Increased Expression of Anaphylatoxin C5a-Receptor-1 in Neutrophils and Natural Killer Cells of Preterm Infants.

Preterm infants are susceptible to infection and their defense against pathogens relies largely on innate immunity. The role of the complement system for the immunological vulnerability of preterm infants is less understood. Anaphylatoxin C5a and its receptors C5aR1 and -2 are known to be involved in sepsis pathogenesis, with C5aR1 mainly exerting pro-inflammatory effects.

Antimicrobial skin peptides in premature infants: Comparison with term infants and impact of perinatal factors.

Introduction: Preterm infants have an immature epidermis barrier function that may lead to an increased permeability to pathogens. On the surface of the human skin, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important molecules of the innate immune system, have broad antimicrobial properties, and provide an essential role in integrity of the microbiome. Given the marked susceptibility of preterm infants to infection, we hypothesize a decreased expression of AMPs on the skin of preterm infants.

A Timely Administration of Antenatal Steroids Is Highly Protective Against Intraventricular Hemorrhage: An Observational Multicenter Cohort Study of Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of the timing of antenatal steroids (ANSs) on neonatal outcome of very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) born before 30 weeks of gestation in the German Neonatal Network.

Methods: The German Neonatal Network is a large population-based cohort study enrolling VLBWIs since 2009. We included 672 neonates, who were born between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019 in our analysis in 10 selected centers.