Universal Urine Drug Screening with Rapid Confirmation upon Admission to Labor and Delivery.

Objective: This study aimed to describe our experience with universal urine drug screening (UDS) with rapid confirmation (RC) via liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) before infant's discharge, in efforts to increase detection of neonates at risk of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) while reducing patient burden related to false positive results.

Study Design: Two-phase retrospective study of all pregnant women admitted to our labor and delivery (L&D) unit before (phase 1, April 2018-March 2019) and after (phase 2, October 2019-September 2020) RC of UDS was initiated. Urine samples were obtained on admission and screened for drugs using an enzyme immunoassay with positive results reflexed to confirmation via LC-MS.

Human Cord Blood-Derived Unrestricted Somatic Stem Cell Infusion Improves Neurobehavioral Outcome in a Rabbit Model of Intraventricular Hemorrhage.

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a severe complication of preterm birth, which leads to hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. There are no available therapies to cure IVH, and standard treatment is supportive care. Unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs) from human cord blood have reparative effects in animal models of brain and spinal cord injuries.

Absence of gut microbial colonization attenuates the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemic stress in mice: implications for human neonates.

Background: Gut microbiota plays an important role during early development via bidirectional gut-brain signaling. Catecholamines provide a survival advantage allowing adaptation to common postnatal stressors. We aimed to explore the potential link between gut microbiota/gut-derived metabolites and sympathoadrenal stress responsivity.

Acute Hypoxia Induces Enkephalin Production and Release in an Adrenergic Cell Line Model of Neonatal Chromaffin Cell Responses to Hypoxic Stress.

Objective: Prior to maturation of the human sympathetic nervous system, the neonatal adrenal medulla senses and responds to hypoxia. In addition to catecholamine release, the adrenal medulla synthesizes and stores opioid peptides, notably enkephalin (ENK). However, it is not known whether acute hypoxia evokes adrenal ENK production and release, as seen in the central nervous system (CNS).