AIM AND SCOPE We conducted this study to estimate the incidence of hyperbilirubinemia in a small neonatal care unit in Catania, Italy, and to determine the underlying causes, which would be of value in identifying and implementing strategies to prevent morbidity from this condition. BACKGROUND Management of hyperbilirubinemia remains a challenge for neonatal medicine because of the risk for s...

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to compare the predictive accuracy of alternative risk-assessment strategies used to screen for the risk of significant neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. PATIENTS AND METHODS.We conducted a prospective cohort study of 823 term and nearterm newborns admitted to the well-infant nursery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Maternal, infant, and deli...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to define the minimum academic content required for pediatricians to recognize the risk of kernicterus. METHODS A questionnaire was developed on the basis of American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines seeking to develop a consensus for pediatricians in training on the theoretical content about neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. To validate the instrument, we...

Severe neonatal unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, with the risk of bilirubin encephalopathy or kernicterus in severe, untreated cases, occurs when bilirubin production exceeds the body's ability to eliminate it. The causes of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia are multifactorial and comprise increased hemolysis on the one hand, and diminished bilirubin conjugation on the other. In recent years, many of...

Introduction:  Inadequate intake of breast milk in the first days of life leads to weight loss in neonates. Jaundice is also more prominent in these infants. In this cross-sectional study, we tried to evaluate the extent of weight loss in term breastfed infants who were hospitalized for idiopathic hyperbilirubinemia. Methods: This prospective study involved 1072 infants >48 hours old, who were ...

BACKGROUND Today, Severe hyperbilirubinemia is the most common cause of neonatal readmissions. Identification of the cause of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is useful in determining whether therapeutic interventions can prevent severe hyperbilirubinemia. OBJECTIVES We conducted this study to estimate the incidence of severe hyperbilirubinemia in Fars province and to determine the underlying caus...

Neurotoxic bilirubin is solely conjugated by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1. Due to an inadequate function of UGT1A1, human neonates develop mild to severe physiological hyperbilirubinemia. Accumulation of bilirubin in the brain leads to the onset of irreversible brain damage called kernicterus. Breastfeeding is one of the most significant factors that increase the risk of developing ker...

BACKGROUND Melatonin therapy shows positive effects on neuroprotective factor brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and neuronal apoptosis in neonatal hemolytic hyperbilirubinemia. We hypothesized that melatonin promotes BDNF expression and anti-apoptotic effects in neonatal hemolytic hyperbilirubinemia through a phospholipase (PLC)-mediated mechanism. MATERIAL AND METHODS A pheny...