Publications by authors named "C N Kamalaratnam"
Article Synopsis
- Induced hypothermia, a common treatment for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), is less effective in South Asia despite the region having a high disease burden compared to high-income countries.
- This study aimed to compare blood genome expression profiles of neonates with HIE from high-income countries (Italy) and low-income countries (India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh) to understand differences in outcomes.
- The findings revealed variations in blood expression profiles at birth linked to adverse outcomes and highlighted differing responses to treatment in the two cohorts of neonates.
Duration of birth depression and neurodevelopmental outcomes after whole-body hypothermia for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - an exploratory analysis of the HELIX trial.
Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia
January 2024
Background: Effect of duration of birth depression on neurodevelopmental outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is not known. We examined the association of birth depression with brain injury, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and hypothermia after hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in south Asia.
Methods: We compared cerebral magnetic resonance (MR) at 2 weeks, and adverse outcomes (death or moderate or severe disability) at 18 months in 408 babies with moderate or severe HIE who had long birth depression (positive pressure ventilation (PPV) >10 min or Apgar score<6 at 10 min or cord pH < 7.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the relationship between the place of birth (inborn vs. outborn) and the effectiveness of whole-body hypothermia in protecting against brain injury in neonates suffering from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in low- and middle-income countries.
- Conducted in seven neonatal intensive care units across India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, the research followed 408 neonates born after 36 weeks of gestation who were randomized into hypothermia and control groups, tracking various brain injury indicators over time.
- Results indicate that inborn neonates were generally smaller and had different delivery methods compared to outborn neonates, raising questions about how birthplace impacts treatment outcomes for HIE in this demographic
Background: Therapeutic hypothermia reduces death and disability after moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy in high-income countries and is used as standard therapy in these settings. However, the safety and efficacy of cooling therapy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 99% of the disease burden occurs, remains unclear. We will examine whether whole body cooling reduces death or neurodisability at 18-22 months after neonatal encephalopathy, in LMICs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScreening for enteric pathogens in stool samples from 249 children under the age of 36 months, admitted to hospital for non-gastrointestinal disorders, was positive at admission in 41 (16.4 per cent) in a prospective study of enteric pathogen acquisition and diarrhoea in hospitalized children. Infection with multiple organisms was found in 31/41 (75.
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