Nephrogenesis in the late preterm The process of nephron formation ceases between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation [1], the limit within which the term late preterm is applied. In 1943, Potter and Thierstein examined the autopsies of 1000 fetuses and neonates and found the presence of the nephrogenic zone in 100% of 30-week fetuses, in about 80% of 34-week cases and in 30% of 36-week cases. They st...

OBJECTIVE To compare developmental outcomes of late preterm infants (34-36 weeks' gestation) with infants born at early term (37-38 weeks' gestation) and term (39-41 weeks' gestation), from infancy through kindergarten. METHODS Sample included 1000 late preterm, 1800 early term, and 3200 term infants ascertained from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort. Direct assessments of ...

A significant ratio of late preterm infants receives surfactant therapy (ST) for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and for other neonatal lung diseases characterized by surfactant inactivation or dysfunction. We aimed to investigate the clinical and therapeutic characteristics and outcomes of late preterm infants who received ST in the last 10 years in our neonatal intensive care unit. During...

BACKGROUND Rates of preterm birth are increasing worldwide and this increase is mostly due to infants born between 34 and 36 weeks of gestational age, the so-called "late preterm" births. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of late preterm birth over growth outcomes, assessed when children were 12 and 24 months old. METHODS In 2004, all births taking place in Pelotas (Southern Braz...

BACKGROUND Late preterm infants (LPIs) (34-36 weeks' gestation) account for up to 75% of preterm births and constitute a significant proportion of all neonatal admissions. This study assessed the impact of neonatal intensive or high-dependency care (IC) on developmental outcomes of LPIs at 3 years of age. METHODS This cohort study included 225 children born late preterm in Northern Ireland du...

OBJECTIVE To compare healthy late-preterm infants with their full-term counterparts from age 4 through 15 years for numerous standard cognitive, achievement, socioemotional, and behavioral outcomes. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING National Institute of Child Health and Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, 1991-2007. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1298 children (5...

Background The proportion of late preterm births has markedly increased during the past two decades, accounting for 70% of preterm births [1]. There is evidence that monitoring not only the quantity but also the quality of growth, in terms of body composition changes, may play an important role in gaining further insight into the relationship between birth weight and time in utero on early grow...

BACKGROUND Late-onset sepsis is a relatively common complication particularly of preterm birth that affects approximately a quarter of very low birth weight infants. AIM We aimed to determine the motor, cognitive, and behavioural outcome at school age of preterm children with late-onset sepsis compared to matched controls. STUDY DESIGN AND SUBJECTS A prospective case-control study that incl...

Background The transition from the intrato the extra-uterine life is characterized by major physiological changes in respiratory and hemodynamic functions [1]; moreover, the intrauterine thermostability has to been replaced by the neonatal termoregulation [2]. Many of the antepartum and intrapartum risk factors associated with the need of resuscitation may be present in late-preterm neonates (3...

OBJECTIVE The relationship between gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and the risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) remains unclear. Thus, we used a large cohort database to study the influence of maternal gestational hypertension and preeclampsia on the occurrence of ROP in preterm infants. METHODS We used data from a previous retrospective cohort study that includes 25,473 eligible ...