Accuracy of prenatal ultrasound screening to identify fetuses infected by cytomegalovirus which will develop severe long-term sequelae.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the ability of detailed routine ultrasound examination, performed without knowledge of maternal serology and fetal status, with that of targeted prenatal imaging performed in prenatal diagnostic units in cases of known fetal infection to identify cytomegalovirus (CMV)-infected fetuses that will develop long-term sequelae. METHODS: All prenatal imaging reports were collected for 255 children with congenital CMV in a registered cohort between 2013 and 2017 (NCT01923636). All women had undergone detailed routine fetal ultrasound examination at 20-24 and 30-34 weeks as part of routine antenatal care. All cases of known fetal CMV infection had also undergone targeted prenatal ultrasound examination. Postnatal structured follow-up for up to 48 months of age involved clinical, audiological and neurological assessment, including Brunet-Lezine scoring. Long-term sequelae (> 12 months) were considered to be mild in cases with isolated unilateral hearing loss and/or vestibular disorders, and severe in cases with bilateral hearing loss and/or neurological sequelae. All imaging reports were analyzed retrospectively with the knowledge of congenital CMV infection, searching for reference to findings that were, or could have been, related to fetal infection. Findings were analyzed in relation to whether the cases were diagnosed with CMV in utero or only postnatally. RESULTS: There were 237 children with complete follow-up data (> 12 months), for a median of 24 (range, 12-48) months. Of these, 30% (71/237) were diagnosed with CMV prenatally and 70% (166/237) were diagnosed within 3 weeks after birth. 72.5% (29/40) of children with long-term sequelae, including 74% (14/19) with severe long-term sequelae, were not identified in the prenatal period. Among those diagnosed prenatally, the sensitivity of prenatal imaging for predicting long-term sequelae and severe long-term sequelae was 91% and 100%, respectively, while, in the group diagnosed only postnatally, non-specific infection-related ultrasound findings had been reported without raising suspicion in 48% of cases with long-term sequelae and 64% of those with severe long-term sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Routine detailed ultrasound examination in pregnancy is not an appropriate screening tool for congenital CMV infection that leads to long-term sequelae, in contrast with the high performance of targeted prenatal imaging in known cases of fetal infection. The non-specific nature of ultrasound features of CMV and their evolution, and a lack of awareness of caregivers about congenital CMV, are likely explanations. Awareness of the sonologist regarding congenital CMV and knowledge of the maternal serological status in the first trimester seem key to the performance of prenatal ultrasound. Copyright © 2020 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Palliative care after neonatal intensive care: Contributions of Leonetti Law and remaining challenges]. / Soins palliatifs au décours d'une réanimation néonatale : apports de la loi Léonetti et défis persistants.

The 2005 enactment of the "Patients' rights and end-of-life care" act, known as the Leonetti law, has been accompanied by practical changes in the processes of withdrawal and withholding of active life-sustaining treatments. This law has also promoted the implementation of palliative care in perinatal medicine to avoid unreasonable therapeutic interventions and to preserve the dying patient's quality of life and human dignity. Recently, a new law has been voted by the French National Assembly and new reflections on the ethical aspects of the end of life in neonatal medicine should resume again within the French Society of Neonatology in the working group on ethical issues in neonatology. This is why it appears important to discuss the perceived benefits and the persistent difficulties related to the implementation of the Leonetti law in neonatology. Collegiality in the decision-making processes as well as withdrawal and withholding of life-sustaining treatments that were already present in the practices of many centers has been stipulated within a legal framework and promoted in clinical practice. It has brought serenity within perinatal nursing and medical teams. It has helped them face the always-difficult end-of-life situations with parents and deal with decision-making processes in an intense emotional climate. However, new questions inherent to the law have appeared. The most important ones concern the withholding of artificial nutrition and hydration, the time pressure in the management of the decision-making process, and the management of the duration of palliative care. Challenges remain in addressing various persistent ethical dilemmas such as the possible survival of newborns with significant brain lesions detected after the period of life-sustaining treatments that have allowed their survival. The new law carried by Mr. Clayes and Mr. Léonetti should provide answers to some of these ethical issues, but it would probably not solve all of them.

[Practical management of neonatal sepsis risk in term or near-term infants]. / Prise en charge du risque infectieux néonatal chez l'enfant à terme ou proche du terme.

Incidence of neonatal early-onset sepsis has dramatically declined in France from 0.65 to 0.23‰ live births in 10 years since national guidelines to detect and treat intrapartum women with group B streptococcus colonization have been adopted. However, neonatal early-onset sepsis continues to be a common healthcare burden. Group B streptococcus (GBS) remains the leading cause of bacterial infection in term or near-term infants. As a result of prevention strategies, approximately 30% of pregnant women and more than 2% of newborns are treated with systemic antibiotics. Concerns have been expressed about the safety of wide use of antibiotics such as antibiotic resistance, emergence of Escherichia coli infections, and long-term side effects due to gut microbiota modifications. New recommendations from the Centers of Disease Control in the United States and from European countries aim at improving GBS detection methods, updating algorithms for GBS intrapartum chemoprophylaxis in pregnant women, defining high-risk newborns more efficiently, and limiting biological evaluation in low-risk newborns.

[Palliative care for newborns: practices in a level-III unit during a 5-year period]. / Soins palliatifs en néonatologie : analyse et évolution des pratiques sur 5ans dans un centre de niveau 3.

UNLABELLED: The "Patients' rights and end-of-life care" act known as "Leonetti's Law" promulgated in 2005 has promoted the use of palliative care to avoid unreasonable obstinacy when life-sustaining treatment appears disproportionate. Very little is known about this new practice for newborns in French neonatal units. AIMS: To describe and evaluate the practice of palliative care in the newborn (mode of entry, characteristics, and modalities) and its evolution over time. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ambispective observational study conducted in a level III neonatal center. We included all newborns presenting conditions for which palliative care was introduced. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of routinely collected data, recorded from medical and nursing charts. We compared the recorded data between periods P1 (2006-2007) and P2 (2008-2010) using the Chi(2) test to assess changes over time. RESULTS: A total of 93 newborns benefited from palliative care during the study period. The main medical conditions motivating palliative care initiation in the newborns were severe complications of prematurity (36/93, 39%), anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (19/93, 20.5%), severe malformations (8/93, 8.5%), severe congenital heart disease (8/93, 8.5%), and other various etiologies (22/93, 23.5%). Both the number of newborns in palliative care/total number of births and the number of deaths after palliative care/total number of neonatal deaths remained stable. In case of prenatal diagnosis (n=31), there was an increase in the number of "palliative care from birth projects" (13/22 in P2 vs. 1/9 in P1, P=0.02). Collective meetings during the decision process were significantly more frequently reported in the infants' charts in P2 (48/59 in P2 vs. 18/34 in P1, P<0.01). Withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining treatment and limiting procedures of care and/or procedures of surveillance/monitoring were more frequent in P2 as compared to P1, respectively 12/34 vs. 37/59 (P=0.02) and 14/34 vs. 39/59 (P=0.03). A titration of level III analgesics treatment was high in both periods and remained stable. However, a trend toward an increase of systematic pain evaluation over time was observed (81.6% in P2 vs. 64.5% in P1; P=0.085). CONCLUSION: A significant number of newborns affected by various pathologies undergo neonatal palliative care. Despite their recent introduction in neonatal medicine, palliative care practices have changed significantly. These practices are mostly in compliance with the "patients' rights and end-of-life care" act promulgated in France in 2005.

[Epidemiology of orofacial clefts (1995-2006) in France (Congenital Malformations of Alsace Registry)]. / Épidémiologie des fentes labio-palatines : expérience du Registre de malformations congénitales d'Alsace entre 1995 et 2006.

OBJECTIVES: To review clinical and epidemiologic data of orofacial clefts and to evaluate the efficacy and the impact of prenatal diagnosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A population-based retrospective study was carried out on data from the Congenital Malformations of Alsace Registry (France) between 1995 and 2006. RESULTS: A total of 321 orofacial clefts were recorded (overall prevalence, 2.1 per 1000), divided into cleft lip (CL) or cleft lip palate (CLP) (204 cases) and cleft palate (117 cases). The cleft lip and cleft lip palate CL±P sex-ratio was 1.87, whereas the CP sex-ratio was 1. CLs were more often unilateral than CLPs (79% versus 59%). CLs were unilateral in 79% of the cases (60/76), bilateral in 20% of the cases (15/76), and median in 1% (1/76); 55% of the unilateral CLs were right and 45% were left. CLPs were unilateral in 59% of the cases (76/128), bilateral in 39% of the cases (50/128), and median in 2% (2/128); 45% of the unilateral CLPs were right and 55% were left. The 117 CPs were divided into 50 clefts of the total palate (43%) and 67 clefts of the posterior palate (57%); 25 cases (21%) of Pierre Robin sequence were collected. Sixty-six percent of CL±P (134/204) were associated with other congenital anomalies, including chromosome abnormality in 31 cases and identified monogenic syndrome or association in 12 cases. The most frequent chromosome abnormalities were 16 cases of trisomy 13 and 7 cases of trisomy 18. No cases of 22q11.2 microdeletion or duplication were detected among CL±P. Monogenic syndromes were identified in 6% (12/204) of CL±P cases: Van der Woude syndrome (2 cases); CHARGE syndrome (2 cases); ectrodactyly, ectodermal dysplasia, and cleft/lip palate (EEC) syndrome (2 cases); branchiooculofacial (BOF) syndrome (1 case); Treacher-Collins syndrome (1 case); Nager syndrome (1 case); Goldenhar syndrome (1 case); holoprosencephaly spectrum (1 case); and Meckel syndrome (1 case). Forty-two percent of CPs (49/117) were associated with other congenital anomalies; chromosome abnormality was identified in 12 cases and monogenic syndrome was diagnosed in 14 cases. The most frequent chromosome abnormality was 22q11 microdeletion (5 cases). Monogenic syndromes were recognized in 12% of the CP cases (14/117): fragile X syndrome (2 cases), Meckel syndrome (2 cases), Orofaciodigital syndrome type I (OFD1) (1 case), Stickler syndrome (1 case), Larsen syndrome (1 case), Kniest syndrome (1 case), Cornelia de Lange syndrome (1 case), thanatophoric dysplasia (1 case), other unknown bone chondrodysplasia (1 case), Fryns syndrome (1 case), fetal akinesia sequence (1 case), and Silver-Russel syndrome (1 case). Fifty-two percent of CL cases (106/204) were prenatally diagnosed. An increasing tendency was observed between the 1995-2000 and 2001-2006 periods with a detection rate increasing from 47% to 56%. During the whole period, only 1 case of CP was prenatally diagnosed. Eighty-two percent of all cases (263/321) were livebirths; 8 stillbirths were reported (2%); 50 syndromic or associated cases (16%) led to medical abortion (no termination of pregnancy was performed for isolated cleft). CONCLUSION: Orofacial clefts are a frequent malformation with a total prevalence of 2.1 per 1000 total births. Sonbographic prenatal diagnosis of orofacial clefts remains difficult with a mean detection rate about 50% for CL±P and is extremely rare for CP. Associated malformations and genetic syndromes are frequent and require a systematic survey. This study also highlights the different pathogenic background of CL±P compared to CP, regarding the sex-ratio and the proportion and type of associated malformations.

[Sensory system development and the physical environment of infants born very preterm]. / Développement sensoriel des nouveau-nés grands prématurés et environnement physique hospitalier.

The sensory systems develop in several sequences, with a process specific to each system and with a transnatal continuum. This development is based partly on interactions between the fetus and the newborn and their physical and human environments. These interactions are key drivers of the child development. The adaptation of the newborn's environment is crucial for his survival, his well-being and his development, especially if he is born prematurely. The physical environment of the hospital where immature infants are immersed differs greatly from the uterine environment from which they were extracted prematurely. There are discrepancies between their sensory expectations originating in the antenatal period and the atypical stimuli that newborns encounter in their postnatal nosocomial environment. These assertions are valid for all sensory modalities. Many studies have proven that very preterm infants are highly sensitive to this environment which can affect their physiological and behavioural well being. Moreover, it can alter their perception of important human sensory signals, particularly the ones coming from their mother. The long term impacts of this environment are more difficult to identify due to the multi-sensory nature of these stimuli and the multifactorial origin of the neurological disorders that these children may develop. However, the adaptation of their physical environment is one of the corner stones of specific developmental care programs, like the NIDCAP program that has been shown to be successful to improve their short and medium term outcomes. The architectural design, technical equipment and used health-care products, and the strategies and organizations of care are the main determinants of the physical environment of these children. Recommendations for the hospital environment, integrating a newborn's developmental perspective, have been made available. They should be applied more widely and should be completed. Technological equipment advances are also expected to allow better compliance to them. All these evolutions are completely in accordance with the concept of humane neonatal care.

Osteosclerotic bone dysplasia in siblings with a Fam20C mutation.

Raine syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the FAM20C gene. FAM20C codes for the human homolog of DMP4, a dentin matrix protein highly expressed in odontoblasts and moderately in bone. DMP4 is probably playing a role in the mineralization process. Since the first case reported in 1989 by Raine et al. 21 cases have been published delineating a phenotype which associates dysmorphic features, cerebral calcifications, choanal atresia or stenosis and thoracic/pulmonary hypoplasia. Kan and Kozlowski suggested the name of Raine syndrome to describe this new lethal osteosclerotic bone dysplasia. All the cases described were lethal during the neonatal period except for the last two reported patients aged 8 and 11 years who presented severe mental retardation. Here we describe two sisters, with an attenuated phenotype of Raine syndrome, who present an unexpectedly normal psychomotor development at ages 4 and 1, respectively. Identification of a homozygous mutation in the FAM20C gene confirmed the Raine syndrome diagnosis, thus contributing to the expansion of the Raine syndrome phenotype. This case report also prompted us to revisit the FAM20 gene classification and allowed us to highlight the ancestral status of Fam20C.

[Problems for assessing the newborns' pain in palliative care]. / Problèmes liés à l'évaluation de la douleur chez le nouveau né en situation de soins palliatifs.

Several pain scales are available for newborns, but the assessment of pain in these preverbal beings, who are in continuing neurological development, remains challenging for healthcare teams. Although neonates at the end of life are particularly vulnerable to pain and discomfort, no assessment tool has been validated in this specific population. The difficulties for assessing pain in this context are copies of those potentially encountered in other situations. Questions arise about the limits of the available scales, about possible alterations of responses to a noxious stimulus in particular contexts (extreme immaturity, brain lesions), about possibly painful situations in palliative care, about the nature of scales to choose. Data show a perception of pain at a cortical level by extremely immature infants and the ability for neonates with significant neurological injury to express pain behaviours. For some potentially painful situations (dyspnoea, gasps, hunger) neonatal data are virtually nonexistent. Fundamental scientific data and clinical data from adults and children can give some answers. One will choose scales for which the staff is trained, easily usable (preference for behavioural scales), validated for all gestational ages, reliable in the event of neurological impairment or sedation. An assessment of prolonged pain (EDIN scale or COMFORT Behaviour scale) combined with measures of acute pain (DAN or NFCS scales) is recommended. These scales should be better validated for populations of newborns and situations that are specific to palliative care. A better assessment of the parental perception and of their distress about the discomfort or pain of their child is warranted.

Use of digital camera imaging of eye fundus for telemedicine in children suspected of abusive head injury.

AIM: Pilot study of the role of RetCam imaging for telemedicine in lieu of availability of ophthalmologist examination for cases of suspected abusive head injury. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. PARTICIPANTS: 21 children admitted in the paediatric units of the University Hospital of Strasbourg (France) with suspicion of abusive head trauma were included. METHODS: Children were examined by standard ophthalmoscopy. Photographs were taken using the RetCam-120 Digital Retinal Camera. Eye fundus images were stored and remotely read by an ophthalmologist. Patients also had radiographic skeletal series to look for bone fractures, and CT scan and/or MRI of the head to look for intracranial haemorrhages. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The absence or presence of retinal haemorrhages was assessed by both methods. Feasability, sensitivity and specificity of the digital camera procedure were determined. RESULTS: 85.7% of the children presented cerebral bleeding, and 14 out of the 21 (66.7%) had retinal haemorrhages on ophthalmoscopy. The digital camera detected the retinal abnormalities in all cases. One false-positive case was also reported. The sensitivity of the digital camera detection method was 100% with a specificity of 85.7%. 14 patients were eventually diagnosed as suffering from abusive trauma. RetCam helped establishing the diagnosis of abuse in 92.8% of these cases. CONCLUSIONS: Digital photography compared with ophthalmoscopy has a good sensitivity and specificity in detecting retinal haemorrhages. Remote reading of RetCam-120 photographs could be a promising strategy in detecting children with abusive head trauma.

[Effect of magnesium sulphate on mortality and neurologic morbidity of the very-preterm newborn (of less than 33 weeks) with two-year neurological outcome: results of the prospective PREMAG trial]. / Effet du sulfate de magnésium sur la mortalité et la morbidité neurologique chez le prématuré de moins de 33 semaines, avec recul à deux ans: résultats de l'essai prospectif multicentrique contre placebo PREMAG.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether magnesium sulphate (MgSO(4)) given to women at risk of very-preterm birth would be neuroprotective in preterm newborns. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 18 French centres, women with fetuses of gestational age less than 33 weeks whose birth was expected within 24 hours were randomised from 1993 to 2003 with follow-up of infants until two years of age after discharge. They received a single injection of 0.1 mg/l de MgSO(4) (4g) or isotonic 0.9% saline over 30 minutes. This study is registered as an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number 00120588. Analyses were based on intention to treat. RESULTS: Data from 688 infants were analysed of which 606 were followed up and 10 were lost to follow-up. Comparing infants who received MgSO(4) or placebo, respectively, has shown a decrease of all primary endpoints (total mortality, severe white matter injury and their combined outcome) and of all secondary endpoints (motor dysfunction, cerebral palsy, cognitive dysfunction and their combined outcomes at two years of age) in the MgSO(4) group. The decrease was nearly significant or significant for gross motor dysfunction (OR: 0.65 [0.41-1.02]) and combined criteria: death and cerebral palsy (OR: 0.65 [0.42-1.03]); death and gross motor dysfunction (OR: 0.62 [0.41-0.93]); death, cerebral palsy and cognitive dysfunction (OR: 0.68 [0.47-1.00]). No major maternal adverse effects were observed in the MgSO(4) group. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Given its beneficial effects and safety, the use of prenatal low-dose MgSO(4) for preventing neurodisabilities of very-preterm infants should be discussed either as a stand-alone treatment or as part of a combination treatment, at least in the context of clinical trials.

[The olfactory sensitivity of the premature newborn]. / La sensibilité olfactive du nouveau-né prématuré.

This document reviews the main data relating to the structural and functional organisation of olfactory perception in the premature newborn. The chemoreceptive systems (main olfactory, trigeminal, vomeronasal and terminal systems) develop in different chronological orders but quite at very early stage during ontogeny. The premature newborn, despite being immature, has been shown to react to a wide variety of olfactory stimuli. Moreover, the infant seems capable of distinguishing odours of different qualities and intensities, memorising stimuli to which he is regularly exposed to, and categorising different odours based on their hedonic valence. An inventory of the olfactory stimuli to which the infant is regularly exposed to in the incubator is carried out. Several attempts to use pleasant and familiar odours to reduce stress due to separation of the infant from its mother, to promote oral feeding, to make medical procedures more acceptable, and more so, to reduce the respiratory instability of the premature infant, are described. If sustained attention is directed to the olfactory characteristics dwelling inside the incubator, the well-being, health and development of the premature newborn could be improved.

[Secondary surfactant deficiencies in extremely low birth weight premature infants]. / Déficits secondaires en surfactant chez le grand prématuré

Primary deficiency of surfactant is responsible for the respiratory distress syndrome and concerns premature neonates born before 33 weeks of gestation. However, newborns may develop respiratory disorders related to a secondary deficiency or dysfunction of surfactant. We report the course of three extremely low birth weight premature infants who experienced clinical respiratory decompensation at two weeks and showed a marked improvement after exogenous natural surfactant administration.

Effects of antenatal antibiotics on the incidence and bacteriological profile of early-onset neonatal sepsis. A retrospective study over five years.

BACKGROUND: Recommendations for the use of antenatal antibiotics have been widely implemented in the past few years, notably to prevent group B streptococcal disease or to prolong pregnancy in the case of preterm premature rupture of the membranes. OBJECTIVES: We designed a retrospective study to assess the potential effects of this increasing use of antibiotics on the incidence and bacteriological profile of early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS). METHODS: All neonates referred to our department for suspected EONS from January 1 1995 through December 31 1999 were included. Antenatal antibiotic exposure together with clinical and microbiological data from the neonatal period were gathered and analyzed on a yearly basis. RESULTS: Of the 485 newborns who met the inclusion criteria, there were 101 cases of culture-confirmed sepsis; 339 cases of suspected sepsis and 69 cases of confirmed sepsis involved children born in the hospital, among a total of 16,627 live births registered in our center over the study period. The overall incidence of EONS dropped from 6.8 to 0.6/1,000 births between 1995 and 1999 (p < 0.001), but the rate of group B streptococcal infection decreased much more rapidly than that of non-group B streptococcal infection. We observed a trend towards the emergence of ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli strains, which were isolated in seven cases. Among E. COLI infections, ampicillin resistance was statistically linked with antenatal antibiotic use (p = 0.025). We also delineated several risk factors associated with these infections. CONCLUSION: In our center, antenatal antibiotic treatment was effective in reducing the incidence of EONS, but this benefit may come at the cost of favoring the emergence of ampicillin-resistant organisms causing severe neonatal infections. Antenatal and postnatal antibiotic treatment strategies should take this adverse effect into account.

[Retinopathy of prematurity: 10-year retrospective study at the University Hospital of Strasbourg]. / Rétinopathie du prématuré: étude rétrospective sur une période de dix ans au CHU de Strasbourg.

OBJECTIVES: This work was splitted in two parts: the first one was the study of retinopathy incidence in premature infants less than 33 weeks gestation, born between 1988 and 1997; the second one is the identification of severe retinopathy different risk factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study was retrospective over ten years. All premature infants less than 33 weeks gestation born between January 1, 1988 and December 31 1997, admitted to the Strasbourg neonatal intensive care unit with retinopathy, were included (164 children). First we studied the incidence evolution of retinopathy over these ten years; then by a statistical study (univaried and multivaried) we looked for a significant difference for several factors between the infants with mild retinopathy and the group with severe ocular disease. RESULTS: Retinopathy incidence decreased in ten years from 13.7 to 6.7% for the moderate forms (P < 0.001) and from 3.7 to 1.7% for severe stage (non significant). A significant difference was found for various factors after comparison between both groups. The birth weight (P = 5 x 10(-4)), the gestational age (P = 4 x 10(-6)), were weaker in the group with severe retinopathy. A maternofetal or nosocomial infection (P = 0.009; P = 0.002), hemodynamic shock (P = 10(-6)), patent ductus arteriosus (P = 10(-6)), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P = 3 x 10(-6)), postnatal steroid treatment (P = 0.007), respiratory distress syndrome (P = 0.01), were all more frequent in the severe retinopathy sample. The number of days with oxygenotherapy (P = 10(-6)) and mechanical ventilation (P = 10(-6)) the number of blood transfusion (P = 10(-5)) were higher in this group than in the other. The logistic regression analysis showed that the hemodynamic parameters influence mostly on the risk of severe ocular disease, like an hemodynamic shock syndrome (OR = 16.94; CI = 2.12-135.77) or a patent ductus arteriosus (OR = 5.36; CI = 1.53-18.74). CONCLUSION: A decrease of the retinopathy incidence in premature infants was observed in ten years, probably due to better care in the neonatal period. An unstable hemodynamic state would be one prominent risk factor in the genesis of severe retinopathy of prematurity.

Gold nanoparticles containing redox-active supramolecular dendrons that recognize H2PO4-.

Gold nanoparticles have been functionalized with thiol dendrons containing three redox active amidoferrocenyl or silylferrocenyl units; using cyclic voltammetry, these dendronized gold nanoparticles recognize H2PO4-.

[Phrenic nerve paralysis of obstetrical origin: favorable course using continuous positive airway pressure]. / Paralysie phrénique isolée obstétricale: évolution favorable sous pression expiratoire positive par voie nasale.

INTRODUCTION: Isolated diaphragmatic paralysis due to obstetrical factors is rare and therapeutic management modalities are not quite clear. CASE REPORT: A neonate born by breech delivery presented with respiratory distress due to isolated paralysis of the right hemidiaphragm. The clinical course was progressive, his condition worsening with oxygen supplementation. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) delivered via a nasal cannula was started in the one-month-old child, inducing gradual improvement towards recovery at the age of two months and a half. CONCLUSION: Non-invasive nasal CPAP should be proposed for the treatment of phrenic nerve obstetrical palsy before introducing more invasive ventilation techniques. Surgical plication should be delayed until the child reaches the age of at least three months.

Molecular batteries: ferrocenylsilylation of dendrons, dendritic cores, and dendrimers: new convergent and divergent routes to ferrocenyl dendrimers with stable redox activity

The ferrocenylsilylation of the phenol triallyl dendron 2, of the phenol nonaallyl dendron 4, and of the 9-, 27-, 81-, and 243-allyl dendrimers 7-10 (monitored by the disappearance of the signals of the olefinic protons in 1H NMR spectra) has been achieved using ferrocenyldimethylsilane 1 and Karstedt's catalyst in diethyl ether at 40 degrees C, yielding the corresponding ferrocenyl dendrons and dendrimers. An alternative convergent synthesis of the nonaferrocenyl dendron 5 was carried out by reaction of the triferrocenyl dendron 2 with a protected triododendron followed by deprotection. Reaction of the nonaferrocenyl dendron 5 with hexakis(bromomethyl)benzene gave the 54-ferrocenyl dendron 6. All the ferrocenyl dendron and dendrimers produce a chemically and electrochemically reversible ferrocenyl oxidation wave at seemingly the same potential. Stable platinum electrodes modified with the high ferrocenyl dendrimers were fabricated. The soluble orange-red ferrocenyl dendrimers can also be oxidized in CH2Cl2 by [NO][PF6] to the insoluble deep blue polyferrocenium dendrimers. For instance, the 243-ferrocenium dendrimer has been characterized by its Mossbauer spectrum, which is of the same type as that of ferrocenium itself. The ferrocenium dendrimers can be reduced without any decomposition back to the ferrocenyl dendrimer, indicating that these multielectronic redoxstable dendrimers behave as molecular batteries.

Electron and proton reservoir complexes: thermodynamic basis for C-H activation and applications in redox and dendrimer chemistry.

This Account focuses on fundamental aspects and applications of the concept of "electron and proton reservoirs". Permethylated electron reservoir iron sandwich complexes, which were known to be excellent reducing agents in their neutral 19e Fe(I) form, have recently been shown to be stable strong oxidants in their dicationic 17e Fe(III) form. Thermodynamic, mechanistic, and synthetic aspects of the redox chemistry of these and related organoiron complexes are summarized. Proton reservoir properties of these complexes are due to enhanced acidity in their cationic form and result in an original type of activation: perfunctionalization leading to dendritic cores and useful metallodendrimers of variable topology.