scholarly journals World Prematurity Day: It Takes an NIH Village to Prevent Preterm Birth and Improve Treatments for Preterm Infants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew A Bremer ◽  
Jagteshwar Grewal ◽  
Rohan Hazra ◽  
Roberto Romero ◽  
Diana W Bianchi
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Extramural Research

Prematurity remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, involving both intramural and extramural research across all NIH institutes and centers.

scholarly journals A birth population-based survey of preterm morbidity and mortality by gestational age

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Guo ◽  
Xiaoqiong Li ◽  
Tingting Qi ◽  
Zhaojun Pan ◽  
Xiaoqin Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Birth Defects ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Preterm Births ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Hospital Death

Abstract Background Despite 15–17 millions of annual births in China, there is a paucity of information on prevalence and outcome of preterm birth. We characterized the outcome of preterm births and hospitalized preterm infants by gestational age (GA) in Huai’an in 2015, an emerging prefectural region of China. Methods Of 59,245 regional total births, clinical data on 2651 preterm births and 1941 hospitalized preterm neonates were extracted from Huai’an Women and Children’s Hospital (HWCH) and non-HWCH hospitals in 2018–2020. Preterm prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates were characterized and compared by hospital categories and GA spectra. Death risks of preterm births and hospitalized preterm infants in the whole region were analyzed with multivariable Poisson regression. Results The prevalence of extreme, very, moderate, late and total preterm of the regional total births were 0.14, 0.53, 0.72, 3.08 and 4.47%, with GA-specific neonatal mortality rates being 44.4, 15.8, 3.7, 1.5 and 4.3%, respectively. There were 1025 (52.8% of whole region) preterm admissions in HWCH, with significantly lower in-hospital death rate of inborn (33 of 802, 4.1%) than out-born (23 of 223, 10.3%) infants. Compared to non-HWCH, three-fold more neonates in HWCH were under critical care with higher death rate, including most extremely preterm infants. Significantly all-death risks were found for the total preterm births in birth weight <  1000 g, GA < 32 weeks, amniotic fluid contamination, Apgar-5 min < 7, and birth defects. For the hospitalized preterm infants, significantly in-hospital death risks were found in out-born of HWCH, GA < 32 weeks, birth weight <  1000 g, Apgar-5 min < 7, birth defects, respiratory distress syndrome, necrotizing enterocolitis and ventilation, whereas born in HWCH, antenatal glucocorticoids, cesarean delivery and surfactant use decreased the death risks. Conclusions The integrated data revealed the prevalence, GA-specific morbidity and mortality rate of total preterm births and their hospitalization, demonstrating the efficiency of leading referral center and whole regional perinatal-neonatal network in China. The concept and protocol should be validated in further studies for prevention of preterm birth.

scholarly journals Oral melatonin as a new tool for neuroprotection in preterm newborns: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Garofoli ◽  
Stefania Longo ◽  
Camilla Pisoni ◽  
Patrizia Accorsi ◽  
Micol Angelini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcome ◽  
Lipid Peroxidation Product ◽  
Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Impairment ◽  
Anti Oxidant ◽  
Preterm Newborns

Abstract Background Prevention of neurodevelopmental impairment due to preterm birth is a major health challenge. Despite advanced obstetric and neonatal care, to date there are few neuroprotective molecules available. Melatonin has been shown to have anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory effects and to reduce brain damage, mainly after hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The planned study will be the first aiming to evaluate the capacity of melatonin to mitigate brain impairment due to premature birth. Method In our planned prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized vs placebo study, we will recruit, within 96 h of birth, 60 preterm newborns with a gestational age ≤ 29 weeks + 6 days; these infants will be randomly allocated to oral melatonin, 3 mg/kg/day, or placebo for 15 days. After the administration period, we will measure plasma levels of malondialdehyde, a lipid peroxidation product considered an early biological marker of melatonin treatment efficacy (primary outcome). At term-equivalent age, we will evaluate neurological status (through cerebral ultrasound, cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, vision and hearing evaluations, clinical neurological assessment, and screening for retinopathy of prematurity) as well as the incidence of bronchodysplasia and sepsis. We will also monitor neurodevelopmental outcome during the first 24 months of corrected age (using the modified Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence at 4–6 months and standardized neurological and developmental assessments at 24 months). Discussion Preterm birth survivors often present long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae, such as motor, learning, social-behavioral, and communication problems. We aim to assess the role of melatonin as a neuroprotectant during the first weeks of extrauterine life, when preterm infants are unable to produce it spontaneously. This approach is based on the supposition that its anti-oxidant mechanism could be useful in preventing neurodevelopmental impairment. Considering the short- and long-term morbidities related to preterm birth, and the financial and social costs of the care of preterm infants, both at birth and over time, we suggest that melatonin administration could lead to considerable saving of resources. This would be the first study addressing the role of melatonin in very low birth weight preterm newborns, and it could provide a basis for further studies on melatonin as a neuroprotection strategy in this vulnerable population. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04235673. Prospectively registered on 22 January 2020.

Impact of smoking and fetal gender on preterm delivery

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Veronika Günther ◽  
Ibrahim Alkatout ◽  
Alexandra Stein ◽  
Nicolai Maass ◽  
Alexander Strauss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Preterm Delivery ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Preterm Births ◽  
World Health ◽  
Smoking During Pregnancy ◽  
Fetal Gender ◽  
Extremely Preterm ◽  
Heavy Smokers

Abstract According to the World Health Organization, smoking is the most important risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes in industrialized nations. We aimed to establish how fetal gender and smoking interact with regard to perinatal outcomes, especially preterm delivery. Data from 220,339 singleton pregnancies, obtained from the German Perinatal Survey in Schleswig-Holstein and registered between 2004 and 2017 were analyzed in regard to smoking behavior, fetal gender, and preterm delivery. The rate of preterm births was directly proportional to the women’s consumption of nicotine. The rate of preterm deliveries was 6.8% among nonsmokers, and 13.2% in women who were very heavy smokers (≥22 cigarettes/day). Very heavy smoking (≥22 cigarettes/day) had a marked impact on extremely preterm births (<28 weeks of gestation) and very preterm births (28–31 weeks of gestation). Preterm births increased by 1.2% from heavy smokers to very heavy smokers; the differences between the other groups ranged between 0.1% and 0.4%. Fetal gender also had an impact on preterm birth: male infants were predominant in nearly all groups of women who delivered preterm infants. Smoking during pregnancy and male gender are both risk factors for preterm delivery. Fetal gender should be given greater attention as one of the several risk factors of preterm birth. Due to the high rate of morbidity among preterm infants and enormous costs for the healthcare system, women should be encouraged to cease or at least reduce smoking during pregnancy.

Aortic growth arrest after preterm birth: a lasting structural change of the vascular tree

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Schubert ◽  
M. Müller ◽  
A.-K. Edstedt Bonamy ◽  
H. Abdul-Khaliq ◽  
M. Norman
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Carotid Artery ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Growth Failure ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Postnatal Growth ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Arterial Tree ◽  
Very Preterm Infants ◽  
Very Preterm

Young people who are born very preterm exhibit a narrower arterial tree as compared with people born at term. We hypothesized that such arterial narrowing occurs as a direct result of premature birth. The aim of this study was to compare aortic and carotid artery growth in infants born preterm and at term. Observational and longitudinal cohort study of 50 infants (21 born very preterm, all appropriate for gestational age, 29 controls born at term) was conducted. Diameters of the upper abdominal aorta and common carotid artery were measured with ultrasonography at three months before term, at term and three months after term-equivalent age. At the first assessment, the aortic end-diastolic diameter (aEDD) was slightly larger in very preterm infants as compared with fetal dimensions. Fetal aortic EDD increased by 2.6 mm during the third trimester, whereas very preterm infants exhibited 0.9 mm increase in aEDD during the same developmental period (P < 0.001 for group difference). During the following 3-month period, aortic growth continued unchanged (+0.9 mm) in very preterm infants, whereas postnatal growth in term controls slowed down to +1.3 mm (P < 0.001 v. fetal aortic growth). At the final examination, aEDD was 22% and carotid artery EDD was 14% narrower in infants born preterm compared with controls, also after adjusting for current weight (P < 0.01). Aortic and carotid artery growth is impaired after very preterm birth, resulting in arterial narrowing. Arterial growth failure may be a generalized vascular phenomenon after preterm birth, with implications for cardiovascular morbidity in later life.

scholarly journals Cause of preterm birth and late-onset sepsis in very preterm infants: the EPIPAGE-2 cohort study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathilde Letouzey ◽  
◽  
Laurence Foix-L’Hélias ◽  
Héloïse Torchin ◽  
Ayoub Mitha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Very Preterm Infants ◽  
Very Preterm ◽  
Late Onset Sepsis

Vaccinations in Infants Born Preterm: An Update

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-155
Author(s):  
Areti Aphrodite Sioriki ◽  
Despoina Gkentzi ◽  
Evangelia Papadimitriou ◽  
Gabriel Dimitriou ◽  
Ageliki Karatza
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Protective Antibodies

Infants born prematurely (before completion of 37 weeks of gestation) are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to vaccine preventable diseases, mostly because of their immunological immaturity and failure of transfer of maternal protective antibodies. Despite their great need of being vaccinated, concerns on vaccine safety and efficacy, constitute the main reasons for which vaccinations are often delayed in this group. In this review we summarize the latest evidence on vaccine safety, efficacy and immunogenicity in preterm infants which is similar to full-term infants. Therefore there is no reason for delaying vaccination in this population.

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