Assessment of Biventricular Myocardial Function with 2-Dimensional Strain and Conventional Echocardiographic Parameters: A Comparative Analysis in Healthy Infants and Patients with Severe and Critical Pulmonary Stenosis

Our aim was to compare the global longitudinal and regional biventricular strain between infants with severe and critical pulmonary stenosis (PS), and controls; to compare pre- and post-procedural strain values in infants with severe and critical PS; and to assess the correlations between echocardiographic strain and conventional parameters. We conducted a retrospective single-center study. The comparisons of echocardiographic variables were performed using separate linear mixed models. The overall mean right ventricle (RV) regional strains measured before intervention in PS patients was significantly different when compared to the control group (p = 0.0324). We found a significant change in the left ventricle, RV, and inter-ventricular septum strain (IVS) values from basal to apical location (p < 0.05). IVS strain values showed a higher decrease in mean strain values from basal to apical in PS patients. There was no significant difference in means of baseline and post-interventional strain values in PS patients (p > 0.05). Following the strain analysis in patients with PS, we obtained statistically significant changes in the RV global-4-chamber longitudinal strain (RV4C). The RV4C, which quantifies the longitudinal strain to the entire RV, can be used in current clinical practice for the evaluation of RV function in infants with severe and critical PS. The longitudinal and segmental strain capture the pathological changes in the IVS, modifications that cannot be highlighted through a classical echocardiographic evaluation.

Foot-to-Foot Contact Among Initial Goal-Directed Movements Supports the Prognostic Value of Fidgety Movements in HIE-Cooled Infants

Background: Few studies conducted to date have observed general movements in infants affected by hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) who underwent therapeutic hypothermia. We investigated whether foot-to-foot contact (FF) could support the predictive value of fidgety movements (FMs) in infants affected by HIE and treated with brain cooling.Methods: Spontaneous motility was video recorded for 3–5 min at 12 weeks post-term age in 58 full-term newborn infants affected by perinatal asphyxia who were cooled due to moderate to severe HIE. FF and FMs were blindly scored by three independent observers. At 24 months, each patient underwent a neurological examination by Amiel-Tison and Grenier.Results: At 24 months, 47 infants had developed typically at neurological examination, eight had developed mild motor impairment, and three developed cerebral palsy (CP). At 12 weeks, 34 (58.6%) infants had shown normal FMs, four of whom developed mild motor impairment. Twenty-four infants (41.4%) exhibited abnormal or no FMs, four of whom developed mild motor impairment and three developed CP. FF was present in 20 infants (34.5%), two of whom developed mild motor impairment. FF was absent in 38 infants (65.5%), six of whom developed mild motor impairment and three developed CP. Both FMs and FF, considered separately, were 100% sensitive for predicting CP at 24 months, but only 61 and 36%, respectively, were specific. Summing the two patterns together, the specificity increases to 73%, considering only CP as an abnormal outcome, and increases to 74% when considering CP plus mild motor impairment. Unexpectedly, fidgety movements were absent in 24 infants with typical motor outcomes, 17 of whom showed a typical motor outcome.Conclusions: FF is already part of motor repertoire at 12 weeks and allows a comparison of spontaneous non-voluntary movements (FMs) to pre-voluntary movements (FF). FF supports FMs for both sensitivity and specificity. A second video recording at 16–18 weeks, when pedipulation is present in healthy infants, is suggested: it may better define the presence or absence of goal-directed motility.

Delivery Room ST Segment Analysis to Predict Short Term Outcomes in Near-Term and Term Newborns

Background: ST-segment changes to the fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) may indicate fetal acidosis. No large-scale characterization of ECG morphology immediately after birth has been performed, but ECG is used for heart rate (HR) assessment. We aimed to investigate ECG morphology immediately after birth in asphyxiated infants, using one-lead dry-electrode ECG developed for HR measurement. Methods: Observational study in Tanzania, between 2013–2018. Near-term and term infants that received bag-mask ventilation (BMV), and healthy controls, were monitored with one-lead dry-electrode ECG with a non-diagnostic bandwidth. ECGs were classified as normal, with ST-elevations or other ST-segment abnormalities including a biphasic ST-segment. We analyzed ECG morphology in relation to perinatal variables or short-term outcomes. Results: A total of 494 resuscitated and 25 healthy infants were included. ST-elevations were commonly seen both in healthy infants (7/25; 28%) and resuscitated (320/494; 65%) infants. The apparent ST-elevations were not associated with perinatal variables or short-term outcomes. Among the 32 (6.4%) resuscitated infants with “other ST-segment abnormalities”, duration of BMV was longer, 1-min Apgar score lower and normal outcomes less frequent than in the resuscitated infants with normal ECG or ST-elevations. Conclusions: ST-segment elevation was commonly seen and not associated with negative outcomes when using one-lead dry-electrode ECG. Other ST-segment abnormalities were associated with prolonged BMV and worse outcome. ECG with appropriate bandwidth and automated analysis may potentially in the future aid in the identification of severely asphyxiated infants.

Role of probiotics in prevention and treatment of diarrhea and disbiosis in infants

Кишечная микробиота представляет собой сложную экосистему, образованную сообществом микроорганизмов, которое расценивается как самостоятельный метаболический орган. Преобладающими микроорганизмами в толстой кишке здорового младенца являются бифидобактерии и лактобациллы, которые конкурентно подавляют рост условно-патогенных и патогенных микробов и способствуют развитию иммунной системы. На протяжении последних 10 лет исследования в области молекулярной биологии и строения генома Bifidobacterium и Lactobacillus были сфокусированы на таких проблемах, как взаимодействие с иммунной системой и перспективы их использования при антибиотик-ассоциированной диарее и при диареях в педиатрической практике, а также при синдроме раздраженного кишечника и при воспалительных заболеваниях кишечника. За последние годы выполнен целый ряд клинических исследований, посвященных использованию пробиотиков в целях лечения и профилактики диареи у детей, а также подготовлено несколько подробных метаанализов, которые дают достаточно полное представление о возможностях использования монокомпонентных и комбинированных пробиотических препаратов. Получены важные факты в пользу того, что определенные штаммы Lactobacilli и Bifidobacteria являются иммуномодуляторами и способны влиять на иммунную регуляцию посредством воздействия на баланс между провоспалительными и противовоспалительными цитокинами. Еще одним механизмом действия пробиотических препаратов является их влияние на допаминовые и серотониновые рецепторы, благодаря чему установлено положительное влияние пробиотиков у пациентов, находящихся в состоянии стресса и при депрессивных состояниях. В статье показано, что комбинированные пробиотики обладают синергическим действием, оказывают антибактериальное действие и иммуномодулирующий эффект и обладают доказанной клинической эффективностью при диарее и дисбактериозе у детей. Intestinal microbiota is a complex ecosystem of the community of enteric microorganisms and is estimated as an individual metabolic organ. Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are the predominant microbes in a colon of healthy infants, they are able to suppress a growth of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microorganisms and support a development of immune system. Over the past 10 years, research in the field of molecular biology and genome structure of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus has focused on such problems as interaction with the immune system and the prospects for their use in antibiotic-associated diarrhea and diarrhea in pediatric practice, as well as in irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. In recent years, a number of clinical studies have been carried out on the use of probiotics for the treatment and prevention of diarrhea in children, and several detailed analytical meta-analyzes have been prepared, which give a fairly complete picture of the possibilities of using monocomponent and combined probiotic drugs. Important facts have been obtained in favor of the fact that certain strains of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are immunomodulators and are able to influence immune regulation by affecting the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Another mechanism of action of probiotic drugs is their effect on dopamine and serotonin receptors, due to which a positive effect of probiotics has been established in patients under stress and in depression. The article shows that combined probiotic remedies are characterized by synergic action and have an antibacterial effect and immune modulation. Combined probiotics are characterized by synergic activity and support a development of immune system. Due to these properties they have a clinically proven effect in diarrhea and disbiosis in infants.

Systematic review of validated parent-reported questionnaires assessing swallowing dysfunction in otherwise healthy infants and toddlers

Objectives There has been increasing interest in the management of oropharyngeal swallowing dysfunction (SwD). Its prevalence, particularly in otherwise healthy infants and toddlers (OHITs), is underappreciated. As the standard diagnostic tests are either invasive or scarce, valid parent-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires could play a pivotal role in the understanding and managing SwD in this group. This article reviewed the literature on PRO questionnaires pertaining to SwD in OHITs. Data source A librarian searched Prospero, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, HaPI, CINAHL, and SCOPUS until February 2021 using the MeSH terms for deglutition and screening methods. Review method Questionnaires that examined disease-specific or eating and feeding concerns or difficulties were excluded. Two reviewers independently identified PRO questionnaires for SwD that were used in OHITs and extracted the author names, publication year, questionnaire name, the studied population, and the reported psychometric assessments. A quality assessment was performed based on consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments (COSMIN) and updated criteria for good measurement properties. Results Of the 3488 screened articles, we identified only two questionnaires, the pediatric version of the Eating Assessment Tool (PEDI-EAT-10) and the PRO questionnaire for Swallowing Dysfunction in OHITs. The PEDI-EAT-10 authors assessed the validity and reliability on children with cerebral palsy. However, concerns were identified regarding the developmental process and the internal structure validity. The PRO questionnaire for SwD in OHITs meets criteria but has not yet been validated in the population of interest nor its psychometric properties assessed. Conclusion Two instruments were identified. The PED-EAT-10 exhibits methodological flaws, while Edmonton PRO questionnaire for SwD in OHITs awaits construct validation and could fill the current knowledge gap.

Life-threatening complications of streptococcal sepsis: a PICU contemporary series

Background Life-threatening streptococcal sepsis nowadays represents an uncommon event in previously healthy infants and children. Critically ill patients suffering from severe streptococcal sepsis complications may present with pre-antibiotic era clinical pictures and require a timely clinical approach to achieve restitutio ad integrum. Results We report a series of four patient groups affected by an uncommon life-threatening streptococcal sepsis, each of them exhibiting some distinct features. Streptococcus Agalactiae sepsis was associated with cerebral thrombotic/ischaemic lesions, whereas severe cardiogenic shock was prominent in the Streptococcus Viridans group; Streptococcus Faecalis and β-hemolytic group A Streptococcus patients mostly reported lung complications. Conclusions Previous antibiotic treatments should not delay aggressive treatment in the intensive care setting. Early diagnostic suspicion, as well as appropriate and aggressive treatment provided within an intensive care setting are crucial for the clinical outcome.

The effect of the vitamin D and calcium on the quality of life of infants

Background. Relevant in pediatrics is the use of indicators of quality of life of children to personify the treatment process, monitoring the course of the disease. In recent years, there has been increasing research on the role of vitamin D and calcium in the human body. The study was aimed to assess the quality of life of infants and to establish the possibility of medical correction of the main indicators of quality of life under the influence of the combined use of vitamin D and calcium. Materials and methods. We observed 30 clinically healthy infants who received 2.5 ml of vitamin D and calcium 3 times a day for 2 months. We have created our questionnaire on the quality of life of infants. Methods of variation statistics are used. Results. Based on the correlation analysis in infants before treatment, there was found a positive relationship between quality of life and the state of biological resistance (r = +0.51; p < 0.05); natural feeding (r = +0.56; p < 0.05); symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders (r = +0.58; p < 0.05); parameters of emotional status (r = +0.62; p < 0.05); signs of autonomic dysfunction syndrome (r = +0.63; p < 0.05); neuropsychological development (r = +0.65; p < 0.05); features of adaptability (r = +0.66; p < 0.05). The results of the treatment with vitamin D and calcium in the study of the correlation diagram of the relationship between quality of life and the established indicators of the development of infants demonstrated no correlation between the quality of life and symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders and symptoms of autonomic dysfunction. After treatment, there was a decrease in the strength of the correlation between the quality of life of infants and the parameters of emotional status (r = +0.36; p < 0.05); indicators of neuropsychological development (r = +0.35; p < 0.05), and ability to adapt (r = +0.44; p < 0.05). Conclusions. The сombined use of vitamin D and calcium in the recommended dose of 2.5 ml 3 times a day for 2 months is characterized by a high safety profile, improves the quality of life of a child, and can be recommended for infants.