Clinical and ultrasound assessment of body composition in preterm infants at discharge: an observational study.

Objectives: While the target of growth of very preterm infants (VPIs) during Neonatal Intensive care unit (NICU) admission is still controversial, the most accepted objective is that they should follow their intrauterine trajectory in terms of growth and body composition (BC). BC is difficult to measure in clinical daily routine but proxies like body ratios and skinfolds have been used. Prenatal and postnatal factors can influence the growth and BC of VPIs in the NICU.

Plasma Metabolome Alterations Associated with Extrauterine Growth Restriction.

Very preterm infants (VPI, born at or before 32 weeks of gestation) are at risk of adverse health outcomes, from which they might be partially protected with appropriate postnatal nutrition and growth. Metabolic processes or biochemical markers associated to extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) have not been identified. We applied untargeted metabolomics to plasma samples of VPI with adequate weight for gestational age at birth and with different growth trajectories (29 well-grown, 22 EUGR) at the time of hospital discharge.

Reply: "It is Time for a Universal Nutrition Policy in Very Preterm Neonates during the Neonatal Period? Comment on: Applying Methods for Postnatal Growth Assessment in the Clinical Setting: Evaluation in a Longitudinal Cohort of Very Preterm Infants 2019, , 2772".

We would like to thank Gounaris et al [...

Applying Methods for Postnatal Growth Assessment in the Clinical Setting: Evaluation in a Longitudinal Cohort of Very Preterm Infants.

Aim: To analyze different methods to assess postnatal growth in a cohort of very premature infants (VPI) in a clinical setting and identify potential early markers of growth failure.

Methods: Study of growth determinants in VPI (≤32 weeks) during hospital stay. Nutritional intakes and clinical evolution were recorded.

Lung ultrasound in the follow-up of primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an airways ciliary defect, making them unable to beat normally. Hence, there is an increase in the incidence of respiratory recurrent infections leading to multiple atelectasis from different lung lobes during the first months of life repeat chest X-ray (CXR) controls with increase of radiation exposure in this younger population. We report the lung ultrasound follow-up of two newborn diagnosed with PCD.

Lung Ultrasound to Assess the Etiology of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (LUPPHYN Study): A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a neonatal syndrome associated with significant morbidity and mortality that is caused by the failure of postnatal drop in pulmonary vascular resistance. In extreme cases, patients may require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy (ECMO). The aim of this study was to explore lung ultrasound (LUS) patterns in newborns with PPHN requiring ECMO.

Asymptomatic late thrombocytosis is a common finding in very preterm infants even in the absence of erythropoietin treatment.

Objectives: Thrombocytosis is more prevalent in pediatric than in adult patients and is associated with complications or worsened outcomes after vascular events. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of thrombocytosis in very preterm infants who had not received human recombinant erythropoietin treatment (rHuEPO) and its relationship with other hematological parameters and clinical complications.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of hematological and clinical data of very preterm infants who were admitted to our unit in their first 48 hours of life and stayed for longer than 1 week.

Analgesia with breastfeeding in addition to skin-to-skin contact during heel prick.

Objective: To investigate the analgesic effect (measured with Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS)) of breastfeeding (BF) in addition to skin-to-skin contact (SSC) versus other methods of non-pharmacological analgesia during blood sampling through heel lance in healthy term neonates.

Design: Randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Tertiary level maternity ward.