Age-related changes of 20 variables describing breathing patterns, transcutaneous blood gases, and estimated CO2 response during sleep were examined in a cross-sectional study of 30 healthy control infants and 150 healthy siblings of sudden infant death syndrome victims within the first 18 mo of life. Whole-night measurements were performed using noninvasive respiratory induction plethysmography and transcutaneous blood gas electrodes. Each candidate for the study was extensively screened and found to be healthy. Mean transcutaneous PCO2 (PtcCO2, median 40.3 Torr) and maximum PtcCO2 (median 44.8 Torr), as well as the estimated ventilatory response to inhalation of 2% CO2 in air during regular breathing, causing a 20-36% increase of ventilation per Torr PtcCO2, were not related to postnatal age. In contrast, paradoxical breathing decreased from 49.5 to 0% of total sleep time (TST), periodic breathing from 5.5 to 0% TST, and respiratory rate during regular breathing from 40 to 22 breaths/min; the portion of regular breathing increased from 32 to 55% TST and mean and minimum transcutaneous PO2 from 65.4 and 47 to 69.7 and 52 Torr with increasing stability. The largest changes occurred in the first 6 mo of life. Maximum apnea duration (9.5 s, maximum 16 s), mean apnea duration (3.74 s, breathing pauses > or = 2 s), and time spent apneic per hour of irregular breathing (199 s/h) were not related to age. The comparison of data from siblings and controls showed similarities in the above-mentioned variables. No significant differences were found among the groups. Also a comparison of 30 pairs of siblings and controls, matched for age, gender, birth, and actual body weight, did not show significant differences. The present study extends the knowledge of development of breathing control beyond the first 6 mo of life.
The aim of our study was to examine whether a training program for family caregivers of neurological patients has effects on the relatives' depression, prostration, and subjective burden. Fourteen caregivers who participated in a special training program in a German regional neurological rehabilitation hospital and 14 caregivers in the control group were assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale, the prostration scale of the Giessen Discomfort Questionnaire, and the Caregiver Burden Scale after admission, before discharge, and 1 month after discharge in a telephone interview. Mean depression, prostration, and burden scores were relatively low in both groups. There were no significant variations of depression scores over time within both groups. We found a significant reduction of prostration scores over the three measurement points in the control group. The decrease of the total burden score within the intervention group had a high effect size. Patients in both groups improved remarkably in their Barthel indices. The low psychological complaints in both groups might be associated with a cohort effect. In elderly caregivers, self-disclosure is regarded more negatively compared with younger people. The remarkable improvement of patients in both groups might have been supported by the presence of their caregivers during rehabilitation.
The phase relationship between respiration and locomotion was examined in ten patients with Parkinson's disease (PD, mean age 65, range 51-79 years) and in six healthy subjects (mean age 63, range 58-68 years). Locomotion was measured by means of pressure sensors attached below the subjects' feet. Respiration was measured using respiratory inductive plethysmography. The data were recorded with a battery-driven portable device. We determined the coordination degree as the portion of steps which occurred within 12/50 bins of the respiratory cycle. The mean degree of coordination of PD patients was 45.0%+/-11.9%, for the healthy subjects 85.1%+/-10.8% (P<0.001). Three healthy subjects showed a 2:1 ratio between step and breathing rate, three a 3:2 ratio. Two PD patients showed a coordination of 4:1 and 3:1, respectively, with a larger scatter than in controls. In the other eight patients steps were almost equally distributed over the entire respiratory cycle. We conclude that in patients with PD the coordination between locomotion and breathing is reduced.
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