Clinical Research Directory

The Effect of Breast Milk, 10% and 20% Dextrose on Pain and Physiological Variables During Heel Puncture in Infants

Pain, defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as a subjective, sensory, and emotional experience, differs from nociception, which is merely a neural activity. Premature newborns, whose inhibitory fibers are not yet mature due to anatomical and physiological development and who have insufficient endogenous opioid release, experience painful stimuli much more intensely. The inability of this age group to verbally express pain makes the diagnosis, assessment, and management of pain entirely dependent on healthcare professionals. Pain that is not effectively managed leads to stress and loss of comfort in the short term, while in the long term it can cause permanent neurodevelopmental problems and alter the individual's pain threshold later in life. Premature infants, especially those in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), are exposed to invasive procedures that cause moderate to severe pain, such as heel prick tests, much more frequently than healthy term infants. In this context, pain management is a fundamental and essential nursing responsibility for the infant's neuroprotective developmental care. The literature shows that various non-pharmacological methods, such as oral sucrose, non-nutritive sucking (NNS), facilitated flexion, and wrapping, are used to alleviate pain during interventional procedures. Although more readily available in NICUs, studies on the effectiveness of oral glucose solutions are more limited compared to sucrose. This research, designed to address this gap in the existing literature, aims to investigate the effect of "oral breast milk, 20%, and 10% dextrose solution administered with supportive positioning methods" on pain reduction during heel prick blood sampling in premature newborns. The results of this research are expected to contribute to the development of a new, easily applicable, effective, and evidence-based nursing intervention strategy for NICUs.

The Effect of PIOMI and Chronobiological Nutrition on Readiness for Feeding, Full Transition to Oral Feeding and Body Weight

This is a randomized controlled experimental study evaluating the effects of oral motor intervention and chronobiological approach to feeding model applied to preterm infants on feeding readiness, transition to total oral feeding and body weight.

The Effect of the Message Left by Mothers Whose Babies Are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Newborn babies may need to stay in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) immediately after birth for many reasons such as premature birth, low birth weight, respiratory distress, infection, jaundice. Depending on the cause and level of the newborn's illness, the length of stay may be extended, lasting weeks or even months. This situation negatively affects mother-infant bonding, causing mothers to be unable to establish healthy communication with their babies. For mothers in particular, leaving their babies in the NICU makes them feel inadequate and hopeless. Attachment is the emotional bond that a baby establishes with its mother or the person who cares for it. This bond established between the mother and the baby affects the emotional, social, cognitive and moral development of the individual throughout their life. It is known that secure attachment contributes to the physical and mental development of babies, while insecure attachment is associated with various mental illnesses. For these reasons, it is important to initiate secure attachment between the mother and the baby during the neonatal period. The aim of this planned study is to examine the effect of the messages left by mothers whose babies are in the NICU on mother-infant bonding and the mothers' level of hope. Mothers leaving messages for their babies provides a context in which they can express themselves to their babies and may positively affect mother-infant bonding and the mother's level of hope in the NICU.

Impact of Breast Milk miRNAs on the Infant Gut Microbiota

The first 1000 days of life are a critical period for future health. A healthy gut microbiota (GM) is essential for preventing both short-term and long-term health issues. Breast milk (BM) plays a key role in establishing the GM, as, unlike formula milk, it contains miRNAs that may interact with and modulate the microbiota. Primary Objective: To study the effect of BM on the composition of fecal miRNAs in exclusively breastfed infants compared to those fed with formula milk at different times (D10, D30, D60, M6, M12). Secondary Objectives: Analyze the effect of BM miRNAs on infant fecal microbiota, taking environmental confounding factors into account. Study the influence of BM microbiota on miRNA profiles in the milk. Examine the effect of BM microbiota on the infants' gut microbiota. Explore the links between BM miRNAs, infant gut microbiota, and intestinal inflammation.