Association between Portal Vein Thrombosis after Umbilical Vein Catheterization and Neonatal Asphyxia.

Introduction: Neonatal portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is frequently related to umbilical venous catheterization (UVC), but risk factors remain unclear. This study aims to analyze the variables associated to PVT in near- to full-term newborns with UVC, with a focus on newborns exposed to controlled therapeutic hypothermia (CTH) for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Methods: This is retrospective cohort study of infants delivered at or after 36 weeks and with a birthweight over 1,500 g.

Factors linked to Staphylococcus aureus healthcare-associated infections among pediatric intensive care unit colonized patients.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is one of the main pathogens responsible for healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) in pediatrics. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of SA-HCAI among colonized patients and the factors associated with it in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Methods: We designed a 6-year retrospective cohort study of a PICU in a French university children's hospital including all children admitted to the PICU from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2016, who had SA colonization on PICU admission.

Neurocognitive outcomes at age 5 years after prophylactic hydrocortisone in infants born extremely preterm.

Aim: To assess the 5-year neurocognitive outcomes of children born extremely preterm exposed to prophylactic hydrocortisone to improve survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Method: This was a prespecified secondary analysis of the PREMILOC clinical trial (trial registration: EudraCT no. 2007-002041-20, NCT00623740).

Efficacy and pharmacokinetics of betaine in CBS and cblC deficiencies: a cross-over randomized controlled trial.

Background: Betaine is an "alternate" methyl donor for homocysteine remethylation catalyzed by betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT), an enzyme mainly expressed in the liver and kidney. Betaine has been used for more than 30 years in pyridoxine non-responsive cystathionine beta-synthase (pnrCBS) and cobalamin C (cblC) deficiencies to lower the hyperhomocysteinemia, although little is known about the optimal therapeutic dosage and its pharmacokinetic in these patients.

Aims: We compared 2 betaine doses (100 mg/kg/day vs.

Neuropathic Pain in Children with Sickle Cell Disease: The Hidden Side of the Vaso-Occlusive Crisis.

The majority of hospitalizations of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are related to painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs). Although the pain of VOC is classically nociceptive, neuropathic pain (NP) has also been demonstrated in SCD patients. The aim of our study is to specify the prevalence of NP during VOCs in SCD children using a dedicated scale and to measure its characteristics.

Association between Baseline Cortisol Serum Concentrations and the Effect of Prophylactic Hydrocortisone in Extremely Preterm Infants.

Objective: To define nomograms of serum cortisol values before 24 hours of postnatal life for extremely preterm infants and determine whether baseline cortisol values affect the benefit/risk ratio of prophylactic hydrocortisone to improve survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Study Design: We performed a predefined secondary analysis of the multicenter randomized controlled PREMILOC trial that included inborn infants delivered before 28 weeks of gestation. Nomograms of baseline serum cortisol values measured in 325 enrolled patients were determined for male and female neonates and correlated to perinatal events.

In-line filtration in very preterm neonates: a randomized controlled trial.

In-line filtration is increasingly used in critically-ill infants but its benefits, by preventing micro-particle infusion in very preterm neonates, remain to be demonstrated. We conducted a randomized controlled trial among very preterm infants allocated to receive either in-line filtration of all the intra-venous lines or standard care without filters. The primary outcome was differences greater than 20% in the median changes in pro-inflammatory cytokine serum concentrations measured at day 3 and day 8 (+/-1) using a Luminex multianalytic profiling technique.

Prophylactic hydrocortisone in extremely preterm infants and brain MRI abnormality.

Objective: To determine whether early low-dose hydrocortisone treatment in extremely preterm infants is associated with brain damage assessed by MRI at term equivalent of age (TEA).

Patients And Outcomes: This is a predefined secondary analysis of brain abnormalities, observed by MRI at TEA, of patients randomly assigned to receive either placebo or hydrocortisone in the PREMILOC trial. Outcomes were based on brain abnormalities graded according to Kidokoro scores.

Recent advances in methodology for clinical trials in small populations: the InSPiRe project.

Where there are a limited number of patients, such as in a rare disease, clinical trials in these small populations present several challenges, including statistical issues. This led to an EU FP7 call for proposals in 2013. One of the three projects funded was the Innovative Methodology for Small Populations Research (InSPiRe) project.

Comparative Effectiveness of Up To Three Lines of Chemotherapy Treatment Plans for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Modern chemotherapy agents transformed standard care for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) but raised concerns about the financial burden of the disease. We studied comparative effectiveness of treatment plans that involve up to three lines of therapies and impact of treatment sequencing on health and cost outcomes. We employed a Markov model to represent the dynamically changing health status of mCRC patients and used Monte-Carlo simulation to evaluate various treatment plans consistent with existing guidelines.