Machine learning-based analysis for prediction of surgical necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants using perinatal factors: a nationwide cohort study.

Early prediction of surgical necrotizing enterocolitis (sNEC) in preterm infants is important. However, owing to the complexity of the disease, identifying infants with NEC at a high risk for surgical intervention is difficult. We developed a machine learning (ML) algorithm to predict sNEC using perinatal factors obtained from the national cohort registry of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

The risk of pediatric cardiovascular diseases in offspring born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus: a nationwide study.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a common autoimmune disease predominantly affecting women, has been linked to various complications during pregnancy. The transfer of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies from SLE-affected mothers to their offspring can lead to neonatal lupus and cardiac issues. This study investigated the association between maternal SLE and the risk of pediatric cardiovascular disorders.

Learning-Based Longitudinal Prediction Models for Mortality Risk in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Introduction: Prediction models assessing the mortality of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants were confined to models using only pre- and perinatal variables. We aimed to construct a prediction model comprising multifactorial clinical events with data obtainable at various time points.

Methods: We included 15,790 (including 2,045 in-hospital deaths) VLBW infants born between 2013 and 2020 who were enrolled in the Korean Neonatal Network, a nationwide registry.

Two-stage learning-based prediction of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very low birth weight infants: a nationwide cohort study.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to develop an enhanced machine learning-based prediction models for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and its severity through a two-stage approach integrated with the duration of respiratory support (RSd) using prenatal and early postnatal variables from a nationwide very low birth weight (VLBW) infant cohort.

Methods: We included 16,384 VLBW infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) of the Korean Neonatal Network (KNN), a nationwide VLBW infant registry (2013-2020). Overall, 45 prenatal and early perinatal clinical variables were selected.

Seasonal differences in the effects of local concentrations of atmospheric substances and meteorological elements on asthma exacerbation of children in metropolitan area, Korea: A 13-year retrospective single-center study.

Purpose: Air pollutants contribute to asthma exacerbation, and the types of air pollutants involved in acute asthma exacerbation may differ depending on climate and environmental conditions. This study aimed to identify factors affecting asthma exacerbation in each of the four seasons so that to prevent acute asthma exacerbation and to establish effective treatment strategies for each season.

Methods: Pediatric patients aged 0-18 years old hospitalized or admitted to the emergency room for asthma exacerbation at Hanyang University Guri Hospital between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2019 were recruited.

The relationship between childhood asthma and socioeconomic status: a Korean nationwide population-based study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate associations of socioeconomic status (SES) with asthma exacerbation and asthma-related hospital utilization factors among children with asthma in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed population-level data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service, collected from 2013 through 2019. SES was classified into five categories according to the national health insurance premiums quantiles (0 [lowest] to 4 [highest]).

Association of newer definitions of bronchopulmonary dysplasia with pulmonary hypertension and long-term outcomes.

Background: The definition of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has been evolved recently from definition by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in 2001 (NICHD 2001) to the definition reported in 2018 (NICHD 2018) and that proposed by Jensen et al. in 2019 (NICHD 2019). The definition was developed based on the evolution of non-invasive respiratory support and to achieve better prediction of later outcomes.

Omental infarction diagnosed by computed tomography, missed with ultrasonography: A case report.

Background: Omental infarction (OI) is a surgical abdominal disease that is not common in adults and is very rare in children. Similar to various acute abdominal pain diseases including appendicitis, diagnosis was previously achieved by diagnostic laparotomy but more recently, ultrasonography or computed tomography (CT) examination has been used.

Case Summary: A 6-year-old healthy boy with no specific medical history visited the emergency room with right lower abdominal pain.

Effects of Ponderal Index on Neonatal Mortality and Morbidities in Extremely Premature Infants.

Background: To evaluate how intrauterine stress affects extremely premature infants in terms of intrauterine growth restriction. We hypothesized that extremely premature infants with mildly-low ponderal index (MPI) would have better neonatal outcomes.

Methods: We selected 2,721 subjects of 23 to 28 weeks of gestation between 2013 and 2015 from Korean Neonatal Network database.

Age-Specific Characteristics of Adult and Pediatric Respiratory Viral Infections: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

This study aimed to identify age-specific characteristics of respiratory viral infections. Hospitalized patients with confirmed viral respiratory infections were included in the sample. The patients were divided into the pediatric group (<19 years old) and the adult group (≥19 years old).

Altered microstructure of the splenium of corpus callosum is associated with neurodevelopmental impairment in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease in preterm infants with significant morbidities, including neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI). This study aimed to investigate whether NEC is associated with (1) brain volume expansion and white matter maturation using diffusion tensor imaging analysis and (2) NDI compared with preterm infants without NEC.

Methods: We included 86 preterm infants (20 with NEC and 66 without NEC) with no evidence of brain abnormalities on trans-fontanelle ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging at term-equivalent age (TEA).

Effects of Lipopolysaccharide on Oligodendrocyte Differentiation at Different Developmental Stages: an In Vitro Study.

Background: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exerts cytotoxic effects on brain cells, especially on those belonging to the oligodendrocyte lineage, in preterm infants. The susceptibility of oligodendrocyte lineage cells to LPS-induced inflammation is dependent on the developmental stage. This study aimed to investigate the effect of LPS on oligodendrocyte lineage cells at different developmental stages in a microglial cell and oligodendrocyte co-culture model.

Retinopathy of Prematurity and Hearing Impairment in Infants Born with Very-Low-Birth-Weight: Analysis of a Korean Neonatal Network Database.

Background: To investigate hearing impairment and its association with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among children born with very low birth weight (VLBW, birth weight < 1500 g).

Methods: This prospective registry study included 7940 VLBW infants who underwent both ophthalmic (ROP) and hearing screening at the 70 participating centers of the Korean Neonatal Network. Hearing screening was performed using auditory brainstem response and/or automated otoacoustic emission testing.

Usual gait speed is associated with frailty status, institutionalization, and mortality in community-dwelling rural older adults: a longitudinal analysis of the Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area.

Purpose: We aimed to describe the age- and sex-specific distributions of gait speed and to evaluate associations with longitudinal outcomes in Korean rural community-dwelling older adults.

Patients And Methods: A total of 1,348 people (mean age: 76 years, 55% women) in the population-based, prospective cohort of Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area (ASPRA) between October 2014 and June 2017. All participants underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment, including 4-m usual gait speed, and were followed annually.

Maternal outcomes and follow-up of preterm and term neonates born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: There is little follow-up data in preterm infants from mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to determine maternal outcomes and compare neonatal outcomes in preterm and term infants born to mothers with SLE.

Methods: This study is a prospective study in a tertiary medical care center and clinical research center for rheumatoid arthritis.