Sex-Related Differences in the Severity of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective:  Factors associated with the development and expression of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) are poorly understood. There are conflicting data on the role of infant sex in NOWS. Some studies have suggested that infant sex predicts NOWS severity and adverse outcomes, with male infants being more vulnerable.

DNA methylation patterns in umbilical cord blood from infants of methadone maintained opioid dependent mothers.

Methadone maintenance treatment for opioid dependent mothers is standard of care. Infants of methadone maintained opioid dependent (MMOD) mothers have better outcomes compared to infants of opioid dependent mothers without treatment. However, when compared to non-exposed infants, infants of MMOD mothers are associated with worse outcomes.

Buprenorphine vs. morphine: impact on neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) outcomes in a single center retrospective study.

Objectives: To compare clinical outcomes for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) treated with buprenorphine or morphine.

Study Design: Retrospective study of infants born ≥35 weeks' gestation and admitted to the NICU for NOWS treatment between 2011 and 2022. Length of treatment, length of stay in the hospital, and the need for secondary medications were compared between buprenorphine and morphine treated neonates.

Acute Kidney Injury and Abnormalities on Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Death in Infants with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Case-Control Study.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the association between acute kidney injury (AKI) and abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or death in neonates treated with therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Study Design: This is a retrospective case-control analysis of 380 neonates born at ≥35 weeks' gestation treated with therapeutic hypothermia for HIE. Death or abnormal brain MRI using the basal ganglia watershed scoring system was compared between neonates with and without AKI.

SARS-CoV-2 Covid-19 Infection During Pregnancy and Differential DNA Methylation in Human Cord Blood Cells From Term Neonates.

Background: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). About 18.4% of total Covid-19 cases were reported in children.

Do small for gestational age infants have less severe neonatal abstinence syndrome?

Background: Small for gestational age (SGA) infants are likely to have decreased placental transfer of opioids and other substances and lower amounts of fat deposition, hence less severe neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The goal of this study is to correlate SGA status and severity of NAS in infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of term and late-preterm infants (≥35 weeks gestation) exposed to in-utero substances, born between September 2006 and May 2021, and admitted to an inner-city NICU for medical therapy for NAS.

A comparison of Triple I classification with neonatal early-onset sepsis calculator recommendations in neonates born to mothers with clinical chorioamnionitis.

Objective: To compare the early-onset sepsis (EOS) calculator recommendations for infants born to mothers with clinical chorioamnionitis with those made by the Triple I classification.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of chorioamnionitis-exposed neonates ≥35 weeks. EOS risk was calculated with baseline risks of 0.

Apgar Scores at 10 Minutes and Outcomes in Term and Late Preterm Neonates with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy in the Cooling Era.

Objective: To determine the short-term outcomes (abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]/death) in infants born with a 10-minute Apgar score of 0 who received therapeutic hypothermia and compare them with infants with higher scores.

Study Design: This is a retrospective review of 293 neonates (gestational age ≥ 35 weeks) born between November 2006 and October 2015 admitted with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy who received therapeutic hypothermia. Results of brain MRIs were assessed by the basal ganglia/watershed scoring system.

Assessment and management of pain and distress in the neonate.

Pain management is an integral focus of neonatal care. This article reviews the physiology and impact of neonatal pain and distress and pain assessment tools, as well as clinical interventions and current controversies in the management of pain and distress in neonates. Current guidelines to enhance the recognition and treatment of pain are highlighted.

Synthesis and post-translational processing of surfactant protein C.

Traditional thinking about surfactant proteins has centered around their effects on the biophysical properties of surfactant phospholipids. Accumulated data now suggests that the four major surfactant proteins (SPs) are a biochemically and functionally diverse group of mammalian peptides that have function beyond modification of alveolar surface tension. Alveolar SP-C (SP-C3.

Pulmonary surfactant metabolism in infants lacking surfactant protein B.

Infants with inherited deficiency of pulmonary surfactant protein (SP) B develop respiratory failure at birth and die without lung transplantation. We examined aspects of surfactant metabolism in lung tissue and lavage fluid acquired at transplantation or postmortem from ten infants born at term with inherited deficiency of SP-B; comparison groups were infants with other forms of chronic lung disease (CLD) and normal infants. In pulse/chase labeling studies with cultured deficient tissue, no immunoprecipitable SP-B was observed and an approximately 6-kD form of SP-C accumulated that was only transiently present in CLD tissue.

TGF-beta1 inhibits surfactant component expression and epithelial cell maturation in cultured human fetal lung.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a multifunctional cytokine shown to play a critical role in organ morphogenesis, development, growth regulation, cellular differentiation, gene expression, and tissue remodeling after injury. We examined the effect of exogenously administered TGF-beta1 on the expression of surfactant proteins (SPs) and lipids, fatty acid synthetase, and ultrastructural morphology in human fetal lung cultured for 5 days with and without dexamethasone (10 nM). Expression of the type II cell-specific marker surfactant proprotein C (proSP-C), studied by [35S]Met incorporation and immunoprecipitation, increased sevenfold with dexamethasone treatment.

Expression and glucocorticoid regulation of surfactant protein C in human fetal lung.

The hydrophobic surfactant protein C (SP-C) is known to modulate the biophysical properties of surfactant phospholipid. Although SP-C mRNA has been demonstrated in human fetal lung, there is limited information regarding developmental expression and processing of proSP-C protein. Two epitope-specific human proSP-C antisera, anti-hCPROSP-C (His59-Ser72) and anti-hCTERMSP-C (Gly162-Gly175), were generated to complement previously produced anti-NPROSP-C (Met10-Gln23) for the study of proSP-C expression in human fetal lung.

Morbidity and mortality of infants born before arrival at the hospital.

Recently, a number of infants have been born at home, in an ambulance, car, etc., before arrival at the District of Columbia General Hospital. Many of these infants had poor outcome.