Preterm labor after 34 weeks of gestation has shown no great difference from full-term labor in terms of neonatal morbidity and mortality when proper antepartum management (antibiotics or steroids treatment) is done. However, various studies have discussed different views on the risks and safety of preterm delivery at 32(+0)-33(+6) weeks of gestation. We evaluated the complications of different...

objectives: mothers’ perception of their ability to parenting (maternal parenting self-efficacy) is a critical issue that influences their interactions with their preterm neonates. for better support of these mothers, a robust tool is needed which can measure mothers’ perception of their ability to understand and care for their preterm neonates as well as being sensitive to the various levels a...

BACKGROUND Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), one of the most common causes of preventable blindness in preterm neonates, is emerging as a 'third epidemic' in middle-income countries including South Africa. This is due to the increasing survival of preterm neonates, insufficient monitoring of oxygen saturation (SaO2) in most centres, and lack of an ROP screening guideline in most neonatal units....

INTRODUCTION Abnormalities in auditory function of newborns may occur not only because of preterm birth, but also from the use of medications and from diseases related to prematurity. OBJECTIVE To analyze the inhibitory effect from stimulation of the olivocochlear efferent system on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in preterm neonates, comparing these data with those from full-term neon...

INTRODUCTION Neutrophil CD64 has been proposed as an early marker of sepsis. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic utility of neutrophil CD64 for identification of early-onset sepsis in preterm neonates. METHODS The prospective study was conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit between November 2010 and June 2011. Preterm neonates in whom infection was suspected when they were <12 hou...

OBJECTIVE Presepsin (soluble CD14 subtype) has been shown to be beneficial as a sepsis marker in adults. Nevertheless, very few data are available in neonates. The aim of the present study was to determine reference ranges of presepsin in term and preterm neonates. METHODS Healthy term neonates and preterm neonates without clinical signs of infection admitted to the Neonatal Unit were consecu...

"Golden Hour" of neonatal life is defined as the first hour of post-natal life in both preterm and term neonates. This concept in neonatology has been adopted from adult trauma where the initial first hour of trauma management is considered as golden hour. The "Golden hour" concept includes practicing all the evidence based intervention for term and preterm neonates, in the initial sixty minute...

Rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Indigenous groups in Australia exceed non-Indigenous rates eight-fold. Using kidney volume as a surrogate for nephron number, we carried out a study to determine if Indigenous neonates have a smaller kidney volume (and thus a reduced nephron number) from birth compared with non-Indigenous neonates. We recruited term and preterm neonates (<32 weeks) at...

OBJECTIVE Only a few studies on improving the early diagnosis of severe neonatal infections have focused on the role of serum RANTES concentration (sRC). The aim of the study was to establish sRC in neonates with early-onset infections, according to their gestational age, sex, birth asphyxia, mode of delivery and value of some biochemical and hematological parameters. MATERIAL/METHODS The ana...

BACKGROUND While hospitalized in the NICU, preterm neonates undergo many painful procedures. This may be the same for full-term neonates when longer hospitalization is required. Untreated and repeated pain has short-term as well as long-term consequences for these neonates. Pharmacological pain management methods have many limitations in their applications for both preterm and full-term neonate...