A Systematic Review of Isotopically Measured Iron Absorption in Infants and Children Under 2 Years.

Background: Iron is an essential element for critical biological functions, with iron deficiency negatively affecting growth and brain development and iron excess associated with adverse effects. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive assessment of up-to-date evidence on iron absorption measured isotopically in children, preterm infants, and full-term infants, up to 24 months of age.

Methods: Search databases included Pubmed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus from a date range of 1 January 1953 to 22 July 2024.

Skin to Skin Contact Correlated with Improved Production and Consumption of Mother's Own Milk.

Human milk diet, preferably mother's own milk (MOM) over donor milk (DM), is recommended for preterm infants. Expression of MOM in proximity to preterm infants, especially during or immediately after skin-to-skin contact (SSC), is associated with greater milk production. However, the correlation between SSC and MOM production during hospital admission in preterm infants has not yet been studied.

Maternal gut microbiota in the postpartum Period: A Systematic review.

Studies have demonstrated the importance of the gut microbiota during pregnancy, and there is emerging literature on the postpartum maternal gut microbiota. The primary objective of this paper was to synthesize the literature on the postpartum gut microbiome composition and diversity measured in stool samples from healthy mothers of predominantly term infants. The secondary objectives were (1) to identify biological and environmental factors that influence postpartum maternal gut microbiota and (2) to assess health conditions and clinical intermediate measures associated with postpartum gut microbiota changes in all mothers.

Postnatal growth and gut microbiota development influenced early childhood growth in preterm infants.

Background: Preterm infants are at high risk for growth failure and childhood weight problems due to the disruption of normal intrauterine growth and nutrition. Early nutritional support and microbiome acquisition can play an important role in childhood growth.

Objective: Our study examined potential postnatal indicators, including gut bacterial compositions, macronutrients, and catch-up growth, of growth pattern from infancy into early childhood.

Metagenomic profile of the fecal microbiome of preterm infants consuming mother's own milk with bovine milk-based fortifier or infant formula: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Preterm (PT) infants harbor a different gut microbiome than full-term infants. Multiple factors affect gut microbial colonization of PT infants, including low gestational age, high rates of Cesarean section, exposure to antibiotics, and diet. Human milk, whether it's mother's own milk (MOM) or donor human milk, is the preferred feeding mode for PT infants but needs to be fortified to achieve adequate nutrient content.

Human Milk-Based or Bovine Milk-Based Fortifiers Differentially Impact the Development of the Gut Microbiota of Preterm Infants.

Preterm infants are exposed to different dietary inputs during their hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These include human milk (HM), with a human milk-based (HMF) or a bovine milk-based (BMF) fortifier, or formula. Milk consumption and the type of fortification will cause changes in the gut microbiota structure of preterm infants.

A Pilot Study To Establish an Model To Study Premature Intestinal Epithelium and Gut Microbiota Interactions.

Intestinal microbiota has emerged as an important player in the health and disease of preterm infants. The interactions between intestinal flora and epithelium can lead to local injury and systemic diseases. A suitable cell model is needed to enhance our understanding of these interactions.

A systematic review of the factors influencing microbial colonization of the preterm infant gut.

Prematurity coupled with the necessary clinical management of preterm (PT) infants introduces multiple factors that can interfere with microbial colonization. This study aimed to review the perinatal, physiological, pharmacological, dietary, and environmental factors associated with gut microbiota of PT infants. A total of 587 articles were retrieved from a search of multiple databases.

Platelets and Immature Neutrophils in Preterm Infants with Feeding Intolerance.

Objective: Feeding intolerance (FI) is a common presentation of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis. NEC and sepsis are associated with hematological changes, but these changes alone are not reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis. This study examined whether the combination of hematological indices and FI can be used as an early diagnostic tool for NEC or sepsis.

Contributors to Dysbiosis in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants.

The objective of this commentary was to analyze the causes and outcomes of gut microbiome dysbiosis in preterm infants who are born at very low birth weight (VLBW). The intrauterine development of VLBW infants is interrupted abruptly with preterm birth and followed by extrauterine, health-threatening conditions and sequelae. These infants develop intestinal microbial dysbiosis characterized by low diversity, an overall reduction in beneficial and/or commensal bacteria, and enrichment of opportunistic pathogens of the Gammaproteobacteria class.

The development of intestinal dysbiosis in anemic preterm infants.

Objective: Anemia and Proteobacteria-dominant intestinal dysbiosis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants have been linked to necrotizing enterocolitis, a severe gut inflammatory disease. We hypothesize that anemia of prematurity is related to the development of intestinal dysbiosis.

Study Design: Three hundred and forty-two weekly stool samples collected prospectively from 80 VLBW infants were analyzed for bacterial microbiomes (with 16S rRNA).

Longitudinal Microbiome Composition and Stability Correlate with Increased Weight and Length of Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants.

The microbiomes of 83 preterm very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants and clinical covariates were analyzed weekly over the course of their initial neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay, with infant growth as the primary clinical outcome. Birth weight significantly correlated with increased rate of weight gain in the first 6 weeks of life, while no significant relationship was observed between rate of weight gain and feeding type. Microbial diversity increased with age and was significantly correlated with weight gain and percentage of the mother's own milk.

Enteric dysbiosis and fecal calprotectin expression in premature infants.

Background: Premature infants often develop enteric dysbiosis with a preponderance of Gammaproteobacteria, which has been related to adverse clinical outcomes. We investigated the relationship between increasing fecal Gammaproteobacteria and mucosal inflammation, measured by fecal calprotectin (FC).

Methods: Stool samples were collected from very-low-birth weight (VLBW) infants at ≤2, 3, and 4 weeks' postnatal age.

Dichotomous development of the gut microbiome in preterm infants.

Background: Preterm infants are at risk of developing intestinal dysbiosis with an increased proportion of Gammaproteobacteria. In this study, we sought the clinical determinants of the relative abundance of feces-associated Gammaproteobacteria in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Fecal microbiome was characterized at ≤ 2 weeks and during the 3rd and 4th weeks after birth, by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Cytokines and growth factors in the developing intestine and during necrotizing enterocolitis.

Cytokines and growth factors play diverse roles in the uninflamed fetal/neonatal intestinal mucosa and in the development of inflammatory bowel injury during necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). During gestational development and the early neonatal period, the fetal/premature intestine is exposed to high levels of many "inflammatory" cytokines and growth factors, first via swallowed amniotic fluid in utero and then, after birth, in colostrum and mother's milk. This article reviews the dual, seemingly counter-intuitive roles of cytokines, where these agents play a "trophic" role and promote maturation of the uninflamed mucosa, but can also cause inflammation and promote intestinal injury during NEC.