Effects of Vitamin D and E Supplementation on Prevention of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) in Premature Neonates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) has a multifactorial etiology. Vitamin E and vitamin D play an important role in lung development and can potentially be beneficial in the prevention of BPD. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to compare the risk of BPD occurrence in preterm neonates supplemented with vitamin D or E versus those who did not get supplementation. METHODS: The literature search was conducted for this systematic review by searching the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases up to December 2022. Randomized controlled trials involved administering vitamin D or E to preterm neonates and examining the occurrence of BPD. We excluded non-English articles, and articles with non-relevant and insufficient data. We used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist to assess the quality of the included studies. We used Egger's test to evaluate the risk of bias among the included studies. Heterogeneity was also assessed through Q-test and I2. We applied the random effect model for analysis. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. All the statistical analysis in the current study was performed using STATA 14. The Relative Risk (RR) was calculated as the effect size with 95% Confidence Interval (CI). RESULTS: Three eligible studies seeking the role of vitamin D in the prevention of BPD were analysed. Meta-analysis revealed that receiving vitamin D supplementation can significantly reduce the risk of BPD in preterm infants (RR = 0.357, 95% CI: 0.189-0.675, I2 = 0.0%; p = 0.002). Similarly, for assessing the role of Vitamin E in the prevention of BPD, three eligible studies were analysed. Vitamin E supplementation was not found to play a significant role in the reduction of BPD (RR = 0.659, 95%CI = 0.243-1.786, I2 = 38.7%; p = 0.412). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D supplementation could be beneficial in preventing BPD in preterm infants. However, evidence is not enough regarding vitamin E's role in reducing the incidence of BPD in preterm infants.

Vitamin D deficiency in patients with cystic fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Vitamin D is a prominent modulator of immunity and respiratory function. It plays a vital role in respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). S. However, there is a dearth of information on patients with CF. The purpose of the meta-analysis is to highlight the importance of following the existing guidelines regarding maintenance of Vitamin D serum levels in patients with CF. METHODS: The systematic search was conducted without utilizing any time or language limitations in original database from the beginning until March 2022. The meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was determined by I2 statistics and Cochrane Q test. RESULTS: Pooled analysis using the random-effects model of the 8 case-control studies with 13 effect sizes revealed that the serum 25-OH-vitamin D in participants with cystic fibrosis was significantly lower than controls in pediatrics and adolescences (WMD: - 3.41 ng/ml, 95% CI - 5.02, - 1.80, p = < 0.001) and adults (WMD: - 2.60 ng/ml, 95% CI - 4.32, - 0.89, p = 0.003). Based on data from 12 studies (21 effect sizes) with a total of 1622 participants, the prevalence of vitamin D levels of 20-30 ng/ml in CF patients was 36% among pediatrics/adolescents and 63% among adults. In addition, 27% of pediatric/adolescent CF patients and 35% of adult CF patients had vitamin D levels of below 20 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, according to the existing guidelines, our results proved the need to pay attention to the level of vitamin D in these patients.

Pulmonary Involvement in Neuromuscular Diseases: A Review.

Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) affect muscle function directly or indirectly by affecting nerves or neuromuscular junctions. One of the leading causes of death in patients with NMD is respiratory muscle weakness (RMW). Respiratory involvement in patients with NMD can manifest widely, from mild failure that may initially affect only sleep to severe failure that can be life-threatening. Care approaches include arranged and precise clinical follow-ups of signs of sleep-disordered breathing, daytime hypoventilation, coughing, and swallowing disturbances. This manuscript will review the mechanisms and abnormalities of respiratory function in patients with NMD and help optimize NMD management.

Evaluating the efficacy of inhaled amikacin as an adjunct to intravenous combination therapy (ceftazidime and amikacin) in pediatric cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbation.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common microorganism found in the sputum culture of Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients causing the pulmonary destruction. Aminoglycosides have a low diffuse rate from lipid membranes, and respiratory system secretions. Regarding the burden of pulmonary exacerbation caused by the pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients in the long term and the limited number of clinical trials focused on appropriate treatment strategies, the present study evaluated the concurrent inhaled and intravenous aminoglycoside antibiotics for pulmonary exacerbation caused by the pseudomonas aeruginosa as a safe and effective treatment in children. Method: This study was a blinded, randomized clinical trial phase conducted in a tertiary referral pediatric teaching hospital from May 2021 to May 2022. The patients were randomly allocated to receive intravenously administered ceftazidime and Amikacin alone or with inhaled Amikacin. Forced expiratory volume (FEV1), Amikacin via the level, kidney function tests, audiometry, inflammatory markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein), hospital stay, and bacterial eradication rate were compared in two therapy groups. Results: the average FEV1 has increased by 47% in Neb + group compared to Neb- group following treatment. Hospital stay was lower in Neb + group. No renal toxicity or ototoxicity was observed in both therapy groups. Pseudomonas aeruginosa eradication rate Neb- and Neb + groups were 44% and 69%, respectively (p-value = 0.15). Conclusion: Concurrent inhaled and intravenous Amikacin is safe and effective to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa exacerbation in CF patients. Moreover, co-delivery antibiotics' route treatment increased the eradication rate. Although not statistically significant, never the less, it is clinically relevant. The intervention reduced the length of hospitalization in this group. Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier [IRCT20120415009475N10].

Investigation of cross-reactivity between phenobarbital and levetiracetam in children with epilepsy: A prospective, observational multicenter study.

Objectives: Pharmaceutical allergic reactions due to antiseizure medications (ASMs) are one of the major concerns in the management of patients. Finding an alternative ASM which does not cause allergic reactions and has acceptable effectiveness can be difficult. In this regard, the present study attempts to investigate the cross-reactivity between phenobarbital and levetiracetam in children under treatment for seizure control. Materials & Methods: The present study is a prospective, observational independent assessor study. 30 children with epilepsy who were hypersensitive to phenobarbital therapy were studied. In order to evaluate the cross-reactivity of the drugs, levetiracetam replaced phenobarbital to control seizure. Within 6 months, any allergic reactions and seizure recurrences were evaluated in the patients. Results: 53 % of the children in this study were female. The mean age of patients was 42.4 months. In patients' follow up no cross-reactive responses were observed in any of the patients. Seizure recurrence rate was 30 % in the first six months of follow up that with increasing dosage in the second six months of follow-up, decreased to 10 %. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, in children with epilepsy controlled by phenobarbital if allergic reactions to phenobarbital occur, levetiracetam may be used as a suitable alternative medicine.

The association of fecal calprotectin and respiratory exacerbation in cystic fibrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: CF patients experience several episodes of pulmonary exacerbations and reduction in their lung function progressively. Lung function is not the only diagnostic index by physicians to decide if CF patients require antibiotic therapy following pulmonary exacerbations. Non-invasive fecal indicators are increasingly being used to assess intestinal inflammation. Calprotectin is the most extensively utilized fecal biomarker in recent CF researches. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, 30 CF patients (1-18 years) without current infectious gastroenteritis were recruited from Mofid Children's Hospital and Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Then, fecal calprotectin levels were evaluated before treatment, two weeks after systemic antibiotic administration, as well as recurrence of pulmonary exacerbation after first post-hospital discharge. RESULTS: The initial fecal calprotectin level in CF patients receiving antibiotics was 651.13 ± 671.04, significantly decreasing two weeks after antibiotic therapy and following recurrence (171.81 ± 224.40, 607.93 ± 549.89, respectively; P < 0.01). Following systemic antibiotic treatment, the patient's respiratory and GI symptoms improved (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that fecal calprotectin modifications are associated with CF pulmonary exacerbations and antibiotic treatment could reduce calprotectin levels. Therefore, the fecal calprotectin level could be considered as a diagnostic tool and an index to follow the response to treatment in CF pulmonary exacerbations.

Corneal opacification, an atypical presentation of cystic fibrosis: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory and gastrointestinal manifestations are the main causes of mortality and morbidity in cystic fibrosis. Although these symptoms are well recognized, ophthalmic involvement of cystic fibrosis secondary to vitamin A deficiency is uncommon and has been reported very rarely in the medical literature. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report a 2.5-year-old Iranian boy who presented with bilateral corneal xerosis and corneal opacity secondary to vitamin A deficiency related to cystic fibrosis malabsorption. CONCLUSION: Malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins is a common presentation in cystic fibrosis, but corneal opacity secondary to vitamin A deficiency as the initial presentation of cystic fibrosis is a very rare manifestation of fat malabsorption. This highlights the importance of complete systemic examination besides ophthalmic examination in approaching a child with ophthalmic complaint.

Delayed cord clamping for prevention of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm neonates: a randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a common condition in preterm neonates and is responsible for substantial adverse neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm neonates. Prevention of IVH is an important intervention for better neurological outcome in these preterm neonates. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether delayed cord clamping (DCC) was superior to immediate cord clamping (ICC) for the prevention of IVH in preterm neonates. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this two centered prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial, eligible neonates with gestational age from 26 to 34 weeks were randomized to receive either ICC (cord clamped in 10-15 s) or DCC (cord clamped in 30-45 s) groups. The grading and severity of IVH were evaluated by cranial ultrasound scan done on the 3-4th and 7-10th days after birth. RESULTS: Among the 148 enrolled neonates, 79 were in the ICC group and 69 were in the DCC group. There was no difference in maternal and neonatal baseline characteristics except the neonates in the DCC group weighed more (ICC 1528.77 ± 365.5 g vs. DCC 1658.11 ± 419.52 g; p = .047) at birth. There was no significant difference in the incidence of any grade of IVH in both groups (ICC 12.8% vs. DCC 14.5%; p = .745). There was a significantly higher incidence of grade I IVH (ICC 2.5% vs. DCC 13%; p = .024) in the DCC group. The incidence of grade II IVH (ICC 5.1% vs. DCC 0%; p = .123); grade III IVH (ICC 3.8% vs. DCC 1.4%; p = .623); and grade IV IVH (ICC 1.3% vs. DCC 0%; p>.999) were comparable between the two groups. The incidence of a significant IVH (grades II, III, and IV) was significantly less in the DCC group (ICC 10.1% vs. DCC 1.4%, p = .036). The mean initial hemoglobin levels were significantly higher in neonates enrolled in DCC (15.41 ± 2.1 vs. 16.46 ± 2.45 g/dL; p = .007). There was a significant reduction in the number of days of hospital stay (ICC 18.78 ± 15.42 vs. DCC 13.21 ± 16.16; p = .002). There was no difference in initial hematocrit, platelet count, maximum bilirubin level, and Apgar score (p>.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although there was no reduction in any grade of IVH, the incidence of significant IVH (grades II, III, and IV) was significantly decreased with the use of DCC in preterm neonates. Delayed cord clamping also resulted in a significant increase in birth weight, higher hemoglobin levels, and shorter hospital stays without any increase in the risks of hyper-bilirubinemia, low Apgar score, and neonatal mortality. TRIAL REGISTRY: IRCT2014031116936N1, https://www.irct.ir/trial/15707.

Dysentery as the only presentation of COVID-19 in a child: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused irreparable damage to society, and the damage continues. Pediatricians are confronted with COVID-19 in a variety of presentations, which may lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Early diagnosis of the disease plays an important role in preventing transmission of the virus in the community. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report a 27-month-old previously healthy Iranian female child who presented with fever and bloody diarrhea, diagnosed with COVID-19 based on contact history, exclusion of enteric bacterial pathogens and parasites, and positive stool and nasopharyngeal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. The patient had viral shedding for more than a month. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric population usually does not present with typical clinical features of COVID-19, which are respiratory involvement. Dysentery may be the only presentation of this disease, and long-term isolation should be considered, as the viral shedding may last for more than a month.

To compare nasal mask with binasal prongs in delivering continuous positive airway pressure for reducing need of invasive ventilation: randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: To compare nasal mask with binasal prongs in delivering bubble continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for reducing need of invasive ventilation in VLBW infants: randomized controlled trial. METHODS: In this randomized control trial 178 infants were enrolled, 90 were randomized to nasal mask group and 88 to nasal prong group for delivering bubble CPAP. Preterm neonates between 26 and 32 weeks of gestational age requiring CPAP for respiratory distress within 6 h of life were assessed for eligibility and were included if neonates had spontaneous respiratory efforts with respiratory distress in the form of tachypnea (respiratory rate >60/min), intercostal/subcostal retractions, grunting (audible with/without stethoscope), Silverman Anderson score ≥3, increased respiratory efforts or cyanosis. Infants received either nasal mask or binasal prongs for delivery of bubble CPAP. The primary outcome was the need for mechanical ventilation in first 72 h of life. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. There was significant reduction in incidence of CPAP failure [15 (16.6%) versus 26 (29.5%); RR 0.47 (95% CI 0.23-0.97), p = .04]; nasal trauma (any grade) [14 (15.9%) versus 38 (43.2%); RR 0.26 (95% CI 0.12-0.52), p = .0002]; nasal trauma grade I [12 (13.3%) versus 23 (26.1%); RR 0.43 (95% CI 0.20-0.94), p = .03]; nasal trauma grade II [1 (1.1%) versus 10 (11.3%); RR 0.08 (95% CI 0.01-0.70), p = .02]; nasal trauma severe grade (II and III) [2 (2.2%) versus 15 (17.0%);RR 0.11 (95% CI 0.02-0.49), p = .004] and bronchopulmonary dysplasia [4 (4.4%) versus 12 (13.6%); RR 0.30 (95% CI 0.10-0.95), p = .04] in nasal mask group when compared to nasal prong group. CONCLUSION: Nasal mask leads to significant reduction in need for mechanical ventilation in initial 72 h.

Late preterm: a new high risk group in neonatology.

Late preterm infants are those infants born between 34 0/7 weeks through 36 6/7 week of gestation. These are physiologically less mature and have limited compensatory responses to the extrauterine environment compared with term infants. Despite their increased risk for morbidity and mortality, late preterm newborns are often cared in the well-baby nurseries of hospital after birth and are discharged from the hospital by 2-3 days of postnatal age. They are usually treated like developmentally mature term infants because many of them are of same birth weight and same size as term infants. There is a steady increase in the late preterm birth rate in last decade because of either maternal, fetal, or placental/uterine causes. There has been shift in the distribution of births from term and post-term toward earlier gestations. Although late preterm infants are the largest subgroup of preterm infants, there has been little research on this group until recently. This is mainly because of labeling them as "near-term". Such infants were being looked upon as "almost mature", and were thought as neonate requiring either no or minimal concern. In the obstetric and pediatric practice, late preterm infants are often considered functionally and developmentally mature and often managed by protocols developed for full-term infants. Thus, limited efforts are taken to prolong pregnancy in cases of preterm labor beyond 34 weeks, moreover after 34 weeks most centers do not administer antenatal prophylactic steroids. These practices are based on previous studies reporting neonatal mortality and morbidity in the late preterm period to be only slightly higher in comparison with term infants and whereas in the current scenario the difference is significant. Late preterm infants have 2-3-fold increased risk of morbidities such as hypothermia, hypoglycemia, delayed lung fluid clearance, respiratory distress, poor feeding, jaundice, sepsis, and readmission rates after initial hospital discharge. This leads to huge impact on the overall health care resources. In this review, we cover various aspects of these late preterm infants like etiology, immediate and long-term outcome.

Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy in a Child with Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki disease is a mysterious childhood vasculitis. It presents with multi-systemic involvement in which the prolonged high-grade fever and mucocutaneous and lymph node manifestations are the prominent features. Sometimes, the disease has an unusual, atypical or incomplete presentation. Herein, we present a child with hilar lymphadenopathy as a manifestation of Kawasaki disease.

Microbial contamination of home nebulizers in children with cystic fibrosis and clinical implication on the number of pulmonary exacerbations.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of pulmonary contamination in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) is essential since these children are vulnerable to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) colonization. In Iran, home nebulization of antibiotics is a widespread practice in treatment for patients with CF and, to the best our knowledge, no bacteriological surveys have been conducted till date in this regard. METHOD: This observational, cross sectional study was conducted on 61 children with CF at Mofid Children's Hospital, Tehran, from September 2017 to march 2018. The swab sampling was performed from 61 home nebulizers used by children diagnosed with CF. Contemporaneous sputum sample or deep nasopharyngeal swab was taken from each patient for bacterial and fungal testing. Medical records of the patients were reviewed and the number of exacerbations were recorded over the last 12 months prior to the study enrollment. RESULTS: The results of study showed that, 43 (70.5%) nebulizers were contaminated; 31 (50.8%) mouthpieces, 21 (34.4%) reservoirs, and 11 (18%) connecting tubes. The most common organism to be isolated was P. aeruginosa and was recovered from 19 (31%) nebulizers, 16 of them belonged to patients chronically colonized with P. aeruginosa. The remaining three had at least one positive sputum culture for P. aeruginosa in the past 1 year before the study. There was a significant increase in the number of CF exacerbations with an average number of exacerbation being 1.5 ± 1(SD) over last 12 months in children who had pathogenic organisms recovered from their home nebulizers compared with 0.4 ± 0.7(SD) exacerbations per year in whom non-pathogenic organisms were isolated from their nebulizers (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The majority of domiciliary nebulizers used by children with CF were contaminated with microorganisms indicating that the nebulizers may serve as potential reservoirs of pathogens for the patients' lung. Perpetuating colonization is a possible concern in the ones recently colonized with P. aeruginosa and, therefore, decontamination of nebulizer requires more attention to prevent ongoing infection. The negative impact of contamination of nebulizer on CF exacerbation requires serious attention and further investigations.

Role of Oropharyngeal Administration of Colostrum in Very Low Birth Weight Infants for Reducing Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to study the role of oropharyngeal administration of colostrum (OAC) in very-low-birth-weight infants for reducing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). STUDY DESIGN: In this randomized controlled trial, 117 infants were enrolled, 59 were randomized to OAC group and 58 to routine care group. Infants with birth weight ≤ 1,250 g and/or gestational age ≤ 30 weeks were enrolled. Infants in OAC group received maternal colostrum (0.2 mL), 0.1 mL on either side, after 24 hours of postnatal life and were given every 2 hour for the next 72 hours irrespective of the enteral feeding status of the neonate. The primary outcome of the study was the incidence of NEC (stage 2 or 3). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. There was no significant reduction in the incidence of NEC in OAC group (0 [0%] vs. 3 [7.1%]; p = 0.11). There was significant reduction of 7 days of hospital stay in OAC group (34.2 ± 5.7 vs. 41.5 ± 6.7 days; p = 0.04).The incidence of early-onset sepsis, late-onset sepsis, blood culture positive sepsis, and ventilator-associated pneumonia were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: OAC is safe and reduces the duration of hospital stay.

Thoracotomy versus Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy in Pediatric Empyema.

BACKGROUND: To compare the outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in comparison to open thoracic surgery in pediatric patients suffering from empyema. METHODS: A prospective study was carried out in 80 patients referred to the Department of Pediatric Surgery between 2015 and 2018. The patients were randomly divided into thoracotomy and VATS groups (groups I and II, respectively). Forty patients were in the thoracotomy group (16 males [40%], 24 females [60%]; average age, 5.77±4.08 years) and 40 patients were in the VATS group (18 males [45%], 22 females [55%]; average age, 6.27±3.67 years). There were no significant differences in age (p=0.61) or sex (p=0.26). Routine preliminary workups for all patients were ordered, and the patients were followed up for 90 days at regular intervals. RESULTS: The average length of hospital stay (16.28±7.83 days vs. 15.83±9.44 days, p=0.04) and the duration of treatment needed for pain relief (10 days vs. 5 days, p=0.004) were longer in the thoracotomy group than in the VATS group. Thoracotomy patients had surgical wound infections in 27.3% of cases, whereas no cases of infection were reported in the VATS group (p=0.04). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that VATS was not only less invasive than thoracotomy, but also showed promising results, such as an earlier discharge from the hospital and fewer postoperative complications.

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia secondary to combined anti e and anti C isoimmunisation: a literature review.

A term male infant was admitted at 48 h of postnatal life to the neonatal unit for jaundice. The investigation showed total serum bilirubin (TSB) of 17.1 mg/dl, haemoglobin of 11 g/dl, reticulocyte count of 9.5% and peripheral smear was suggestive of macrocytic, normochromic red blood cell (RBC) with target cells and multiple spherocytes with occasional nucleated RBC. The infant's blood group was B positive. Direct antiglobulin test was strongly positive by gel method (3+). Mother's blood group was B positive and indirect antiglobulin test was positive when tested postnatally. Extended minor blood grouping and cross matching showed this as a case of combined anti e and anti C antibodies isoimmunisation. Infant was treated with phototherapy for 72 h and was shifted to mother side. Infant was serially monitored with TSB level every sixth hourly and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) phototherapy charts were followed to see for rebound hyperbilirubinemia. The neonate was discharged and there was no readmission for hyperbilirubinemia. It is very rare and we report the third case of its type till date.

Role of ultrasound for central catheter tip localization in neonates: a review of the current evidence.

Central catheters are known as "life lines" in intensive care units and are used frequently in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for multiple indications. The central catheters used in NICU includes umbilical venous catheter (UVC), umbilical arterial catheter (UAC) and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) lines. The tip of these central lines needs to be in a correct position as malpositioned central line tips lead to many neonatal complications. Radiograph either abdomen or chest is the most widely used modality for locating the tip of the central catheter. There are many disadvantages of radiographic confirmation of tip position and recently ultrasound (USG)/echocardiography has been used for localization of catheter tip. USG provides real-time assessment of the tip position with other added advantages like no radiation exposure, need for minimal training for performing USG, minimal handling of the neonate, identification of migration of central lines and making repositioning of central lines under USG guidance. The present evidence supports the use of USG/Echo for localization of central catheter tip and USG has shown to have good sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value when compared with a radiograph. In this review, we discuss about the role of USG/Echo in the identification of tip of central catheters in neonatal care.

Role of kangaroo mother care in growth and breast feeding rates in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of kangaroo mother care (KMC) on growth and breast feeding rates in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was done to identify eligible studies using various electronic database searches including PubMed and EMBASE, various Web of Science including Scopus, Index Copernicus, African Index Medicus (AIM), Thomson Reuters (ESCI), Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), SCIWIN (Scientific World Index), Google Scholar, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Information System (LILACS), Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR), Index Medicus for the South-East Asian Region (IMSEAR), and Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM) and various clinical trial registries. RESULTS: Thirteen studies that evaluated the role of KMC in VLBW infants in improvement of growth outcome (weight/length/head circumference) or breast feeding rates as their primary or secondary outcome, were included in this systematic review. Seven studies evaluated both growth and breast feeding rates, four studies evaluated breast feeding rates and two studies evaluated growth outcome. All included studies except one either showed positive effect or no effect on growth and breast feeding rates. CONCLUSIONS: KMC has a positive effect on growth of the VLBW infants and also leads to increase in the breast-feeding rates. KMC should be an integral part of neonatal care and should be promoted as an essential newborn care component.

Role of chest ultrasound in neonatal lung disease: a review of current evidences.

Among the common causes of neonatal admission to NICU, respiratory distress is one of the important causes. The neonatal respiratory distress is end result of various pulmonary and non-pulmonary causes. Differentiation of pulmonary causes of respiratory distress is important for the neonatologist as treatment differs with different etiologies. Conventionally, chest X-ray and sometimes CT scan have been used to identify the etiology of respiratory distress but these modalities have several limitations which make their use in NICU doubtful. In recent decades, there has been use of lung ultrasound (LUS) to identify and differentiate the etiologies of respiratory distress. The current available evidence show that LUS has good sensitivity and specificity to identify all the common causes of neonatal distress like respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of newborn, pneumothorax, and pneumonia. This review will cover the various uses of LUS in neonatal care with current available evidence.

Role of ultrasound in confirmation of endotracheal tube in neonates: a review.

Tracheal intubation (TI) is a commonly done procedure in neonatal intensive care unit and delivery room during resuscitation. The confirmation of endotracheal tube (ETT) position should be done quickly as tube malposition is associated with various serious adverse outcomes like hypoxemia, right upper lobe collapse, atelectasis, air leak syndromes and esophageal intubation. ETT position can be confirmed by various methods like clinical sign, chest radiography, capnography, external digital tracheal palpation, ultrasonography (USG), respiratory function monitor, video-laryngoscope and fiberoptic devices. The current gold standard test to confirm ETT position is a chest radiograph, but it has many fallacies thus presently there is the need for a modality that helps in detection of endotracheal intubation and tube position with minimal complications. USG has been used in adult and pediatric population for detecting ETT position but there are very less studies in neonates. In this review, we analyze all the published studies, case reports and personal experiences that have sought the use of USG in neonatal population for detection of ETT position.