Neonatology and Fetal Medicine

Bi-level CPAP does not change central blood flow in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome

Current literature provides limited data on the hemodynamic changes that may occur during bi-level continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) support in preterm infants. However, the application of a positive ...

Authors: Giulia Aquilano, Silvia Galletti, Arianna Aceti, Francesca Vitali and Giacomo Faldella

Short-term respiratory outcomes in late preterm infants

To evaluate short-term respiratory outcomes in late preterm infants (LPI) compared with those of term infants (TI).

Authors: Miria Natile, Maria Luisa Ventura, Marco Colombo, Davide Bernasconi, Anna Locatelli, Cristina Plevani, Maria Grazia Valsecchi and Paolo Tagliabue

Intrauterine growth pattern and birthweight discordance in twin pregnancies: a retrospective study

Twins, compared to singletons, have an increased risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity, due mainly to a higher prevalence of preterm birth and low birthweight. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is als...

Authors: Giuseppe Puccio, Mario Giuffré, Maria Piccione, Ettore Piro, Valentina Malerba and Giovanni Corsello

Feasibility of transferring intensive cared preterm infants from incubator to open crib at 1600 grams

Ability to maintain a normal body temperature in an open crib is an important physiologic competency generally requested to discharge preterm infants from the hospital. The aim of this study is to assess the f...

Authors: Giovanni Barone, Mirta Corsello, Patrizia Papacci, Francesca Priolo, Costantino Romagnoli and Enrico Zecca

Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of surfactant treatment (Curosurf^®) in respiratory distress syndrome therapy in preterm infants: early treatment compared to late treatment

The best criteria for surfactant treatment in the perinatal period are unknown and this makes it of interest to consider the possible economic implications of lessening the use of more restrictive criteria.

Authors: Carlo Dani, Roberto Ravasio, Leonardo Fioravanti and Maria Circelli

Analysis of nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome among the Chinese Han population

To evaluate the association of NOS1 and NOS3 gene polymorphisms with the risk/severity of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) among preterm infants.

Authors: Wei Shen, Jiang Du, Bin Wang and Qiyi Zeng

Pilot observational study on haemodynamic changes after surfactant administration in preterm newborns with respiratory distress syndrome

Surfactant treatment reduces respiratory morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Data on its haemodynamic consequences are conflicting. The aim was to characterise the haemodynamic effects of surfactant tr...

Authors: Francesca Vitali, Silvia Galletti, Arianna Aceti, Giulia Aquilano, Marianna Fabi, Anna Balducci and Giacomo Faldella

Epidemiology of Toxoplasma and CMV serology and of GBS colonization in pregnancy and neonatal outcome in a Sicilian population

Aim of our study is to analyze the immunological status in pregnancy for two main TORCH agents, Toxoplasma and Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and the results of group B streptococcus (GBS) screening, assessing the ris...

Authors: Giuseppe Puccio, Cinzia Cajozzo, Laura Antonella Canduscio, Lucia Cino, Amelia Romano, Maria Gabriella Schimmenti, Mario Giuffrè and Giovanni Corsello

Efficacy of paracetamol for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm neonates

Inhibitors of the cyclo-oxygenase component of prostaglandin-H₂ synthetase, namely indomethacin and ibuprofen, are commonly used in the treatment of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus. These dru...

Authors: Gianluca Terrin, Francesca Conte, Antonella Scipione, Erica Bacchio, Maria Giulia Conti, Rosalia Ferro, Flavia Ventriglia and Mario De Curtis

Italian guidelines for management and treatment of hyperbilirubinaemia of newborn infants ≥ 35 weeks’ gestational age

Hyperbilirubinaemia is one of the most frequent problems in otherwise healthy newborn infants. Early discharge of the healthy newborn infants, particularly those in whom breastfeeding is not fully established,...

Authors: Costantino Romagnoli, Giovanni Barone, Simone Pratesi, Francesco Raimondi, Letizia Capasso, Enrico Zecca and Carlo Dani

Health promotion for children, mothers and families: here’s why we should “think about it before conception”

About 90,000 preterm infants or babies with birth defects are born in Italy every year, nearly 250 per day. These congenital conditions and their outcomes represent the most important burden of disease affecti...

Authors: Carlo Corchia and Pierpaolo Mastroiacovo

Are IgM-enriched immunoglobulins an effective adjuvant in septic VLBW infants?

To investigate the effectiveness of IgM-enriched immunoglobulins (IgM-eIVIG) in reducing short-term mortality of neonates with proven late-onset sepsis.

Authors: Letizia Capasso, Angela Carla Borrelli, Claudia Parrella, Silvia Lama, Teresa Ferrara, Clara Coppola, Maria Rosaria Catania, Vita Dora Iula and Francesco Raimondi

Polymorphic variants of SLCO1B1 in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in China

To evaluate the association between the genetic polymorphism of the solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B1 (SLCO1B1, also known as organic anion transport polypeptide C) and hyperbilirubine...

Authors: Jiebo Liu, Jun Long, Shaofang Zhang, Xiaoyan Fang and Yuyuan Luo

BiliCheck vs JM-103 in identifying neonates not at risk of hyperbilirubinaemia

Transcutaneous bilirubinometry is widely used to predict hyperbilirubinemia by using several devices. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive ability of BiliCheck vs JM-103 in identifying neonates ...

Authors: Costantino Romagnoli, Piero Catenazzi, Giovanni Barone, Lucia Giordano, Riccardo Riccardi, Antonio Alberto Zuppa and Enrico Zecca

Esophageal atresia in newborns: a wide spectrum from the isolated forms to a full VACTERL phenotype?

VATER association was first described in 1972 by Quan and Smith as an acronym which identifies a non-random co-occurrence of Vertebral anomalies, Anal atresia, Tracheoesophageal fistula and/or Esophageal atres...

Authors: Simona La Placa, Mario Giuffrè, Antonella Gangemi, Stefania Di Noto, Federico Matina, Federica Nociforo, Vincenzo Antona, Maria Rita Di Pace, Maria Piccione and Giovanni Corsello

Survey on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Italy

This study aims to investigate the incidence and the relative risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and posterior-ROP (P-ROP): ROP in Zone I and posterior Zone II, as well as to analyze the occurren...

Authors: Cesarina Borroni, Carla Carlevaro, Sabrina Morzenti, Elena De Ponti, Valentina Bozzetti, Vito Console, Salvatore Capobianco and Paolo E Tagliabue

Congenital nystagmus in two infants born from mothers exposed to methadone during pregnancy

Methadone is commonly prescribed as a substitute for illicit opioids. Use of methadone during pregnancy is associated with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), reduced head circumference as well as a slight inc...

Authors: Francesca Tinelli, Alessandra Gamucci, Roberta Battini and Giovanni Cioni

A neonatal case of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric-coenzyme A lyase deficiency

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria (OMIM 246450) is a rare autosomal recessive inborn of metabolism due to the deficiency of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) lyase, an enzyme involved both in t...

Authors: Francesca Santarelli, Michela Cassanello, Ausilia Enea, Francesca Poma, Valentina D'Onofrio, Giovanna Guala, Giangiacomo Garrone, Paola Puccinelli, Ubaldo Caruso, Francesco Porta and Marco Spada

How to feed small for gestational age newborns

Feeding small for gestational age (SGA) newborns is extremely challenging and the neonatologist should be brave and cautious at the same time. Although these babies have a high risk of milk intolerance and nec...

Authors: Giovanni Barone, Luca Maggio, Annalisa Saracino, Alessandro Perri, Costantino Romagnoli and Enrico Zecca

Intrauterine growth restriction and congenital malformations: a retrospective epidemiological study

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and small for gestational age (SGA) birth have been considered possible indicators of the presence of malformations. The aim of this study is to evaluate such relationshi...

Authors: Giuseppe Puccio, Mario Giuffré, Maria Piccione, Ettore Piro, Grazia Rinaudo and Giovanni Corsello

Temporal and geographical trends in infant, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality in Italy between 1991 and 2009

Infant mortality is a key indicator of child and population health. The aim of this study is to analyse the trends in infant mortality rates (IMRs) and their components (neonatal mortality rates-NMRs and post-...

Authors: Laura Dallolio, Jacopo Lenzi and Maria Pia Fantini

The effect of IVF pregnancies on mortality and morbidity in tertiary unit

There are several studies that have shown an increased risk of premature birth and developmental abnormalities with in vitro fertilization (IVF); however, the data on preterm mortality and morbidity are limited.

Authors: Gülcan Turker, Emek Doger, Ayşe Engin Arısoy, Ayla Günlemez and Ayşe Sevim Gökalp

Risk factors associated with birth defects at a tertiary care center in Pakistan

Birth defects are defined as those conditions that are substantially determined before or during birth and which are recognizable in early life. They are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in infant...

Authors: Mohammad Zeeshan Raza, Asfandyar Sheikh, Syed Salman Ahmed, Sajid Ali and Syed Mumtaz Ali Naqvi

Juvenile granulosa cell tumor of the testis: prenatal diagnosis and prescrotal approach

Neonatal testicular tumors are rare and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of newborn scrotal masses. Juvenile granulosa cell tumor (JGCT) accounts for about 5% of all prepubertal testis tumors...

Authors: Anna Lavinia Bulotta, Francesco Molinaro, Rossella Angotti, Francesco Ferrara, Giovanni Di Maggio, Edoardo Bindi and Mario Messina

Sudden unexpected infant death (SUDI) in a newborn due to medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency with an unusual severe genotype

Medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD) is the most common inborn error of fatty acid oxidation. This condition may lead to cellular energy shortage and cause severe clinical events such as hypok...

Authors: Cristina Lovera, Francesco Porta, Anna Caciotti, Serena Catarzi, Michela Cassanello, Ubaldo Caruso, Maria Rita Gallina, Amelia Morrone and Marco Spada

Thyroid functions of neonates with Down syndrome

We aimed to evaluate thyroid functions and volumes and detect abnormalities in 80 neonates with Down syndrome.

Authors: Dilek Sarici, Mustafa Ali Akin, Selim Kurtoglu, Tamer Gunes, Mehmet Adnan Ozturk and Mustafa Akcakus

Electrocardiographic and enzymatic correlations with outcome in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Perinatal asphyxia leading to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a common problem causing multi organ dysfunction including myocardial involvement which can affect the outcome.

Authors: Jyoti Agrawal, Gauri S Shah, Prakash Poudel, Nirmal Baral, Ajay Agrawal and Om P Mishra

Mandibular distraction in neonates: indications, technique, results

The Pierre Robin Sequence features were first described by Robin in 1923 and include micrognathia, glossoptosis and respiratory distress with an incidence estimated as 1:8,500 to 1:20,000 newborns. Upper airwa...

Authors: Enrico Sesenna, Alice S Magri, Cinzia Magnani, Bruno C Brevi and Marilena L Anghinoni

Meconium obstruction in absence of cystic fibrosis in low birth weight infants: an emerging challenge from increasing survival

Meconium abnormalities are characterized by a wide spectrum of severity, from the meconium plug syndrome to the complicated meconium ileus associated with cystic fibrosis. Meconium Related Ileus in absence of ...

Authors: Valentina Filomena Paradiso, Vito Briganti, Lucia Oriolo, Riccardo Coletta and Alessandro Calisti

Intrauterine growth retardation - small events, big consequences

Intrauterine growth retardation refers to a rate of growth of a fetus that is less than normal for the growth potential of a fetus (for that particular gestational age). As one of the leading causes of perinat...

Authors: Taimur Saleem, Nida Sajjad, Sanna Fatima, Nida Habib, Syed R Ali and Maqbool Qadir

Bacterial isolates of early-onset neonatal sepsis and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern between 1998 and 2004: an audit from a center in India

Epidemiology and surveillance of neonatal sepsis helps in implementation of rational empirical antibiotic strategy.

Authors: Ramesh Bhat Y, Leslie Edward S Lewis and Vandana KE

Storage and use of residual newborn screening dot blood samples in Italy

Authors: Carlo Petrini, Antonella Olivieri, Carlo Corbetta, Roberto Cerone, Giuliano D'Agnolo and Adriano Bompiani

Universal neonatal audiological screening: experience of the University Hospital of Pisa

The early identification of pre-lingual deafness is necessary to minimize the consequences of hearing impairment on the future communication skills of a baby. According to the most recent international guideli...

Authors: Paolo Ghirri, Annalisa Liumbruno, Sara Lunardi, Francesca Forli, Antonio Boldrini, Angelo Baggiani and Stefano Berrettini

Breastfeeding and transmission of cytomegalovirus to preterm infants. Case report and kinetic of CMV-DNA in breast milk

Breastfeeding has a major impact on CMV epidemiology. Postnatal CMV reactivation's incidence during lactation is nearby the maternal seroprevalence. Although perinatal CMV infection has practically no conseque...

Authors: Manuela Chiavarini, Patrizia Bragetti, Alessandra Sensini, Elio Cenci, Roberto Castronari, Marta J Rossi, Ambra Fantauzzi and Liliana Minelli

The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age

The study deals with the characteristics of temperament of preterm infants during their preschool age in order to not only investigate likely "difficult or problematic profiles", guided by impairments driven b...

Authors: Giovanna Perricone and M Regina Morales

Morbidity and mortality amongst infants of diabetic mothers admitted into a special care baby unit in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Infants born to diabetic women have certain distinctive characteristics, including large size and high morbidity risks. The neonatal mortality rate is over five times that of infants of non diabetic mothers an...

Authors: Peace I Opara, Tamunopriye Jaja and Uche C Onubogu

Toward a bioethical issue: induced multiple pregnancies and neonatal outcomes

Assisted reproductive technology has made great progress during the last three decades. After the initial enthusiasm, many ethical, legal and social issues related to the application of these procedures began ...

Authors: Antonio A Zuppa, Giovanni Alighieri, Piero Catenazzi, Antonio Scorrano and Costantino Romagnoli

Relationship between in utero sonographic evaluation and subcutaneous plicometry after birth in infants with intrauterine growth restriction: an exploratory study

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with several medical complications before and after delivery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance between the fetal ultrasonographic measu...

Authors: Nadia Liotto, Tatjana Radaelli, Anna Orsi, Emanuela Taricco, Paola Roggero, Maria L Giannì, Dario Consonni, Fabio Mosca and Irene Cetin

Chest physiotherapy in preterm infants with lung diseases

In neonatology the role of chest physiotherapy is still uncertain because of the controversial outcomes.

Authors: Carmen Giannantonio, Patrizia Papacci, Roberta Ciarniello, Mikael Ghennet Tesfagabir, Velia Purcaro, Francesco Cota, Carla Maria Semeraro and Costantino Romagnoli

Actualities on molecular pathogenesis and repairing processes of cerebral damage in perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is the most important cause of cerebral damage and long-term neurological sequelae in the perinatal period both in term and preterm infant.

Authors: Giuseppe Distefano and Andrea D Praticò

High prevalence of minor neurologic deficits in a long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up of children with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn: a cohort study

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a severe condition that determines a profound brain hypoxia. Inhaled nitric oxide was approved for the treatment of PPHN since the end of the 1990s. T...

Authors: Anna Berti, Augusta Janes, Riccardo Furlan and Francesco Macagno

Hepatic failure, neonatal hemochromatosis and porto-pulmonary hypertension in a newborn with trisomy 21 - a case report

Liver failure in neonates is a rare but often fatal disease. Trisomy 21 is not usually associated with significant infantile liver disease. If present, hepatic dysfunction in an infant with Trisomy 21 is likel...

Authors: Erin Neil, Josef Cortez, Aparna Joshi, Erawati V Bawle, Janet Poulik, Mark Zilberman, Mohammad F El-Baba and Beena G Sood

Prenatal exposure to serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a case report

Two premature twins (33 weeks gestation) were born to a woman who had used paroxetine during pregnancy for an anxiety-depression disorder. They were admitted to the NICU, where they showed prolonged RDS, cardi...

Authors: Maria Marsella, Elisabetta Ubaldini, Agostina Solinas and Pietro Guerrini

Neonatal arterial iliac thrombosis in type-I protein C deficiency: a case report

A male infant born by caesarean section at 38 weeks of gestational age (B.W. 4055 g; Apgar 9-10), in the first two hours of life his right leg became hypovascularizated.

Authors: Elisabetta Tridapalli, Marcello Stella, Maria G Capretti and Giacomo Faldella

A case of Poland Syndrome associated with dextroposition

Classical Poland Syndrome (PS) is characterized by unilateral, partial or complete absence of the sternocostal head of the major pectoral muscle and brachysyndactyly of fingers on the same side.

Authors: Doriana Lacorte, Maria Marsella and Pietro Guerrini

Perfusion index variations in clinically and hemodynamically stable preterm newborns in the first week of life

The perfusion index, derived from the pulse oximeter signal, seems to be an accurate predictor for high illness severity in newborns. The aim of this study was to determine the perfusion index values of clinic...

Authors: Francesco Cresi, Emanuela Pelle, Roberto Calabrese, Luciana Costa, Daniela Farinasso and Leandra Silvestro

Peculiar type 1 congenital pyloric atresia: a case report

Pyloric atresia (PA) is a very rare condition. Its incidence is approximately 1 in 100,000 newborns and constitutes about 1% of all intestinal atresias. We describe the neonatal course of a peculiar case of ty...

Authors: Enrico Zecca, Mirta Corsello, Claudio Pintus, Lorenzo Nanni and Susanna Zecca

Congenital Afibrinogenemia presenting as antenatal intracranial bleed: a case report

Congenital afibrinogenemia is a very rare inherited coagulation disorder, characterized by virtual absence of plasma fibrinogen (factor I). There are only about 250 cases reported in the world literature [1]. We ...

Authors: Gopakumar Hariharan, Sivji Ramachandran and Rajiv Parapurath