Fatal neonatal persistent pulmonary hypertension caused by vegetations of infective endocarditis - case report and review of the literature.

Neonatal infective endocarditis is a rare condition and usually pertains to a specific class of immunologically depressed preterm infants, with a long history of invasive procedures in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We report the case of an aggressive and fatal neonatal infective endocarditis in a full-term infant, who developed massive endocardial vegetations on the tricuspid valve, leading to persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, unresponsive to nitric oxide ventilation. Post-mortem cardiac cultures were positive with , an unusual germ for an early-onset infection, which was absent in blood cultures.

Endocan - a potential diagnostic marker for early onset sepsis in neonates.

Introduction: Neonatal early onset sepsis assessment is based on the history of pregnancy and delivery and nonspecific clinical signs. None of the biomarkers currently in use for clinical practice has adequate prognostic value, so it is not possible to clearly distinguish neonates with culture-proven sepsis from those with only risk factors or clinical suspicion. Endocan is an endothelial mediator involved in the inflammatory response that is present in low concentrations in the serum of healthy subjects, and in much higher concentrations in patients with SIRS and septic shock.

Influence of refrigeration or freezing on human milk macronutrients and energy content in early lactation: Results from a tertiary centre survey.

Background: Neonates with severe conditions that cannot be breastfed should receive fresh or preserved expressed human milk in addition to parenteral nutrition.

Objective: To identify the time during lactation when the macronutrients provide maximum energy and evaluate the effect of refrigeration and freezing.

Methods: We analyzed the composition of fresh milk, refrigerated at +4°C and frozen at -20°C, expressed by mothers of 60 preterm and 30 term infants from a level III maternity, in colostrum, transitional, and mature milk.

Total antioxidant status in fresh and stored human milk from mothers of term and preterm neonates.

Background: Antioxidant defense of the body is assured by both endogenous and exogenous factors comprising several enzymes, vitamins, protein components and derivates and oligoelements. Breast milk has been proven to have important and essential antioxidant composition to prevent and protect against diseases in infancy. The objective of this study was to determine the total antioxidant status (TAS) of human milk and to evaluate the differences between premature milk and term milk at different moments of lactation (colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk).

Early intrauterine development of mixed giant intracranial teratoma in newborn: a case report.

Unlabelled: Teratoma is one of the most frequent fetal intracranial tumors, but it usually grows very quickly and the fetus is generally a stillborn. Rare cases have slow development or are located in areas that afford immediate surgery after birth with variable chances of survival. Even more rare cases survive days or weeks, but with no chance of surgical treatment and with prolonged palliative care.