Effects of long-term antenatal magnesium sulfate administration on the bone mineralization of preterm infants.

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between long-term antenatal magnesium sulfate (MgSO ) administration and neonatal bone mineralization.

Methods: Infants born at 28-33 weeks of gestation (n = 163) were divided into three groups: long-term Mg administration group (infants received antenatal MgSO for ≥40 days), short-term Mg administration group (infants received antenatal MgSO for <40 days), and non-Mg group. Serum calcium, phosphorus, Mg, and alkaline phosphatase were measured weekly up to 1 month of age, and the bone speed of sound (SOS) values were measured using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) at 1 week and 1 month after birth.

Actual incidence of severe neonatal hypoglycemia in non-risk term neonates: A 10 year survey of all cases in Toyama Prefecture, Japan.

Background: Severe neonatal hypoglycemia may cause irreversible neurological sequelae. Although blood glucose (BG) screening in term neonates without risk factors for hypoglycemia (non-risk neonates) is not recommended in the current guidelines, severe hypoglycemia can occur in such neonates. To evaluate the necessity of BG screening in non-risk neonates, it is important to determine the accurate incidence of severe hypoglycemia in those neonates.

Effects of postnatal hydrocortisone on cytokine profile in extremely preterm infants.

Background: Systemic hydrocortisone administration has been widely used in preterm infants who are at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, the effects of hydrocortisone on cytokine profiles have not been examined. We aimed to investigate the effects of postnatal hydrocortisone treatment on serum cytokine levels in extremely preterm infants.

Correlation between the Bayley-III at 3 years and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition, at 6 years.

Background: Although several studies have investigated the association between Bayley-III results in infancy and future intellectual development, conclusions remain unclear. We used the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) at 3 years of age and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) at 6 years of age to assess the neurodevelopment of very low birthweight infants.

Methods: We investigated the correlation between Bayley-III's cognitive, language, and motor scores and the WISC-IV's Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ).

Pharmacokinetic Variability of Caffeine in Routinely Treated Preterm Infants: Preliminary Considerations on Developmental Changes of Systemic Clearance.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the variability of serum concentrations of caffeine (CAF) in preterm infants, and to deliberate on a better explanation for developmental changes of systemic clearance during the neonatal period. Forty-nine serum samples were obtained from 23 preterm neonates (age, 34.1 ± 18.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3 years for infants with congenital heart disease and very-low birthweight.

Background: Both congenital heart disease (CHD) and very-low birthweight (VLBW) infants are at a very high risk of neurodevelopmental delay. We investigated neurological development at 3 years in pediatric patients with CHD after surgical intervention, those of VLBW, and healthy controls.

Methods: We enrolled pediatric patients with CHD (n = 67), VLBW (n = 67), and healthy controls (n = 81).

Congenital tuberculosis in an extremely preterm infant and prevention of nosocomial infection.

Congenital tuberculosis is a rare disease, especially in non-endemic countries. We present a preterm infant who developed congenital tuberculosis in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The male patient, weighing 1140 g was born by cesarean section at 26 weeks gestation.

Clinical Factors That Affect the Relationship between Head Circumference and Brain Volume in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants.

Background And Purpose: Measuring head circumference (HC) in infants is an easy screening procedure with which to detect abnormalities in brain growth. It has been demonstrated that HC can predict total brain volume (TBV) in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. However, the correlation between HC and TBV was weaker than that observed in healthy term-born toddlers, suggesting that there are factors that influence the relationship between HC and TBV.

17OHP-C in patients with spontaneous preterm labor and intact membranes: is there an effect according to the presence of intra-amniotic inflammation?

Problem: It is not known whether 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHP-C) is effective for preventing preterm delivery with an episode of preterm labor (PTL) with or without intra-amniotic inflammation/infection.

Methods Of Study: This was a retrospective cohort study. One hundred and seven PTL patients were selected and divided into a 17OHP-C group (use of 17OHP-C: n = 53) and a no-treatment group (no use of 17OHP-C: n = 54).

Successful treatment of hemochromatosis with renal tubular dysgenesis in a preterm infant.

We report the first surviving case of neonatal hemochromatosis with renal tubular dysgenesis. Renal failure was treated with peritoneal dialysis. Although hepatic failure from neonatal hemochromatosis was progressive, repeated exchange transfusions improved jaundice and coagulopathy.

Neonatal acute megakaryoblastic leukemia mimicking congenital neuroblastoma.

We describe a neonate with abdominal distension, massive hepatomegaly, and high serum neuron-specific enolase level suggestive of congenital neuroblastoma. The patient died of pulmonary hemorrhage after therapy. Autopsy revealed that the tumor cells in the liver indicated acute megakaryocytic leukemia with the RBM15-MKL1 fusion gene.

Intrauterine growth restriction modifies gene expression profiling in cord blood.

Background: Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) newborns are at an increased risk for perinatal morbidity and mortality and development of metabolic syndromes such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adulthood. The mechanism underlying this increased risk remains unclear. In this study, genetic modifications of cord blood were investigated to characterize fetal change in SGA newborns.

Gray matter volumetric MRI differences late-preterm and term infants.

Gray matter develops rapidly during the third trimester of pregnancy, which is a critical period for lipid deposition. We measured brain volume in term and late-preterm infants to determine if it is related to disabilities in late-preterm infants. In addition, we measured serum lipid concentrations to investigate the relationship between brain volume and lipid nutrition.

Very low-density lipoprotein in the cord blood of preterm neonates.

Human fetuses have markedly low levels of serum lipids and a unique lipoprotein profile with respect to quality, with low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-like particle as the dominant cholesterol carrier. However, little is known about triglyceride (TG) distribution. In addition, lipid metabolism is important in lung development, with indications that TG from very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is essential for surfactant synthesis.

Kinetics of serum S100B in newborns with intracranial lesions.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness of serum S100B as a clinical marker of intracranial lesions in newborns.

Methods: The study involved 22 normal and 40 diseased newborns. Serum S100B level was measured on days 1 and 6 in normal newborns.

Heterogeneity of high-density lipoprotein in cord blood and its postnatal change.

Background: Several subclasses of HDL are demonstrated to have different roles in atherosclerosis based on adult studies, but the significance of HDL heterogeneity in the fetus and neonate has not been clarified. It has been described that the cholesterol supply from apoE-rich HDL is essential for central nerve system neuron growth.

Methods: Sixty-five healthy, term, appropriate for gestational age neonates (38 males and 27 females) were included in the study.

Impact of serum adiponectin concentration on birth size and early postnatal growth.

In term neonates, the adiponectin concentration is higher than it is in adults. To determine the relationship between adiponectin and early neonatal growth in a cohort study. Fifty-two neonates at term were studied.