Sensory processing and cortisol at age 4 years: Procedural pain-related stress in children born very preterm.

Children born preterm display altered sensory processing, which may manifest as hyper- and/or hypo-sensitivity to sensory information. In this vulnerable population, exposure to neonatal pain-related stress is associated with altered stress regulation, as indexed by alterations in cortisol levels. It is unknown whether sensory processing behaviors are also affected by early life adversity, and whether dysregulated cortisol is related to sensory processing problems in preterm children. We examined relationships between neonatal pain-related stress, sensory processing profiles and cortisol levels at age 4 years, and whether pathways were sex-specific. In a longitudinal prospective cohort study, N = 146 infants born 24-32 weeks gestational age were recruited from BC Women's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; neonatal factors were collected from daily chart review. At age 4 years, saliva to assay cortisol was collected three times across cognitive assessment (pre-test, during, end) and parents completed the Short Sensory Profile questionnaire. Using generalized linear modeling, independent of other neonatal factors, higher number of invasive procedures (pain/stress) was associated with more sensory processing problems (total, hypo- and hyper-sensitivity) for girls only. After accounting for neonatal factors, greater cortisol output across the assessment was associated with more total sensory processing problems in girls only, and hypersensitivity to sensory input in both boys and girls. Findings suggest that in children born very preterm, how a child responds to sensory input and cortisol reactivity to stress are related but may have different precursors. Girls may be somewhat more susceptible to neonatal pain-related stress exposure in relation to sensory processing at preschool age.

Fluid overload in newborns undergoing abdominal surgery: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Fluid management in newborns undergoing surgery can be challenging due to difficulties in accurately assessing volume status in context of high fluid needs perioperatively and postoperative third-space fluid loss. Fluid overload can be associated with an increase in neonatal morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the burden of fluid overload and to evaluate their associations with adverse effects among infants undergoing abdominal surgery at a tertiary perinatal center. METHODS: Patients from our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit who underwent abdominal surgery from January 2017 to June 2019 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Fluid balance was assessed based on the maximum percentage change in body weight at 3- and 7-postoperative days. RESULTS: Sixty infants were included, with a median [interquartile range] gestational age (GA) of 29 [25-36] weeks and birth weight of 1240 [721-2871] grams. The median daily actual fluid intake was significantly higher than the prescribed fluid intake in the first 7 postoperative days (163 vs. 145 mL/kg, p < .01). The median maximum change of body weight by postoperative days 3 and 7 were 6% [3-13] and 11% [5-17], respectively. A 1% increase in weight within the first 3 postoperative days was associated with a 0.6-day increase for invasive ventilatory support (p = .012). The correlation was still significant after adjusting for GA (p = .033). CONCLUSION: Fluid overload within the first 3 postoperative days was associated with an increase in ventilator support among infants. Careful attention to fluid management may affect the optimization of outcomes for newborns undergoing abdominal surgery.

Human Milk Calorie Guide: A Novel Color-Based Tool to Estimate the Calorie Content of Human Milk for Preterm Infants.

Fixed-dose fortification of human milk (HM) is insufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of preterm infants. Commercial human milk analyzers (HMA) to individually fortify HM are unavailable in most centers. We describe the development and validation of a bedside color-based tool called the 'human milk calorie guide'(HMCG) for differentiating low-calorie HM using commercial HMA as the gold standard. Mothers of preterm babies (birth weight ≤ 1500 g or gestation ≤ 34 weeks) were enrolled. The final color tool had nine color shades arranged as three rows of three shades each (rows A, B, and C). We hypothesized that calorie values for HM samples would increase with increasing 'yellowness' predictably from row A to C. One hundred thirty-one mother's own milk (MOM) and 136 donor human milk (DHM) samples (total n = 267) were color matched and analyzed for macronutrients. The HMCG tool performed best in DHM samples for predicting lower calories (<55 kcal/dL) (AUC 0.87 for category A DHM) with modest accuracy for >70 kcal/dL (AUC 0.77 for category C DHM). For MOM, its diagnostic performance was poor. The tool showed good inter-rater reliability (Krippendorff's alpha = 0.80). The HMCG was reliable in predicting lower calorie ranges for DHM and has the potential for improving donor HM fortification practices.

Iranian neonatal diabetes mellitus due to mutation in PDX1 gene: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia during the first 6 months of life is a rare disorder that can occur in all races and societies. CASE PRESENTATION: In this study, we introduced an Iranian (Persian) 65-day-old patient with neonatal diabetes mellitus with novel homozygous mutation in the pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1, PDX1, gene, which is also known as IPF1 gene, located in exon 2. This case was a newborn boy born in Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran; he was diagnosed as having hyperglycemia on 28th day. Genetic analysis detected a homozygous mutation on PDX1 gene on chromosome 13. It is a novel homozygous mutation in the PDX1 gene (NM_000209.3), p.Phe167Val. This mutation was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. There was no evidence of agenesis of the pancreas. CONCLUSIONS: We reported a case of neonatal diabetes mellitus due to novel homozygous mutation in the PDX1 gene without exocrine pancreas manifestations.

The Effects of a Peer-Counseling Program on Increase Rate and Continuity of Lactation in Tehran Nursing Mothers.

Objective: The practice of breastfeeding is considered a blessing since its effects on health are well recognized and applies to both mothers and infants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of peer support and training on breastfeeding initiation, duration and exclusivity. Materials and methods: This community-based clinical trial, (IRCT No: 201504049568N12), was conducted during 2015 in the Municipality of Tehran 19 District. First, a total of 150 mothers with their infants from 4 to 20 months of age were asked to complete a questionnaire, which included the demographic characteristics, educational level, and the type of lactation, the initial age of infant for breastfeeding, and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Afterwards, 25 volunteer women were selected for lactation counseling. After 6 months, another sample of 116 nursing mothers in the region who had received peer counseling was selected and questioned through the previously mentioned questionnaire. Finally, the results, which were collected from the behavior of the target population before and after the intervention, were compared. Results: The results of the present study indicated that the nursing mothers who received peer counseling proved to have longer durations of breastfeeding (P-value = 0.039), and higher frequency of first hour initiation of breastfeeding (P-value = 0.003) however, the volunteer counselors were mainly housewives who had lower levels of education (P-value = 0.009) and were younger (P-value = 0.009) than those of untrained control group. Conclusion: The study demonstrated the significant effect of peer counseling on breastfeeding initiation and continuation. It is suggested that lactation training could be initiated during the prenatal period along with the conventional methods of training.

Association of SP-B gene 9306 A/G polymorphism (rs7316) and risk of RDS.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a severe pulmonary disease predominantly affects preterm newborns. Polymorphisms of surfactant-protein genes have been mostly evaluated as the candidate contributors in genetics of RDS. However the results are divers in different studies. We aimed at investigating the association of surfactant protein B (SPB) gene 9306 A/G polymorphism (rs7316) with RDS development. METHOD: Three hundred and eighty newborns with gestational age of less than 34 weeks were included in a multicenter case-control study. Respiratory distress (RD) was scored according to Downes' scoring system. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used for genotyping. RESULT: One hundred and eighty-four neonates showed RDS and 196 did not. Gestational age (GA) was significantly lower in the RDS group compared with the controls. AA genotype and A allele were found more frequently in the RDS group than the controls (96.2% versus 63.8% and 98.1% versus 80.6%, respectively) (p =.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of association of SFTPB rs7316 polymorphism with RDS development in Iranian newborns. The current study suggests that GA <28-weeks is the most important factor in predisposition to RDS. Genetic background in terms of SP-B gene might be involved in predisposition to RDS in premature neonates.

Ethical and legal aspects of patient's safety: a clinical case report.

Since patient safety is multidimensional and grounded in ethical and legal imperatives, both ethical and legal challenges should be taken into account. In this regard, a falling incident case of a 12-day-old newborn was raised in the monthly ethics round in the Children's Medical Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and the ethical and legal dimensions of patient safety were discussed by experts in various fields. This report presents different aspects of patient safety in terms of root cause analysis (RCA) and risk management, the role of human resources, the role of professionalism, the necessity of informing the parents (disclosure of medical errors), and forensic medicine with focus on ethical aspects.

Association of SP-C gene codon 186 polymorphism (rs1124) and risk of RDS.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a severe pulmonary disease that mainly affects preterm neonates. Surfactant-protein genes' polymorphisms have been mostly evaluated as the candidate contributors in genetics of RDS. However, the results are diverse in different populations. We aimed at investigating the association of rs1124 with RDS development. METHOD: Three hundred and thirty five preterm neonates were enrolled in a multicenter case-control study. Respiratory distress (RD) was scored according to Downes' scoring system. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP method. RESULT: One hundred and sixty six neonates showed RDS and 169 did not. Gestational age (GA) was significantly lower in RDS group compared to the controls. In female preterm newborns, AA genotype was found more frequently in RDS group. In RDS group, AA genotype was also associated with milder RD irrespective of gender. In neonates who were born 28-34 weeks, RD appeared to be more severe in the RDS group and males. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of association of SFTPC rs1124 polymorphism with RDS development in Iranian newborns. The current study suggests that GA <28-weeks is the most important factor in predisposition to RDS. AA genotype is also, a predisposing factor for the development of RDS in female preterm infants.

Intraventricular Hemorrhage in a Term Neonate: Manifestation of Protein S Deficiency- A Case Report.

Protein S (PS) is an antithrombotic plasma protein that plays essential roles in limiting thrombus formation in the anticoagulant system. Protein S deficiency is related with recurrent thrombosis. Here, the authors report a case of a term neonate with severe PS deficiency in year 2015, Imam Hospital, Tehran, Iran, that had seizures and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) since the age of 3 days. Nine-month follow-up did not show any developmental problems and MRI showed no hemorrhage.

Early onset of tuberous sclerosis with chylous ascites: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is an autosomal-dominant hereditary disorder. This syndrome is characterized by tumor-like malformations in several organs, as well as the heart. This report summarizes a case of TSC in a premature infant, born at 34 weeks' gestation with ascites. After birth, multiple cardiac mass, subependymal cysts and hypopigmented macules were detected. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of early onset of TSC with chylous ascites in Iran.