate to severe thrombocytopenia in Neonatal Intensive care Unit of a  tertiary hospital.

Objective - To identify the factors associated with thrombocytopenia of moderate to severe degrees in a level III NICU compared to infants with mild thrombocytopenia

Settings and Design: A Case control study in newborns admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit under Division of Neonatology at  Medical college, Thiruvananthapuram between February to June 2009 .

Methods and Material - Cases(n=92) were newborns with documented thrombocytopenia .71 cases had moderate thrombocytopenia (platelet count less than 1X10⁵ /mm³)  and 21 had severe thrombocytopenia(platelet count less than .5X10⁵/mm³). Controls(n=149) were newborns admitted at the same period with mild thrombocytopenia (<1.5X10⁵/mm³).Presence of associated factors namely sepsis, birth asphyxia, necrotising enterocolitis, maternal diabetes mellitus ,maternal hypertension were compared.

Statistical analysis used - Univariate analysis was done with Chi Square  test for comparison of qualitative data of risk factors.Risk estimate was Odds Ratio with 95% Confidence Interval.

Results - Of the 1038 admissions in NICU,240 babies(23.12%)developed thrombocytopenia but only 92 were either moderate or severe(8.86% of all admissions and 38.33% of of all thrombocytopenic newborns). Out of 240 thrombocytopenic neonates 71 cases(29.5%)had moderate decrease  and 21(8.75%)  had severe. 71 neonates received platelet transfusions out of which 42 were mutitransfused.Major riskfactors identified were Sepsis, Necrotising Enterocolitis ,Hypoxia and maternal thrombocytopenia.

Conclusions - Even though  a quarter of newborns admitted at NICU develop thrombocytopenia,only 8%progress to moderate or severe thrombocytopenia.Major factors associated with higher degrees of thrombocytopenia are sepsis, necrotising enterocolitis, and hypoxia in utero.Most of the neonates recover without bleeding.