Transcranial ultrasonography is the most widely used neuroimaging technique in both premature and full term infants. The high susceptibility to hypoxia of the preterm brain explains the raised prevalence of intracranial haemorrhages at this group of patients. Ultrasound examination contributes to assessment of the neurologic status in children by diagnosing ...

AIM: There has been no clear consensus of the appropriate positioning in preterm infants. We aimed to evaluate the changes of cerebral and mesenteric tissue oxygenation in three different positions, by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in stable very low birth weight (VLBW) infants of postnatal >30days. METHODS: NIRS monitoring of ...

Background: Brain Cooling (BC) represents the elective treatment in asphyxiated newborns. Amplitude Integrated Electroencephalography (aEEG) and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring may help to evaluate changes in cerebral electrical activity and cerebral hemodynamics during hypothermia. Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic value of aEEG time course and NIRS data in asphyxiated ...

Background:Preterm infants with hypotension (mean arterial blood pressure [MABP] < gestational age [GA]) are treated with volume expansion and/or dopamine to ensure adequate cerebral perfusion/oxygenation. We used near-infrared spectroscopy to analyze the effects of volume expansion and dopamine on cerebral oxygenation in hypotensive preterm infants without patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).Patients ...

Frequency spectrum analysis of circulatory signals has been proposed as a potential method for clinical risk assessment of preterm infants by previous studies. In this study, we examined the relationships between various spectral measures derived from systemic and cerebral cardiovascular variabilities and the clinical risk index for babies (CRIB II). ...

With the advancement of neonatal medicine during the past several decades, premature and critically ill infants are living past the neonatal period and surviving. The survival of these infants at smaller birth weights and younger gestational ages puts them at an increased risk for intraventricular hemorrhages (IVHs). Although shifts in ...

Objective:To establish the association of cardiotocography (CTG) and other obstetric parameters with pulsed Doppler findings in cerebral arteries during the first day of life, and to compare the cerebral artery Doppler with other determinants of asphyxia in predicting 1-year neurological outcome in asphyxiated full-term infants.Study Design:Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) ...

Objective:  Hypoglycaemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) with impaired neurogenic and neuroglycopaenic responses occurs in adults following recent, repeated hypoglycaemia. We aimed to evaluate whether HAAF also occurs in patients with infant-onset Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI). Design, patients:  A controlled fast was performed in a) seven CHI infants with initial symptomatic hypoglycaemia and ...

Purpose. To use the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants to further explore the association between elevated glucose levels and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and to find new preventive strategies for ROP. Methods. A secondary analysis of risk factors for ROP in VLBW infants was ...

OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the cost-effectiveness of magnesium neuroprophylaxis for all women at risk for preterm birth <32 weeks. STUDY DESIGN: A decision analytic and cost-effectiveness model was designed to compare use of magnesium for neuroprophylaxis vs no treatment for women at risk for preterm birth <32 weeks due ...

Abstract Objective: To evaluate whether amniotic fluid glucose concentration can predict poor neonatal outcome in cases with polyhydramnios as an overall assessment. Methods: In this retrospective study, we have reviewed 42 consecutive pregnant women with singleton gestations complicated with polyhydramnios who gave birth at one tertiary care center between January ...

Signs of pain may be subtle or absent in a critically ill infant. The complex nature of pain may further obscure its identification and measurement. Because the use of monitoring and neuroimaging techniques has become more common in pain research, an understanding of these specialized technologies is important. Near-infrared spectroscopy ...

Infants born preterm are especially vulnerable to cerebral palsy, the risk of which is inversely proportional to gestational age at birth. The contribution of prematurity to the overall burden of cerebral palsy is substantial. This article reviews and discusses potential antenatal and postnatal neuroprotective approaches targeted at the numerous risk factors ...

Background: Neurodevelopmental outcome of very premature infant can be associated with a high rate of cerebral palsy. Aim: To assess the impact of very preterm birth on neurological outcome at the age of two years. Methods: Retrospective study of all cases of very premature infants born at less than 33 ...

Objective:To explore if regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation monitoring by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is feasible during neonatal resuscitation of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants after birth.Study Design:Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation was measured by NIRS in 51 VLBW infants (mean gestational age: 27.8 weeks) during the first 10 min after delivery.Result:A ...

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for cerebral circulation monitoring has gained popularity in the neonatal intensive care setting, with studies showing the possibility of identifying preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) by transfer function analysis of arterial blood pressure (BP) and NIRS measures. In this study, we examined a number of NIRS-derived ...

To study the changes of cerebral oxygenation and hemodynamics in normal neonates at 2-5 min post-birth and understand the effects of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) upon cerebral oxygenation and hemodynamics in newborn neonates. The near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was employed to measure the absolute quantity of brain tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) ...

Background  As the survival of very preterm and low-birthweight infants increases, so does the importance of monitoring the birth prevalence of childhood impairments; disease registers provide a means to do so for these rare conditions. High levels of ascertainment for disease research registers have become increasingly difficult to achieve in ...

: Near-infrared spectroscopy has moved from a research tool to a widely used clinical monitor in the critically ill pediatric patient over the last decade. The physiological and clinical evidence supporting this technology in practice is reviewed here. : A search of MEDLINE and PubMed was conducted to find validation ...

Background: Preterm infants with a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) are at risk for fluctuations in cerebral blood flow, but it is unclear how different hsPDA treatment strategies may affect cerebral oxygenation. Objective: To compare regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO(2)) as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in very low ...

The authors reviewed the medical records of very low-birth-weight infants admitted from 1998 to 2007 and compared neurodevelopmental outcomes with their previously reported data from 1989 to 1997. The recent group included 824 infants, and the previous group included 471 infants. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were classified into cerebral palsy and non-cerebral ...

Impaired cerebral oxygen delivery may cause cerebral damage in preterm infants. At lower levels of cerebral perfusion and oxygen concentration electro-cerebral activity is disturbed. The balance between cerebral oxygen delivery and oxygen use can be measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electro-cerebral activity can be measured by amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG). ...

Birth asphyxia can induce a cascade of reactions that result in altered brain function known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Possible outcomes for survivors of birth asphyxia vary widely, from a normal outcome to death, with a wide range of disabilities in between, including long-term neurodevelopmental disability, cerebral palsy, neuromotor delay, and ...

Cerebral palsy is a leading cause of childhood neuromotor disability and is strongly associated with preterm delivery. Basic science research and some observational studies have suggested a neuroprotective benefit from antenatal exposure to magnesium sulfate. Recent randomized controlled studies and meta-analyses suggest that antenatal exposure to magnesium sulfate before anticipated ...

Background: The present study reports the development and application of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS), a parental self-report designed to assess the quantity and quality of affordances in the home environment that are conducive to motor development for infants 3- to 18 ...

Breastfeeding has been shown to benefit both maternal and child immune status. The impact of exclusive breastfeeding in the presence of HIV infection on maternal and child health is still unclear. Socio-economic factors make breast-feeding an important source of nutrition for an infant 6 months and under in the developing world. ...

AIM: To evaluate the impact of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), a subset of committed circulatory stem cells, on the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other short term outcomes in a cohort of extremely premature newborns. METHODS: Progenitor cells were quantified by flow cytometry at birth in 36 neonates born ...

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the question whether length of in utero exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants might affect neonatal outcome and psychomotor development in infancy. METHODS: Birth outcome was determined in the offspring of 55 women with major depressive disorder who used SSRI medication for different durations ...

Background/Aims: Accumulating evidence from a relatively small number of prospective studies indicates that exposure to prenatal stress profoundly influences the developing human fetus with consequences that persist into childhood and very likely forever. Methods: Maternal/fetal dyads are assessed at ∼20, ∼25, ∼31 and ∼36 weeks of gestation. Infant assessments begin ...

Aim:  To evaluate the predictive capacity of neonatal behavior on infant mental and psychomotor development at 4 and 12 months, and infant intelligence at 6 years. Method:  Eighty full-term newborns were followed from three days until six years. Neonatal behavior was assessed by the Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale at 3 ...

This review summarizes current knowledge on ocular conditions related to abnormal visual development in infants, including prevalence, risk factors, causes, and mechanisms involved. We discuss the role of eyeball growth with pathologic mechanism of visual deprivation and development of amblyopia in infants, particular developmental issues in preterm neonates, methods of ...

To determine if maternal health literacy influences early infant immunization status. Longitudinal prospective cohort study of 506 Medicaid-eligible mother-infant dyads. Immunization status at age 3 and 7 months was assessed in relation to maternal health literacy measured at birth using the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (short version). Multivariable ...

Many studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) supplementation during the perinatal period on the growth and neurobehavioural development of young children. Most of these intervention trials have involved infants from high-income countries, and a significant proportion have investigated supplementation of infant ...

Studies on early development have demonstrated the profound effects of early social experience on the behavioral development and physiology of young rhesus macaques. Given these relationships, we hypothesized that rhesus macaques exposed to different nursery-rearing conditions may develop unique biobehavioral profiles. If this is true, the assessment of temperament may ...

There is increasing evidence that there is a strong relationship between brain oscillations and neurocognitive function. We used EEG power spectral analysis to determine if frequency and power provide an independent measure of developmental impairment in infants. We examined the spectral power of EEGs in 200 infants between 6 and ...

Background: Owing to advances in neonatal intensive care, many infants who are hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) can survive and grow, and are referred to as NICU survivors. However, social development in NICU survivors has not been fully explored. Methods: To examine the social development of NICU survivors, ...

Background  Father and mother neonatal perceptions can alter the parents' behaviour towards their child and influence their relationship and, consequently, his/her development. The aim of this study was to examine how mother-father perceptions of their neonates evolve during the first month of life, and whether these perceptions, and the psychological ...

Aim:  To investigate the impact of premature birth on visual tracking in a group of 37 infants, born before the 32(nd) gestational weeks (mean 29+6 weeks) and diagnosed as being without major neonatal complications. This paper is a part of the LOVIS study (1). Methods:  At 2 and 4 months ...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the leading cause of death from gastrointestinal disease in the preterm infant. The dismal results of current treatment for NEC highlight the urgent need for greater understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease, and the importance of discovering novel, molecular-specific therapies for it. Current dogma indicates ...

The purpose of the present study was to describe the rate of motor development in infants with Down syndrome in the age range of 3-12 months and identify the difficulties both in performance and acquiring motor skills in prone, supine, sitting and standing positions. Nineteen infants with Down syndrome and ...

By 1985 newly devised behavioural and electrophysiological techniques, had been used to track development of infants' acuity, contrast sensitivity and binocularity, and for clinical evaluation of developing visual function . This review focusses on advances in the development and assessment of infant vision in the following 25 years. Infants' visual ...

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of feeding nutrient-enriched preterm formula to preterm infants until 6 months' corrected age (CA) on growth and development in the first 18 months of life. Methods: Very low-birth-weight preterm infants were fed preterm formula until term (40 weeks CA). ...

To cite this article: Zachariassen G, Faerk J, Esberg BH, Fenger-Gron J, Mortensen S, Christesen HT, Halken S. Allergic diseases among very preterm infants according to nutrition after hospital discharge. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology 2011; Doi no: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2010.01102.x To determine whether a cow's milk-based human milk fortifier (HMF) added to ...

Aim:  To investigate early oculo-motor development in a population-based cohort of very preterm infants. Methods:  Early oculo-motor development was prospectively studied by measuring smooth pursuit eye movements at 2 and 4 months corrected age in a population of very preterm infants born in Uppsala County 2004-2007. 81 preterm infants were ...

Big brown bats form large maternity colonies of up to 200 mothers and their pups. If pups are separated from their mothers, they can locate each other using vocalizations. The goal of this study was to systematically characterize the development of echolocation and communication calls from birth through adulthood to ...

Subcutaneous fat necrosis (SCFN) of the newborn is an uncommon, self-limiting panniculitis mostly occurring within the first few weeks after birth. SCFN has been described mostly in term or post-term newborn infants in literature. We report a preterm infant developing extensive subcutaneous fat necrosis within the first week of life ...

Teratomas are benign tumors containing cells from ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal layers. They occur in about 1 in every 4,000 births and most commonly in the sacrococcygeal region, followed by the ovaries. Congenital epignathus teratomas are rare embryological neoplasms localised in the region of head and neck. An epignathus is ...

This systematic review examined the effectiveness of glucose in relieving needle-associated pain in infants. Meta-analysis was not undertaken, and there was variation in dose, administration method, concentration, and outcome measurement. Glucose was more effective than placebo in relieving infant pain as measured by behavioral outcomes, but there were mixed findings ...

A full-term female neonate was delivered with meconium stained amniotic fluid by cesarean section by a 2009H1N1 positive 22-year-old second gravida mother, who developed symptoms 8 days prior to delivery. The neonate was completely and immediately isolated from the mother after delivery. Oseltamivir was started at birth to the neonate ...

Aim:  To compare two dosing regimens for caffeine citrate for neonates born less than 30 weeks gestation in terms of development, temperament and behaviour. Methods:  A multi-centre, randomised, controlled trial design was undertaken. A total of 287 infants with apnoea of prematurity or in the peri-extubation period were randomised to receive ...