Objective
Cohort studies on physical fitness (PF) in former extremely preterm children are scarce and yield conflicting results. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of extremely preterm ...birth on PF in school‐age with a focus on bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
Methods
Eighty school‐aged children were enrolled in the longitudinal cohort study. Fifty were born extremely preterm (<completed 28 weeks of gestation): 19 had BPD, and 31 did not; 30 term‐born healthy children were included as controls. They were monitored annually throughout primary school (ages 7–14 years) with eight annual fitness testings within the Slovenian national surveillance system of children's somatic and motor development (SLOfit). The physical fitness index (PFI), calculated as the mean of percentiles of eight fitness tests, was used as an indicator of overall PF. Generalised estimating equations were used to compare changes in PFI between ages 7 and 14 in the three cohort groups: preterm children with BPD, preterm children without BPD and term controls.
Results
Preterm children with BPD had significantly and persistently lower PFI than preterm children without BPD and term‐born children throughout primary school age. Their PFI was less than half that of national median values (15.1st–19.7th percentile). Preterm children without BPD experienced progressive improvement in PFI during their school age (from 32.6th to 44.7th percentile of national median PFI values), while the ones with BPD did not.
Conclusion
Extreme prematurity per se is not a risk factor for lower PF at school age. However, if complicated by BPD, PF is significantly and sustainably reduced.
To examine the effects of various maternal and neonatal perinatal factors on the child's body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness at school-age.
Data from two registries, the SLOfit database (a ...national surveillance system of children's motor and physical development) and Slovenian National Perinatal Information System (NPIS) were analysed. Perinatal data for 2,929 children born in 2008 were linked to results of SLOfit testing of these children in 2016. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the potential relationship between several perinatal factors (very preterm birth, birth mass, maternal age, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, parity, plurality, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, mode of delivery, presentation, Apgar score at 5 minutes, and admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)) and child's BMI or child's physical fitness index (PFI) at the age of eight years. We also included child's school grade and maternal educational level in the analysis. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Children born to mothers with lower pre-pregnancy BMI and higher education had lower BMI and higher PFI (p<0.001) at school-age. Physical fitness was also inversely associated with nulliparity (p<0.001) and NICU admission (p=0.020).
Among all perinatal factors studied, higher maternal education and lower pre-pregnancy BMI seem to be the most significant determinants of child's BMI and physical fitness at school-age.
Summary
Retinopathy of prematurity (nROP) among extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGAN) in Slovenia has increased in recent years. At the same time mortality has further decreased and less ...invasive approaches for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome have been established. With the aim to study the possible association between the incidence of ROP and the duration of noninvasive ventilation, this retrospective study comprised ELGANs born during the first period (2010/2011), when invasive respiratory support was the prevalent method and in the second period (2015/2016), when noninvasive respiratory support was adopted. The results showed that the duration of noninvasive ventilation is a potential risk factor for ROP. Controlling for known risk factors for ROP and then adjusting for gestational age, number of transfusions and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO
2
), the odds of ROP were 1.22 times greater (95% confidence interval, CI 1.01–1.48) with every additional week of noninvasive ventilation (
p
= 0.03).
The purpose of this work was to compare the incidence of apnea, hypopnea, bradycardia, or oxygen desaturation in healthy term newborns placed in hospital cribs, infant car safety beds, or infant car ...safety seats.
A consecutive series of 200 newborns was recruited on the second day of life. Each subject was studied while placed in the hospital crib (30 minutes), car bed (60 minutes), and car seat (60 minutes). Physiologic data, including oxygen saturation, frequency, and type of apnea, hypopnea, and bradycardia were obtained and analyzed in a blinded manner.
The mean oxygen saturation level was significantly different among all of the positions (97.9% for the hospital crib, 96.3% for the car bed, and 95.7% for the car seat; P < .001). The mean minimal oxygen saturation level was lower while in both safety devices (83.7% for the car bed and 83.6% for the car seat) compared with in the hospital crib (87.4%) (P < .001). The mean total time spent with an oxygen saturation level of <95% was significantly higher (P = .003) in both safety devices (car seat: 23.9%; car bed: 17.2%) when compared with the hospital crib (6.5%). A second study of 50 subjects in which each infant was placed in each position for 120 minutes yielded similar results.
In healthy term newborns, significant desaturations were observed in both car beds and car seats as compared with hospital cribs. This study was limited by lack of documentation of sleep stage. Therefore, these safety devices should only be used for protection during travel and not as replacements for cribs.
Purpose: To assess the incidence of neonatal complications related to gestational age at elective cesarean section near term.
Methods: We used a population-based dataset to compare neonatal outcomes ...by gestational age in uncomplicated singleton pregnancies delivered by elective cesarean section ≥37 weeks.
Results: A total of 7364 mothers had an elective cesarean during 2002-2012; 343 (4.7%) at 37, 21 753 (3.8%) at 38, 3140 (2.6%) at 39, 1718 (23.3%) at 40 and 410 (5.6%) at ≥41 weeks. Infants born at a lower gestational age had a higher rate of Apgar scores <7 (2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0,3%, 0.2% at 37, 38, 39, 40 and ≥41 week, p = 0.013), hypoglycemia (1.5%, 1.0%, 0.8%, 0.4%, 0.5% at 37, 38, 39, 40 and ≥ 41 week, p = 0.012), hyperbilirubinemia (12.2%, 9.5%, 6.4%, 4.8%, 4.1% at 37, 38, 39, 40 and ≥ 41 week, p < 0.001), respiratory distress syndrome (5.5%, 2.2%, 1.6%, 0.5%, 0.7% at 37, 38, 39, 40 and ≥ 41 week, p < 0.001), and neonatal intensive care admissions (8.7%, 2.3%, 1.9%, 1.0%, 1.7% at 37, 38, 39, 40 and ≥ 41 week, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Elective cesarean section at ≥ 39 weeks gestation would significantly reduce neonatal complications.
Rare variants in the T-box transcription factor 4 gene (
) have recently been recognised as an emerging cause of paediatric pulmonary hypertension (PH). Their pathophysiology and contribution to ...persistent pulmonary hypertension in neonates (PPHN) are unknown. We sought to define the spectrum of clinical manifestations and histopathology associated with
variants in neonates and children with PH.We assessed clinical data and lung tissue in 19 children with PH, including PPHN, carrying
rare variants identified by next-generation sequencing and copy number variation arrays.Variants included six 17q23 deletions encompassing the entire
locus and neighbouring genes, and 12 likely damaging mutations. 10 infants presented with neonatal hypoxic respiratory failure and PPHN, and were subsequently discharged home. PH was diagnosed later in infancy or childhood. Three children died and two required lung transplantation. Associated anomalies included patent ductus arteriosus, septal defects, foot anomalies and developmental disability, the latter with a higher prevalence in deletion carriers. Histology in seven infants showed abnormal distal lung development and pulmonary hypertensive remodelling.
mutations and 17q23 deletions underlie a new form of developmental lung disease manifesting with severe, often biphasic PH at birth and/or later in infancy and childhood, often associated with skeletal anomalies, cardiac defects, neurodevelopmental disability and other anomalies.
Peri-intraventricular hemorrhage (P/IVH) is a common neonatal morbidity among premature infants. The aim of the study was to examine the association between placental and/or fetal inflammation and ...the onset of P/IVH in premature infants.
A prospective study included 125 infants with gestational age 23-29 weeks. Placentas were examined for the presence of chorioamnionitis and funisitis, cord blood was sampled for the measurement of cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8). Fetal inflammation was defined as levels of IL-6 higher than 7.6 pg/ml. P/IVH was defined as early if diagnosed within the 1st day after birth; thereafter P/IVH was defined as late.
Adjusted for the influence of gestational age, early-onset sepsis (OR 3.2, p = 0.045) and no or incomplete antenatal steroid course (OR 6.0, p = 0.001) significantly predicted early P/IVH. Funisitis (OR 1.6, p = 0.06) and fetal inflammation (OR 2.6, p = 0.06) were only partially associated with early hemorrhage. Contrary to that, respiratory distress syndrome (OR 3.4, p = 0.04), mechanical ventilation (OR 5.9, p = 0.008), low blood pressure (OR 3.5, p = 0.02), and vasopressors (OR 5.7, p = 0.002) were associated with late P/IVH. In multivariate analysis no or incomplete steroid course remained independent predictors for early and use of vasopressors for late P/IVH. The interaction of fetal inflammation and vaginal delivery with no or incomplete steroid course increased the risk of early P/IVH.
These results indicate different risk factors for early and late P/IVH. Neither funisitis nor fetal inflammation independently predicts the onset of P/IVH. However, the interaction of fetal inflammation and vaginal delivery with no or incomplete antenatal steroid course increase the risk of early but not also late P/IVH.
The impairment of the brachial plexus (IBP) in neonates and infants remains an important problem. Risk factors for IBP are well known, but the mechanisms of impairment are not yet fully understood. ...It is important to identify early signs of IBP and to evaluate the hand function. In the guidelines we propose to use the Toronto scale for the evaluation of hand function. The newborn with IBP should be referred to physiotherapy, and then regularly followed-up once a month. If the arm and hand function, especially exion of the elbow, is not improving at the age of two months, the infant should be referred to the tertiary level rehabilitation centre and to the department for plastic surgery at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana. When necessary, the reconstructive procedure should be done by the age of three to six months. Aer reconstruction of the brachial plexus, the child needs a comprehensive therapy program, which involves passive stretching, sensory stimulation, exercises to promote the development of active voluntary movements, bimanual activities, and symmetrical posture and movement patterns.
Fetalna in neonatalna aloimunska trombocitopenija (FNAIT) je posledica transplacentarnega prenosa in vezave aloimunskih protiteles na trombocitne antigene otroka, ki jih je podedoval od očeta. Do ...aloimunizacije matere proti trombocitnim antigenom lahko pride tekom nosečnosti, kot tudi ob transfuziji trombocitov. FNAIT je redka bolezen, ki lahko poteka popolnoma brez bolezenskih znakov ali pa ima otrok znake hemoraške diateze. Njen najhujši zaplet je znotrajlobanjska krvavitev, zato sta zgodnja diagnostika in v primeru indikacije ustrezno zdravljenje zelo pomembna. Po podatkih iz literature je ocenjena pojavnost FNAIT 1 na 1000-2000 živorojenih. Pojavnost FNAIT v Sloveniji ni znana. Namen opravljene retrospektivne raziskave je bil ugotoviti pojavnost in etiologijo FNAIT v Sloveniji ter klinično sliko bolnikov s FNAIT. Rezultati raziskave, v kateri smo analizirali izvide transfuzijskih preiskav za dokaz trombocitnih protiteles pri novorojenčkih ali materah, so pokazali veliko nižjo pojavnost. V obdobju od leta 1996 do leta 2016 je bilo v Sloveniji potrjenih 39 primerov FNAIT, povprečno 2 na leto, medtem ko je bilo prošenj za dokaz trombocitnih protiteles pri novorojenčku ali materi povprečno 9 na leto. Pojavnost FNAIT je torej v Sloveniji 1 na 10.000 živorojenih. Kljub temu, da je ocena pojavnosti zaradi retrospektivne analize najverjetneje podcenjena, menimo, da omenjeni rezultati potrjujejo naša klinična opažanja, da je FNAIT poddiagnosticirana. Prispevek zato, poleg rezultatov retrospektivne raziskave o pojavnosti, etiologiji in klinični sliki FNAIT v Sloveniji, predstavlja pregled trenutnega znanja o FNAIT, saj želimo, da se na omenjeno bolezen, ki je lahko življenje ogrožajoča, pogosteje pomisli in ustrezno ukrepa.
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