Neurofilament Light Chain as Biomarker in Encephalitis.

Inflammation of the brain is called encephalitis and may result in acute and chronic brain damage. Encephalitis can be caused by various pathogens, especially neurotropic viruses, or can occur in the context of autoimmune diseases. Encephalitis is often difficult to diagnose and to monitor precisely during the course of the disease.

Incidence of neonatal respiratory morbidity after vaginal and caesarean delivery in the late-preterm and term period - a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome is a leading cause of neonatal intensive care unit admissions for late preterm (34-36 weeks gestational age) and term infants (37-41 weeks). The risk for respiratory morbidity appears to increase after an elective caesarean delivery and might be reduced after antenatal corticosteroids. However, before considering antenatal corticosteroids for women at high risk of preterm birth after 34 weeks, the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome and the effect of delivery mode on this incidence requires further evaluation.

Europe-wide comparison regarding the first medical examination of the newborn after birth: Absence of uniform standards.

Introduction: The first medical examination of the newborn after birth plays an essential role in identifying congenital malformations and life-threatening conditions. Currently, no Europe-wide guidelines or standards for performing the first neonatal examination exist. It is unclear which professional group carries out this examination in different European countries.

Parental knowledge and attitudes to infant immunization in the context of RSV: All about confidence?

Background: Recently, the first RSV vaccines have been approved, but vaccine hesitancy still poses great challenges to immunization programs.

Objective: To investigate this phenomenon in the context of the new RSV vaccines and an increased virus activity in 2022/23, we assessed parental knowledge and attitudes towards general childhood and RSV vaccines.

Methods: Parents of infants from 0-36 months completed an online questionnaire on demographics, socio-economic status, mental well-being, knowledge on RSV and perceptions of disease, attitudes to general childhood and RSV vaccines.

Meeting the need for effective and standardized neonatology training: a pan-European Master's Curriculum.

Neonatology is a pediatric sub-discipline focused on providing care for newborn infants, including healthy newborns, those born prematurely, and those who present with illnesses or malformations requiring medical care. The European Training Requirements (ETR) in Neonatology provide a framework for standardized quality and recognition of equality of training throughout Europe. The latest ETR version was approved by the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS) in April 2021.

Neurofilament Light Chain Concentration in Cerebrospinal Fluid in Children with Acute Nontraumatic Neurological Disorders.

(1) Introduction: This pilot study aimed to analyze neurofilament light chain levels in cerebrospinal fluid (cNfL) in a cohort of children with different acute nontraumatic neurological conditions. (2) Methods: This prospective observational cohort study consisted of 35 children aged 3 months to 17 years and was performed from November 2017 to December 2019. Patients' clinical data were reviewed, and patients were assigned to the following groups: = 10 (28.

European Training Requirements in Neonatology 2021: The ESPR, EAP, and UEMS Accredited European Syllabus for Neonatal Training.

Introduction: The European Union stipulates transnational recognition of professional qualifications for several sectoral professions, including medical doctors. The Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS), in its "Charter on Training of Medical Specialists," defines the principles for high-level medical training. These principles are manifested in the framework for European Training Requirements (ETR), ensuring medical training reflects modern medical practice and current scientific findings.

Vasoactive peptides as biomarkers for the prediction of retinopathy of prematurity.

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major complication in preterm infants. We assessed if plasma levels of midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) and C-terminal pro-endothelin-1 (CT-proET1) serve as early markers for subsequent ROP development in preterm infants <32 weeks gestation.

Methods: Prospective, two-centre, observational cohort study.

Pancreatic Insufficiency, Digestive Enzyme Supplementation, and Postnatal Growth in Preterm Babies.

Background: Optimising postnatal growth facilitates better long-term neonatal neurodevelopmental outcomes. Early postnatal growth is often hindered by a variety of factors unique to the extrauterine environment and digestive immaturity both contributing to reduced enteral feed tolerance during the first few days and weeks after birth. Preterm infants display varying levels of pancreatic insufficiency that are related to gestational age and providing digestive enzyme supplementation, may be one way in which to improve postnatal growth in enterally fed preterm babies.

Directed acyclic graph for epidemiological studies in childhood food allergy: Construction, user's guide, and application.

Understanding modifiable prenatal and early life causal determinants of food allergy is important for the prevention of the disease. Randomized clinical trials studying environmental and dietary determinants of food allergy may not always be feasible. Identifying risk/protective factors for early-life food allergy often relies on observational studies, which may be affected by confounding bias.

Interpretable and intervenable ultrasonography-based machine learning models for pediatric appendicitis.

Appendicitis is among the most frequent reasons for pediatric abdominal surgeries. Previous decision support systems for appendicitis have focused on clinical, laboratory, scoring, and computed tomography data and have ignored abdominal ultrasound, despite its noninvasive nature and widespread availability. In this work, we present interpretable machine learning models for predicting the diagnosis, management and severity of suspected appendicitis using ultrasound images.

Management of preterm labor: Clinical practice guideline and recommendation by the WAPM-World Association of Perinatal Medicine and the PMF-Perinatal Medicine Foundation.

This practice guideline follows the mission of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine in collaboration with the Perinatal Medicine Foundation, bringing together groups and individuals throughout the world, with the goal of improving the management of preterm labor. In fact, this document provides further guidance for healthcare practitioners on the appropriate use of examinations with the aim to improve the accuracy in diagnosing preterm labor and allow timely and appropriate administration of tocolytics, antenatal corticosteroids and magnesium sulphate and avoid unnecessary or excessive interventions. Therefore, it is not intended to establish a legal standard of care.

Validating the early phototherapy prediction tool across cohorts.

Background: Hyperbilirubinemia of the newborn infant is a common disease worldwide. However, recognized early and treated appropriately, it typically remains innocuous. We recently developed an early phototherapy prediction tool (EPPT) by means of machine learning (ML) utilizing just one bilirubin measurement and few clinical variables.

Effect of QT interval-prolonging drugs taken in pregnancy on the neonatal QT interval.

Acquired QT interval prolongations due to drug side effects can result in detrimental arrhythmia. Maternal use of placenta-permeable drugs may lead to fetal exposure, thus leading to an increased risk of neonatal QT prolongation and arrhythmia. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of maternal QT-prolonging medication on the neonatal QT interval.

[Operating models and organizational structures: opportunities and challenges for human milk banking in Germany].

Background: Donor human milk is the recommended alternative for feeding preterm infants if mother's own milk is unavailable. Human milk banks collect, screen, store and distribute donated human milk according to pre-specified standard operating procedures to premature infants without mothers own milk.

Aim:   Herein we characterize current operating models and the structural organisation of German milk bank institutions.

Serum neurofilament light chain reference database for individual application in paediatric care: a retrospective modelling and validation study.

Background: Neurological conditions represent an important driver of paediatric disability burden worldwide. Measurement of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) concentrations, a specific marker of neuroaxonal injury, has the potential to contribute to the management of children with such conditions. In this context, the European Medicines Agency recently declared age-adjusted reference values for sNfL a top research priority.

Serum Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in children with and without neurologic diseases.

Background/objective: Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is a specific biomarker of neuronal damage. Elevated sNfL levels have been reported in numerous neurologic diseases in adults, whereas data on sNfL in the pediatric population are incomplete. The aim of this study was to investigate sNfL levels in children with various acute and chronic neurologic disorders and describe the age dependence of sNfL from infancy to adolescence.

Neurofilament Light Chain serum levels after Hypoxia-Ischemia in a newborn piglet model.

Aim: Neurofilament light Chain (NfL) is a promising brain injury biomarker which may assist diagnosis and prognostication in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The aim of this study was to investigate serum NfL levels after hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in a newborn piglet model. Second, to characterize the influence of sex, weight, and treatment with remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPC) on NfL and the correlation between NfL, brain imaging and histologic brain injury.

Stem-cell therapy in neonates - an option?

Within the fast-growing field of regenerative medicine stem-cell therapy is well established in various hematologic and immunologic diseases and has received a recent substantial boost from the introduction of gene editing and gene transfer technologies. In neonates, for example, regenerative medicine may benefit those with congenital or acquired disease due to prematurity or perinatal hypoxia-ischemia. We compare and contrast the two main approaches - autologous vs.

Safety and Short-term Outcomes of High-Dose Erythropoietin in Preterm Infants With Intraventricular Hemorrhage: The EpoRepair Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in preterm infants without a specific medical treatment to date.

Objective: To assess the safety and short-term outcomes of high-dose erythropoietin in preterm infants with IVH.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Between April 1, 2014, and August 3, 2018, a randomized double-blind clinical trial enrolled 121 preterm infants (gestational age <32 weeks or birth weight <1500 g) aged 8 or less days with moderate to severe IVH identified by cerebral ultrasonography from 8 Swiss and Austrian tertiary neonatal units.

Vaginal Delivery Is Associated with Neurochemical Evidence of Increased Neuroaxonal Remodelling in Infants from the KUNO-Kids Health Study: Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Aim: Little is known about neonatal brain plasticity or the impact of birth mode on neurointegrity. As a reflection of neuroaxonal damage, the neuronal structural protein neurofilament light chain (NfL) has emerged as a highly specific biomarker. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that vaginal delivery is associated with increased NfL in neonates.

Leveraging Predictive Pharmacometrics-Based Algorithms to Enhance Perinatal Care-Application to Neonatal Jaundice.

The field of medicine is undergoing a fundamental change, transforming towards a modern data-driven patient-oriented approach. This paradigm shift also affects perinatal medicine as predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence are applied to enhance and individualize maternal, neonatal and perinatal care. Here, we introduce a pharmacometrics-based mathematical-statistical computer program (PMX-based algorithm) focusing on hyperbilirubinemia, a medical condition affecting half of all newborns.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in perinatal arterial ischemic stroke: systematic review of preclinical studies.

Background: Perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS) is a neurologic disorder leading to long-term complications. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a novel therapeutic agent. This systematic review aims to determine the effects of stem cell-based interventions for the treatment of PAIS in preclinical studies.