Introduction/Objective. Antenatal maternal anxiety (AMA) can have negative impact on child’s pre- and postnatal development. The aim was to examine the effect of AMA on changes in fetal blood flow throw middle cerebral artery (MCA) after acoustic stimulation, birth outcome, and early child development. Methods. Forty-three women in the third trimester of pregnancy and their children were enrolled in a longitudinal prospective study. The AMA (state and trait) was assessed using Spielberger’s questionnaire. The MCA blood flow was assessed using Doppler ultrasound before and after defined acoustic stimulus. The data regarding neonatal body weight, Apgar score, first step and word appearance, estimated speech-language (ESLD), sensory-motor (ESMD), and social-emotional (ESED) development at the age of three were collected. Results. Fetuses from mothers with high state and trait anxiety had slower reaction time and higher relative pulsatility index after defined auditory stimulation. There are more preterm deliveries, lower scores on ESLD, ESMD, and ESED in mothers with high STAI-T compared to low. There is a negative correlation between reaction time, relative pulsatility index, STAI-T and ESLD. Conclusion. High levels of antenatal maternal trait anxiety could have a negative effect on both, fetal reactivity to sound stimulation and early child development

Background. This experimental study evaluates fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) circulation after the defined prenatal acoustical stimulation (PAS) and the role of cilia in hearing and memory and could explain signal transduction and memory according to cilia optical-acoustical properties.Methods. PAS was performed twice on 119 no-risk term pregnancies. We analyzed fetal MCA circulation before, after first and second PAS.Results. Analysis of the Pulsatility index basic (PIB) and before PAS and Pulsatility index reactive after the first PAS (PIR 1) shows high statistical difference, representing high influence on the brain circulation. Analysis of PIB and Pulsatility index reactive after the second PAS (PIR 2) shows no statistical difference. Cilia as nanoscale structure possess magnetic flux linkage that depends on the amount of charge that has passed between two-terminal variable resistors of cilia. Microtubule resistance, as a function of the current through and voltage across the structure, leads to appearance of cilia memory with the “memristor” property.Conclusion. Acoustical and optical cilia properties play crucial role in hearing and memory processes. We suggest that fetuses are getting used to sound, developing a kind of memory patterns, considering acoustical and electromagnetically waves and involving cilia and microtubules and try to explain signal transduction.

This study analysed whether the assessment of head righting reflex (HRR) in babies immediately after birth can be used in prediction of early child development. In 54 healthy newborns, testing of HRR was conducted on the third day upon birth. The HRR at birth were correlated with balance ability (BA), speech and language development (SLD) and social-emotional behaviour (SEB), on the same sample of children at the age of 5. Children whose HRR was absent or incomplete immediately after birth, later start to sit, stand, walk and talk and that differences are statistically significant (p<0.02, p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.01 respectively). Children with better BA (t = 2,32; p<0.02) and SLD (t = 2,33; p<0.02) at the age of 5, had present HRR at birth. Although the HRR reaches its full maturity at the end of the 2nd month of life, its onset immediately after birth could serve as a predictor of early child development.

Aim: This study aims to show speech and language, sensory-motor, and emotional progress after one year of therapy according to the needs of and resources for a child with multiple disabilities and blindness due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods: A 45-month-old boy was examined by a multidisciplinary team and assessed using the Sensory Profile 2, The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II, The Communication Matrix, and The Scale for Evaluation of Psychophysiological Abilities of Children Aged 0–7. After a year of daily individually adopted speech and language therapy followed by supplementary therapeutics method, based on a multidisciplinary approach, the child was reassessed using the same battery of tests. Results: The obtained results might indicate the importance of factors such as a multidisciplinary approach, individualization, communication pathways, therapist’s characteristics, and trust when working with children with multiple disabilities. Conclusion: Taking into account all the features of multiple disabilities during the treatment course, continuous monitoring, modification, and adaptation of applied therapy method proved successful in this case.

Pulsatility index (PI) values in a fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) were compared in no-risk pregnancies to examine the differences related to auditory stimulation test and pregnancy order. The study included 196 women with no-risk pregnancies selected from the database of more than 1000 pregnant women divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 98 nulliparous women (C1 = 98) and Group 2 consisted of 98 parous women (C2 = 98). All pregnant women were of comparable age and fetal gestational age (GA) when MCA-PI values were recorded. Measurements of PI values in fetal MCA were obtained before and immediately after the application of fetal auditory stimulation test. The MCA-PI measuring was conducted in the period between the 36th and the 41st week of GA. The results showed that PI baseline values and PI values after defined auditory stimulation were significantly different when measured in nulliparous women compared to parous women (p = 0.001; p = 0.003, respectively), while no group differences were observed in relative PI value changes due to auditory stimulation. These findings suggest that hemodynamic changes in fetal MCA caused by defined auditory stimulation measured by PI value changes may be valuable in the assessment of fetal auditory perception functionality and its development.