Neonatal Behavior Research Articles

Dinosaur Eggs and Babies in the UNESCO GGN Hateg Country Dinosaurs Geopark (Romania)

In 1898, when the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in Hațeg Country (which in 2005 became part of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network), not one dinosaur egg had ever been unearthed either in the vicinity or anywhere in Romania. Twenty years later, tens of sites bearing remnants of dinosaur eggs – of which at least eight are dinosaur incubation sites – had been mapped in Hațeg Country and across Southern Transylvania as a whole. The most famous is the site at Tuștea, situated in the north-western part of the Hațeg Basin, especially well known because of the so-called “Tuștea Puzzle” whereby spherical megaloolithid eggs, almost universally seen as those of titanosaurid sauropods, are associated with hadrosaurid neonates. Tuștea is the only site in Europe to feature the remains of dinosaur neonates alongside eggs and eggshells from the Upper Cretaceous. Research here and in other areas of the Hațeg Basin highlighted the climates and sedimentology of the areas where the eggs were laid roughly 68–70 million years ago, and revealed aspects of nest building and the behavior of dinosaur neonates after hatching. The site’s scientific importance is strengthened by the great diversity of vertebrate fossil discoveries: frogs, lizards, snakes, saurischian and ornithischian dinosaurs, pterosaurs and mammals – 21 taxa in total, ranking Tuștea among the richest paleontological sites in Europe. After 24 years of continuous research primarily by professors and students from the University of Bucharest, the current owner of the land, making use of legislative inconsistencies governing the right to land ownership, forbade further investigation. During this time, the research site has degraded substantially and today requires urgent restorative and conservation measures lest it be lost forever.

Physiological vital sign reference ranges for well late preterm newborns calculated during a typical 2 h newborn period between 2 h and 7 days of life

Objectives. To calculate 95% reference ranges for heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, temperature and blood pressure for well late preterm newborns between 34+0/7 and 36+6/7 weeks of gestation during typical neonatal behaviour. Approach. A single-site, prospective cohort study in a major Australian quaternary hospital between February and September 2019. A total of 120 late preterm newborns had their heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation measurements recorded every 2 s for up to 2 h with unconditional 95% reference ranges determined using a linear mixed effects model with random intercept for total standard deviation calculation including repeated measures. Temperature and blood pressure measurements were collected twice—at the start and conclusion of the data recording period—with weighted 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles calculated using the mean value. Main results. A total of 364 577 heart rate, 365 208 respiratory rate, 360 494 peripheral oxygen saturation and 240 temperature and blood pressure values were obtained. The 95% reference ranges were: heart rate 102–164 bpm; respiratory rate 15–67 rpm; oxygen saturation 94%–100%; temperature 36.4 °C–37.6 °C; systolic blood pressure 51–86 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure 28–61 mmHg; mean arterial pressure 35–68 mmHg. Significance. Seven vital sign reference ranges were reported for the late preterm population during a typical newborn period (such as crying, sleeping, feeding, awake and alert, and during nappy hygiene cares); internal and external validation should be completed prior to clinical use. Cut off points for escalation of care have previously been generalised to all newborns irrespective of gestational age, which may result in over-treatment or a delay in recognising subtle signs of deterioration.

Impact of volume, immunoglobulin G concentration, and feeding method of colostrum product on neonatal nursing behavior and transfer of passive immunity in beef calves

One-third of beef calves fail to achieve adequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI) through timely ingestion of colostrum, which substantially increases their risk of preweaning morbidity and mortality. Two randomized clinical trials were designed to assess the impact of volume, immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration, and feeding method of colostrum product on neonatal nursing behavior and TPI. In Trial 1, 47 calves were randomly assigned to receive one of three colostrum interventions by oro-esophageal tube feeder (OET): 1 L with 100 g/L IgG, 1.4 L with 70 g/L IgG, or 2 L with 100 g/L IgG. In Trial 2, 29 calves were randomly assigned to be fed 1 L of colostrum product with 100 g/L IgG by either nipple bottle (NB) or OET. Colostrum intervention (i.e. feeding of colostrum product) occurred within 60 minutes of birth. Cow-calf pairs were monitored by video surveillance in individual stalls for 24 h. Dam colostrum was collected at 10 minutes and calf serum was collected at 24–36 h after birth to assess IgG concentration. Differences among colostrum intervention groups on latency to stand and nurse were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard models. The impact of colostrum intervention group on TPI was assessed using multivariable linear regression modeling. In Trial 1, calves fed 1.4 L with 70 g/L IgG by OET nursed from their dams statistically significantly earlier compared to calves fed 1 L with 100 g/L IgG (P = 0.003) and calves fed 2 L with 100 g/L IgG (P = 0.008). Six of the 15 calves in the NB group in Trial 2 refused to consume part of the colostrum feeding offered by bottle and required follow-up tube feeding of the remaining volume. These calves were analyzed as a separate group (NB + OET). Calves fed 1 L by NB stood and nursed statistically significantly earlier than calves fed by OET (P = 0.005) or a combination of NB + OET (P = 0.003). Calf serum IgG concentrations were not statistically significantly different among colostrum intervention groups (P > 0.1). Overall, the colostrum interventions assessed in this study led to only one calf with failed TPI. While statistically significant differences in serum IgG concentrations were not detected in this study, subsequent nursing behavior did vary and was improved by feeding a moderate volume (1.4 L with 70 g/L IgG) of colostrum when using an OET, and by using the NB when feeding a smaller volume (1 L with 100 g/L IgG).

Ten lessons learnt: scaling and transitioning one of the largest mobile health communication programmes in the world to a national government

There has been exponential growth in the numbers of ‘digital development’ programmes seeking to leverage technology to solve systemic challenges. However, despite promising results and a shift from pilots to...

Novel Treatments and Technologies Applied to the Cure of Neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumour in childhood, accounting for approximately 15% of all cancer-related deaths in the paediatric population1. It is characterised by heterogeneous clinical behaviour in neonates and often adverse outcomes in toddlers. The overall survival of children with high-risk disease is around 40–50% despite the aggressive treatment protocols consisting of intensive chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation2,3. There is an ongoing research effort to increase NB’s cellular and molecular biology knowledge to translate essential findings into novel treatment strategies. This review aims to address new therapeutic modalities emerging from preclinical studies offering a unique translational opportunity for NB treatment.

Maternal and Neonatal Behaviour in Italian Mediterranean Buffaloes.

Simple SummaryA clear understanding of species-specific natural behaviours is crucial for assessing animal welfare. In this regard, one of the most sensitive and critical moments for dairy farming animals is the post-partum period. Currently, very little information is available on this period in buffaloes. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the maternal and neonatal behavioural patterns of Italian Mediterranean buffaloes during the early post-partum period and the relationship of both dam and calf welfare indicators (e.g., behaviours and growth rate). Behavioural patterns (postural, grooming, maternal rejection, and feeding) are described in detail for both dams and calves. Maternal rejection behaviours (pawing the calf, pushing the calf, and avoidance behaviour) are found to be negatively correlated with calf growth. In this regard, monitoring buffaloes’ maternal behaviours seems to be crucial, especially for primiparous mothers, in order to prevent welfare consequences for newborns when raised together.The aim of this study was to describe the neonatal and maternal behaviour of Italian Mediterranean buffaloes. Thirty primiparous buffaloes were moved into individual pens 12.5 (±2.5) days before calving. Maternal and neonatal behaviours were recorded for 48 h after calving and the analysis was performed in continuous sampling with the software BORIS. Calves’ clinical evaluations (temperature, weight, and heart and respiratory rates) were performed at different time intervals and correlated with behavioural data from the dam. Data were analysed with parametric and non-parametric methods after controlling their distribution. The maternal behavioural pattern found highlighted buffaloes’ priorities during the post-partum period: firstly, they stand and start grooming to ensure proper care for the calf; it is only after this that they dedicate time to maintenance behaviours (feeding and lying). The dams mainly groomed the calf during the first six hours after calving (average time in the 1–6-h interval: 7.7 ± 2.5 min., F = (2.5, 60.2) = 75.0; p < 0.001) to ensure the formation of the mother–infant bond; thereafter, the behaviour decreased over time. As reported in the literature, inexperienced mothers could sometimes delay the calf’s first suckling with aggressive or rejection behaviours. In this regard, 16 buffalo dams showed at least one maternal rejection behaviour, which was found to negatively correlate with calves’ daily weight gain (DWG) at 14 (rs = −0.5, p = 0.02) and 21 days (rs = −0.7, p < 0.001). The calves took on average 212.0 ± 110.0 min to suckle, and this behaviour was mainly shown during the first six hours. Overall, suckling behaviour was correlated with standing: (rs = 0.6, p < 0.001) and walking (rs = 0.9, p < 0.001). The calves’ live weight and DWG were consistently higher than the values reported in the literature. Our results present a detailed description of maternal and neonatal behaviour in the early post-partum period in Italian Mediterranean buffaloes. We also found that maternal rejection behaviours can negatively influence the calves’ growth. Finally, we think that such results can improve the management of buffaloes during the period around parturition.

Thyroid Hormone Deiodinases: Dynamic Switches in Developmental Transitions.

Thyroid hormones exert pleiotropic, essential actions in mammalian, including human, development. These actions depend on provision of thyroid hormones in the circulation but also to a remarkable extent on deiodinase enzymes in target tissues that amplify or deplete the local concentration of the primary active form of the hormone T3 (3,5,3'-triiodothyronine), the high affinity ligand for thyroid hormone receptors. Genetic analyses in mice have revealed key roles for activating (DIO2) and inactivating (DIO3) deiodinases in cell differentiation fates and tissue maturation, ultimately promoting neonatal viability, growth, fertility, brain development, and behavior, as well as metabolic, endocrine, and sensory functions. An emerging paradigm is how the opposing activities of DIO2 and DIO3 are coordinated, providing a dynamic switch that controls the developmental timing of a tissue response, often during neonatal and maturational transitions. A second paradigm is how cell to cell communication within a tissue determines the response to T3. Deiodinases in specific cell types, often strategically located near to blood vessels that convey thyroid hormones into the tissue, can regulate neighboring cell types, suggesting a paracrine-like layer of control of T3 action. We discuss deiodinases as switches for developmental transitions and their potential to influence tissue dysfunction in human thyroid disorders.

In utero accumulated steroids predict neonate anti‐predator response in a wild mammal

Abstract Behavioural variation at the individual level has been shown to play an important role in animal ecology and evolution. Whereas most studies have focused on subadult or adult subjects, neonates have been relatively neglected, despite studies showing that neonates can exhibit consistent inter‐individual differences during early developmental stages. Steroid hormones, including glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisol) and androgens (e.g. testosterone), play a crucial role in foetal development and maturation and could therefore drive neonate behaviour, although this relationship is poorly understood in wild animal populations. Our study addresses these knowledge gaps by investigating the association between neonate fallow deer Dama dama fawn inter‐individual variability in behavioural response to human handling and hair cortisol and testosterone levels. We found strong evidence that individual neonates display repeatable differences in the way they cope with a risky situation during their first days of life, and showed how these differences are linked to cortisol and testosterone levels accumulated in utero. We showed that, when both steroids are included in the same model, neonates with high cortisol and low testosterone levels coped in a more proactive way with human handling (higher heart rate during handling and shorter latency to leave when released) compared to those with low cortisol and high testosterone levels (lower heart rate and longer latency to leave). These results provide novel insights into the proximate mechanism leading to neonate inter‐individual variation in a wild population of large mammals. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Neonatal behavior of babies exposed to maternal depressive and anxiety disorders during perinatal period

Perinatal depression and perinatal anxiety can affect up to 20% of women during pregnancy and postpartum. Babies exposed to these pathologies suffer consequences in their development at a cognitive, motor, emotional and social level. Some of these can be observed since birth. In addition, adverse effects have been described in the behavior of the newborn exposed to psychopharmacotherapy during pregnancy. The aims of the study were to observe the neonatal behavior of babies exposed to perinatal depression or anxiety and to compare it between both diagnostic groups of mothers. The cohort included 86 newborns, from 2 to 67 days of chronological age (29 ± 13.4, 48% females), exposed to maternal depression (n = 27) or anxiety (n = 59). The Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale, 4th edition, (Brazelton and Nugent, 2011) was administered at a maternal mental health unit to register the neonatal behavior. Chi-square and Student t-test analyses were calculated to compare item scores and percentages of suboptimal responses between both groups; Pearson correlations were calculated to analyze the relation of obstetric and psychiatric variables of mothers and the behavior of newborns. Significant differences between groups were found only regarding the change in skin color, with higher percentages of suboptimal responses in the group exposed to anxiety than to depression (24% versus 4%, Chi2 = 3.89; p &lt; .05). Correlation analyses show that, although the birth weight is positively related to the interactive social orientation (tracing face and voice: r = .28, p = .02), the last was affected negatively by the dose of antidepressants during the third trimester of pregnancy (tracing face and voice: r = -.31, p = 0.03), indicating that higher doses of antidepressant was related with lower interactive social orientation. Our findings emphasize the need to detect depression and anxiety in women during the perinatal period in order to intervene at a multidisciplinary level in both, mother and baby, and the relation.

Mother-infant interaction in women with depression in pregnancy and in women with a history of depression: the Psychiatry Research and Motherhood - Depression (PRAM-D) study.

Little is known about the effects of depression before birth on the quality of the mother-infant interaction. To understand whether depression, either in pregnancy or in lifetime before pregnancy, disrupts postnatal mother-infant interactions. We recruited 131 pregnant women (51 healthy, 52 with major depressive disorder (MDD) in pregnancy, 28 with a history of MDD but healthy pregnancy), at 25 weeks' gestation. MDD was confirmed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders. Neonatal behaviour was assessed at 6 days with the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale, and mother-infant interaction was assessed at 8 weeks and 12 months with the Crittenden CARE-Index. At 8 weeks and 12 months, dyads in the depression and history-only groups displayed a reduced quality of interaction compared with healthy dyads. Specifically, at 8 weeks, 62% in the depression group and 56% in the history-only group scored in the lowest category of dyadic synchrony (suggesting therapeutic interventions are needed), compared with 37% in the healthy group (P = 0.041); 48% and 32%, respectively, scored the same at 12 months, compared with 14% in the healthy group (P = 0.003). At 6 days, neonates in the depression and history-only groups exhibited decreased social-interactive behaviour, which, together with maternal socioeconomic difficulties, was also predictive of interaction quality, whereas postnatal depression was not. Both antenatal depression and a lifetime history of depression are associated with a decreased quality of mother-infant interaction, irrespective of postnatal depression. Clinicians should be aware of this, as pregnancy provides an opportunity for identification and intervention to support the developing relationship.

Transient Prenatal Hypoxia Leads to Deficits in Juvenile Neuronal Morphology and Neonatal Behaviors (4663)

Transient Prenatal Hypoxia Leads to Deficits in Juvenile Neuronal Morphology and Neonatal Behaviors (4663)

TO STUDY CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND TIME OF ONSET OF SEIZURE IN TERM AND PRETERM NEONATES AND THE BIOCHEMICALABNORMALITY IN SEIZURES IN TERM AND PRETERM NEONATES.

INTRODUCTION: Seizure is dened as paroxysmal involuntary disturbance of brain function. It may manifest as impairment or loss of consciousness, abnormal motor activity, behavioural abnormality, sensory disturbance or autonomic dysfunction. Any abnormal, repetitive and stereotypic behaviour in neonates should be evaluated as possible seizure. Neonatal seizures is a common neurological problem with a frequency range from 0.95 to 3.5/1000 live births. AIMS &amp; OBJECTIVES:To assess the importance of biochemical abnormalities in neonatal seizures and to evaluate clinical presentation &amp; time of onset of seizures in term and preterm neonates. MATERIAL &amp; METHODS: A total of 90 neonates presenting with seizures admitted to NICU of National Institute of Medical Sciences &amp; Research, Jaipur from conducted from 1st January 2019 till 30 th June 2020 were enrolled in the study. Detailed antenatal, natal, postnatal history along with detailed examination was done. Baseline characteristics of convulsing neonate including sex, gestational age, birth weight, head circumference &amp; length were recorded at admission. Clinical details of each seizure episode reported by the mother and subsequently observed by the resident doctors on duty were recorded i.e. age at onset of seizures, duration of seizure, number and type of seizure. Relevant investigations including biochemical parameters were done immediately after baby had seizures and before instituting any specic treatment. Etiology of neonatal seizures and associated biochemical abnormalities were diagnosed. RESULTS: In the present study, out of 90 neonates studied, 64 were full term of which 49(76.5%) were AGAand 15(23.5%) were SGA, whereas 26 cases were preterm. The male: female ratio is 1.3:1. Most neonatal seizures occur in rst 3 days of life, i.e. 60 %. Most of them occurred on rst day of life (34%). Birth asphyxia was the cause of neonatal seizures in 82 % neonates who developed seizures on day-1 of life. Birth asphyxia and septicemia are common cause of neonatal seizures in our study, followed by pure metabolic disturbances 20 %. In pure metabolic seizures, hypoglycemia (47.8%) is most common more in preterm babies (55%) followed by hypocalcemia. In cases of non- metabolic seizures, which showed associated biochemical abnormalities, hypoglycemia was most common abnormality 24 of 52 cases (46.15%). 12 cases (52.1%) are associated with birth asphyxia and 11 cases (47.9%) are associated with septicemia. CONCLUSION: Biochemical abnormalities are common in neonatal seizures and often go unrecognized. These abnormalities may signicantly contribute to seizure activity correction of these abnormalities may play a signicant role in seizure control. Hence, a biochemical work up is necessary for all cases of neonatal seizures.

Folic acid ameliorates neonatal isolation-induced autistic like behaviors in rats: epigenetic modifications of BDNF and GFAP promotors.

The current study investigated the role of epigenetic dysregulation of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) genes and oxidative stress as possible mechanisms of autistic-like behaviors in neonatal isolation model in rats and the impact of folic acid administration on these parameters. Forty Wistar albino pups were used as follows: control, folic acid administered, isolated, and isolated folic acid treated groups. Isolated pups were separated from their mothers for 90 min daily from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 11. Pups (isolated or control) received either the vehicle or folic acid (4 mg/kg/day) orally from PND 1 to 29. Behavioral tests were done from PND 30 to 35. Oxidative stress markers and antioxidant defense in the frontal cortex homogenate were determined. DNA methylation of BDNF and GFAP genes was determined by qPCR. Histopathological examination was carried out. Neonatal isolation produced autistic-like behaviors that were associated with BDNF and GFAP hypomethylation, increased oxidative stress, increased inflammatory cell infiltration, and structural changes in the frontal cortex. Folic acid administration concurrently with isolation reduced neonatal isolation-induced autistic-like behaviors, decreased oxidative stress, regained BDNF and GFAP gene methylation, and ameliorated structural changes in the frontal cortices of isolated folic acid treated rats. Novelty: Neonatal isolation induces "autistic-like" behavior and these behaviors are reversed by folic acid supplementation. Neonatal isolation induces DNA hypomethylation of BDNF and GFAP, increased oxidative stress markers, and neuroinflammation. All of these changes were reversed by daily folic acid supplementation.

Automated quantification of opioid withdrawal in neonatal rat pups using Ethovision® XT software

Chronic prenatal exposure to opioids often causes fetal opioid dependence that leads to neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) shortly after delivery. Rat models of NOWS often require quantifying neonatal withdrawal behaviors using time-consuming, labor-intensive manual scoring methods. The goal of this study was to automate quantification of opioid withdrawal in neonatal rat pups. Accordingly, we used the animal behavior software Ethovision® XT to analyze archived videos of rat pups subjected to precipitated opioid withdrawal testing on postnatal day 0. We compared results obtained from Ethovision® XT with those previously obtained from manual scoring. Two endpoints reported by Ethovision® XT, Distance Moved (cm) and Movement Duration (s), had strong positive linear relationships with manually derived global withdrawal scores (GWS; R2 > 0.73). Sensitivity and specificity of each endpoint to discriminate presence and absence of low-grade withdrawal were assessed by receiver operator characteristic curve analysis, which indicated that Distance Moved and Movement Duration had excellent accuracy (AUC > 0.90). Finally, we analyzed main and interaction effects of prenatal treatment (with vehicle or mu opioid receptor full agonists) and postnatal challenge (with saline or an opioid receptor antagonist) on each endpoint and determined they were similar for the manual and automated methods. These results show that Ethovision® XT software can reliably quantify opioid withdrawal in neonatal rat pups with non-inferiority to manual scoring even in videos that were not originally purposed and optimized for Ethovision® XT analysis. This faster and less labor-intensive method of analysis is expected to accelerate progress in preclinical studies of NOWS.

Maternal care and secretive behaviour of neonates in the highly social lizard Liolaemus leopardinus (Squamata: Liolaemidae) from the central Chilean Andes may relate to size-specific bird predation

Abstract Predation prompts the evolution of antipredator traits, molds behaviour, and can lead to the evolution of parental care. We investigated parental care and predator-avoidance behaviour of neonates in the social lizard Liolaemus leopardinus. We used clay models to quantify bird predation pressure on L. leopardinus. Predation was significantly greater on small models and models in open habitat. Late-term pregnant females left their social groups on rock outcrops and gave birth in solitary underneath flat rocks in vegetated microhabitat. Mothers stayed with their litters inside natal chambers for at least 24 h and when they left, sealed the neonates inside. Mothers remained close to their natal chamber and neonates when neonates emerged. Neonates and young yearlings moved significantly less and occupied vegetated microhabitat significantly more than older age classes. We suggest that the maternal behaviour and secretive behaviour of neonates may be related to the heavy avian predation on neonates.

Dam parity and calf sex affect maternal and neonatal behaviors during the first week postpartum in stabled Maghrebi dairy camels

Currently, a trend toward the commercialization of dromedary milk associated with recent intensive rearing systems has starting worldwide which impose constraints on animals affecting their behavioral repertoires and welfare status. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dam parity and calf sex on parturition, neonatal, and maternal behaviors in stabled Maghrebi dairy camels (Camelus dromedarius). Thirty-six (primiparas N = 10; multiparas N = 26) periparturient females were kept under video surveillance using a digital IR camera and 24-h sessions were chosen to assess calving, maternal, and neonatal behaviors in calving pens. Duration of restlessness, process of giving birth, and expulsion of fetal membranes were assessed. After first suckling, dams and their calves were moved into an individual enclosure to assess maternal behavior at 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 7d postpartum. Behavior was assessed using a camcorder for 30 min after 1 h of young separation in an adjacent enclosure. Results showed an effect of parity on the duration of the birth process which was longer for primiparous than multiparous camels (P = 0.034). During this stage, primiparous females tended to raise their tails more often (P = 0.054) and spent more time standing (P = 0.001) than multiparous camels. Neonatal behavior was affected by calf sex. Female newborns took less time to raise their heads (P = 0.041) and to stand up (P = 0.048) for the first time and were the earliest to suckle their dams (P = 0.032). Multiparous dams stood up sooner (P = 0.019) after calving and suckled their calves earlier (P = 0.043) than primiparous dams. They emitted more bleats and exhibited more sniffing during the first week postpartum than primiparas. During the first postpartum week, both primiparas and multiparas showed a decrease in the total number of bleats (P < 0.001), low-pitch bleats (P < 0.001), and high-pitch bleats (P < 0.001), in sniffing frequency (P < 0.001) and sniffing duration (P < 0.001). This is the first study to describe in detail the calving, maternal, and neonatal behaviors of dromedary camels and to show the influence of parity and calf sex. Maternal care toward the newborn calf exhibited by a high level of bleating and sniffing activities in the first 2 days suggest that they play an important role in the establishment of mother–young relationship.

The genetics of perinatal behaviour of Merinos in relation to lamb survival and lambs weaned per ewe mated

Data for birth weight (BW), lamb survival (LS) and neonatal behaviour, including records of between 1494 (latency of birth to first suckling or LBS) and 2705 (BW and LS) lambs were used. Additionally to the lamb data, ewe data comprising of between 1003 ewe-year records for the latency of stay on the birth site (SBS) and 2024 ewe-year records for number of lambs weaned per ewe mated (NLW) were analysed. These records were from selection lines that had been divergently selected from the same base population since 1986, either for NLW (termed the High or H line) or against NLW (termed the Low or L line). Overall, H line lambs had an improved LS compared to their L line contemporaries, while H line ewes were superior to L line ewes for NLW. Latency of parturition of H line progeny was shorter than in L line progeny while ewe lambs had shorter births than ram lambs. Lamb sex and selection line had no effect on the latency from birth to suckling, which decreased as dam age increased. The second of multiples took longest to progress to suckling from birth, with singles being the quickest. H line ewes had shorter parturitions and cooperated better with the first suckling attempts of their offspring. Single-trait direct heritability estimates (h²) in lambs were 0.15 for BW, 0.07 for LS, 0.06 for latency of parturition (LP) and 0.14 for LBS. The inclusion of the maternal genetic variance ratio (m²) resulted in an improvement in the log likelihood ratio for BW, LP and LBS, yielding estimates of respectively 0.37, 0.18 and 0.12. The maternal permanent environment variance ratio for LS amounted to 0.07. The genetic correlation of LS with LP was favourable at -0.69. Estimates of h², as ewe traits, were 0.04 for NLW, 0.17 for LP, 0.07 for ewe cooperation score (ECS) and 0.20 for SBS. Genetic correlations indicated that ewes with a high NLW had shorter parturitions while ECS was genetically correlated to SBS. Genetic trends suggested divergence between the lines for breeding values for LP, suggesting that parturitions became shorter in the H line and longer in the L line. Selection for NLW would yield desirable outcomes for ewe and lamb behavioural traits based on genetic trends and correlations. Such selection would putatively benefit animal welfare by reducing birth stress in ewes and lambs and by promoting maternal cooperation with their offspring’s first suckling attempts in ewes.

Relevance of Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale for Infants With Somatic Disorders: Comparison on One Matched Group of Control.

Objective: To compare the Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale results in two groups of infants with or without somatic disorder (N = 26).Method: The Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale was administered to two groups (clinical and control) of 13 infants each, aged from 5 to 18 weeks, matched 2 by 2 according to sex, age, rank among siblings, and parental socio-professional category. The first group includes infants with somatic disorder (clinical) and is matched with a second group of “healthy infants” (control).Results: Results indicate that the mean score of the control group is significantly higher than that of the clinical group. Most of the items are affected by the presence of a somatic disorder. Indeed, five out of the six categories present a statistically significant difference in favor of the control group, more specifically for the items “state regulation,” “motor system,” and “orientation/interaction.”Conclusion: This exploratory research enables a precise description of infants' difficulty in regulating excitations and the impact of somatic disorders on their development. This innovative knowledge will assist pediatricians and health professionals in the understanding of infants' characteristics to develop an adapted-care.

Investigation of early kangaroo care applied newborns who had invasive interventions in delivery room with COMFORTneo Behavior Scale

ABSTRACT Kangaroo care (KC) or kangaroo mother care (KMC), sometimes called skin-to-skin contact, is a technique of newborn care where babies are kept chest-to-chest and skin-to-skin with a parent. The research was carried out experimentally to investigate the effect of the early kangaroo care by using Neonatal Comfort Behavior Scale in invasive interventions applied to the babies during early kangaroo care who born as healthy normal birth. Eighty babies who born at Adana Maternity and Child Health Hospital delivery room between 1 July and 31 October 2016 and their mothers constituted the research sampling. The babies were inserted into the experimental (n = 40) and control groups (n = 40) by the simple random sampling method. The invasive interventions were executed to the babies included in experimental group during early kangaroo care and COMFORTneo Behavior Scale was applied. The crying times of babies in both groups were measured with the aid of stopwatch. The level of comfort of the group receiving kangaroo care was found to be higher than those who did not. Significant connection was confirmed statistically positive, and highly between total score and duration of crying (r = 0.925; p = 0.000). It was determined that crying time increases and comfort decreases with increment in total score. As a result, it was found that the early kangaroo care applied during invasive interventions of newborns is an effective method in increasing baby's comfort who born at delivery room.

P.677 Serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and confidence in adult relationships affect the number of followed people on Instagram

Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy impairs offspring behaviours and thereby their survival rate indirectly by decreasing lamb birth weight or by deteriorating milk production which in turn limits bonding of the dam with the neonate. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of maternal feed restriction during late pregnancy on performance and behaviours of ewes and their lambs. Twenty-four Ghezel ewes were allocated to the three experimental treatments including ad libitum intake (AL); restricted feed intake by 60 % (FR); and propylene glycol- supplemented restricted diet (FR + PG). AL and FR + PG ewes had higher circulating oestradiol (P < 0.001) but not progesterone (P < 0.0001) than FR ewes during late pregnancy and parturition. Prepartum undernutrition of FR ewes resulted in lower milk yield (P < 0.001) and higher milk fat percentage (P < 0.0001) than AL and FR+PG ewes during the initial three weeks of lactation. In the case of offspring behaviours, lambs born to ewes offered PG+FR treatment were quicker to kneel, stand up, reach to the udder, suck and play within the first 2 h of birth compared with those born to ewes offered FR and AL treatments (P < 0.0001). Lambs from FR+PG ewes had a higher birth weight (P < 0.05), weaning weight (P < 0.0001) and average daily gain (P < 0.0001) than those from the other groups. Concerning maternal behaviours, FR+PG ewes started grooming their lambs faster than ewes in other groups (P < 0.01). Moreover, it took more time for FR ewes to deliver their lambs or deliver their second lamb in multiple deliveries compared with those in the other groups (P < 0.01). The maternal recognition test revealed lambs born to AL and FR+PG ewes preferred to spend more time with their dams than did lambs born to FR ewes at 12 h of age (P < 0.0001). The results also showed that the time taken for the lambs to reach the contact zone or to reach their dam was substantially longer for lambs from FR ewes than those from AL and FR+PG ewes at 12 h and 24 h of age (P < 0.0001). There was a positive correlation between lamb birth weight and average daily gain (r= 0.36), weaning weight (r=0.64), survival rate (r=0.62). It can be concluded that although maternal under nutrition can adversely affect maternal and neonatal behaviours, supplementing glucogenic precursor as a strategy can alleviate the majority of physiological and behavioural abnormalities and might have beneficial outcomes for farmers.