OBJECTIVE The control of gait requires executive and attentional functions. As preterm children show executive and attentional deficits compared to full-term children, performing concurrent tasks that impose additional cognitive load may lead to poorer walking performance in preterm compared to full-term children. Knowledge regarding gait in preterm children after early childhood is scarce. We ...

Infants of very low birth weight (VLBW) are, for the most part, potentially normal at birth but, because of immaturity of structure and function of many organs, are at risk from death or permanent handicap. A recent survey of world literature suggested that the improvement in the outcome for these babies, which has occurred over the past ten years, was due to perinatal intensive care. To date, ...

OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical factors most predictive of red blood cell transfusion in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of VLBW infants cared for at a single level III NICU during a two year period, n = 199. RESULTS Overall transfusion requirement was 4.6 +/- 6.2 transfusions/infant/hospital course. Length of hospital stay, days of mechanical vent...

OBJECTIVE Preterm infants are at increased risk of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. Although immunization with rotavirus vaccine is safe and effective, age restrictions limit the number of infants eligible for vaccination at discharge from the NICU. The objectives of this study were to assess the implementation of the rotavirus vaccine program in our NICU, recognize missed opportunities for va...

BACKGROUND Adults born preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) have elevated levels of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Preliminary observations suggest that this could partly be explained by lower rates of physical activity. The aim of this study was to assess physical activity in healthy young adults born preterm at very low birth weight compared with ter...

objective about 1 % of infants are of very low birth weight. however, they comprise about 50% of infant mortality. we compare the effects of continuous versus intermittent feeding on physical growth, gastrointestinal tolerance and macronutrient retention in low birth weight infants (methods a prospective randomized trial clinical trial was performed from 2004-2005. very low birth weight neonate...

background: feeding intolerance is a common problem among premature infants. there is limited information on the safety and effects of oral probiotic supplements, especially products containing lactobacillus reuteri, and the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (nec) in low birth weight preterm infants. this study aimed to evaluate the effects of lactobacillus reuteri on the gastrointestinal ...

Objective. To investigate whether the perinatal risks associated with early vanishing twin (VT) syndrome differ between cleavage- or blastocyst-stage embryo transfers (ET) in fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Methods. Retrospective, single-center, cohort study of IVF cycles with fresh cleavage- or blastocyst-stage ETs resulting in a live singleton birth. The incidence of preterm birth ...

AIM To evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. METHODS In this retrospective study of VLBW infants, we analyzed the prevalence of AKI, as defined by changes in serum creatinine and urine output, associated risk factors and outcomes. RESULTS A total of 293 VLBW infants (mean gestational age 28.7 wk) were included...

AIM To analyze the low weight gain (WG) from birth to 4 and 6wk of life to predict the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm babies. METHODS Three hundred and three newborns with VLBW were analyzed. Body weight measurements were recorded weekly. In all patients, the proportion of the WG was defined as the preterm weight measured at the 4(th...