scholarly journals Plasma Lactoferrin Levels in Newborn Preterm Infants: Effect of Infection

Author(s):  
P H Scott

Plasma lactoferrin was measured within 24h of birth in 23 preterm infants of between 24 and 36 weeks gestation. Lactoferrin concentrations fell with decreasing gestational age whilst the incidence of subsequent infection rose. Sequential measurements on a subgroup of 10 preterm infants showed that even when initial lactoferrin concentrations were within the range for term infants, they fell during the first week. Lactoferrin concentrations in preterm babies may rise transiently, such increases often being associated with clinical signs of infection. A rise in plasma lactoferrin of 200μg/L or more over a period of less than 48 h is suggestive of infection. These findings are discussed in terms of both the possible role oflactoferrin, and the clinical usefulness of the measurement.

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 1353-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Norris ◽  
Sara E Ramel ◽  
Patrick Catalano ◽  
Carol ni Caoimh ◽  
Paola Roggero ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background Air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) is a good candidate for monitoring body composition in newborns and young infants, but reference centile curves are lacking that allow for assessment at birth and across the first 6 mo of life. Objective Using pooled data from 4 studies, we aimed to produce new charts for assessment according to gestational age at birth (30 + 1 to 41 + 6 wk) and postnatal age at measurement (1–27 wk). Methods The sample comprised 222 preterm infants born in the United States who were measured at birth; 1029 term infants born in Ireland who were measured at birth; and 149 term infants born in the United States and 57 term infants born in Italy who were measured at birth, 1 and 2 wk, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mo of age. Infants whose birth weights were <3rd or >97th centile of the INTERGROWTH-21st standard were excluded, thereby ensuring that the charts depict body composition of infants whose birth weights did not indicate suboptimal fetal growth. Sex-specific centiles for fat mass (kg), fat-free mass (kg), and percentage body fat were estimated using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method. Results For each sex and measure (e.g., fat mass), the new charts comprised 2 panels. The first showed centiles according to gestational age, allowing term infants to be assessed at birth and preterm infants to be monitored until they reached term. The second showed centiles according to postnatal age, allowing all infants to be monitored to age 27 wk. The LMS values underlying the charts were presented, enabling researchers and clinicians to convert measurements to centiles and z scores. Conclusions The new charts provide a single tool for the assessment of body composition, according to ADP, in infants across the first 6 mo of life and will help enhance early-life nutritional management.


1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1783-1787 ◽  
Author(s):  
P M Crofton ◽  
R Hume

Abstract Serial measurements of the bone and fetal intestinal isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) in the plasma of 43 term and 43 preterm infants, from birth to six weeks later, indicate that the bone isoenzyme gradually increases over this period in both preterm and term infants fed with unsupplemented commercial formulas. Preterm babies given formula supplemented with calcium (with or without additional phosphate) had significantly lower bone isoenzyme activities for most of the study period. The concentrations of fetal intestinal isoenzyme increased, under the stimulation of milk feeding, from generally undetectable at birth to a peak during the first two weeks postpartum, and then declined. This increase was highly significantly negatively correlated with gestational age, the preterm infants having a much higher and more prolonged increase in this isoenzyme than did term infants. Unlike the adult isoenzyme, fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatase in plasma showed no relationship with blood group status.


2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (11) ◽  
pp. 2131-2137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Siahanidou ◽  
Helen Mandyla ◽  
Maria Vounatsou ◽  
Dimitris Anagnostakis ◽  
Ioannis Papassotiriou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Peptide YY (PYY) and ghrelin are gastrointestinal tract–derived hormones that play roles in the regulation of food intake and energy balance. Negative energy balance often occurs in hospitalized preterm infants. Methods: To measure serum concentrations of PYY in preterm and full-term infants and to investigate their correlations with anthropometric characteristics, food intake, and serum ghrelin concentrations, we measured serum PYY and ghrelin concentrations by RIA in 62 healthy preterm infants [mean (SD) gestational age, 32.0 (2.1) weeks; postnatal age, 40.9 (14.8) days] and 15 healthy full-term infants of comparable postnatal age. All of the infants were formula-fed every 3 h. Results: PYY concentrations were significantly higher in preterm [1126.2 (215.4) ng/L] than in full-term infants [825.3 (234.4) ng/L; P &lt;0.001]. In the entire study population, serum PYY concentrations correlated negatively with gestational age and anthropometric measurements (birth weight, body weight, body length, body mass index, and head circumference) and positively with serum ghrelin concentrations, whereas there was no significant correlation between PYY concentration and caloric intake or weight gain. Multiple regression analysis, after correction for prematurity, revealed that serum PYY concentrations correlated independently with serum ghrelin concentrations and infant body weight or body mass index. Conclusions: Circulating concentrations of PYY may increase in preterm infants to compensate for the negative body-weight balance. The physiologic mechanisms behind the correlation between PYY and ghrelin remain to be elucidated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 405-410
Author(s):  
I. V. Gorbacheva ◽  
O. U. Kuznetsova ◽  
F. N. Gilmiyarova ◽  
D. V. Pechkurov ◽  
L. N. Vinogradova

Comparative analysis of energy-plastic exchange indicators in mature and premature children of the first year of life in the development of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) was carried out. Unidirectional changes are revealed, including an increase in creatinine, lactate and creatine phosphokinase activity levels, suggesting a n increasing muscle mass deficit against the background of glucose anaerobic oxidation activation. In preterm infants, glucose and triacylglicerine levels decrease, which reflects uncompensated insufficiency of energy substrates and, accordingly, ATP level. Multidirectional deviations in metabolism are pyruvate and ATP content: increase in full-term infants and decrease in preterm infants, that should be taken into account when monitoring condition of children with PEM. A significant decrease of pyruvic acid in preterm infants against the background of the levels of total protein, albumin, hemoglobin, and transferrin, not exceeding reference values, can obviously testify to the active use of this integral metabolite to maintain the fund of substituted amino acids. Development of this pathology in both mature and premature infants creates a pre-morbid background for iron deficiency anemia-diagnostic panel, which should be supplemented by calculation of transferrin saturation coefficient. Regardless of gestational age in childbirth during the formation of PEM, the lipid spectrum is rearranged according to atherogenic type: at normal values of total cholesterol, there is a significant increase in low and very low density lipoproteins with an increase in the atherogenicity coefficient. This singles out children with the pathology in question as a risk group for the development of the atherosclerotic process later, which justifies the recommendation to control the lipid profile in children of the first year of life.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Lio ◽  
Chiara Tirone ◽  
Milena Tana ◽  
Claudia Aurilia ◽  
Rita Blandino ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mechanical ventilation is still needed in most preterm newborns, even in the non-invasive ventilation era. Ventilator-induced lung injury is one of the known pathogenetic factors of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm newborns. Lung injury has several patterns including surfactant dysfunction. Some recent trials have showed that a late surfactant administration can improve respiratory outcome in preterm babies still on invasive ventilation after the first week of life. Unfortunately, these results are still not conclusive. Moreover, giving surfactant after a recruitment manoeuvre in High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation (HFOV) was shown to be safe and to reduce mortality in extremely preterm infants in a recent RCT. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that endotracheal administration of poractant-alfa preceded by a recruitment manoeuvre in HFOV in preterm infants still requiring mechanical ventilation at 7-10 days of life could facilitate extubation. Methods/Design: This will be an unblinded monocentric pilot trial that will be conducted in a III level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli IRCCS in Rome - Italy. Preterm newborns with a gestational age < 28 weeks still requiring invasive mechanical ventilation at 7-10 days of life with a fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) of more than 0.30 and/or an oxygenation index of 8 or more for at least 6 hours will be eligible for the study. Patients will be randomly assigned to intervention or to standard care. Intervention group infants will receive up to 4 doses of Poractant-alfa every 12 hours, each dose preceded by a recruitment manoeuvre in HFOV, until extubation. Primary endpoint will be the first successful extubation. Discussion Surfactant therapy is nowadays recommended in case of RDS in the first days of life but little is known about its effects in ventilator-dependant preterm newborns. Late administration of surfactant could help healing the lung of preterm babies in which RDS is evolving in a chronic pulmonary insufficiency of prematurity. The findings of this pilot trial will permit evaluation of the study design for a full-scale RCT. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov – ID NCT04825197. Registered 12 April 2021, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/home


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Chiappini ◽  
C. Petrolini ◽  
C. Caffarelli ◽  
M. Calvani ◽  
F. Cardinale ◽  
...  

AbstractHexavalent vaccines, protecting against six diseases (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis [DTaP], poliovirus, hepatitis B virus [HBV], and Haemophilus influenzae type b [Hib], are routinely the standard of care in Europe. The use of combined vaccines allows the reduction of number of injections and side effects, the reduction of costs, and the increase in adherence of the family to the vaccination schedule both in terms of the number of doses and timing. The safety profile, efficacy and effectiveness of hexavalent vaccines have been extensively documented in infants and children born at term, and data are accumulating in preterm infants. Hexavalent vaccines are particularly important for preterm infants, who are at increased risk for severe forms of vaccine preventable diseases. However, immunization delay has been commonly reported in this age group. All the three hexavalent vaccines currently marketed in Italy can be used in preterm infants, and recent data confirm that hexavalent vaccines have a similar or lower incidence of adverse events in preterm compared to full-term infants; this is likely due to a weaker immune system response and reduced ability to induce an inflammatory response in preterm infants. Apnoea episodes are the adverse events that can occur in the most severe preterm infants and / or with history of respiratory distress. The risk of apnoea after vaccination seems to be related to a lower gestational age and a lower birth weight, supporting the hypothesis that it represents an unspecific response of the preterm infant to different procedures. High seroprotection rates have been reported in preterm infants vaccinated with hexavalent vaccine. However, a lower gestational age seems to be associated with lower antibody titres against some vaccine antigens (e.g. HBV, Hib, poliovirus serotype 1, and pertussis), regardless of the type of hexavalent vaccine used. Waiting for large effectiveness studies, hexavalent vaccines should be administered in preterm infants according to the same schedule recommended for infants born at term, considering their chronological age and providing an adequate monitoring for cardio-respiratory events in the 48–72 h after vaccination, especially for infants at risk of recurrence of apnoea.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Maria Pacifici

Background: Ibuprofen and indomethacin are potent non-selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors and inhibit prostaglandin E2 synthesis. The patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) occurs in more than 70% of preterm infants weighing <1500 g. Prostaglandin E2 relaxes smooth muscle, tends to inhibit the closure of PDA, yields vasodilatation of the afferent renal arterioles and maintains glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Ibuprofen and indomethacin inhibiting prostaglandin E2 synthesis close PDA and reduce GFR with consequent decrease of urine output and increase of serum creatinine concentrations. Aims: The aims of this study are to give the definitive estimates of PDA closure rate following ibuprofen or indomethacin treatment and to evaluate the extent of renal side effects following the administration of these drugs to preterm infants. Other aims are to review the metabolism and the pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen and indomethacin in preterm infants with PDA. Methods: The bibliographic search was performed using PubMed and EMBASE databases as search engines, January 2013 was the cutoff point. Results: The %PDA closed by ibuprofen (n=24) and indomethacin (n=24) is 77.7±14.1 and 77.3±11.0, respectively. For ibuprofen, the gestational age of the infants included in the study ranged from 25.0 to 39.0 weeks (mean±SD=29.3±3.1 weeks). The %PDA did not correlate with the gestational age (p=0.2516). For indomethacin, the gestational age of infants included in the study ranged from 25.0 and 39.0 weeks (mean±SD=29.4±2.9 weeks). The %PDA did not correlate with the gestational age (p=0.3742). The treatment with ibuprofen reduces the urine output and increases the serum creatinine concentrations less extensively than indomethacin. The half-life (t1/2) of ibuprofen and indomethacin is lengthened and the clearance is reduced in preterm infants as compared with fullterm infants. Conclusions. Ibuprofen and indomethacin are equally effective in closing PDA. Treatment with ibuprofen decreases the risk of renal failure. Ibuprofen has the most favourable risk/benefit ratio. The rate of metabolism is reduced and t1/2 is lengthened in prematures as compared with term infants.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (06) ◽  
pp. 541-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bosco Paes

AbstractHealthy, premature infants ≤35 weeks' gestational age (wGA) are universally recognized to be at an increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Serious respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection imposes an additional burden of illness on these infants following hospitalization. Incurred morbidities relative to term infants include longer lengths of hospital stay, admission to intensive care, and need for oxygen and mechanical ventilation, all of which are associated with increased hospital costs. The highest morbidities are experienced by premature infants who are youngest (<3 months' chronological age) and are of lower gestational age. Short- and long-term follow-up indicates that healthy preterm infants both of lower gestational age and who are late preterm have obstructive lung function at baseline, which is further compromised by RSV-related infection during infancy. There is increasing evidence that childhood exposure to an episode of RSV infection may set the stage for an abnormal respiratory function trajectory, which, in adulthood, leads to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Healthy premature infants <32 wGA merit RSV prophylaxis based on existing data, whereas moderate- and high-risk preterm infants 32 to 35 wGA should be selectively and cost-effectively targeted for prophylaxis using validated risk scoring tools and country-specific thresholds for funding.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 494-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna M. Giaffredo Angrisani ◽  
Ana Paula D. Bautzer ◽  
Carla Gentile Matas ◽  
Marisa Frasson de Azevedo

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of gender and weight/gestational age ratio on the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) in preterm (PT) and term (T) newborns. METHODS: 176 newborns were evaluated by ABR; 88 were preterm infants - 44 females (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age) and 44 males (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age). The preterm infants were compared to 88 term infants - 44 females (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age) and 44 males (22 small and 22 appropriate for gestational age). All newborns had bilateral presence of transient otoacoustic emissions and type A tympanometry. RESULTS: No interaural differences were found. ABR response did not differentiate newborns regarding weight/gestational age in males and females. Term newborn females showed statistically shorter absolute latencies (except on wave I) than males. This finding did not occur in preterm infants, who had longer latencies than term newborns, regardless of gender. CONCLUSIONS: Gender and gestational age influence term infants' ABR, with lower responses in females. The weight/gestational age ratio did not influence ABR response in either groups.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayasree Nair ◽  
Rachel Longendyke ◽  
Satyan Lakshminrusimha

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating morbidity usually seen in preterm infants, with extremely preterm neonates (EPT ≤28 weeks) considered at highest risk. Moderately preterm infants (MPT 28–34 weeks) constitute a large percentage of NICU admissions. In our retrospective data analysis of NEC in a single regional perinatal center, NEC was observed in 10% of extremely EPT and 7% of MPT, but only 0.7% of late-preterm/term admissions. There was an inverse relationship between postnatal age at onset of NEC and gestational age at birth. Among MPT infants with NEC, maternal hypertensive disorders (29%) and small for gestational age (SGA-15%) were more common than in EPT infants (11.6 and 4.6%, resp.). Congenital gastrointestinal anomalies were common among late preterm/term infants with NEC. SGA MPT infants born to mothers with hypertensive disorders are particularly at risk and should be closely monitored for signs of NEC. Identifying risk factors specific to each gestational age may help clinicians to tailor interventions to prevent NEC.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document