AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the role of progesterone in preterm birth prevention. METHODS: A MEDLINE search (from 1966 to the present; date of last search January 2005) was performed - using the key words progesterone, pregnancy, preterm birth, preterm labor, and randomized, controlled trial - ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the occurrence of peripartum hysterectomy between singleton and multiple gestations. METHODS: This was a historical cohort study comparing the occurrence of peripartum hysterectomy between singleton and multiple gestations at Banner Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 2001. RESULTS: During ...

BACKGROUND: Death of an infant in utero or at birth has always been a devastating experience for the mother and of concern in clinical practice. Infant mortality remains a challenge in the care of pregnant women worldwide, but particularly for developing countries and the need to understand contributory factors is ...

OBJECTIVE: Estimating the risk of in-hospital mortality in the neonatal intensive care unit provides important information for health care providers, and several neonatal illness severity scores have been developed. Histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) is a known cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. To date, the relationship between HCA and neonatal illness ...

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether admission hospital type (13 perinatal centers vs 4 freestanding pediatric hospitals) was associated with differences in risk and illness severity adjusted mortality and morbidity among outborn preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: Records of singleton outborn infants < or =32 weeks' gestational age (n = 605) admitted to ...

Preterm delivery can lead to serious infant health outcomes, including death and lifelong disability. Small increases in preterm delivery risk in relation to spatial gradients of air pollution have been reported, but previous studies may have controlled inadequately for individual factors. Using a time-series analysis, which eliminates potential confounding by ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether advanced maternal age is associated withfetal growth inhibition in triplets. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on triplet live births in the United States from 1995 through 1998. The outcomes of fetal growth inhibition measured were low birth weight, very low birth weight, preterm ...

The extent to which maternal folate and vitamin B12 modulate infant birth weight is unclear. The present study investigated mothers in early gestation (mean 11.5 (sd 5.8) weeks) and neonates, at delivery. Erythrocyte (RBC) folate (mothers: n 683; neonates: n 614) and vitamin B12 (mothers: n 534; neonates: n 614) ...

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the prevalence of newborn encephalopathy in term live births, and also the underlying diagnoses, timing, and outcome at 2 years of surviving infants. DESIGN: Population based observational study. SETTING: North Pas-de-Calais area of France, January to December 2000. PATIENTS: All 90 neonates with moderate or severe newborn ...

OBJECTIVE: The interval between births is associated with child survival in the developing world. We aimed to investigate associations between use of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate and other reversible contraception and short birth intervals in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Data from successive Demographic and Health Surveys undertaken in nine African countries were analyzed. ...

OBJECTIVE: To study perinatal characteristics as risk factors for developing primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS). METHODS: This was a case control study with extraction of information from birth records comprising 32 cases with SS (fulfilling the unified American-European classification criteria) and 159 controls. Cases were selected from a patient register of ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether infants exposed to tocolytics are at increased risk for selected adverse clinical and hospitalization outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a population-based cohort study of women with preterm labor, in Washington State from 1989 to 2001 (N=79,679), using linked hospitalization records. Relative risks for infant outcomes were ...

BACKGROUND: Advances in perinatal care have resulted in increased survival rates for extremely low birth weight children. We sought to examine the relative changes in rates of survival and neurodevelopmental impairment at 20 months of corrected age among 500- to 999-g birth weight infants born at our perinatal center during ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling increase the risk of postural deformities, limb reduction defects, respiratory problems in the newborn, fetal and infant mortality, prematurity, low birthweight and fetal distress, and to investigate the impact of gestational length at the time of the procedure. DESIGN: A population-based ...

OBJECTIVE: Describe the obstetric outcomes among women in California with pregnancy associated cervical cancer. METHODS: Cases were identified utilizing computer-linked infant birth/death certificates, discharge records, and cancer registry files, and then assigned to a prenatal or post-partum cancer diagnosis group. Outcomes included cesarean delivery, hospitalizations, birth weight, prematurity, and infant ...

Although the alpha+ thalassemias almost certainly confer protection against death from malaria, this has not been formally documented. We have conducted a study involving 655 case patients with rigorously defined severe malaria and 648 controls, frequency matched on area of residence and ethnic group. The prevalence of both heterozygous and ...

OBJECTIVE: Maternal risk factors for hypospadias are poorly defined, and there is debate about temporal trends in hypospadias prevalence. We examined select maternal characteristics as possible risk factors for hypospadias among male offspring and evaluated yearly prevalence rates in Washington State. METHODS: We performed a population-based, case-control study using linked ...

BACKGROUND: An increase in the rate of gastroschisis has been documented by birth defects surveillance systems in the United States and in other countries. This study sought to evaluate historical trends in the rate of gastroschisis in Atlanta, Georgia, and to describe the epidemiology of gastroschisis over 33 years. METHODS: ...

OBJECTIVE: In preterm infants, chronic lung disease (CLD) is associated with an increased risk for cerebral palsy (CP). However, systemic postnatal corticosteroid therapy to prevent or treat CLD, although effective in improving lung function, may cause CP. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of systemic postnatal ...

OBJECTIVES: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a significant complication for the premature infant. However, subsequent neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants with NEC have not been well described. We hypothesized that ELBW infants with surgically managed (SurgNEC) are at greater risk for poor neurodevelopmental and growth ...

The detrimental effects of organophosphate pesticide (OP) exposure on neurodevelopment have been shown in animals. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between in utero and early postnatal OP exposure and neonatal neurobehavior in humans, as measured by seven clusters (habituation, orientation, motor performance, range of state, regulation of ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastroesophageal reflux is common among preterm infants and those who are small for gestational age, and it is a strong risk factor for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. METHODS: In a cohort of 3364 individuals born preterm and/or small for gestational age between 1925 and 1949, we assessed ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether mode of delivery is a predictor of poor short-term outcome at different birth weight categories in very low birth weight infants. METHODS: This study examined a cohort of infants weighing less than 1,251 g born at 2 perinatal centers from January 1, 2000, to December 31, ...

OBJECTIVE: Severe abnormalities of the head ultrasound (HUS) are important predictors of cerebral palsy (CP) and mental retardation, and a normal HUS usually ensures the absence of major impairments. With the increasing survival of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants (birth weight <1000 g), the prognostic significance of a normal ...

OBJECTIVES: To compare mortality and death or major morbidity (DOMM) among infants <25 weeks estimated gestational age (EGA) born during two post-surfactant era time periods. STUDY DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Comparative cohort study of very low birthweight (501-1500 g) infants <25 weeks EGA in the NICHD Neonatal Research Network born during ...

BACKGROUND: Preterm delivery is associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy (CP). The greatest risk is for infants born <28 weeks' gestation. AIMS: To identify significant neonatal risk factors for CP and explore the interactions between antenatal and neonatal risk factors, among extremely preterm infants of 27 weeks' gestation ...

CONTEXT: Perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAS) is a common cause of hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Risk factors for this condition have not been clearly defined. OBJECTIVE: To determine maternal and infant characteristics associated with PAS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Case-control study nested within the cohort of all 199,176 infants born from ...

OBJECTIVE: To perform an updated systematic review with meta-analysis to further elucidate the efficacy of progestational agents for the prevention of preterm births in patients at elevated risk. DATA SOURCES: Computerized databases, references in published studies, and textbook chapters in all languages were used to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ...

Results on the effect of ritodrine in the treatment of preterm labour are different all over the world. Therefore, a concrete conclusion cannot be drawn from a single randomized control trial (RCT). In this study, we selected a large number of RCTs worldwide on the treatment of preterm labour comparing ...

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to explore the relationship between clinical, microbiologic, and serologic markers of periodontitis and preterm birth (PTB). STUDY DESIGN: We compared women with a singleton gestation giving birth before the 37th week (cases, n = 83) with term delivery controls (n = 120). Periodontal examination and ...

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that term and preterm infants exposed to maternal infection at the time of delivery are at increased risk of developing cerebral palsy (CP). STUDY DESIGN: A population-based case-control study was conducted using Washington State birth certificate data linked to hospital discharge data. Cases (688) were ...

We investigated the association between total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and risk of stillbirth and low and very low birth weight in three water regions in England, 1992-1998; associations with individual trihalomethanes (THMs) were also examined. Modeled estimates of quarterly TTHM concentrations in water zones, categorized as low (< 30 microg/L), medium ...

BACKGROUND: Most children are believed to acquire Streptococcus pneumoniae asymptomatically, with only a few developing overt S. pneumoniae disease. This study investigates the relationship between acquisition of S. pneumoniae and mild nonspecific infection leading to general practitioner (GP) consultation. METHODS: A prospective birth cohort study of 213 infants assessed at ...

Contaminated sport fish consumption may result in exposure to various reproductive and developmental toxicants, including pesticides and other suspected endocrine disruptors. We investigated the relation between maternal sport fish meals and risk of major birth defects among infants born to members of the New York State (NYS) Angler Cohort between ...

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association of the PRISM III (pediatric risk of mortality) score with the infant outcome in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and to determine if this score could be simplified. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was carried out with 170 infants who were consecutively admitted to ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence, causes, predictors, and outcomes of septicemia in the first week of life in a national cohort of extremely premature infants. METHODS: A prospective study of survival of all infants with gestational age of <28 weeks or birth weight of <1000 g who were born in ...

OBJECTIVES: Medical dictionaries and anthropologic sources define brachycephaly as a cranial index (CI = width divided by length x 100%) greater than 81%. We examine the impact of supine sleeping on CI and compare orthotic treatment with repositioning. STUDY DESIGN: We compared the effect of repositioning versus helmet therapy on ...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is associated with an adverse effect on the outcome of subsequent pregnancies. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed. The study group comprised women who had a LEEP in Halifax County between 1992 and 1999 and then had a subsequent ...

AIMS: To study the frequency and associations of early postpartum discharge and infant readmission to hospital. METHODS: Infants readmitted to hospital during the first 28 days of life in 1998 in the Northern Region of the UK were studied. RESULTS: A total of 4743 of 11,338 (42%) babies were discharged ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare pre-induction ultrasonographic cervical length and Bishop score in predicting time to delivery after labour induction with prostaglandins. DESIGN: Prognostic cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary referral maternity unit in a teaching hospital. POPULATION: Two hundred and sixty-six women with singleton pregnancies at between 34(+0) and 41(+3) weeks of gestation ...

CONTEXT: The "hygiene hypothesis" has implicated sibship as a marker of infection load during early life and suggests that exposure or reexposure to infections can influence the developing immune system. Viral infection has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether exposure to infant ...

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infection (NI), particularly with positive blood or cerebrospinal fluid bacterial cultures, is a major cause of morbidity in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Rates of NI appear to vary substantially between NICUs. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for NI, as well as the ...

BACKGROUND: The hip trial aimed to assess clinical effectiveness, economic and psychosocial costs, and benefits of ultrasound imaging (US) compared with conventional clinical assessment alone to guide the management of infants with neonatal hip instability. OBJECTIVE: To report on psychosocial consequences for mothers and the developing mother-child relationship of US, ...

In this retrospective study, we tested the following hypotheses: rates of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (SIVH) and early neonatal survival are similar among extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants treated with combination prophylaxis of phenobarbital and indomethacin compared with phenobarbital alone or no prophylaxis; and rates of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ...

BACKGROUND: Young maternal age has long been associated with higher infant mortality rates, but the role of socioeconomic factors in this association has been controversial. We sought to investigate the relationships between infant mortality (distinguishing neonatal from post-neonatal deaths), socioeconomic status and maternal age in a large, retrospective cohort study. ...

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether and how population based data from a regional quality control programme can be used to investigate the hypothesis that small for gestational age (SGA) very low birthweight infants (VLBW, <1500 g) are at increased risk of death, severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), and periventricular leucomalacia (PVL), but ...

BACKGROUND: Glutamine endogenous biosynthesis may be insufficient for tissue needs in states of metabolic stress. Trials in adults have suggested that glutamine supplementation improves clinical outcomes in critically ill adults. It has been suggested that glutamine supplementation may benefit preterm infants, particularly very low birth weight infants. OBJECTIVES: To determine ...

BACKGROUND: Hypothermia incurred during routine postnatal resuscitation is a world-wide issue (across all climates), with associated morbidity and mortality. Keeping vulnerable preterm infants warm is problematic even when recommended routine thermal care guidelines are followed in the delivery suite. OBJECTIVES: To assess efficacy and safety of interventions, designed for prevention ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine population-based overall and malformation-specific trends in the prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy termination, and perinatal mortality for congenital heart disease (CHD) during a period of rapid progress in prenatal diagnosis and medical management of CHD and to explore the impact of prenatal diagnosis on early neonatal mortality for specific ...

OBJECTIVES: To examine the incidence of life-threatening (near-miss) complications, including hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome occurring in women with preeclampsia in the Grampian region of Scotland between 1981 and 2000. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All women who were resident in a geographically determined region (the Grampian region ...