Impact of the Use of the Beanie on the Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants With Plagiocephaly: A Pilot Study.

Background Deformational plagiocephaly (DP) is the abnormal flattening of the skull. Infants with DP have been found to have abnormal brain shape and asymmetry associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III (BSID-III) compared to those without DP. In 2009, the FDA approved a repositioning Beanie, the TortleTM (Tortle Products LLC, Greenwood Village, CO), for the prevention of flat head syndrome.

Epidemiology of bacteremia in young hospitalized infants in Vientiane, Laos, 2000-2011.

As data about the causes of neonatal sepsis in low-income countries are inadequate, we reviewed the etiology and antibiotic susceptibilities of bacteremia in young infants in Laos. As Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of bacteremia in Lao infants, we also examined risk factors for this infection, in particular the local practice of warming mothers during the first weeks postpartum with hot coals under their beds (hot beds). Clinical and laboratory data regarding infants aged 0-60 days evaluated for sepsis within 72 h of admission to Mahosot Hospital in Vientiane, Laos, were reviewed, and 85 of 1438 (5.

Developmental programming of hypertension and kidney disease.

A growing body of evidence supports the concept that changes in the intrauterine milieu during "sensitive" periods of embryonic development or in infant diet after birth affect the developing individual, resulting in general health alterations later in life. This phenomenon is referred to as "developmental programming" or "developmental origins of health and disease." The risk of developing late-onset diseases such as hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD), obesity or type 2 diabetes is increased in infants born prematurely at <37 weeks of gestation or in low birth weight (LBW) infants weighing <2,500 g at birth.

Preterm birth after mature fetal lung indices: is there any neonatal morbidity?

Objective: To determine the frequency of immediate morbidities in neonates with evidence of mature fetal lung indices who delivered before 37 weeks gestation.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on pregnancies resulting in birth at < 37 weeks after mature fetal lung was documented by phosphatidylglycerol, lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio, or TDx-FLM studies. Pregnancies with multifetal gestations, maternal diabetes, or fetal anomalies were excluded.

Heat shock protein 70 secretion by neonatal tracheal tissue during mechanical ventilation: association with indices of tissue function and modeling.

Mechanical ventilation (MV) of the neonatal airway alters mechanical properties and activates tissue-modeling pathways. Heat shock protein (HSP70) is a marker of tissue injury and modulates inflammation, which may influence subsequent pulmonary tissue modeling by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). HSP70 secretion is up-regulated in MV airway tissues and associated with changes in airway elasticity and secretion of MMPs.

Changing use of surfactant over 6 years and its relationship to chronic lung disease.

Objectives: Our goals were to identify the trend of surfactant use over a 6-year period and to determine whether a relationship exists between the incidence of chronic lung disease in infants born weighing <1000 g who receive surfactant and those who do not.

Methodology: Data regarding surfactant use, incidence of chronic lung disease, nasal continuous positive airway pressure use and duration, and demographic data were collected from the Alere (formerly ParadigmHealth) database from 2001 to 2006 (n = 3086). Groups were compared by using chi(2) test, analysis of variance, or Student's t test.