PURPOSE: The use of contralateral C7 is seldom indicated in infants with obstetrical brachial plexus palsy (OBPP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of contralateral C7 transfer in infants with upper OBPP in order to define the application and outcome of this transfer in these infants ...

Objective Prematurely born infants who develop respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) have lung function abnormalities at follow-up. The aim of this study was to determine whether prematurely born infants who developed symptomatic RSV, or other viral LRTI(s), had poorer premorbid lung function than infants who did ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the mode of delivery of infants prenatally diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) affects markers of perinatal hemodynamics. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of patients diagnosed prenatally with HLHS and delivered within our institution was undertaken. Arterial blood gases, echocardiographic data, and markers of end ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine if dexamethasone given to premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia would result in cardiac diastolic dysfunction in early childhood, a topic unstudied in humans. STUDY DESIGN: We compared seven children ages 3 to 8 years born at 26 weeks' gestation and given dexamethasone for bronchopulmonary dysplasia with eight ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether infants with a score <50 on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II) demonstrated differences in functional ability, and to assess whether the Bayley Developmental Quotients (DQs) indicated such differences. STUDY DESIGN: Preterm infants (n = 67; 47 boys) with posthemorrhagic ventricular dilatation were ...

Advanced neuroimaging techniques have been increasingly applied to the study of preterm and term infants in an effort to further define the functional cerebral architecture of the developing brain. Despite improved understanding of the complex relationship between structure and function obtained through these investigations, significant questions remain regarding the nature, ...

Objective:To evaluate cerebrovascular autoregulation as a function of arterial blood pressure (ABP) in the critically ill, premature infant.Study Design:A prospective observational pilot study was conducted in two tertiary care Neonatal Intensive-Care Units. Premature infants (n=23, 30 weeks estimated gestational age with invasive ABP monitoring) were enrolled and received routine care ...

This research examined developmental continuity between "cruising" (moving sideways holding onto furniture for support) and walking. Because cruising and walking involve locomotion in an upright posture, researchers have assumed that cruising is functionally related to walking. Study 1 showed that most infants crawl and cruise concurrently prior to walking, amassing ...

Objective To determine whether elevation of a biological marker of inflammation would be a better predictor of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) development than lung function measurement results. Design Prospective study. Setting Tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. Patients 78 prematurely born infants (median gestational age 29 (range 24-32) weeks) were studied; 39 ...

Aim:  To examine brainstem auditory function at term in late preterm infants admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods:  52 preterm infants, born at 33-36 week gestation, were recruited in an NICU, and studied at term using brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER). Results:  Compared to normal term infants, BAER ...

Persistent cloaca is a rare urogenital anomaly that can pose significant challenges for adequate diagnosis and management. We describe the case of an infant girl with a cloacal malformation, having a single perineal orifice and an accessory phallic urethra, who presented with ambiguous genitalia at birth. The distal part of ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and nature of developmental delay at preschool age in infants born moderately preterm compared with those born full-term and early preterm. STUDY DESIGN: Parents of 927 moderate preterm infants (32-35(+6) weeks gestation), 512 early preterm infants (<32 weeks gestation) and 544 full-term infants (38-41(+6) weeks ...

Aim:  Poor neonatal outcome of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) <24 weeks' gestational age (GA) is probably a result of abnormalities in both airway and vascular developments, ventilation perfusion mismatch, and possibly persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Perinatal mortality of 50-90% has been reported in the past, with ...

This study sought to evaluate the outcome of maternal autoantibody-mediated fetal cardiomyopathy/endocardial fibroelastosis following intravenous gamma globulin (IVIG) and corticosteroid therapy. We have previously shown that 85% of fetuses and infants with maternal autoantibody-mediated fetal cardiomyopathy/endocardial fibroelastosis suffer demise or need for transplant. In an attempt to improve this outcome, ...

Lactating mothers secrete milk sialyloligosaccharides (MSOs) that function as anti-adhesives once provided to the neonate. Particular infant-associated commensals, such as Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, consume neutral milk oligosaccharides, although their ability to utilize acidic oligosaccharides has not been assessed. Temporal glycoprofiling of acidic HMO consumed during fermentation demonstrated a single ...

Polycythemia hyperviscosity syndrome has been associated with multiple systemic effects. There is dearth of data on the effects of polycythemia on cardiac function. This case presents a newborn infant with symptomatic polycythemia in whom detailed myocardial function analysis for systolic and diastolic performance, as well as end-organ perfusion assessment was ...

We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of substance P (SP) in the brainstems of 56 subjects aged from 17 gestational weeks to 10 post natal months, who died of unknown (sudden unexplained fetal deaths and SIDS) and known causes (controls). The goals of this study were: (i) to obtain basic information ...

A 10-month-old infant with severe tricuspid valve disease due to staphylococcal bacterial endocarditis, underwent surgical replacement of the valve. The new valve was fashioned using an autologous pericardial patch. Over 3 years of follow-up, the new valve has functioned satisfactorily, with moderately elevated right atrial pressure.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported the development of various aspects of visual function in infancy and early childhood in both preterm and term-born infants, but only a few studies have focused on the predictive power of neonatal visual findings in infants with brain lesions. AIMS: To explore visual findings at ...

To investigate the relation between parental lung function and their offspring's lung function measured early in life. Infants were participants of the Wheezing Illnesses Study Leidsche Rijn (WHISTLER). Lung function was measured before the age of 2 months using the single occlusion technique. Parental data on lung function (spirometry), medical ...

We evaluated spleen function in 193 children with sickle cell anemia 8 to 18 months of age by (99m)Tc sulfur-colloid liver-spleen scan and correlated results with clinical and laboratory parameters, including 2 splenic biomarkers: pitted cell counts (PIT) and quantitative Howell-Jolly bodies (HJB) enumerated by flow cytometry. Loss of splenic ...

Background Relationships between early deficits of lung function, infant airway pathology and outcome in symptomatic infants are unclear. A study was undertaken to determine the associations between early lung function, airway histology and inflammation in symptomatic infants with the continuance of respiratory symptoms, lung function and subsequent use of inhaled ...

Bacterial contribution to oral disease has been studied in young children, but there is a lack of data addressing the developmental perspective in edentulous infants. Our primary objectives were to use pyrosequencing to phylogenetically characterize the salivary bacterial microbiome of edentulous infants and to make comparisons against their mothers. Saliva ...

Objectives: To determine the association between preterm birth (PTB) and maternal oral diseases during pregnancy. Subjects and Methods: This prospective study was performed by the neonatal and dental departments at Jordan University Hospital. The study included 100 women who gave birth to preterm singleton infants (born less than 37 complete ...

The concept of manipulating the gut microbiota through the administration of probiotics during early life in order to reduce the risk of and prevent or treat diseases, including those that manifest in later life, is appealing. However, a cautious approach is needed, and the long-term consequences of such administration should ...

Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of infant mortality. This article analyzes its contribution towards the realization of millennium development goal number 4 (MDG-4). A PubMed search using keywords acute infant diarrhea together with prevalence, management, or prevention 23 of the 634 generated articles were reviewed for inclusion. WHO ...

Lactoferrin, a normal component of human colostrum, milk, tears and saliva can enhance host defence and may be effective in the prevention of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm neonates. To assess the safety and effectiveness of oral lactoferrin in the prevention of sepsis and NEC in preterm neonates. ...

RATIONALE: The maximal expiratory flow-volume (MEFV) and the partial expiratory flow-volume (PEFV) maneuvers are interchangeably performed when testing infant lung function. In recent years, the MEFV has gained popularity over the PEFV as it offers the investigator various forced expiratory flow and volume variables in addition to the sole, maximal ...

Protein intake has been directly associated with kidney growth and function in animal and human observational studies. Protein supply can vary widely during the first months of life, thus promoting different kidney growth patterns and possibly affecting kidney and cardiovascular health in the long term. To explore this further, we ...

Preterm birth and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is associated with inappropriate gut colonization and immunity, which may be improved by probiotic bacteria. Using a preterm pig model of NEC, we investigated the effects of probiotics on intestinal structure, function, microbiology, and immunology in the immediate postnatal period. Just after birth, caesarean-delivered ...

Objective To determine the impact on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and tubular function of drugs prescribed to very preterm infants during the first week of life. Design Prospective multicentre cohort study of infants aged 27-31 weeks gestation. Methods GFR was measured on day 2, and then weekly for 1 month, ...

The hypothesis is based on glial-neuronal interactions in the cardio-respiratory centre of the brainstem. Recently, it has been experimentally verified that glial cells, especially astrocytes, exert a modulatory function in the maintenance of homeostasis in this brain region. In addition, astrocytes may also control the rhythms of heartbeat and breathing ...

Despite association with lung growth and long-term respiratory morbidity, there is a lack of normative lung function data for unsedated infants conforming to latest ERS/ATS standards. Lung function was measured using an ultrasonic flowmeter in N=342 unsedated, healthy, term-born infants at a mean±SD age of 5.1±0.8 weeks during natural sleep ...

Objective To determine whether prematurely born infants exposed to chorioamnionitis compared to those not exposed have poorer lung function and are more likely to develop severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Design Results were analysed from consecutive infants born at <33 weeks gestation with placental histology results and lung function measurement results ...

We previously demonstrated that infants with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) exhibit airflow obstruction and air trapping. The purpose of this study was to assess longitudinal changes in pulmonary function in infants with a history of BPD over the first 3 years of life, and the relationship to somatic ...

We previously demonstrated that infants with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) exhibit airflow obstruction and air trapping. The purpose of this study was to assess longitudinal changes in pulmonary function in infants with a history of BPD over the first 3 years of life, and the relationship to somatic ...

It seems likely that some infants who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have a brainstem abnormality of the serotonergic system. Evidence suggests that infants who died from SIDS had defective respiratory and/or autonomic responses that led to death instead of recovery after an acute insult. The serotonergic neuromodulator ...

The aim of our study was to evaluate whether mild to moderate infant respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) might affect the pulmonary function in school-aged children. 50 children, aged 10.2 +/- 2.8 years, with a history of RDS and 90 controls without a ...

Four children; all between 10-40 days of age, were admitted with multiple episodes of multifocal seizure. After admission blood investigation was carried out and they were found to have hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia; kidney function tests were normal. Serum parathyroid hormone was highly elevated and serum magnesium level was found to be ...

Canada is considering the development of a new standard for infant/child life jackets. Eight currently available (approved and non-approved) infant/child life jackets were procured for evaluation. Fifty-six participants were chosen as a sample of convenience from the general public for testing. The life jackets were divided into two groups of ...

This article explores the basic development and pathophysiology of the thyroid gland. New factors in the normal development of the thyroid in the neonate are mentioned. The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism continues to increase. We describe congenital hypothyroidism, its possible etiologies, treatment and outcomes. We explore hypothyroxinanemia in pre-term neonates ...

A significant number of lambs born each year in Australia die within 72 h of birth. Periods of high wind, combined with rain and low temperatures can lead to marked increases in the mortality level. Under these climatic conditions mortality levels may be reduced with the provision of shelter. This ...

BACKGROUND: In order to assess the reference intervals for B-type natriuretic hormone (BNP) in the first days of life, we measured peptide concentrations using the fully automated Access platform. METHODS: Plasma BNP was measured in 188 apparently healthy newborns and infants throughout the first month of extra-uterine life, as well ...

The President's Council on Bioethics has recently released a report supportive of the continued use of brain death as a criterion for human death. The Council's conclusions were based on a conception of life that stressed external work as the fundamental marker of organismic life. With respect to human life, ...

Comment on: O'Prey J, et al. Cell Cycle 2010; 9:947-52.

BACKGROUND: Infants who have experienced an apparent life-threatening event typically undergo an extensive evaluation to rule out serious underlying conditions. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the yield of different tests performed after an apparent life-threatening event and to identify high risk groups in which more extensive diagnostic tests are required. METHODS: A ...

To determine whether modern medicine is facilitating 'good' deaths, appropriate measures of the quality of dying and death must be developed and utilized. The purpose of this paper is to identify quality of dying and death measurement tools and to determine their quality. MEDLINE (1950-2008), Healthstar (1966-2008), and CINAHL (1982-2008) ...

Yawning is a behavior that begins in the first stages of life. It has not only been observed in infants and in newborns, but also in fetuses of 12-14 weeks' gestational age. Yawning frequency changes over the life span. In preterm infants, the number of yawns decreases between 31 and ...

Despite advances in the care of infants, there remain many newborns whose medical conditions are incompatible with sustained life. At times, healthcare providers and parents may agree that prolonging life is not an appropriate goal of care, and they may redirect treatment to alleviate suffering. While pediatric palliative treatment protocols ...

We performed a morphological characterization of intimal thickenings in coronary arteries in the very early stages of life to obtain insights into initial coronary atherogenesis. We examined specimens from 67 infants who had died of noncardiac causes within their first year of life. Serially cut sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, ...