Manikin study showed that neonates are exposed to high sound and vibration levels during helicopter incubator transports.

AIM: This initial Norwegian study aimed to quantify the vibrations and sounds experienced by neonates when they were transported by helicopter in an incubator. METHODS: Two neonatal manikins weighing 500 and 2000 g were placed in a transport incubator and transported in an Airbus H145 D3 helicopter during standard flight profiles. The vibrations were measured on the mattress inside the incubator and the sound levels were measured inside and outside the incubator. RESULTS: The highest vibration levels were recorded during standard flight profiles when the lighter manikin was used. These ranged 0.27-0.94 m/s2, compared to 0.27-0.76 m/s2 for the heavier manikin. The measurements exceeded the action levels set by the European Union Vibration Directive for adult work environments. The sound levels inside the incubator ranged 84.6-86.3 A-weighted decibels, with a C-weighted peak level of 122 decibels. The sound levels inside the incubator were approximately 10 decibels lower than outside, but amplification was observed in the incubator at frequencies below 160 Hz. CONCLUSION: Vibrations were highest for the lighter manikin. The sound levels during helicopter transport were higher than recommended for neonatal environments and sounds were amplified within the incubator at lower frequencies.

Reporting interhospital neonatal intensive care transport: international five-step Delphi-based template.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a general and internationally applicable template of data variables for reporting interhospital neonatal intensive care transports. DESIGN: A five-step Delphi method. SETTING: A group of experts was guided through a formal consensus process using email. SUBJECTS: 12 experts in neonatal intensive care transports from Canada, Denmark, Norway, the UK and the USA. Four women and eight men. The experts were neonatologists, anaesthesiologists, intensive care nurse, anaesthetic nurse, medical leaders, researchers and a parent representative. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 37 data variables were included in the final template. RESULTS: Consensus was achieved on a template of 37 data variables with definitions. 30 variables to be registered for each transport and 7 for annual registration of the system of the transport service. 11 data variables under the category structure, 20 under process and 6 under outcome. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a template with a set of data variables to be registered for neonatal intensive care transports. To register the same data will enable larger datasets and comparing services.

Incidence and risk factors for obstetric anal sphincter ruptures, OASIS, following the introduction of preventive interventions. A retrospective cohort study from a Norwegian hospital 2012-2017.

OBJECTIVE: A decrease of obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) was observed after preventive interventions were implemented at a Norwegian university hospital. The aim was to investigate whether the improvement had sustained over the following years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 18 258 singleton vaginal cephalic births, ≥37 + 0 weeks of gestation during 2012-2017, examining data from the hospital's birth journals and separate registration forms. Interventions to prevent OASIS were implemented in 2011, and training in practical skills was repeated each year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was OASIS (n = 377). RESULTS: Frequency of OASIS overall decreased from 3.6% prior to 2011 to 2.1% after the intervention and sustained at that level throughout the study period. A trend of fewer OASIS among spontaneous deliveries, decreasing from 2.1% to 1.2% (p = 0.01) was observed, but no trend was seen for instrumental deliveries (p = 0.37), where the incidence fluctuated between 4.0% and 9.3% with an average of 6.5%. Primiparity, increased maternal age and increased fetal head circumference were associated with more OASIS in spontaneous deliveries. In instrumental deliveries, primiparity, occiput posterior position and increased fetal head circumference were associated with more OASIS, whilst episiotomy was associated with fewer OASIS. CONCLUSION: The incidence of obstetric anal sphincter injuries maintained at a similar level of around 2.1% during the six following years after introducing preventive interventions. Regularly repetition and practical training seemed to be effective.

Does acupuncture used in nulliparous women reduce time from prelabour rupture of membranes at term to active phase of labour? A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: To assess if acupuncture influences the onset of labour and the need for induction after prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM) in nulliparous women. Further, to investigate a possible effect of acupuncture on the woman's wellbeing. METHODS: In a randomised controlled trial (RCT), 106 nulliparous women with PROM were allocated to an acupuncture group (AG) or a control group (CG). The outcome measures were time from PROM to onset of active phase of labour, and rate of inductions if labour was absent after 2 days. The women's self-reported wellbeing was registered on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups regarding time from PROM to active phase (median times in AG versus CG: 15 versus 20.5 h, p=0.34). Additionally, there was no difference between the 2 groups in the need for induction. We found no significant differences in self-reported wellbeing, but the women receiving acupuncture considered their treatment to be more positive than the controls (p=0.003). No adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture treatment used in nulliparas after PROM showed no significant effect in reducing time to active labour or in reducing rate of inductions. There was no change in wellbeing as a result of acupuncture, but it was considered positive to receive this kind of treatment while waiting for labour to begin.

The Longitudinal Transcriptional Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with and without Bevacizumab in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced alterations to gene expression are due to transcriptional reprogramming of tumor cells or subclonal adaptations to treatment. The effect on whole-transcriptome mRNA expression was investigated in a randomized phase II clinical trial to assess the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the addition of bevacizumab.Experimental Design: Tumor biopsies and whole-transcriptome mRNA profiles were obtained at three fixed time points with 66 patients in each arm. Altogether, 358 specimens from 132 patients were available, representing the transcriptional state before treatment start, at 12 weeks and after treatment (25 weeks). Pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast and axillary nodes was the primary endpoint.Results: pCR was observed in 15 patients (23%) receiving bevacizumab and chemotherapy and 8 patients (12%) receiving only chemotherapy. In the estrogen receptor-positive patients, 11 of 54 (20%) treated with bevacizumab and chemotherapy achieved pCR, while only 3 of 57 (5%) treated with chemotherapy reached pCR. In patients with estrogen receptor-positive tumors treated with combination therapy, an elevated immune activity was associated with good response. Proliferation was reduced after treatment in both treatment arms and most pronounced in the combination therapy arm, where the reduction in proliferation accelerated during treatment. Transcriptional alterations during therapy were subtype specific, and the effect of adding bevacizumab was most evident for luminal-B tumors.Conclusions: Clinical response and gene expression response differed between patients receiving combination therapy and chemotherapy alone. The results may guide identification of patients likely to benefit from antiangiogenic therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(16); 4662-70. ©2017 AACR.

Preventing post-injury hypothermia during prolonged prehospital evacuation.

INTRODUCTION: Post-injury hypothermia is a risk predictor in trauma patients whose physiology is deranged. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of simple, in-field, hypothermia prevention to victims of penetrating trauma during long prehospital evacuations. METHODS: A total of 170 consecutively injured landmine victims were included in a prospective, clinical study in Northern Iraq and Cambodia. Thirty patients were provided with systematic prehospital hypothermia prevention, and for 140 patients, no preventive measures were provided. RESULTS: The mean value for the time from injury to hospital admission was 6.6 hours (range: 0.2-72). The incidence of hypothermia (oral temperature < 36 degrees C) before prevention/rewarming was 21% (95% confidence interval: 15% to 28%). The Prevention Group had a statistically significant lower rate of hypothermia on hospital admission compared to the control group (95% confidence interval for difference: 6% to 24%). CONCLUSION: Simple, preventive, in-field measures help to prevent hypothermia during protracted evacuation, and should be part of the trauma care protocol in rural rescue systems.