Neonatal apnea and hypopnea prediction in infants with Robin sequence with neural additive models for time series.

Neonatal apneas and hypopneas present a serious risk for healthy infant development. Treating these adverse events requires frequent manual stimulation by skilled personnel, which can lead to alarm fatigue. This study aims to develop and validate an interpretable model that can predict apneas and hypopneas.

Comparative effectiveness of pre-epiglottic baton plates and mandibular distraction in infants with Robin sequence.

Background: Mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) and pre-epiglottic baton plates (PEBP) are both effective for early management of upper airway obstruction (UAO) in infants with Robin sequence (RS), but have not been directly compared. The purpose of this study was to compare early airway, feeding and growth outcomes between these treatments.

Methods: This is a bicentric retrospective cohort study from 2015-2021 including infants with RS treated with MDO or PEBP before 6 months-of-age with pre- and post-treatment sleep studies and follow-up at least through age 1-year.

Impact of the adenosine receptor A2BR expressed on myeloid cells on immune regulation during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the maternal immune system must carefully balance protection against pathogens with tolerance toward the semiallogeneic fetus. Dysfunctions of the immune system can lead to severe complications such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, or pregnancy loss. Adenosine plays a role in physiological processes and plasma-level increase during pregnancy.

Complete Digital Workflow for Manufacturing Presurgical Orthodontic Palatal Plates in Newborns and Infants with Cleft Lip and/or Palate.

Deciding on the implementation or modification of steps in daily clinical care is a nuanced process that demands careful evaluation. This is crucial not only for selecting the most appropriate solution but also for achieving the best treatment outcome. Thus, implementing a workflow for treating cleft lip and/or palate patients with a presurgical orthodontic cleft-covering plate needs to consider objective factors, prioritized from most to least important: safety and quality level, user-friendliness, feasibility, and, finally, efficiency and cost.

Influence of catheter thickness on respiratory physiology during less invasive surfactant administration in extremely preterm infants.

Introduction: Delivering surfactant via thin catheters (minimal-invasive surfactant therapy (MIST); less invasive surfactant administration (LISA)) has become a common procedure. However, the effect of tracheal obstruction caused by catheters of different sizes on tracheal resistance in extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGANs) is unknown.

Methods: To investigate the effect of catheters size 3.

Facial growth dynamics dictate optimal facemask fitting during the first year of life.

Aim: The aim of this study is to prevent mask leak during ventilation in infant emergencies, appropriate facemask fitting is essential. Therefore, we investigated facial profiles during the first year of life and their correlation with the correct sizing of masks.

Methods: This is a post hoc subgroup analysis of 32 healthy term infants, based on a prospective observational study performed from September 2018 to December 2019 in Tuebingen, Germany.

Lung ultrasound to predict the duration of respiratory support in newborn infants with respiratory distress.

Aim: Lung ultrasound (LU) and clinical parameters evaluated during the first postnatal hour potentially predict the length of CPAP therapy in newborns with respiratory distress.

Methods: In a single-centre, prospective observational pilot study, 130 newborns ≥36 weeks gestational age were assessed using standardised LU at 30 and 60 min postnatally. Various clinical parameters were evaluated influencing CPAP duration (<1 vs.

Averaging Times for Pulse Oximeter Measurements - A Review of Manuscripts Published in the Top Five Sleep Medicine Journals.

Purpose: Clinical management decisions often rely on a patient's SpO level and desaturation rate. Limitations include that measurements depend on the averaging time (AVT) used, which is particularly relevant to sleep medicine, but has yet received little attention.

Methods: Cross-sectional review of studies reporting pulse oximeter saturation (SpO) measurements published in 5 leading sleep medicine journals.

Less Invasive Surfactant Administration in Preterm Infants in Tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Germany: A Survey.

Introduction: The European guideline for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome recommends less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) as the preferred method of surfactant administration in spontaneously breathing preterm infants. However, there is limited evidence on practical aspects such as sedation and catheter types, leading to considerable variability between centers.

Methods: An anonymous online survey ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Evidence and Perspectives for Choline Supplementation during Parenteral Nutrition-A Narrative Review.

Choline is an essential nutrient, with high requirements during fetal and postnatal growth. Tissue concentrations of total choline are tightly regulated, requiring an increase in its pool size proportional to growth. Phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, containing a choline headgroup, are constitutive membrane phospholipids, accounting for >85% of total choline, indicating that choline requirements are particularly high during growth.

Failure of an electric rocking device to improve neonatal sleep.

Aim: We wanted to investigate whether an electric rocking device (Swing2Sleep, Neumünster, Germany), sold with the claim to promote infant sleep, would increase total sleep time or reduce sleep latency once infants are put therein.

Methods: In a randomised crossover design, 20 infants (median gestational age at birth 31.7 weeks, range 25-39) were placed to sleep either first with the device rocking, then not rocking (or vice versa) for 5-7 h each.

Delineating morbidity patterns in preterm infants at near-term age using a data-driven approach.

Background: Long-term survival after premature birth is significantly determined by development of morbidities, primarily affecting the cardio-respiratory or central nervous system. Existing studies are limited to pairwise morbidity associations, thereby lacking a holistic understanding of morbidity co-occurrence and respective risk profiles.

Methods: Our study, for the first time, aimed at delineating and characterizing morbidity profiles at near-term age and investigated the most prevalent morbidities in preterm infants: bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), pulmonary hypertension (PH), mild cardiac defects, perinatal brain pathology and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Pulse oximetry signal loss during hypoxic episodes in preterm infants receiving automated oxygen control.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to analyze signal loss (SL) resulting from low signal quality of pulse oximetry-derived hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO) measurements during prolonged hypoxemic episodes (pHE) in very preterm infants receiving automatic oxygen control (AOC). We did a post hoc analysis of a randomized crossover study of AOC, programmed to set FiO to "back-up FiO" during SL. In 24 preterm infants (median (interquartile range)) gestational age 25.

Prospective cohort study on facial profile changes in infants with Robin sequence and healthy controls.

Background: Various conservative and surgical approaches exist to treat Robin sequence (RS), but their effects on facial profile and mandibular catch-up growth are unclear. A functional treatment concept, used in our centre for 25 years, includes an individualized palatal plate with a velo-pharyngeal extension and intensive feeding training.

Methods: We performed a prospective study to objectively describe facial profiles in infants with RS treated with the above concept.

Influence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment in the masticatory efficiency of patients with craniofacial disorders.

This study evaluates masticatory efficiency in orthodontic patients with craniofacial disorders compared to controls without, considering the effect of an orthodontic appliance and malocclusion. A total of 119 participants (7-21 years), divided into a craniofacial disorder and control group (n = 42 and n = 77; mean age 13.5 ± 5.

Impact of perinatal administration of probiotics on immune cell composition in neonatal mice.

Background: Newborns and especially preterm infants are much more susceptible to infections than adults. The pathogens causing infections in newborns are often detectable in the intestinal flora of affected children even before disease onset. Therefore, it seems reasonable to prevent dysbiosis in newborns and preterm infants.

Randomised crossover study on pulse oximeter readings from different sensors in very preterm infants.

Objective: In extremely preterm infants, different target ranges for pulse oximeter saturation (SpO) may affect mortality and morbidity. Thus, the impact of technical changes potentially affecting measurements should be assessed. We studied SpO readings from different sensors for systematic deviations.

Choline and Betaine Levels in Plasma Mirror Choline Intake in Very Preterm Infants.

Choline is essential for cell membrane formation and methyl transfer reactions, impacting parenchymal and neurological development. It is therefore enriched via placental transfer, and fetal plasma concentrations are high. In spite of the greater needs of very low birth weight infants (VLBWI), choline content of breast milk after preterm delivery is lower (median (p25-75): 158 mg/L (61-360 mg/L) compared to term delivery (258 mg/L (142-343 mg/L)).

Caring for Infants with Robin Sequence Treated with the Tübingen Palatal Plate: A Review of Personal Practice.

The Tübingen Palatal Plate (TPP) is a minimally invasive yet highly effective functional orthodontic treatment for upper airway obstruction in infants with Robin Sequence (RS). It consists of a palatal plate to cover the cleft and a velar extension that shifts the root of the tongue forward. We review our practical experience with this approach.