Cihat Şanlı

Heart Rate Variability in Neonates with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

ObjectiveTo evaluate the changes in heart rate variability (HRV) in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).MethodsTwenty-two newborns (14 boys, 8 girls) with moderate or severe HIE and 24 term neonates with similar gestational and postnatal age for control were included in this study. Normalized low and high frequency components of HRV and their ratio were evaluated for 24-h in newborns with HIE and control subjects.ResultsThe newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy had significantly lower normalized low frequency (LFn) and low frequency (LF) / high frequency (HF) values and higher normalized high frequency (HFn) values when compared with the control babies. In addition, when the cases with severe HIE are compared with those of moderate HIE, decreased LFn, LF/HF values and also increased HFn values were present in the severe cases.ConclusionsHIE is associated with reduced sympathetic nervous system activity, and increased parasympathetic nervous system activity and these activities also correlate with the severity of the disease.

Children and firearms in Turkish homes.

BACKGROUND Unintentional firearm injuries are an important cause of preventable deaths and disabilities among children. Keeping firearms at home and letting children to see or touch them increases the risk of injury. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the extent of the firearm problem in an Anatolian province in Turkey. A random sample of families were approached and were asked to answer a series of questions completed by research assistants. RESULTS In 974 randomly selected households, there were 2129 children aged less than 18 years, 11.1% of the fathers have a job in the firearms industry or in the security sector, and 12.3% of the households kept a firearm at home. Only 25.6% of the firearms were kept in a safe place, and 29.3% of the firearms and ammunition were kept separately. Overall, 70.9% of the children whose parents have firearms saw the firearm and 27.2% had handled it. CONCLUSIONS Results of this study pointed to the urgent need for preventive measures for the physical separation of guns from children. The establishment of effective firearms safety programmes requires an understanding of the culture and routine behaviours of the target population.