Consensus definition and diagnostic criteria for neonatal encephalopathy-study protocol for a real-time modified delphi study.

Background: 'Neonatal encephalopathy' (NE) describes a group of conditions in term infants presenting in the earliest days after birth with disturbed neurological function of cerebral origin. NE is aetiologically heterogenous; one cause is peripartum hypoxic ischaemia. Lack of uniformity in the terminology used to describe NE and its diagnostic criteria creates difficulty in the design and interpretation of research and complicates communication with families.

The impact of a multifaceted quality improvement program on the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a multifactorial gastrointestinal disease which mostly occurs in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. In addition to decreasing gestational age (GA) or birth weight (BW), artificial formula, delayed initiation or rapidly advanced feeding, severe anemia and systemic infections were associated with NEC. Several studies demonstrated that breast milk, standardized feeding advancement regimens and treatment of anemia are associated with less incidence of NEC.

Is it a safe practice to administer oxygen during uncomplicated delivery: a randomized controlled trial?

Background: Newborns exposed to oxygen suffer from an oxidative stress with significant alterations in the concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSSG).

Objective: To investigate the biological and clinical effects of oxygen administration to delivering mothers.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial on a cohort of delivering women (n=56) with an uncomplicated term pregnancy.

Fetal and neonatal programming: evidence and clinical implications.

Fetal and neonatal programming is the phenomenon describing deviations from normal developmental patterns. These deviations can increase risks for diseases later in life and are an example of phenotypic plasticity seen throughout nature. For instance, infants born with low birth weight, as a marker of an unfavorable intrauterine environment, are programmed differently and may have an increased risk for multiple diseases in adulthood.

Exposure to oxygen and head growth in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are known to have developmental delays, but a direct link between oxygen (O (2)) exposure and brain growth has not been explored. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that the use of O (2) is associated with delays in head growth (DHG) in premature infants with BPD. We conducted a retrospective study on a cohort of infants with BPD (birthweight [BW] < 1500 g, gestational age < 34 weeks).