Publications by authors named "Rivka Regev"
Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended for the first 6 months of life, yet EBF rates at 6 months (T3) in most developed countries are low. Painful and nonpainful sensory stimuli processing is linked, and while pain has been suggested to restrict breastfeeding, its coupling with sensory over-responsiveness (SOR) in relation to breastfeeding has not yet been reported.
Objective: We aimed to explore whether breastfeeding-related pain, SOR, and general pain sensitivity predict nonexclusive breastfeeding (NEBF) at T3.
Background: Although exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended for the first 6 months of life, breastfeeding rates in most developed countries are low. Sensory over-responsivity (SOR) has been found to interfere with infant and childcare, development, and routines, but has not yet been examined as a breastfeeding barrier. The aim of this study was to explore the association between infant sensory responsiveness and EBF and whether it can predict EBF cessation prior to 6 months of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of life, breastfeeding rates are low. Motor skills and ADHD-related characteristics have not yet been examined as breastfeeding barriers. The aim of this study was to explore whether mothers' and infants' motor skills, mothers' ADHD-related characteristics and infants' temperament are associated with exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months after birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate the yield of work-up in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) pregnancies and their outcomes.
Materials And Methods: Retrospective data regarding prenatal work-up (serology, genetic testing and imaging), and neonatal outcomes of 198 IUGR pregnancies (estimated fetal weight <10th percentile) were analyzed.
Results: IUGR was isolated in 72 cases.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how blood transfusions affect iron status and other related parameters in stable preterm infants.
- Researchers analyzed data from 63 preterm infants before and within 24 hours after receiving red blood cell transfusions, measuring factors like hemoglobin, ferritin, hepcidin, and erythropoietin.
- Results showed an increase in hemoglobin and ferritin post-transfusion, while hepcidin levels also rose, indicating that preterm infants can regulate their iron levels influenced by their age.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to investigate the link between major neonatal health issues and poor head growth in very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants born preterm, analyzing a sample of nearly 13,000 infants.
- Results showed that 4.5% of infants experienced severe head growth failure (HGF) and 20.9% had moderate HGF; both were significantly associated with conditions like respiratory distress syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis.
- Understanding if these neonatal morbidities directly affect head growth or influence it through nutrition could lead to better interventions for improving growth outcomes in preterm infants.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the impact of a twice daily exercise program on bone strength in very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants compared to once daily and no exercise interventions.
- Thirty-four VLBW infants were randomly placed into three groups for a four-week period, where they underwent assisted range-of-motion exercises starting shortly after birth.
- Results showed that while bone strength declined in all groups, those in the twice daily intervention experienced a significantly reduced decrease in bone strength, suggesting benefits for preventing osteopenia and fractures.
Objective: To evaluate whether carriers of group B streptococcus (GBS) have adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes when preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) occurs.
Methods: In a retrospective study, data were reviewed for women with a singleton pregnancy and PPROM before 34 weeks who attended the Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel, between 2005 and 2012. All women received roxithromycin for 1 week, and ampicillin until GBS culture results were available.
Article Synopsis
- The study explored how combining kangaroo care (KC) with maternal singing affects preterm infants and their mothers.
- It involved 86 stable preterm infants, measuring heart rate variability and maternal anxiety during different phases of KC, with and without singing.
- Findings showed that maternal singing during KC lowered maternal anxiety and improved heart rate variability in infants, though no changes were noted in infants' behavior or physiological parameters.
Article Synopsis
- Beta-palmitate in infant formula may enhance digestion, leading researchers to hypothesize that high beta-palmitate (HBP) formula would result in more frequent, softer stools and less crying compared to low beta-palmitate (LBP) formula.
- In a study with 63 infants, they were fed either HBP or LBP formula, while a group of breastfed infants served as a control; data on crying and stool characteristics were collected over several days.
- Results showed that HBP formula significantly reduced crying duration and frequency compared to LBP, suggesting it may enhance comfort for formula-fed infants and ease parental stress, similar to the benefits seen with breastfeeding.
Article Synopsis
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) was examined to see if it affects mortality and major health issues in preterm, small for gestational age (SGA) infants.
- The study analyzed over 2,100 singleton SGA infants born between 1995 and 2010, using data to evaluate the impact of PIH compared to no PIH, considering acute pregnancy complications.
- Results indicated that PIH did not lead to better outcomes regarding mortality or severe health issues in preterm SGA infants, regardless of the presence of pregnancy complications.
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted to see if very early feeding (within 24 hours of birth) helps small for gestational age (SGA) preterm infants reach full feeding faster compared to delayed feeding (after 24 hours).
- The research involved 60 preterm infants divided into two groups, with results showing that those fed early reached full feeding and were discharged home significantly sooner without increased health issues like necrotizing enterocolitis.
- Both groups showed improved gastric motility by the seventh day after feeding began, but there were no significant differences in motility between the early and delayed feeding groups.
Article Synopsis
- The study compared the effects of different infant formulas on bone strength in term infants over 12 weeks, focusing on palmitic acid levels.
- Eighty-three healthy infants participated, with those formula-fed divided into high beta-palmitate (HBP) and low beta-palmitate (LBP) groups, alongside a breast-fed reference group.
- Results showed that infants on HBP formula had significantly higher bone speed of sound (SOS) than those on LBP formula, indicating improved bone strength similar to breast-fed infants.
Objectives: Infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) have increased morbidity and mortality. The decision whether to induce labor at term or to expectantly manage these pregnancies is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of these two management strategies in term pregnancies.
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- Music therapy, specifically using live harp music, is recommended for preterm infants and their mothers in the NICU to enhance care.
- The study focused on the effects of combining live harp music therapy with kangaroo care on the well-being of both mothers and infants, measuring heart rates, oxygen levels, and anxiety.
- Results showed that this combination significantly reduced maternal anxiety but did not impact the infants' physiological or behavioral responses.
Article Synopsis
- * The newborn tested positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies, leading to a suspicion of neonatal myasthenia gravis, a condition that can cause muscle weakness in infants.
- * After intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, the infant showed significant improvement, raising the possibility that the mother's elevated antibodies could have affected both children, especially since her previous son likely had unrecognized transient myasthenia gravis.
Prenatal diagnosis of oral cystic lesions is rare but is reported more frequently. The diagnosis of sublingual cyst is important because of the potential for airway obstruction. A rare case of a foregut duplication cyst associated with unilateral sclerocorneal microphthalmia is reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOn the basis of preliminary data, this larger bi-institutional continuation trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of early iron supplementation in preterm infants calls attention to the levels of vitamin E, a marker of antioxidant activity, during iron treatment. A total of 116 preterm infants were randomly assigned to receive at 2 or 4 weeks of age ( N = 62, N = 54, respectively) 5 mg/kg/d of nonionic iron polymaltose complex concomitantly with a daily dose of 25 IU vitamin E (as dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate) from 2 weeks of age. Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) levels, iron, ferritin, hemoglobin concentration, and reticulocyte count were recorded from 2 to 8 weeks of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To initiate a longitudinal pilot study comparing the effect of nutrient-enriched post-discharge formula (PDF) with standard term formula (TF) on bone strength of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in the first six months post-term.
Methods: Two matched groups of VLBW infants were randomly assigned to enriched PDF (n=10) or TF (n=10) at corrected age of 40 weeks. Anthropometric measurements of growth and measurements of bone speed of sound (SOS) indicating bone strength and bone turnover markers (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and cross-linked carboxy terminal telopeptide of type I collagen) were taken at term and at three and six months corrected age.
The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of early nonionic iron supplementation in preterm infants. Infants with gestational age < or = 32 weeks who were fed enriched human milk were assigned concurrently to receive 5 mg/kg/d enteral iron polymaltose complex (IPC) at 2 or 4 weeks of age. The levels of hemoglobin, reticulocytes, serum iron, ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor were recorded at 2, 4, and 8 weeks of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Music stimulation has been shown to provide significant benefits to preterm infants. We hypothesized that live music therapy was more beneficial than recorded music and might improve physiological and behavioral parameters of stable preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Methods: Thirty-one stable infants randomly received live music, recorded music, and no music therapy over 3 consecutive days.
Objectives: In 2002 there was an increase in the incidence of Bacillus species sepsis in our NICU that was almost completely resolved in 2003-2004 after the NICU was relocated. Our aims were to identify the source, the risk factors, and to characterize the clinical features of these infections.
Methods: The epidemiological investigation commenced during the outbreak and thereafter.
Amphotericin B is the primary antifungal agent used for candida sepsis in neonates. Breakthrough candidemia was not reported in neonates during either amphotericin B or liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome) treatment. We describe a case of a premature infant with congenital cutaneous candida infection, who had two episodes of breakthrough infection, from Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis, while he was treated with amphotericin B and AmBisome, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Few studies demonstrated that serum amyloid A (SAA), a non-specific acute-phase reactant, could be used as a reliable early marker for the diagnosis of late-onset sepsis (LOS).
Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic value and the dynamics of SAA levels during the course of LOS and to compare it to those of other inflammatory markers.
Methods: Levels of SAA, C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 together with clinical variables, biochemical parameters and cultures retrieved from all preterm infants suspected of LOS were checked at the first suspicion of sepsis and after 8, 24, 48 and 72 h.
In this case study two combined, light-general and lumbar epidural anesthetics were administered to a premature neonate for the repair of gastroschisis. The female infant's body weight was 1400 grams (first operation) and 1700 grams (second operation). The epidural catheter was inserted between the low-lumbar vertebrae using the "loss of resistance" for saline technique.
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