Efficacy of Early Intervention for Infants With Cerebral Palsy in an LMIC: An RCT.

OBJECTIVE: To test efficacy of a parent-delivered multidomain early intervention (Learning through Everyday Activities with Parents [LEAP-CP]) for infants with cerebral palsy (CP) compared with equal-dose of health advice (HA), on (1) infant development; and (2) caregiver mental health. It was hypothesized that infants receiving LEAP-CP would have better motor function, and caregivers better mental health. METHODS: This was a multisite single-blind randomized control trial of infants aged 12 to 40 weeks corrected age (CA) at risk for CP (General Movements or Hammersmith Infant Neurologic Examination). Both LEAP-CP and HA groups received 15 fortnightly home-visits by a peer trainer. LEAP-CP is a multidomain active goal-directed intervention. HA is based on Key Family Practices, World Health Organization. Primary outcomes: (1) infants at 18 months CA: Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT mobility); and (2) caregiver: Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. RESULTS: Of eligible infants, 153 of 165 (92.7%) were recruited (86 males, mean age 7.1±2.7 months CA, Gross Motor Function Classification System at 18 m CA: I = 12, II = 25, III = 9, IV = 18, V = 32). Final data were available for 118 (77.1%). Primary (PEDI-CAT mobility mean difference = 0.8 (95% CI -1.9 to 3.6) P = .54) and secondary outcomes were similar between-groups. Modified-Intention-To-Treat analysis on n = 96 infants with confirmed CP showed Gross Motor Function Classification System I and IIs allocated to LEAP-CP had significantly better scores on PEDI-CAT mobility domain (mean difference 4.0 (95% CI = 1.4 to 6.5), P = .003) compared with HA. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was no overall effect of LEAP-CP compared with dose-matched HA, LEAP-CP lead to superior improvements in motor skills in ambulant children with CP, consistent with what is known about targeted goal-directed training.

Community-based parent-delivered early detection and intervention programme for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy in a low-resource country (Learning through Everyday Activities with Parents (LEAP-CP): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability, with 80% estimated to be in low-middle-income countries. This study aims to (1) determine the accuracy of General Movements (GMs)/Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) for detecting CP at 18 months corrected age (CA); (2) determine the effectiveness of a community-based parent-delivered early intervention for infants at high risk of CP in West Bengal, India (Learning through Everyday Activities with Parents for infants with CP; LEAP-CP). METHODS: This study comprises two substudies: (1) a study of the predictive validity of the GMs and HINE for detecting CP; (2) randomised, double-blinded controlled trial of a novel intervention delivered through peer trainers (Community Disability Workers, CDW) compared with health advice (15 fortnightly visits). 142 infants at high risk of CP ('absent fidgety' GMs; 'high risk score' on HINE) aged 12-40 weeks CA will be recruited to the intervention substudy, with infants randomised based on a computer-generated sequence. Researchers will be masked to group allocation, and caregivers and CDWs naïve to intervention status. Visits will include therapeutic modules (goal-directed active motor/cognitive strategies and LEAP-CP games) and parent education. Health advice is based on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness, WHO. Infants will be evaluated at baseline, post intervention and 18 months CA. The primary hypothesis is that infants receiving LEAP-CP will have greater scaled scores on the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (mobility domain) at 18 months compared with health advice. Secondary outcomes include infant functional motor, cognitive, visual and communication development; infant growth; maternal mental health. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is approved through appropriate Australian and Indian ethics committees (see in text) with families providing written informed consent. Findings from this trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 12616000653460p; Pre-results.

Consensus Statement of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics on Evaluation and Management of Learning Disability.

JUSTIFICATION: Learning Disability (LD) in children is a well-recognized developmental disorder, which has profound academic and psychosocial consequences. Due to the complex nature of LD and multiple disadvantages posed to the child due to LD, a multidisciplinary approach towards intervention is warranted. Given the paucity of evidence-based standardized treatment approaches, consensus guidelines for management of LD are needed. PROCESS: The meeting on formulation of national consensus guidelines on neurodevelopmental disorders was organized by Indian Academy of Pediatrics in Mumbai on 18th and 19th December, 2015. The invited experts included Pediatricians, Developmental Pediatricians, Pediatric Neurologists, Psychiatrists, Remedial Educators and Clinical Psychologists. The participants framed guidelines after extensive discussions. Thereafter, a committee was established to review and finalize the points discussed in the meeting. OBJECTIVE: To provide guidelines on evaluation and management of LD in children in India. RECOMMENDATIONS: A basic intervention approach should focus on: (i) interpretation of evaluation reports; (ii) description of specific skills that may be delayed (e.g., phoneme awareness and phonics; reading comprehension; spelling; number sense and organizational skills) and (iii) identification of co-morbidities. The intervention should be inter-disciplinary and individualized to each child. Required services include: developmental pediatrics evaluation; neurological evaluation; ophthalmology and audiology evaluation; clinical psychology assessment; occupational therapy, remedial education, counseling for family, and career-counselling.

Waist circumference percentiles in 2-18 year old Indian children.

OBJECTIVES: To develop reference percentile curves in Indian children for waist circumference (WC), and to provide a cutoff of WC percentile to identify children at risk for metabolic syndrome (MS). STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was performed in 5 major Indian cities. Height, weight, and blood pressure (BP) were measured in 10,842 children (6065 boys). Elevated BP was defined as either systolic BP or diastolic BP >95th percentile. WC was measured with the child standing using a stretch-resistant tape. Sex-specific reference percentiles were computed using the LMS method which constructs reference percentiles adjusted for skewness. To determine optimal cutoffs for WC percentiles, a validation sample of 208 children was assessed for MS risk factors (ie, anthropometry, BP, blood lipids), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed. RESULTS: Age- and sex-specific WC percentiles (5th, 10th, 15th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 85th, 90th, and 95th) are presented. WC values increased with age in both the boys and the girls. The median WC at age >15 years was greater in boys compared with girls. ROC analysis suggested the 70th percentile as a cutoff for MS risk (sensitivity, 0.84 in boys and 0.82 in girls; specificity, 0.85 in both boys and girls; area under the ROC curve, 0.88 in boys and 0.92 in girls). CONCLUSION: Age- and sex-specific reference curves for WC for Indian children and cutoff values of 70th WC percentile for screening for MS risk are provided.

Toxicokinetics and recovery studies of dicamba dimethyl amine salt in goats following single oral administration.

BACKGROUND: Toxicokinetics and recovery studies of dicamba dimethyl amine salt (DDAS) were conducted to obtain more information about its toxicity and tissue retention in farm animals. RESULTS: The minimum oral toxic dose level of DDAS was determined as 1400 mg kg(-1) body weight. In the toxicokinetic study, blood DDAS concentration of 55.6 +/- 0.59 microg mL(-1) (mean +/- standard error) was detected at 0.08 h, which peaked to 102.3 +/- 5.03 microg mL(-1) at 0.25 h, and declined to a minimum of 4.1 +/- 0.06 microg mL(-1) at 36 h. In recovery studies, DDAS concentration in urine began to increase significantly (P < 0.05) from 12 h, peaked at 24 h and declined from 48 h onwards. Maximum excretion through faeces was at 24 h and was complete by 144 h. The residual level in tissues decreased significantly (P < 0.05) on day 7 as compared to day 4. In histopathological studies, cellular alterations in lungs, liver, kidney, adrenal gland and spleen were found. CONCLUSION: DDAS persists in the body for a shorter period and its major excretory route is through urine. DDAS has lower affinity to accumulate in tissues, and intensity of cellular alterations is not severe after single-dose oral administration.