The skin microbiota of preterm infants and impact of diaper change frequency.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of diaper change frequency, clinical characteristics, and skin health metrics on development of the skin microbiota in preterm infants.

Design: A randomized controlled parallel design was used.

Methods: Medically stable preterm infants born <33 weeks' gestation were randomized to receive diaper changes at a frequency of every 3-hours or every 6-hours.

Human milk fortification and use of infant formulas to support growth in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Newborn infants require adequate nutrition to achieve full potential growth and development. Early life nutrition and health impacts long-term outcomes through adulthood. Human milk is the optimal source of nutrition during the first 6 months of life.

20-αHydroxycholesterol, an oxysterol in human breast milk, reverses mouse neonatal white matter injury through Gli-dependent oligodendrogenesis.

White matter injuries (WMIs) are the leading cause of neurologic impairment in infants born premature. There are no treatment options available. The most common forms of WMIs in infants occur prior to the onset of normal myelination, making its pathophysiology distinctive, thus requiring a tailored approach to treatment.

The effect of sex on retinopathy of prematurity severity among premature mixed-sex multiple gestation infants.

This retrospective study of 68 premature infants examined whether there was a difference between male and female mixed-sex multiple gestation infants with regard to stage of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) developed or need for ROP treatment. We found that among mixed-sex twin infants there was no statistically significant difference between sexes in most severe ROP stage developed or need for ROP treatment, but males were treated at an earlier postmenstrual age (PMA) than females, despite females having a lower mean birthweight and slower mean growth velocity compared to males.

The gestational membrane microbiome in the presence or absence of intraamniotic infection.

Background: Data regarding the microbiome of the gestational membranes are emerging and conflicting. Shifts in the microbial communities in the setting of labor, rupture of membranes, and intraamniotic infection are yet to be understood.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the microbiome of the gestational membranes of women in labor or with ruptured membranes, including those with and without intraamniotic infection.

The gut microbiome of extremely preterm infants randomized to the early progression of enteral feeding.

Background: Early progression of feeding could influence the development of the gut microbiome.

Methods: We collected fecal samples from extremely preterm infants randomized to receive either early (feeding day 2) or delayed (feeding day 5) feeding progression. After study completion, we compared samples obtained at three different time points (week 1, week 2, and week 3) to determine longitudinal differences in specific taxa between the study groups using unadjusted and adjusted negative binomial and zero-inflated mixed models.

The Pediatric Obesity Microbiome and Metabolism Study (POMMS): Methods, Baseline Data, and Early Insights.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish a biorepository of clinical, metabolomic, and microbiome samples from adolescents with obesity as they undergo lifestyle modification.

Methods: A total of 223 adolescents aged 10 to 18 years with BMI ≥95th percentile were enrolled, along with 71 healthy weight participants. Clinical data, fasting serum, and fecal samples were collected at repeated intervals over 6 months.

Assessment of an Updated Neonatal Research Network Extremely Preterm Birth Outcome Model in the Vermont Oxford Network.

Importance: The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network (NRN) extremely preterm birth outcome model is widely used for prognostication by practitioners caring for families expecting extremely preterm birth. The model provides information on mean outcomes from 1998 to 2003 and does not account for substantial variation in outcomes among US hospitals.

Objective: To update and validate the NRN extremely preterm birth outcome model for most extremely preterm infants in the United States.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants With Retinopathy of Prematurity by Treatment.

Objective: Among extremely preterm infants, we evaluated whether bevacizumab therapy compared with surgery for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is associated with adverse outcomes in early childhood.

Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on preterm (22-26 + 6/7 weeks' gestational age) infants admitted to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network centers who received bevacizumab or surgery exclusively for ROP. The primary outcome was death or severe neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18 to 26 months' corrected age (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition cognitive or motor composite score <70, Gross Motor Functional Classification Scale level ≥2, bilateral blindness or hearing impairment).

Disrupted Maturation of the Microbiota and Metabolome among Extremely Preterm Infants with Postnatal Growth Failure.

Growth failure during infancy is a major global problem that has adverse effects on long-term health and neurodevelopment. Preterm infants are disproportionately affected by growth failure and its effects. Herein we found that extremely preterm infants with postnatal growth failure have disrupted maturation of the intestinal microbiota, characterized by persistently low diversity, dominance of pathogenic bacteria within the Enterobacteriaceae family, and a paucity of strictly anaerobic taxa including Veillonella relative to infants with appropriate postnatal growth.

Early-life skin microbiota in hospitalized preterm and full-term infants.

Background: The infant skin microbiota may serve as a reservoir of bacteria that contribute to neonatal infections and stimulate local and systemic immune development. The objectives of our study were to characterize the skin microbiota of preterm and full-term infants during their birth hospitalization and describe its relationship to the microbiota of other body sites and the hospital environment.

Results: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 129 infants, including 40 preterm and 89 full-term infants.