We measured nitrogen balance and urinary 3-methylhistidine molar ratios in 33 extremely low birth weight infants (12 with hyperkalemia and 21 without) for the first 3 days of life. Although all infants were in negative nitrogen balance during the study, there was no difference in the degree of negative nitrogen ...

Features of leprechaunism, including low-birth weight, a grotesque elfin face with clubbed nose, hirsutism, large low-set ears, enlarge external genitalia, distended abdomen with emaciated extremities, and growth and motor retardation were present in a 3-month-old girl. Because of parental consanguinity in this patient, a recessive mode of inheritance seems likely.

Based on data obtained early in the development of neonatal extracorporeal life support (ECLS), contraindications to the use of ECLS have included low estimated gestational age (EGA) and low birth weight (BW). However, multiple improvements in the technical and management aspects of neonatal ECLS have been implemented since those early ...

Among a cross-sectional sample (stratified by weight and age after birth) of 226 uncomplicated term newborns from the delivery and postnatal wards of a busy government maternity hospital in Kathmandu, the period prevalence of hypoglycaemia (corrected blood glucose of < 2.6 mmol/l) during the first 50 hours after birth was ...

Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants often develop postnatal head molding (PHM)--an elongation of the skull--when a standard, firm mattress is used. This study was undertaken to determine if a pressure relief mattress (PRM) might reduce the severity of PHM. One hundred twenty-eight infants (birth weight range 567-1,490 gm, mean ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential development of oral motor problems following prolonged orotracheal intubation in low-birth-weight infants. DESIGN: Prospective observational. SETTING: Tertiary-care hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-one low-birth-weight infants and 10 full-term infants divided into three groups--group 1 with 15 low-birth-weight infants (< or = 1250 g) who had been intubated for ...

Nearly 25 million infants were born with low birth weight in 1990, according to information from WHO's Safe Motherhood database. This situation is virtually unchanged since the late 1970s when the first estimates were produced. WHO defines low birth weight as weight at birth of less than 2500 gm whatever ...

Serial renal ultrasonography was performed in 50 consecutive neonates with birth weights less than 1200 gm who survived to at least 3 weeks of age. Nephrocalcinosis developed in 8 (67%) of 12 white and only 6 (16%) of 38 nonwhite infants (p < 0.01). Seven (78%) of nine infants with ...

Extreme prematurity (birth weight less than 500 g) with intact survival is very uncommon. This paper describes a preterm infant with birth weight of 354 g who is now 4 years old and developmentally normal. Intervention and management decisions in such a low birth weight group produce an ethical enigma. ...

We determined the minimal insertion lengths for appropriate placement of orogastric tubes in very low birth weight infants (< 1500 gm). Feeding tubes marked in centimeter increments were placed orogastrically by using standard neonatal intensive care unit protocol. When radiographs were taken, the centimeter marking at the lip was recorded, ...

Several methodologic issues affect the literature on the outcomes of very low birth weight children, making assessing trends difficult. A conservative estimate is that the proportion of handicapped survivors has remained stable, and with increasing survival, the absolute numbers will increase, but many studies suggest decreasing proportions with handicap. Suggestions ...

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the development of nutritive sucking patterns and physiologic correlates in very-low-birth-weight infants. Fifty infants with a mean gestational age of 29.5 weeks (SD = 1.8 weeks) and mean birth weight of 1466 g (SD = 322 g) generated 106 sucking records. The ...

Blood concentrations of gastrin, motilin, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-I were measured sequentially during the first 3 weeks of life in 22 very-low-birth-weight infants (birth weight 1.03 +/- 0.24 g; gestational age 28.3 +/- 1.9 weeks; mean +/- SD) who were in respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation and were receiving ...

This study examines areal variations in low birth weight, using the census tract as the unit of analysis. Reports from the 1980 U.S. census were used to develop summary indicators of environmental and socio-economic conditions, including poverty, employment, education and crowding, for 155 census tracts in the state of Hawaii. ...

A number of previous studies have found that prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) improves birth outcomes, but only a few studies have provided cost-benefit analyses. The present study linked Medicaid and WIC data files to birth certificates for live births in ...

Bone mineral density (BMD) increases during growth until a peak is reached at maturity. The risk of development of postmenopausal osteoporosis depends on the peak bone density and the rate of its subsequent loss. To identify whether low weight at birth could affect the peak bone density, we measured BMD ...

The majority of births in rural India take place at home, Logistic constraints make early and reliable identification of low birth weight babies difficult. Using neonatal foot length as a proxy measure for birth weight, we devised a tri colored foot tape intended for use at home by the neonatal ...

In a long-term prospective control study, 20 extremely low-birth-weight infants with birth weights between 500 and 900 g (mean 755 +/- 109 g) and gestational ages between 24 and 30 weeks (mean 26.2 +/- 1.8 weeks) were compared with 20 full-term infants, after the first year of life for growth, ...

The solution to nursing problems can often be found by using a combination of a naturalistic approach and traditional scientific methods. To illustrate this link, the development of a pacifier for low birth weight infants is described. The observation of fetus' thumb sucking in utero led to a broadly based ...

The aim of the study was to verify the predictive value of ultrasound performed in the neonatal period for short-term neurodevelopmental prognosis in 122 preterm very-low-birth-weight infants followed-up at 36 months. Neuromotor development was favourable in 53 (87%) subjects with normal ultrasound findings and in 21 (81%) subjects presenting uncomplicated ...

The combined effects of maternal and paternal factors on the risk of delivering low birth weight (less than 2,500 g) and very low birth weight (less than 1,500 g) infants were examined among married parents. Using 1984-1988 natality data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics, the authors found ...

Advances in providing care for infants of very low birth weight have improved their survival status. Because the fundamental problem for these infants is physical immaturity, the balance of fluids and electrolytes is a complex phenomenon to assess and manage. In managing the major problems of fluid and electrolyte balance ...

Growth hormone-binding protein (GH-BP) levels were studied in cord serum of 69 human infants born after 24 to 41 wk of gestation and in serum of 14 infants aged 1 to 3 mo. GH-BP levels were measured by HPLC-gel filtration of serum incubated overnight with 125I-hGH. The radioactive elution profile ...

Birthing, health and prenatal records of 523 infants born between 1984 and 1988 in the central Canadian Arctic, were reviewed. The incidence of low birth weight (LBW) was 5.5%, which is lower than in many other populations. Principal indicators of risk were a previous history of a LBW infant, a ...

A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccine in low and normal birth weight infants. Hepatitis B vaccine (Hevac B Pasteur) was given to 50 low birth weight infants and 50 controls, matched by sex and date of delivery. The vaccine was given at birth, ...

To determine the relationship between measured serum osmolality (MsOsm) and calculated osmolality and to examine factors that may affect the osmolal gap. Longitudinal cohort study. Regional tertiary neonatal intensive care nursery in a university-affiliated hospital. Sixty low-birth-weight infants (birth weight, 540 to 1500 g), studied daily during the first week ...

Delivery of the premature infant weighing less than 1,500 g poses a significant dilemma for the obstetrician. First-discharge survival of 218 very-low-birth-weight infants was retrospectively analysed and the survival rate of infants with a birth weight of less than 800 g was found to be only 15%. If the birth-weight ...

The exact role of natural killer (NK) cells in host defense is unclear, but they may be important as an early response to certain infections. We evaluated NK cell phenotype and activity in premature very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) (n = 52) with an average gestational age of 29.3 ...

Skeletal muscle hypotonia is a hallmark clinical finding in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) human infants. Although the biochemical basis for this phenomenon is not completely understood, one hypothesis is that the phosphorylation potential is abnormally low in the skeletal muscle of these infants. Therefore, we used 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to ...

In order to quantify muscle thickness and choose the appropriate site for intramuscular injection of vaccines in neonates, we used ultrasonography to measure muscle and subcutaneous fat thickness of anterolateral mid-thigh, upper outer quadrant of buttock and middle area of deltoid in fifty full term (group 1) and thirty low ...

This pilot study was initiated to determine whether heparin-induced thrombocytopenia occurs in the newborn and whether thromboembolic complications in the newborn could be related to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Thirty-four infants in whom thrombocytopenia (less than 70,000/mm3) (n = 23), precipitous (30% to 50%) fall in platelet count (n = 5), or ...

This paper describes factors that have influenced how investigators have conceptualized studies of low-birth-weight children and provides information on critically evaluating and interpreting results of research studies. Major findings concerning personality, temperament, and cognitive development during the preschool years of the low-birth-weight infants and their school achievement and behavior are ...

This article presents a review of discharge planning and home follow-up for low-birth-weight infants. The scope of the problem of low birth weight and postdischarge health status of low-birth-weight infants are presented in overview. Discharge planning and home care are detailed for healthy low-birth-weight infants and for low-birth-weight infants requiring ...

For the prophylaxis of septicemia with coagulase-negative staphylococci in a high-risk very-low-birth-weight population, we administered 5 mg/kg of vancomycin every 12 h. Distribution volume and half-life of vancomycin were determined. Serum peak and trough levels were obtained on day 3 of treatment. With this low-dose regimen, serum concentrations in the ...

The United States ranks 20th in infant mortality among industrialized nations. This exceptionally high mortality rate primarily is attributable to the low-birth-weight rate. A reduction in infant mortality will require prevention of low-birth-weight births. Risk factors, social issues, and preventive services must be identified to effectively address the prevention of ...

Plasma manganese levels were determined at birth and then serially to 3 months of age in 40 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants (mean birth weight 1,027 g). Mean plasma manganese concentration was 3.6 micrograms/l at birth and 3.0 micrograms/l at 3 months of age. These levels were approximately 3-fold ...

The problem of low birth weight has emerged as the single most important cause of infant death or subsequent handicaps in infancy and childhood. Although low birth weight babies (below 5.5 pounds) represent a small percentage of all babies born, well over half of all infant deaths occur among this ...

Low birth weight is an ever-increasing threat to the health of America's future generations. In national efforts to improve the status of children's health, it is the primary condition to be targeted for prevention. In this chapter, low birth weight and infant mortality trends are presented. Causative and consequential factors ...

Severe prematurity is a prime factor causing perinatal mortality or morbidity. In Finland 1% of babies are born before 32 completed weeks of pregnancy and 0.9% are delivered with a birth weight of 1500 g or less. Since transport of a baby in utero is preferable to transporting a neonate, ...

Recent federal legislation (e.g., PL 99-457, Part H, and amendments to the MHC block grant and Medicaid legislation) has focused attention on infants at risk for health and developmental problems. The ability to plan services for these infants would be strengthened by data that could be used for program accountability ...

A hospital-based case-control study was conducted at Phanat Nikhom District Hospital, Chon Buri Province, Thailand to determine the association between low birth weight and severe diarrhea and its magnitude of association among children under two years of age. Data were analyzed from 52 severe diarrheal cases and 121 mild diarrheal ...

Parenteral human immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration is widely used in low birth weight (LBW) infants for prevention and therapy of neonatal infection. In previous studies, IVIG preparations containing IgG and low IgM concentrations were commonly used. In this study we compare immunoglobulin serum levels in two groups of healthy preterm infants ...

A modification of the anorectal manometric technique has been devised to improve its accuracy in 31 low-weight newborn and premature infants. The characteristics of the probes used allowed long recording sessions without any sedation of patients. The pressure records fit well the classically accepted requisites. All recordings showed spontaneous fluctuating ...

Sixteen healthy very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) were studied in a serial fashion over a 3-week period. Subjects were evaluated for lymphocyte phenotype, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) response, and metabolic status including weight, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, albumin, pH, calcium, phosphorus, and ammonia. Lymphocyte phenotype determination showed a decreased proportion of ...

Availability of personal computer programs for control of drug regimens has stimulated interest in modeling population pharmacokinetics. In this study, we found parameter values for gentamicin in two infant populations with low birth weights. The models were developed by use of a parametric (i.e., standard two-stage algorithm) and with a ...

During 1988, 80% of women in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Texas enrolled in the program after the first trimester of pregnancy. Infants born to these women displayed higher rates of low birth weight than those born to women who entered WIC during ...

Topical application of caffeine for the treatment of neonatal apnoea was considered in 57 low birth weight infants (less than 1500 g birth weight). The rationale for the study was that transdermal absorption of drugs and chemical agents has been demonstrated in neonates depending on anatomical and functional immaturity of ...

Investigation of lymphocyte activation in vitro to microbial pathogens was undertaken in very-low-birth-weight infants during the first 2 weeks of life. Twenty-three infants with birth weights less than 1500 g were studied on day 1. Normal adults (n = 23) and cord blood from seven full-term infants were used as ...

The incidence of hypothermia (axillary temperature less than 35 degrees C) on admission of an infant to a neonatal intensive care unit was retrospectively analyzed in 559 very-low-birth-weight (less than 1500 gm) newborn infants. The smaller infants were at greater risk of hypothermia. Only in the larger neonates was mortality ...

The effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin for prevention of sepsis in very low birth weight infants was studied on 102 neonates at the Children Hospital, Bangkok from February 1988 to February 1990. Infants were randomly allocated into 3 groups of 35 each. Group I and group II received 250 mg/kg and ...