La influència de les dinàmiques de grup en la millora de la cohesió de grup i l’estabilitat emocional dels infants

En aquest estudi qualitatiu s’investiga la influència de les dinàmiques de grup en la millora de la cohesió de grup i l’estabilitat emocional dels infants. La mostra està constituïda per 24 infants, d’edats compreses entre els 5 i 6 anys, i per una mestra de 58 anys. Es realitza una intervenció educativa, basada en quatre dinàmiques de grup diferents, per tal d’avaluar la seva incidència en relació a la cohesió de grup i l’estabilitat emocional dels infants. Els instruments utilitzats són de naturalesa qualitativa, concretament, l’entrevista i l’observació, que s’apliquen pre i post intervenció per tal d’identificar possibles canvis. En els resultats, no es poden observar grans canvis a nivell de cohesió de grup ni d’estabilitat emocional dels infants, però sí, una actitud positiva i de motivació en relació a l’aplicació de dinàmiques de grup. La curta durada de la intervenció educativa ha estat la principal limitació d’aquesta investigació, fet pel qual no s’han pogut extreure uns resultats significatius. És per això que a les conclusions es mostren un seguit d’aspectes a tenir en compte en futurs estudis.

Impacte educatiu de l'escolta del paisatge sonor en infants

Aquest treball d’investigació pretén aprofundir en les nocions relatives al paisatge sonor; un tema poc treballat en l’àrea curricular d’Educació Musical. Primerament amb la fonamentació, s’han extret les principals idees dels diferents autors que han treballat i investigat el tema del paisatge sonor. Posteriorment, analitzant aquest marc teòric s’ha intentat aprofundir en el tema i, per escollir i dissenyar activitats que hem realitzat a l’aula. A fi de poder analitzar i observar in situ aquest procés s’ha aplicat durant dos mesos a dues aules de música amb alumnes d’entre 7 i 8 anys i, pel que fa resultats, no hi ha dubte que amb aquest enfocament del fenomen de l’escolta –buscant una centralització en allò essencial i elemental del fet perceptiu-, podem constatar que es produeix un increment quantitatiu i qualitatiu del reconeixement dels sons de l’entorn, i una millora en la percepció de les qualitats del so i la capacitat de reflexió i descripció.

Ciutat, escola i participació infantil: avaluació i innovacions del projecte"La participació dels infants a la ciutat"

Actualment, la participació infantil és una responsabilitat compartida per municipi i escola. L"experiència del projecte La participació dels infants a la ciutat, des de 1998, treballa per promoure la participació dels infants a la ciutat. En els resultats del projecte, que s"emmarca en una investigació-acció, destaquen els elements que els infants identifiquen que han après i la seva utilitat, com també els aspectes que consideren que els han agradat més i menys del conjunt del projecte dut a terme a l"aula. La percepció dels infants ajuda a avaluar i identificar innovacions de forma participada.

The Aldosterone/Renin Ratio as a Diagnostic Tool for the Diagnosis of Primary Hypoaldosteronism in Newborns and Infants.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Primary hypoaldosteronism is a rare inborn disorder with life-threatening symptoms in newborns and infants due to an aldosterone synthase defect. Diagnosis is often difficult as the plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) can remain within the normal range and thus lead to misinterpretation and delayed initiation of life-saving therapy. We aimed to test the eligibility of the PAC/plasma renin concentration (PRC) ratio as a tool for the diagnosis of primary hypoaldosteronism in newborns and infants. Meth ods: Data of 9 patients aged 15 days to 12 months at the time of diagnosis were collected. The diagnosis of primary hypoaldosteronism was based on clinical and laboratory findings over a period of 12 years in 3 different centers in Switzerland. To enable a valid comparison, the values of PAC and PRC were correlated to reference methods. RESULTS: In 6 patients, the PAC/PRC ratio could be determined and showed constantly decreased values <1 (pmol/l)/(mU/l). In 2 patients, renin was noted as plasma renin activity (PRA). PAC/PRA ratios were also clearly decreased. The diagnosis was subsequently genetically confirmed in 8 patients. CONCLUSION: A PAC/PRC ratio <1 pmol/mU and a PAC/PRA ratio <28 (pmol/l)/(ng/ml × h) are reliable tools to identify primary hypoaldosteronism in newborns and infants and help to diagnose this life-threatening disease faster. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

False normal Lung Clearance Index in infants with cystic fibrosis due to software algorithms.

BACKGROUND: Lung clearance index (LCI), a marker of ventilation inhomogeneity, is elevated early in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, in infants with CF, LCI values are found to be normal, although structural lung abnormalities are often detectable. We hypothesized that this discrepancy is due to inadequate algorithms of the available software package. AIM: Our aim was to challenge the validity of these software algorithms. METHODS: We compared multiple breath washout (MBW) results of current software algorithms (automatic modus) to refined algorithms (manual modus) in 17 asymptomatic infants with CF, and 24 matched healthy term-born infants. The main difference between these two analysis methods lies in the calculation of the molar mass differences that the system uses to define the completion of the measurement. RESULTS: In infants with CF the refined manual modus revealed clearly elevated LCI above 9 in 8 out of 35 measurements (23%), all showing LCI values below 8.3 using the automatic modus (paired t-test comparing the means, P < 0.001). Healthy infants showed normal LCI values using both analysis methods (n = 47, paired t-test, P = 0.79). The most relevant reason for false normal LCI values in infants with CF using the automatic modus was the incorrect recognition of the end-of-test too early during the washout. CONCLUSION: We recommend the use of the manual modus for the analysis of MBW outcomes in infants in order to obtain more accurate results. This will allow appropriate use of infant lung function results for clinical and scientific purposes. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015; 50:970-977. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessment of the role of LASER-Doppler in the treatment of port-wine stains in infants.

BACKGROUND: Port-wine stains (PWS) are malformations of capillaries in 0.3% of newborn children. The treatment of choice is by pulsed dye LASER (PDL), and requires several sessions. The efficacy of this treatment is at present evaluated on the basis of clinical inspection and of digital photographs taken throughout the treatment. LASER-Doppler imaging (LDI) is a noninvasive method of imaging the perfusion of the tissues by the microcirculatory system (capillaries). The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that LDI allows a quantitative, numerical evaluation of the efficacy of the PDL treatment of PWS. METHOD: The PDL sessions were organized according to the usual scheme, every other month, from September 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013. LDI imaging was performed at the start and at the conclusion of the PDL treatment, and simultaneously on healthy skin in order to obtain reference values. The results evidenced by LDI were analyzed according to the "Wilcoxon signed-rank" test before and after each session, and in the intervals between the three PDL treatment sessions. RESULTS: Our prospective study is based on 20 new children. On average, the vascularization of the PWS was reduced by 56% after three laser sessions. Compared with healthy skin, initial vascularization of PWS was 62% higher than that of healthy skin at the start of treatment, and 6% higher after three sessions. During the 2 months between two sessions, vascularization of the capillary network increased by 27%. CONCLUSION: This study shows that LDI can demonstrate and measure the efficacy of PDL treatment of PWS in children. The figures obtained when measuring the results by LDI corroborate the clinical assessments and may allow us to refine, and perhaps even modify, our present use of PDL and thus improve the efficacy of the treatment.

Structural Brain Connectivity in School-Age Preterm Infants Provides Evidence for Impaired Networks Relevant for Higher Order Cognitive Skills and Social Cognition.

Extreme prematurity and pregnancy conditions leading to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) affect thousands of newborns every year and increase their risk for poor higher order cognitive and social skills at school age. However, little is known about the brain structural basis of these disabilities. To compare the structural integrity of neural circuits between prematurely born controls and children born extreme preterm (EP) or with IUGR at school age, long-ranging and short-ranging connections were noninvasively mapped across cortical hemispheres by connection matrices derived from diffusion tensor tractography. Brain connectivity was modeled along fiber bundles connecting 83 brain regions by a weighted characterization of structural connectivity (SC). EP and IUGR subjects, when compared with controls, had decreased fractional anisotropy-weighted SC (FAw-SC) of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop connections while cortico-cortical association connections showed both decreased and increased FAw-SC. FAw-SC strength of these connections was associated with poorer socio-cognitive performance in both EP and IUGR children.

Devenir et prise en charge des enfants grands prématurés [Neurodevelopmental outcome of very premature infants].

Very preterm infants are at risk of neurodevelopmental impairments, which may affect motor development, intelligence and behavior. Neurodevelopmental follow-up is offered to these children who represent 1% of Swiss births, and may show abnormal motor tone, which sometimes resolves spontaneously or evolves in cerebral palsy. Standardized tests explore intellectual functioning and may allow the diagnosis of specific learning impediments. Finally, behavior is assessed with standardized questionnaires which can reveal hyperactivity with or without attention deficit, impaired social relations, psychiatric troubles or autism, all more frequent amongst preterm children.

Les relacions de suport i el component emocional com a aspectes clau per al desenvolupament del procés resilient i el benestar dels infants al sistema de protecció

La present comunicació mostra el potencial que pot tenir l’establiment de certes relacionsque ofereixen suport i recolzament emocional als infants i joves tutelats, en la promociódel benestar emocional i del procés resilient. La recerca es contextualitza al sistema de proteccióa la infància, centrant-nos en adolescents que a causa de la seva situació de desproteccióhan hagut d’abandonar el seu nucli familiar i entrar al sistema de protecció a la infància.L’afrontament d’aquesta situació afegit a l’entorn advers del qual provenen, comporta que elsadolescents hagin de lidiar amb unes necessitats específiques de l’àrea emocional i relacional.Certs tipus de relacions interpersonals poden ajudar i mediar en aquest impacte emocional,promocionant un desenvolupament del procés resilient, així com millorant el seu benestarpersonal i social. Els resultats de la recerca que es presenta, permeten identificar elements característicsd’aquest tipus de relacions i els beneficis que els adolescents perceben, essent elsaspectes emocionals els que sustenten aquestes relacions...