Smoking in the family is most predictive of the development of childhood asthma in preterm babies <30 weeks gestation: Results of the Respiratory Outcomes Study 2 (RESPOS2).

Objectives: The Respiratory Outcomes Study 2 (RESPOS2) investigated the relationship between neonatal outcomes (specifically, chronic lung disease [CLD]) and environmental factors on the development of asthma and atopic outcomes at primary school age for preterm babies (PBs) <30 weeks gestational age (GA).

Methods: The study included all surviving PBs <30 weeks GA admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Canberra Hospital, Australian Capital Territory between 2007 and 2009. Parents were sent a questionnaire regarding asthma and atopy symptoms when the PBs were aged 5-7 years old.

Postpartum obstetric red cell transfusion practice: A retrospective study in a tertiary obstetric centre.

Background: Traditional management of anaemia due to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) has relied upon salvage therapy with red cell transfusion. Recently published guidance recommends a change in approach toward holistic patient blood management.

Aims: To determine whether postpartum red cell transfusion practices are consistent with best practice and to identify opportunities for improvement.

Increased use of heated humidified high flow nasal cannula is associated with longer oxygen requirements.

Aim: There has been an increased use of heated humidified high flow nasal canula (HFNC) in premature babies (PBs) admitted to our neonatal unit. The aim of this study is to identify clinical characteristics in PBs < 29 weeks gestational age (GA) that distinguish between those who did not or did receive HFNC.

Methods: This study compared prospectively collected data from 2010 to 2012.

Classification of causes and associated conditions for stillbirths and neonatal deaths.

Accurate and consistent classification of causes and associated conditions for perinatal deaths is essential to inform strategies to reduce the five million which occur globally each year. With the majority of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), their needs must be prioritised. The aim of this paper is to review the classification of perinatal death, the contemporary classification systems including the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases - Perinatal Mortality (ICD-PM), and next steps.

Thirty years of the World Health Organization's target caesarean section rate: time to move on.

It has been 30 years since the World Health Organization first recommended a "maximum" caesarean section (CS) rate of 15%. There are demographic differences across the 194 WHO member countries; recent analyses suggest the optimal global CS rate is almost 20%. Attempts to reduce CS rates in developed countries have not worked.

Maternal hypertensive disorders are associated with increased use of respiratory support but not chronic lung disease or poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm neonates at <29 weeks of gestation.

Aim: To assess whether maternal hypertensive disorders in pregnancies result in higher respiratory requirements, risk of chronic lung disease (CLD) and poorer neurodevelopmental outcome in <29-week premature neonates.

Methods: This is a multicentre, retrospective cohort study, within a geographically defined area in Australia, served by a network of 10 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), consisting of infants <29 weeks of gestational age who were admitted to NICUs between 1998 and 2004. Outcome measures included hospital survival, perinatal complications and functional disability at 2-3 years follow-up.

Morbidity and Mortality in Preterm Infants following Antacid Use: A Retrospective Audit.

. Antacids are often prescribed to preterm infants due to misdiagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux. This suppresses gastric acidity, a major defence mechanism against infection.

Disorders of sex development: insights from targeted gene sequencing of a large international patient cohort.

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are congenital conditions in which chromosomal, gonadal, or phenotypic sex is atypical. Clinical management of DSD is often difficult and currently only 13% of patients receive an accurate clinical genetic diagnosis. To address this we have developed a massively parallel sequencing targeted DSD gene panel which allows us to sequence all 64 known diagnostic DSD genes and candidate genes simultaneously.

Evaluation of an international educational programme for health care professionals on best practice in the management of a perinatal death: IMproving Perinatal mortality Review and Outcomes Via Education (IMPROVE).

Background: Stillbirths and neonatal deaths are devastating events for both parents and clinicians and are global public health concerns. Careful clinical management after these deaths is required, including appropriate investigation and assessment to determine cause (s) to prevent future losses, and to improve bereavement care for families. An educational programme for health care professionals working in maternal and child health has been designed to address these needs according to the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand Guideline for Perinatal Mortality: IMproving Perinatal mortality Review and Outcomes Via Education (IMPROVE).

Increasing Incidence Rate of Cervical Cerclage in Pregnancy in Australia: A Population-Based Study.

Objective: Data published from the United States have demonstrated that the use of cervical cerclage has fallen in the period 1998-2013. This is in contrast to recommendations in Australia. We examined this trend using data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Transition from an open-plan to a two-cot neonatal intensive care unit: a participatory action research approach.

Aims And Objectives: To facilitate staff transition from an open-plan to a two-cot neonatal intensive care unit design.

Background: In 2012, an Australian regional neonatal intensive care unit transitioned from an open-plan to a two-cot neonatal intensive care unit design. Research has reported single- and small-room neonatal intensive care unit design may negatively impact on the distances nurses walk, reducing the time they spend providing direct neonatal care.

Assessment of Worldwide Acute Kidney Injury Epidemiology in Neonates: Design of a Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects ~30% of hospitalized neonates. Critical to advancing our understanding of neonatal AKI is collaborative research among neonatologists and nephrologists. The Neonatal Kidney Collaborative (NKC) is an international, multidisciplinary group dedicated to investigating neonatal AKI.

Significance of mast cell distribution in placental tissue and membranes in spontaneous preterm birth.

Background: Preterm birth is a common cause of adverse neonatal and childhood outcomes, in both the short and long term. Preterm labor is commonly associated with inflammation at the maternal-fetal interface. There is some indirect evidence that mast cells (MCs) might represent a link between hormonal influences and local reactions leading to the onset of labor.

Outcomes of infants with abdominal wall defects over 18years.

Background/purpose: Infants with abdominal wall defects (AWD) are at risk of poor outcomes including prolonged hospitalization, infections and mortality. Our objective was to describe and compare the outcomes of infants admitted with gastroschisis and omphalocele over 18years.

Methods: Population-based study of clinical data and outcomes of live-born infants with AWD admitted to all tertiary-level neonatal intensive care units in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory from 1992 to 2009.

Risk of neurodevelopmental impairment for outborn extremely preterm infants in an Australian regional network.

Objective: To compare neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2-3 years in extremely premature outborn and inborn infants.

Design: Population-based retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Geographically defined area of New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) served by a network of 10 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

Placental involvement by non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a Crohn disease patient on long-term thiopurine therapy.

We report the first published case of aggressive diffuse large B-cell (non-Hodgkin) lymphoma in a 35-year-old pregnant woman who had Crohn disease and was taking long-term thiopurine therapy: the patient developed placental insufficiency, and there was intrauterine fetal death.

Maternal super-obesity and perinatal outcomes in Australia: a national population-based cohort study.

Background: Super-obesity is associated with significantly elevated rates of obstetric complications, adverse perinatal outcomes and interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors, management and perinatal outcomes of super-obese women giving birth in Australia.

Methods: A national population-based cohort study.

The effect of waterbirth on neonatal mortality and morbidity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Women have been giving birth in water in many centers across the globe; however, the practice remains controversial. Qualitative studies highlight the benefits that waterbirth confers on the laboring woman, though due to the nature of the intervention, it is not surprising that there are few randomized controlled trials available to inform practice. Much of the criticism directed at waterbirth focuses on the potential impact on the neonate.

Childhood Health and Developmental Outcomes After Cesarean Birth in an Australian Cohort.

Background And Objectives: Concerns have been raised about associations between cesarean delivery and childhood obesity and asthma. However, published studies have not examined the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes or fully addressed confounding influences. We used data from the LSAC (Longitudinal Study of Australian Children) to explore the relationship between cesarean delivery and physical and socio-emotional outcomes from 0 to 7 years, taking into account confounding factors.

Impact of infection control training for interns on PICU-acquired bloodstream infections in a middle-income country.

Introduction: The present study aimed to determine the impact of an extended infection control training programme, which was conducted for all interns posted to the Department of Paediatrics, on the incidence of paediatric intensive care unit (PICU)-acquired bloodstream infections (BSIs) in University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia.

Methods: The development of nosocomial BSIs during the baseline period (1 January-31 October 2008) and intervention period (1 November-31 December 2009) was monitored. During the intervention period, all paediatric interns underwent training in hand hygiene and aseptic techniques for accessing vascular catheters.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Premature Infants Treated for Patent Ductus Arteriosus: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: To compare neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) who were treated medically or surgically and those who were not diagnosed with PDA or who did not undergo treatment for PDA.

Study Design: This retrospective population-based cohort study used data from a geographically defined area in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory served by a network of 10 neonatal intensive care units. Patients included all preterm infants born at <29 completed weeks of gestation between 1998 and 2004.

Getting the first birth right: A retrospective study of outcomes for low-risk primiparous women receiving standard care versus midwifery model of care in the same tertiary hospital.

Background: There is national and international concern for increasing obstetric intervention in childbirth and rising caesarean section rates. Repeat caesarean section is a major contributing factor, making primiparous women an important target for strategies to reduce unnecessary intervention and surgeries in childbirth.

Aim: The aim was to compare outcomes for a cohort of low risk primiparous women who accessed a midwifery continuity model of care with those who received standard public care in the same tertiary hospital.

Neonatal Acute Kidney Injury.

In recent years, there have been significant advancements in our understanding of acute kidney injury (AKI) and its impact on outcomes across medicine. Research based on single-center cohorts suggests that neonatal AKI is very common and associated with poor outcomes. In this state-of-the-art review on neonatal AKI, we highlight the unique aspects of neonatal renal physiology, definition, risk factors, epidemiology, outcomes, evaluation, and management of AKI in neonates.