Clinical trials evaluating the potential benefit of anticoagulant treatment in pregnant women with inherited thrombophilia are based on the observation that a genetic predisposition to thrombosis is associated with frequent abortions and preterm birth. It was the aim of our study to delineate the impact of genetic polymorphisms with prothrombotic and antithrombotic effects on the occurrence of ...

Background: The birth weight is the first measured; an infant with low more likely to have poor somatic growth during childhood and develop markers of metabolic risk factors at his/her later age. Objectives: To evaluate very (VLBW) infants discharge 40 weeks postmenstrual age compare small for gestational (SGA) appropriate (AGA) babies. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducte...

OBJECTIVE Although it is well documented that breastfeeding promotes health and development of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, lactation initiation among mothers of VLBW infants is low. Mothers are anxious about the health of their children, and medical staff may be reluctant to promote breastfeeding out of concern for increasing that anxiety. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to e...

OBJECTIVE Evaluate the effect of an evolving targeted program to encourage mothers to provide own milk (MM) to their very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in a traditional open-bay NICU. METHODS Retrospective review of medical records on all VLBW infants (birth weight <1500 g) born in a geographical region of Norway in 1986/1987, 1996, and 2007/2008 (n = 203). Types of nutrition and data on ma...

BACKGROUND Transfusions to neonates convey both benefits and risks, and evidence is needed to guide wise use. Such evidence is accumulating, but more information is needed to generate sound evidence-based practices. OBJECTIVE We sought to analyze published information on nine aspects of transfusion practice in neonatal intensive care units. METHODS We assigned 'categories of evidence' and '...

OBJECTIVE Intrauterine and neonatal growth failure of very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) infants may influence adult growth attainment and have long-term implications for adult health. As part of a longitudinal study of VLBW infants, we sought to examine gender-specific changes in growth from birth to 20 years old and to identify the correlates of growth attainment at 20 years old. DESIGN,...

BACKGROUND The use of probiotics as prophylaxis for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants is being increasingly practised. OBJECTIVE We report, for the first time, a case series of 3 preterm, very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants who developed bacteremia with Bifidobacterium longum on probiotic therapy with Infloran® containing viable B. longum. METHODS We retrospectively review...

Low birthweight (LBW), defined as birthweight <2,500 g, is a major global public health problem and is associated with lifelong cognitive and behavioral problems. Very LBW (VLBW) infants (<1,500 g) are at high risk of multiple macro- and micronutrient deficiencies, but most LBW infants are larger (1,500-2,500 g), and the most common nutritional problem of those infants is iron deficiency (ID). ...

Human milk (HM) contains critical nutrients and possibly other neurotrophic factors that could benefit the less developed brain of preterm infants, particularly those with very low birth weight (VLBW). This study aims to systematically review the original studies to determine whether there is a reproducible independent effect of HM feeding on neurodevelopment outcome in preterm VLBW infants. Se...