Association of Serum Albumin Level and Mortality in Premature Infants.

Background: Hypoalbuminemia has been proven to be a powerful predictor of mortality in adult patients. However, prognostic value of serum albumin in neonates is not clear.

Objective: To assess the relationship between serum albumin level within the first day of life and outcome in preterm infants born before 32 weeks of gestation.

Laser acupuncture before heel lancing for pain management in healthy term newborns: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Healthy term newborns commonly undergo painful procedures during routine follow-up visits. Non-pharmacological strategies have currently become more important than pharmacological analgesic agents in neonatal pain management. Acupuncture is a new non-pharmacological method for preventing pain in newborns.

The influence of IgM-enriched immunoglobulin therapy on neonatal mortality and hematological variables in newborn infants with blood culture-proven sepsis.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of adjuvant immunoglobulin M (IgM)-enriched intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy on mortality rate, hematological variables and length of hospital stay in newborn infants with blood culture-proven sepsis. Demographic and clinical features and outcome measures of 63 newborn infants with blood culture-proven sepsis were documented retrospectively from the medical records. The patients were divided into two groups according to their treatment history.

Inferior Vena Cava Oxygen Saturation during the First Three Postnatal Days in Preterm Newborns with and without Patent Ductus Arteriosus.

Background: Inferior vena cava (IVC) oxygen saturation as an indicator of mixed venous oxygenation may be valuable for understanding postnatal adaptations in newborn infants. It is unknown how this parameter progresses in critically ill premature infants.

Aims: To investigate IVC oxygen saturation during the first three days of life in preterm infants with and without patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Association of respiratory distress syndrome and perinatal hypoxia with histologic chorioamnionitis in preterm infants.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between neonatal mortality-morbidity and pregnancies with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), particularly those complicated by histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA), in preterm infants. A retrospective study was conducted on 58 preterm neonates born to 46 pregnant women with PPROM. Maternal characteristics, placental examination, and neonatal morbidity and mortality were analyzed.

"Shunt index" can be used to predict clinically significant patent ductus arteriosus in premature neonates in early post-natal life.

Background: This study aimed to examine the differences between arterial and inferior caval vein oxygen saturation, fractional oxygen extraction, and the shunt index, which were calculated in the diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus.

Methods: Twenty-seven preterm infants were included in this study and were divided into two groups according to patent ductus arteriosus. Among them, 11 (41%) infants had haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus and 16 (59%) did not have significant patent ductus arteriosus.

Erythrocyte transfusions and serum prohepcidin levels in premature newborns with anemia of prematurity.

Hepcidin is a regulatory peptide hormone acts by limiting intestinal iron absorption and promoting iron retention. Determining the level of hepcidin in anemia of prematurity might be important in preventing iron overload. This study aimed to determine serum levels of prohepcidin in newborns with anemia of prematurity, to assess the effect of a single erythrocyte transfusion on serum prohepcidin levels, and to determine the possible relationships between prohepcidin levels and serum iron and complete blood count parameters.

Serum pro-hepcidin levels in term and preterm newborns with sepsis.

Background: An iron regulatory peptide hormone, hepcidin, is also part of the innate immune system and is strongly induced during infections and inflammation. The aim of the present study was to determine serum levels of the 60 aa pro-hormone form of hepcidin (pro-hepcidin) in full-term and preterm newborns with sepsis and to determine the possible relationships between pro-hepcidin levels and serum iron and complete blood count parameters.

Methods: Fifteen preterm newborns with sepsis, 17 healthy preterm, six full-term newborns with sepsis and 16 healthy full-term newborns were included the study.