Parental stress, depression, anxiety and participation to care in neonatal intensive care units: results of a prospective study in Italy, Brazil and Tanzania.

Background: Studies comparing the frequency of different mental health conditions across different settings and evaluating their association with parental participation in newborn care are lacking. We aimed at evaluating the frequency of parental stress, anxiety and depression, along with the level of participation in newborn care, among parents of newborns in Italy, Brazil and Tanzania.

Methods: Parental stress, anxiety, depression and participation in care were assessed prospectively in parents of newborns in eight neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) utilising: the Parental Stressor Scale in NICU (PSS:NICU); the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and EPDS-Anxiety subscale (EPDS-A); the Index of Parental Participation in NICU (IPP-NICU).

Family-centred care interventions in neonatal intensive care units: a scoping review of randomised controlled trials providing a menu of interventions, outcomes and measurement methods.

Background: Benefits of different types of family-centred care (FCC) interventions in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have been reported. However, a comprehensive review of existing FCC intervention studies was lacking.

Objective: This review aimed at synthesising the characteristics of FCC interventions, related outcomes and measurement methods in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in NICU, and providing menus of options to favour implementation and further research.

Characteristics of intervention studies on family-centred care in neonatal intensive care units: a scoping review of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Different definitions of family-centred care (FCC) exist in the newborn setting, and many FCC interventions have been tested, while a comprehensive review synthesising characteristics of existing intervention studies is still lacking.

Objective: This review aims at summarising the characteristics of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on FCC interventions in neonatal intensive care units.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library up to 31 January 2022, and reference lists of included studies and other reviews.

Cerebral Synchronization Between Mothers and Their Newborns During Breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is a fundamental biological function in mammals, allowing the progeny to develop in a physiological way. A physical and emotional dialog between mothers and offspring during breastfeeding has been described as part of the attachment relationship, and a synchronicity between maternal and neonatal brains can be hypothesized. This study aimed to assess if neonatal and maternal cortical areas activated during breastfeeding are functionally synchronized since the second day of life.

Parental stress, depression, anxiety and participation in care in neonatal intensive care unit: a cross-sectional study in Italy comparing mothers versus fathers.

Background: This study aimed at documenting the levels of stress, depression, anxiety and participation in care among mothers versus fathers of newborns hospitalised in a third-level neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Northern Italy.

Methods: Parental stress, depression and anxiety were assessed by the Parental Stressor Scale in NICU (PSS:NICU), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Participation in care was evaluated with the Index of Parental Participation.

Decreased incidence of late-onset sepsis during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Italy: a multicentric study on a cohort of infants requiring major surgery.

Unlabelled: Changes in the organization of the clinical care wards, requested by the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic, have influenced the environmental circulation of other pathogens. The implementation of prevention procedures may have led to a decrease in the incidence of healthcare-associated infections. We aimed to investigate the impact of prevention and control measures for preventing the COVID-19 spread on the incidence of bacterial sepsis and invasive fungal infections in neonates and infants requiring major surgery.

Secreted Cyclophilin CyP19 as an Early Marker for Trypanocidal Treatment Efficiency.

Cyclophilins (CyPs) are a family of enzymes involved in protein folding. , the causative agent of Chagas disease, has a 19-kDa cyclophilin, CyP19, that was found to be secreted in parasite stages of the CL Brener clone and recognized by sera from -infected mice and patients. The levels of specific antibodies against CyP19 in -infected mice and subjects before and after drug treatment were measured by an in-house enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Timing of Symptoms of Early-Onset Sepsis after Intrapartum Antibiotic Prophylaxis: Can It Inform the Neonatal Management?

The effectiveness of "inadequate" intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP administered < 4 h prior to delivery) in preventing early-onset sepsis (EOS) is debated. Italian prospective surveillance cohort data (2003-2022) were used to study the type and duration of IAP according to the timing of symptoms onset of group B streptococcus (GBS) and culture-confirmed EOS cases. IAP was defined "active" when the pathogen yielded in cultures was susceptible.

Extrauterine growth restriction in very low birth weight infants according to different growth charts: A retrospective 10 years observational study.

Background: Extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) is common among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. There are two types of EUGR definitions (cross-sectional and longitudinal) and many growth charts for monitoring postnatal growth. Aims of our study were 1) to compare the rate of small for gestational rate (SGA) and EUGR in a population of VLBW infants, both according to different growth charts (Fenton, INeS charts and Intergrowth-21) and different definitions; 2) to identify risk factors for EUGR.

Effectiveness of the repurposed drug isotretinoin in an experimental murine model of Chagas disease.

Benznidazole and nifurtimox are the drugs currently used for the treatment of Chagas disease, however its side effects may affect patient adherence. In the search for new alternative therapies, we previously identified isotretinoin (ISO), an FDA-approved drug widely used for the treatment of severe acne through a drug repurposing strategy. ISO shows a strong activity against Trypanosoma cruzi parasites in the nanomolar range, and its mechanism of action is through the inhibition of T.

Cerebral regional tissue Oxygen Saturation to Guide Oxygen Delivery in preterm neonates during immediate transition after birth (COSGOD III): multicentre randomised phase 3 clinical trial.

Objective: To investigate whether monitoring of cerebral tissue oxygen saturation using near infrared spectroscopy in addition to routine monitoring combined with defined treatment guidelines during immediate transition and resuscitation increases survival without cerebral injury of premature infants compared with standard care alone.

Design: Multicentre, multinational, randomised controlled phase 3 trial.

Setting: 11 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in six countries in Europe and in Canada.

Incidence and risk factors of bacterial sepsis and invasive fungal infection in neonates and infants requiring major surgery: an Italian multicentre prospective study.

Background: Limited data are currently available on the incidence rates and risk factors for bacterial sepsis and invasive fungal infections (IFIs) among neonates and infants undergoing major surgery.

Aim: To assess the incidence of bacterial sepsis and IFI, fungal colonization, risk factors for sepsis, and mortality in neonates and infants aged <3 months undergoing major surgery.

Methods: A multicentre prospective study was conducted involving 13 level-3 neonatal intensive care units in Italy, enrolling all infants aged ≤3 months undergoing major surgery.

Over-dispersed Trypanosoma cruzi parasite load in sylvatic and domestic mammals and humans from northeastern Argentina.

Background: The distribution of parasite load across hosts may modify the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. Chagas disease is caused by a multi-host protozoan, Trypanosoma cruzi, but the association between host parasitemia and infectiousness to the vector has not been studied in sylvatic mammalian hosts. We quantified T.

Parental Stress, Depression, and Participation in Care Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Observational Study in an Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Recent studies reported, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased mental distress among the general population and among women around the childbirth period. COVID-19 pandemic may undermine the vulnerable well-being of parents in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Our study aimed to explore whether parental stress, depression, and participation in care in an Italian NICU changed significantly over three periods: pre-pandemic (T), low (T), and high COVID-19 incidence (T).

Understanding Factors in Group B Streptococcus Late-Onset Disease.

Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection remains a leading cause of sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis in infants. Rates of GBS early onset disease have declined following the widcespread use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis; hence, late-onset infections (LOGBS) are currently a common presentation of neonatal GBS dicsease. The pathogenesis, mode of transmission, and risk factors associated with LOGBS are unclear, which interfere with effective prevention efforts.

Prospective multicenter evaluation of real time PCR Kit prototype for early diagnosis of congenital Chagas disease.

Background: Current algorithm for Congenital Chagas Disease (cCD) diagnosis is unsatisfactory due to low sensitivity of the parasitological methods. Moreover, loss to follow-up precludes final serodiagnosis after nine months of life in many cases. A duplex TaqMan qPCR kit for Trypanosoma cruzi DNA amplification was prospectively evaluated in umbilical cord (UCB) and peripheral venous blood (PVB) of infants born to CD mothers at endemic and non-endemic sites of Argentina.

Association between body composition at term equivalent age and Bayley scores at 2 years in preterm infants.

Objective: To evaluate whether in a historical cohort of preterm infants, body composition at term equivalent age (TEA) correlated with Bayley scores at 2 years of corrected age.

Study Design: Ninety-five preterm babies were admitted to our neonatal intensive unit and underwent air-displacement plethysmography assessment at TEA. Of these, 74 completed Bayley tests at 2 years.

Invasive Infections in Neonates after Major Surgery: Current Evidence and New Directions.

Infections represent a serious health problem in neonates. Invasive infections (ICIs) are still a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Infants hospitalized in NICUs are at high risk of ICIs, because of several risk factors: broad spectrum antibiotic treatments, central catheters and other invasive devices, fungal colonization, and impaired immune responses.

Reduced Trypanosoma cruzi-specific humoral response and enhanced T cell immunity after treatment interruption with benznidazole in chronic Chagas disease.

Background: Interruption of benznidazole therapy due to the appearance of adverse effects, which is presumed to lead to treatment failure, is a major drawback in the treatment of chronic Chagas disease.

Methods: Trypanosoma cruzi-specific humoral and T cell responses, T cell phenotype and parasite load were measured to compare the outcome in 33 subjects with chronic Chagas disease treated with an incomplete benznidazole regimen and 58 subjects treated with the complete regimen, during a median follow-up period of 48 months.

Results: Both treatment regimens induced a reduction in the T.

Circulating Cytokine and Chemokine Profiles of Trypanosoma cruzi-Infected Women During Pregnancy and Its Association With Congenital Transmission.

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, can be transmitted to the offspring of infected women, which constitutes an epidemiologically significant parasite transmission route in nonendemic areas. It is relevant to evaluate differentially expressed factors in T. cruzi-infected pregnant women as potential markers of Chagas congenital transmission.

studies and preclinical evaluation of benznidazole microparticles in the acute murine model.

Chagas disease is a serious parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Unfortunately, the current chemotherapeutic tools are not enough to combat the infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trypanocidal activity of benznidazole-loaded microparticles during the acute phase of Chagas infection in an experimental murine model.