The role of folate receptor autoantibodies in preterm birth.

Objective: Cellular uptake of folate is mediated by folate receptor (FR)α. Prior studies indicate that a FRα autoantibody (FRAb) is implicated in poor pregnancy outcomes. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of FRAbs in women with preterm and term pregnancies, and to investigate the role of maternal FRAbs in preterm birth.

Development of Localized Pulmonary Interstitial Emphysema in a Late Preterm Infant without Mechanical Ventilation.

Pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE) is not an uncommon finding in premature infants with respiratory distress who need respiratory support by mechanical ventilation. PIE has been reported in a few cases of neonates in whom either no treatment other than room air was given or they were given continuous positive end-expiratory pressure (CPAP) support. We present a case of a premature neonate who presented with respiratory distress, in whom PIE and spontaneous pneumothorax (PTX) developed while on CPAP therapy only.

Preterm and term infants’ perception of temporally coordinated syllable–object pairings: implications for lexical development.

Purpose: This experimental study examined term infants (n = 34) and low-risk near-term preterm infants (gestational age 32–36 weeks) at 2 months chronological age (n = 34) and corrected age (n =16). The study investigated whether the preterm infants presented with a delay in their sensitivity to synchronous syllable–object pairings when compared with term infants.

Method: First, infants were habituated to a single syllable, [tah] or [gah], spoken in synchrony with the motions of 1 of 4 toy objects, a crab, a porcupine, a star, or a lamb chop.

Clinical utility of corpus callosum measurements in head sonograms of preterm infants: a cohort study.

Objective: To assess the clinical usefulness of measurement of corpus callosum (CC) size in head ultrasound (HUS) to predict short-term neurodevelopmental (ND) outcomes in preterm infants. We hypothesised that including CC measurements in routine HUS will be an additional tool for early identification of infants at risk of adverse short-term ND outcome, over and above the predictive power of perinatal morbidities.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Neurodevelopmental outcome and risk factors for impaired development of African American infants in an underserved urban population: a population-based study.

We aimed 1) to define risk factors for adverse outcome in urban African American patients, 2) to determine whether clinical variables as risk factors are congruent with previously published data, and 3) to identify the proportion of infants with different outcomes. The study included African American infants who were born and participated in neurodevelopmental follow-up. Infants with gestational age range of 23 to 41 weeks, and birth weight (BW) range of 495 to 3,965 g were classified by developmental outcome.

A proposed classification system for familial intestinal atresia and its relevance to the understanding of the etiology of jejunoileal atresia.

Familial cases of the various types of intestinal atresia are well described, and we now report an additional family. Based on a review of the literature, a classification system for the different types of familial atresia is presented. Current teaching attributes most jejunoileal atresias to in utero vascular accidents occurring relatively late in gestation (after the 11th or 12th week).