Changes in the perfusion waveform of the internal cerebral vein and intraventricular hemorrhage in the acute management of extremely low-birth-weight infants.

UNLABELLED: This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the association between changes in the Doppler perfusion waveform of the internal cerebral vein and risk of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants. We evaluated the perfusion waveform of the internal cerebral vein every 8 h from immediately after birth to 144 h post-birth in 80 ELBW infants (<1,000 g) in our hospital. Fluctuations in the measured perfusion waveform were categorized into four patterns according to their increasing magnitude, from grade 0 (steady flow waveform) to grade 3; the IVH rate was investigated. Infants with grades 0-1 fluctuations of the perfusion waveform were classified as low grade (n = 55), and those with grades 2-3 fluctuations were classified as high grade (n = 25). The IVH rate was significantly higher in the high-grade group than the low-grade group (28 vs. 1%, p < 0.001). The IVH group (n = 8) showed a significantly greater rate of high-grade perfusion waveform than the non-IVH group (n = 72) (87 vs. 25%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Changes in the perfusion waveform of the internal cerebral vein during the acute management of ELBW infants may be associated with IVH.

Long-term sensor-augmented pump therapy for neonatal diabetes mellitus: a case series.

Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare metabolic disorder that is mainly present in the first 6 months of life and necessitates insulin treatment. Sensor-augmented pump (SAP) therapy has been widely used in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, but its use in patients with NDM is limited. We report three patients with NDM who received SAP therapy using the MiniMed™ 640G system starting in the neonatal period. Two patients were treated for 3 months, and one patient continued treatment up to an age of 22 mo. The MiniMed 640G system can automatically suspend insulin delivery (SmartGuard™ Technology) to avoid hypoglycemia when the sensor glucose level is predicted to approach the predefined threshold. We suggest that SmartGuard Technology is particularly useful for infants in whom hypoglycemia cannot be identified. The MiniMed 640G system automatically records the trends of sensor glucose levels and the total daily dose of insulin, which can make the management more accurate and reduce the family's effort. SAP therapy for patients with NDM automatically prevents severe hypoglycemia and is useful for long-term management; however, attention should be paid to its application.

Cytokine Profiles in Human Parechovirus Type 3-induced Sepsis-like Syndrome.

We aimed to assess the kinetics of the release of proinflammatory cytokines and to clarify clinical usefulness as an indicator of the disease activity in human parechovirus type 3 virus (HPeV3)-induced sepsis-like syndrome. We measured serum levels of neopterin, interleukin (IL)-6 and the soluble forms of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor types I (sTNF-RI) and II (sTNF-RII). Serum samples were obtained from 12 patients with HPeV3-induced sepsis-like syndrome and 28 healthy children. Disease course after onset was divided into 3 phases: early (day 1-2), peak (day 3-6) and recovery (day 9-16) phases. Serum IL-6 levels rapidly and markedly elevated in early phase and gradually decreased to those in healthy children in recovery phase. Furthermore, serum neopterin, sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II levels increased rapidly and markedly in onset phase and remained elevated in peak phase. These levels gradually decreased in recovery phase. Serum IL-18 levels increased from onset phase to peak phase and decreased in recovery phase. These results indicate that proinflammatory cytokines, in particular, interferon gamma, TNF-α and IL-18 are closely related to the development of HPeV3-induced sepsis-like syndrome. Serum levels of these cytokines might be a useful indicator of the disease activity.