Risk Factors for Hearing Screen Failure in a Single-Family Room Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Objective:  This study aimed to determine hearing screen outcomes and identify clinical and environmental risk factors for hearing screen failure in very preterm infants at a level IV single-family room (SFR) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Study Design:  We conducted a retrospective study of infants <33 weeks gestational age admitted to a level IV SFR NICU who survived to discharge and had automated auditory brainstem response results available. Demographics, antenatal and postnatal factors, and respiratory support modes and their duration were collected from the electronic medical record.

Assessment of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Sound Exposure Using a Smartphone Application.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the impact of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) design and environmental factors on neonatal sound exposures. We hypothesized that monitoring with a smartphone application would identify modifiable environmental factors in different NICU design formats.

Study Design: Minimum, maximum, and peak decibel (dB) recordings were obtained using the Decibel X phone app, and the presence of noise sources was recorded in each patient space at three NICUs over a 6-month period (December 2017 to May 2018).

Antenatal factors modulate hearing screen failure risk in preterm infants.

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterise the effects of antenatal inflammatory factors and maternal therapies on neonatal hearing screen outcomes in very low birthweight infants.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of a cohort of infants <33 weeks' gestational age and <1501 g birth weight prospectively enrolled between 1999 and 2003 for whom placental pathology, cord blood interleukin (IL) 6, IL-1ß, tumour necrosis factor-α and neonatal hearing screen results were available.

Results: Of 289 infants with documented hearing screen results, 244 (84%) passed and 45 (16%) failed the hearing screen (unilateral, N=25 (56%); bilateral, N=20 (44%)).

Inherited renal diseases.

Genetic disorders of the kidney include cystic diseases, metabolic diseases and immune glomerulonephritis. Cystic diseases include autosomal dominant and recessive polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD, ARPKD, respectively). Neonates with enlarged, cystic kidneys should be evaluated for PKD.

NMDA agonists and antagonists induce renal culture cell toxicity.

The NMDA receptor (NMDAR) is expressed in the renal proximal tubule. NMDAR agonists and antagonists induce cell toxicity in the central nervous system (CNS). We studied the effect of NMDAR agonists and antagonists on renal cell survival in renal culture cells: proximal tubule-like opossum kidney (OK) and distal-tubule-like madine darby canine kidney cells (MDCK) cells.

Frequent hemodialysis with NxStage system in pediatric patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis.

Recent evidence from adult hemodialysis (HD) patient studies reveal improved biochemical control and reported health-related quality of life after transition from conventional thrice weekly to daily home maintenance HD treatment. Published pediatric frequent dialysis experiences demonstrate similar improvement but all used conventional HD machines, which employ a treated municipal water supply, thereby frequently exposing patients to proinflammatory components. We report our pediatric experience with six-times-weekly HD using the NxStage system, which uses sterile dialysis fluid to provide dialysis in the home or center setting.

Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in chronic pediatric dialysis patients: effect of aspirin.

Dialysis provides effective and safe treatment of ESRD in children, but patients who are maintained on chronic dialysis are at risk for cardiovascular disease. One major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adult patients with ESRD is chronic inflammation. The effect of anti-inflammatory therapy with aspirin on serum cytokine concentration was studied in seven children who were receiving hemodialysis (HD) and seven who were receiving continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis (CCPD or PD).

Altered NMDA receptor expression in renal toxicity: Protection with a receptor antagonist.

Background: The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is expressed in the kidney. The receptor plays a major role in gentamicin ototoxicity. We assessed the role of the renal NMDA receptor subunits NR1 and NR2C in a model of gentamicin nephrotoxicity.

Altered expression of immune modulator and structural genes in neonatal unilateral ureteral obstruction.

Background: Congenital obstructive nephropathy is a condition characterized by hydronephrosis, tubular dilatation, apoptosis, and atrophy, as well as interstitial cellular infiltration and progressive interstitial fibrosis. The renal consequences of chronic unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in the neonatal rat are similar to those of clinical congenital obstructive nephropathy.

Methods: To define alterations in renal gene expression induced by chronic neonatal UUO, Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to UUO or sham operation within the first 2 days of life, and kidneys were harvested after 12 days.

Expression of connexins in the normal and obstructed developing kidney.

Connections between cells are achieved by proteins called connexins that comprise the gap junction. Connexins play a major role in organ development. Our reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) studies demonstrate that Cx30, Cx36, Cx37, Cx40, Cx45, Cx46, and Cx50 are expressed in the kidney.

Expression and developmental regulation of the NMDA receptor subunits in the kidney and cardiovascular system.

Antagonists to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor bind to various extraneuronal tissues. We therefore assessed the expression of the main NMDA subunit, NR1, in various tissues. We demonstrate that NR1 appears to be most abundant in the rat kidney and heart.