How to assess hemodynamic status in very preterm newborns in the first week of life?

Background: Assessing hemodynamic status in preterm newborns is an essential task, as many studies have shown increased morbidity when hemodynamic parameters are abnormal. Although oscillometric monitoring of arterial blood pressure (BP) is widely used due to its simplicity and lack of side effects, these values are not always correlated with microcirculation and oxygen delivery.

Objectives: This review focuses on different tools for the assessment of hemodynamic status in preterm newborns.

Does neonatal pain management in intensive care units differ between night and day? An observational study.

Objective: To determine whether analgesic use for painful procedures performed in neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) differs during nights and days and during each of the 6 h period of the day.

Design: Conducted as part of the prospective observational Epidemiology of Painful Procedures in Neonates study which was designed to collect in real time and around-the-clock bedside data on all painful or stressful procedures.

Setting: 13 NICUs and paediatric intensive care units in the Paris Region, France.

[Cerebellar injury in premature infants less than 30 weeks of gestation].

Unlabelled: Traditionally, the cerebellum has been regarded as a central component of the motor system. Recent studies suggest an important role played by the cerebellum in the development of cognitive and social functions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of cerebellar injury and to define the obstetrical, neonatal, and radiologic characteristics, as well as the functional outcomes in a population of very preterm infants.

Differential expression of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases 4 in developing rat lung.

During the perinatal period, lungs undergo changes to adapt to air breathing. The genes involved in these changes are developmentally regulated by various signaling pathways, including the cyclic nucleotide cAMP. As PDE4s are critical enzymes for regulation of cAMP levels, the objective of this study was to investigate PDE4's ontogeny in developing rat lung during the perinatal period.

Effects of phosphodiesterase 4 inhibition on alveolarization and hyperoxia toxicity in newborn rats.

Background: Prolonged neonatal exposure to hyperoxia is associated with high mortality, leukocyte influx in airspaces, and impaired alveolarization. Inhibitors of type 4 phosphodiesterases are potent anti-inflammatory drugs now proposed for lung disorders. The current study was undertaken to determine the effects of the prototypal phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor rolipram on alveolar development and on hyperoxia-induced lung injury.