Correlation of Plethysmograph Variability Index with Inferior Vena Cava Index in Spontaneously Breathing Neonates - A Cross Sectional Study.

Inferior vena cava (IVC) indices are commonly used to assess the need for fluid bolus during shock. It needs expertise and is difficult to do during surgical procedures. Plethysmograph variability index (PVI) is a simpler non-invasive tool used to measure fluid responsiveness in adults. However, the data on PVI in neonates is limited. This cross-sectional observational study was done at a tertiary level NICU to correlate PVI and IVC among spontaneously breathing neonates. The PVI was documented using the Masimo Radical 7 pulse oximeter. The IVC collapsibility index (IVC CI) was determined by bedside ultrasound. The Spearman correlation coefficient was analyzed. The PVI showed strong positive correlation with IVC CI (rho = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.474-0.762) (p <0.001). Thus, PVI can be a useful tool for hemodynamic monitoring of neonates. However, further studies are needed before applying it to clinical use.

Barriers and Facilitators for the Donation and Acceptance of Human Breast milk: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Human milk is the best source of nutrients for all infants. When a mother's own milk is unavailable, the World Health Organization suggests using donor human milk for premature neonates with or without medical complications. Exploring the barriers and facilitators for breast milk donation and its acceptability is essential for developing this intervention. A scoping review was conducted based on a methodological framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley (Int J Soc Res Methodol 8:19-32, 2005). A search was conducted in PubMed (NCBI), CINAHL (EBSCO), and Web of Science (Elsevier). A two-stage sequential screening process was adopted. Data extraction was done using a piloted data extraction form. RECENT FINDINGS: We included 20 articles for narrative synthesis. Barriers and facilitators for donating and accepting breast milk were categorized under six themes: individual, family, community, workplace, health system, and policy-related. The common individual barriers were time requirements for BMD, personal dislike of the process, lack of knowledge, insufficient milk, negative opinions, and lack of information. Family stigma, negative rumors, less educated family members, and illness of a family member were identified as family-related barriers. Community-related barriers include cultural or religious unacceptable practices, societal taboos, and distance to milk banks. The major barriers identified in relation to the health system were lack of practical and psychological support, lack of information, storing and transportation issues, lack of knowledge among HCWs, and logistical challenges of creating a milk lab. The common work-related barriers were the lack of adequate time, philosophical objections, and incomprehension at returning to work. Policy-related barriers identified include the need for hygiene requirements, donation costs, and lack of standardized guidelines. Making the donation process faster, providing pick-up services for donors, and community education and male partner engagement regarding breast milk donation could help to boost the acceptability of breast milk donation.

Plethysmograph Variability Index Values in Healthy Neonates - An Observational Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: To establish normative data of plethysmograph variability index (PVI), a simple non-invasive tool to measure fluid responsiveness, in neonates. METHODS: All healthy term and late preterm neonates were enrolled. PVI was recorded by pulse-oximeter on first three days of life along with other vital parameters. Data was analysed using SPSS software. RESULTS: The median PVI value was noted to be 21 with a wide range. The distribution of PVI did not differ according to day of life/ gestational age/ gender/ weight for gestational age. It did not significantly correlate with heart rate, gestational age or birth weight. A weak positive correlation was noted between PVI and PI (Rho = 0.157, p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PVI normative data in neonates has been presented. Serial trend of PVI values is more useful than a single value in making clinical decisions.

Whole-Body Hypothermia, Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Biomarkers, and Outcomes in Neonates With Moderate or Severe Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Born at Tertiary Care Centers vs Other Facilities: A Nested Study Within a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The association between place of birth and hypothermic neuroprotection after hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is unknown. Objective: To ascertain the association between place of birth and the efficacy of whole-body hypothermia for protection against brain injury measured by magnetic resonance (MR) biomarkers among neonates born at a tertiary care center (inborn) or other facilities (outborn). Design, Setting, and Participants: This nested cohort study within a randomized clinical trial involved neonates at 7 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh between August 15, 2015, and February 15, 2019. A total of 408 neonates born at or after 36 weeks' gestation with moderate or severe HIE were randomized to receive whole-body hypothermia (reduction of rectal temperatures to between 33.0 °C and 34.0 °C; hypothermia group) for 72 hours or no whole-body hypothermia (rectal temperatures maintained between 36.0 °C and 37.0 °C; control group) within 6 hours of birth, with follow-up until September 27, 2020. Exposure: 3T MR imaging, MR spectroscopy, and diffusion tensor imaging. Main Outcomes and Measures: Thalamic N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) mmol/kg wet weight, thalamic lactate to NAA peak area ratios, brain injury scores, and white matter fractional anisotropy at 1 to 2 weeks and death or moderate or severe disability at 18 to 22 months. Results: Among 408 neonates, the mean (SD) gestational age was 38.7 (1.3) weeks; 267 (65.4%) were male. A total of 123 neonates were inborn and 285 were outborn. Inborn neonates were smaller (mean [SD], 2.8 [0.5] kg vs 2.9 [0.4] kg; P = .02), more likely to have instrumental or cesarean deliveries (43.1% vs 24.7%; P = .01), and more likely to be intubated at birth (78.9% vs 29.1%; P = .001) than outborn neonates, although the rate of severe HIE was not different (23.6% vs 17.9%; P = .22). Magnetic resonance data from 267 neonates (80 inborn and 187 outborn) were analyzed. In the hypothermia vs control groups, the mean (SD) thalamic NAA levels were 8.04 (1.98) vs 8.31 (1.13) among inborn neonates (odds ratio [OR], -0.28; 95% CI, -1.62 to 1.07; P = .68) and 8.03 (1.89) vs 7.99 (1.72) among outborn neonates (OR, 0.05; 95% CI, -0.62 to 0.71; P = .89); the median (IQR) thalamic lactate to NAA peak area ratios were 0.13 (0.10-0.20) vs 0.12 (0.09-0.18) among inborn neonates (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.96-1.08; P = .59) and 0.14 (0.11-0.20) vs 0.14 (0.10-0.17) among outborn neonates (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.98-1.09; P = .18). There was no difference in brain injury scores or white matter fractional anisotropy between the hypothermia and control groups among inborn or outborn neonates. Whole-body hypothermia was not associated with reductions in death or disability, either among 123 inborn neonates (hypothermia vs control group: 34 neonates [58.6%] vs 34 [56.7%]; risk ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.76-1.41), or 285 outborn neonates (hypothermia vs control group: 64 neonates [46.7%] vs 60 [43.2%]; risk ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.83-1.41). Conclusions and Relevance: In this nested cohort study, whole-body hypothermia was not associated with reductions in brain injury after HIE among neonates in South Asia, irrespective of place of birth. These findings do not support the use of whole-body hypothermia for HIE among neonates in LMICs. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02387385.

Respiratory infections in children born preterm in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

CONTEXT: Studies from high-income countries indicates that infants born preterm are at increased risk of respiratory infections; however in the low and middle-income countries (LMICs) data are limited. Our aim was to systematically review the studies evaluating the risk of respiratory infections in preterm children born in LMICs. METHODS: We searched Medline, PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, and Psych-INFO databases for studies reporting respiratory outcomes in children born preterm in LMICs. Two authors extracted the data and evaluated the risk of bias with appropriate assessment methods independently. RESULTS: Twelve observational studies evaluating 5969 children were included in the review. The risk of lower respiratory tract infection varied from 5% to 73.9%. Similarly, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection risk ranged from 4.4% to 22.7%. The unadjusted relative risk for any respiratory tract infection or lower respiratory tract infection was significantly higher in the children born preterm than in children born at term (1.52 [95% confidence interval 1.25-1.85]). We also noted wide-ranging risk of respiratory infections requiring in-hospital or emergency care (range: 0.5%-27.7%) and hospital stay in children born preterm (range: 6-14.3 days). CONCLUSIONS: Preterm-born children in LMICs are at risk of increased respiratory infections compared to term-born children; however, the baseline risk is variable, although substantial; This highlights the need for preventive strategies, including RSV immunoprophylaxis.

Effect of Enteral Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Retinopathy of Prematurity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are critical for the maturation of the brain and retina. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a preventable cause of blindness in preterm infants. LCPUFA have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiangiogenesis effects. Supplementation of enteral LCPUFA might mitigate the incidence of ROP in these infants. Available limited randomized studies showed promising results. We aimed to assess the effect of enteral supplementation of LCPUFA on ROP in preterm infants. METHODS: We followed PRISMA guidelines and searched MEDLINE, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, and Cochrane Registry from 1990 to 2021 for the studies that examined the effects of enteral LCPUFA and ROP in preterm infants. We included the studies that satisfied the predefined inclusion criteria. RevMan 5.3 software derived the forest plot of pooled relative risk. We assessed the quality of all the included studies using GRADE recommendations. RESULTS: Nine studies were eligible for the meta-analysis involving 2,482 infants. Of the nine RCTs, six studies provided LCPUFA (DHA/AA) as a separate intervention in different concentrations, and three studies provided formula milk enriched with LCPUFA. In addition, five studies recruited infants below 32 weeks of gestational age. Supplementation of LCPUFA did not reduce the incidence of severe ROP (RR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.50-1.01, 5 studies, 1,822 infants) with very low CoE or any ROP (RR 0.95, 95% CI: 0.73-1.12, 6 studies, 1,177 infants) with very low CoE or ROP requiring treatment (RR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.62-1.38, 4 studies, 1,395 infants) with very low CoE. Regarding safety outcomes, enteral LCPUFA did not increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis or mortality. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Supplementation of enteral LCPUFA to preterm infants did not reduce ROP incidence; however, there was a trend toward benefit in mitigating severe form of ROP. More well-designed, large, randomized controlled studies are warranted.

Hypothermia for moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries (HELIX): a randomised controlled trial in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Although therapeutic hypothermia reduces death or disability after neonatal encephalopathy in high-income countries, its safety and efficacy in low-income and middle-income countries is unclear. We aimed to examine whether therapeutic hypothermia alongside optimal supportive intensive care reduces death or moderate or severe disability after neonatal encephalopathy in south Asia. METHODS: We did a multicountry open-label, randomised controlled trial in seven tertiary neonatal intensive care units in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. We enrolled infants born at or after 36 weeks of gestation with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy and a need for continued resuscitation at 5 min of age or an Apgar score of less than 6 at 5 min of age (for babies born in a hospital), or both, or an absence of crying by 5 min of age (for babies born at home). Using a web-based randomisation system, we allocated infants into a group receiving whole body hypothermia (33·5°C) for 72 h using a servo-controlled cooling device, or to usual care (control group), within 6 h of birth. All recruiting sites had facilities for invasive ventilation, cardiovascular support, and access to 3 Tesla MRI scanners and spectroscopy. Masking of the intervention was not possible, but those involved in the magnetic resonance biomarker analysis and neurodevelopmental outcome assessments were masked to the allocation. The primary outcome was a combined endpoint of death or moderate or severe disability at 18-22 months, assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (third edition) and a detailed neurological examination. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02387385. FINDINGS: We screened 2296 infants between Aug 15, 2015, and Feb 15, 2019, of whom 576 infants were eligible for inclusion. After exclusions, we recruited 408 eligible infants and we assigned 202 to the hypothermia group and 206 to the control group. Primary outcome data were available for 195 (97%) of the 202 infants in the hypothermia group and 199 (97%) of the 206 control group infants. 98 (50%) infants in the hypothermia group and 94 (47%) infants in the control group died or had a moderate or severe disability (risk ratio 1·06; 95% CI 0·87-1·30; p=0·55). 84 infants (42%) in the hypothermia group and 63 (31%; p=0·022) infants in the control group died, of whom 72 (36%) and 49 (24%; p=0·0087) died during neonatal hospitalisation. Five serious adverse events were reported: three in the hypothermia group (one hospital readmission relating to pneumonia, one septic arthritis, and one suspected venous thrombosis), and two in the control group (one related to desaturations during MRI and other because of endotracheal tube displacement during transport for MRI). No adverse events were considered causally related to the study intervention. INTERPRETATION: Therapeutic hypothermia did not reduce the combined outcome of death or disability at 18 months after neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries, but significantly increased death alone. Therapeutic hypothermia should not be offered as treatment for neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries, even when tertiary neonatal intensive care facilities are available. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research, Garfield Weston Foundation, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. TRANSLATIONS: For the Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Singhalese, Tamil, Marathi and Bangla translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Transcriptomic profile of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes after neonatal encephalopathy.

A rapid and early diagnostic test to identify the encephalopathic babies at risk of adverse outcome may accelerate the development of neuroprotectants. We examined if a whole blood transcriptomic signature measured soon after birth, predicts adverse neurodevelopmental outcome eighteen months after neonatal encephalopathy. We performed next generation sequencing on whole blood ribonucleic acid obtained within six hours of birth from the first 47 encephalopathic babies recruited to the Hypothermia for Encephalopathy in Low and middle-income countries (HELIX) trial. Two infants with blood culture positive sepsis were excluded, and the data from remaining 45 were analysed. A total of 855 genes were significantly differentially expressed between the good and adverse outcome groups, of which RGS1 and SMC4 were the most significant. Biological pathway analysis adjusted for gender, trial randomisation allocation (cooling therapy versus usual care) and estimated blood leukocyte proportions revealed over-representation of genes from pathways related to melatonin and polo-like kinase in babies with adverse outcome. These preliminary data suggest that transcriptomic profiling may be a promising tool for rapid risk stratification in neonatal encephalopathy. It may provide insights into biological mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets for neuroprotection.

White matter injury after neonatal encephalopathy is associated with thalamic metabolite perturbations.

BACKGROUND: Although thalamic magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (MRS) accurately predicts adverse outcomes after neonatal encephalopathy, its utility in infants without MR visible deep brain nuclei injury is not known. We examined thalamic MRS metabolite perturbations in encephalopathic infants with white matter (WM) injury with or without cortical injury and its associations with adverse outcomes. METHODS: We performed a subgroup analysis of all infants recruited to the MARBLE study with isolated WM or mixed WM/cortical injury, but no visible injury to the basal ganglia/thalamus (BGT) or posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC). We used binary logistic regression to examine the association of MRS biomarkers with three outcomes (i) WM injury score (1 vs. 2/3); (ii) cortical injury scores (0/1 vs. 2/3); and (iii) adverse outcomes (defined as death, moderate/severe disability) at two years (yes/no). We also assessed the accuracy of MRS for predicting adverse outcome. FINDINGS: Of the 107 infants included in the analysis, five had adverse outcome. Reduced thalamic N-acetylaspartate concentration [NAA] (odds ratio 0.4 (95% CI 0.18-0.93)) and elevated thalamic Lactate/NAA peak area ratio (odds ratio 3.37 (95% CI 1.45-7.82)) were significantly associated with higher WM injury scores, but not with cortical injury. Thalamic [NAA] (≤5.6 mmol/kg/wet weight) had the best accuracy for predicting adverse outcomes (sensitivity 1.00 (95% CI 0.16-1.00); specificity 0.95 (95% CI 0.84-0.99)). INTERPRETATION: Thalamic NAA is reduced in encephalopathic infants without MR visible deep brain nuclei injury and may be a useful predictor of adverse outcomes. FUNDING: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Therapeutic hypothermia initiated within 6 hours of birth is associated with reduced brain injury on MR biomarkers in mild hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy: a non-randomised cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of therapeutic hypothermia on MR biomarkers and neurodevelopmental outcomes in babies with mild hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). DESIGN: Non-randomised cohort study. SETTING: Eight tertiary neonatal units in the UK and the USA. PATIENTS: 47 babies with mild HIE on NICHD neurological examination performed within 6 hours after birth. INTERVENTIONS: Whole-body cooling for 72 hours (n=32) or usual care (n=15; of these 5 were cooled for <12 hours). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MRI and MR spectroscopy (MRS) within 2 weeks after birth, and a neurodevelopmental outcome assessment at 2 years. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics in both groups were similar except for lower 10 min Apgar scores (p=0.02) in the cooled babies. Despite this, the mean (SD) thalamic NAA/Cr (1.4 (0.1) vs 1.6 (0.2); p<0.001) and NAA/Cho (0.67 (0.08) vs 0.89 (0.11); p<0.001) ratios from MRS were significantly higher in the cooled group. Cooled babies had lower white matter injury scores than non-cooled babies (p=0.02). Four (27%) non-cooled babies with mild HIE developed seizures after 6 hours of age, while none of the cooled babies developed seizures (p=0.008). Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years were available in 40 (85%) of the babies. Adverse outcomes were seen in 2 (14.3%) non-cooled babies, and none of the cooled babies (p=0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic hypothermia may have a neuroprotective effect in babies with mild HIE, as demonstrated by improved MRS biomarkers and reduced white matter injury on MRI. This may warrant further evaluation in adequately powered randomised controlled trials.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy assessment of brain injury after moderate hypothermia in neonatal encephalopathy: a prospective multicentre cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In neonatal encephalopathy, the clinical manifestations of injury can only be reliably assessed several years after an intervention, complicating early prognostication and rendering trials of promising neuroprotectants slow and expensive. We aimed to determine the accuracy of thalamic proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (MRS) biomarkers as early predictors of the neurodevelopmental abnormalities observed years after neonatal encephalopathy. METHODS: We did a prospective multicentre cohort study across eight neonatal intensive care units in the UK and USA, recruiting term and near-term neonates who received therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy. We excluded infants with life-threatening congenital malformations, syndromic disorders, neurometabolic diseases, or any alternative diagnoses for encephalopathy that were apparent within 6 h of birth. We obtained T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and diffusion-weighted MRI and thalamic proton MRS 4-14 days after birth. Clinical neurodevelopmental tests were done 18-24 months later. The primary outcome was the association between MR biomarkers and an adverse neurodevelopmental outcome, defined as death or moderate or severe disability, measured using a multivariable prognostic model. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to examine the prognostic accuracy of the individual biomarkers. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01309711. FINDINGS: Between Jan 29, 2013, and June 25, 2016, we recruited 223 infants who all underwent MRI and MRS at a median age of 7 days (IQR 5-10), with 190 (85%) followed up for neurological examination at a median age of 23 months (20-25). Of those followed up, 31 (16%) had moderate or severe disability, including one death. Multiple logistic regression analysis could not be done because thalamic N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration alone accurately predicted an adverse neurodevelopmental outcome (area under the curve [AUC] of 0·99 [95% CI 0·94-1·00]; sensitivity 100% [74-100]; specificity 97% [90-100]; n=82); the models would not converge when any additional variable was examined. The AUC (95% CI) of clinical examination at 6 h (n=190) and at discharge (n=167) were 0·72 (0·65-0·78) and 0·60 (0·53-0·68), respectively, and the AUC of abnormal amplitude integrated EEG at 6 h (n=169) was 0·73 (0·65-0·79). On conventional MRI (n=190), cortical injury had an AUC of 0·67 (0·60-0·73), basal ganglia or thalamic injury had an AUC of 0·81 (0·75-0·87), and abnormal signal in the posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) had an AUC of 0·82 (0·76-0·87). Fractional anisotropy of PLIC (n=65) had an AUC of 0·82 (0·76-0·87). MRS metabolite peak-area ratios (n=160) of NAA-creatine (<1·29) had an AUC of 0·79 (0·72-0·85), of NAA-choline had an AUC of 0·74 (0·66-0·80), and of lactate-NAA (>0·22) had an AUC of 0·94 (0·89-0·97). INTERPRETATION: Thalamic proton MRS measures acquired soon after birth in neonatal encephalopathy had the highest accuracy to predict neurdevelopment 2 years later. These methods could be applied to increase the power of neuroprotection trials while reducing their duration. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research UK.

Hypothermia for encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries: feasibility of whole-body cooling using a low-cost servo-controlled device.

Although therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is the standard of care for hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy in high-income countries, the safety and efficacy of this therapy in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is unknown. We aimed to describe the feasibility of TH using a low-cost servo-controlled cooling device and the short-term outcomes of the cooled babies in LMIC. DESIGN: We recruited babies with moderate or severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (aged <6 hours) admitted to public sector tertiary neonatal units in India over a 28-month period. We administered whole-body cooling (set core temperature 33.5°C) using a servo-controlled device for 72 hours, followed by passive rewarming. We collected the data on short-term neonatal outcomes prior to hospital discharge. RESULTS: Eighty-two babies were included-61 (74%) had moderate and 21 (26%) had severe encephalopathy. Mean (SD) hypothermia cooling induction time was 1.7 hour (1.5) and the effective cooling time 95% (0.08). The mean (SD) hypothermia induction time was 1.7 hour (1.5 hour), core temperature during cooling was 33.4°C (0.2), rewarming rate was 0.34°C (0.16°C) per hour and the effective cooling time was 95% (8%). Twenty-five (51%) babies had gastric bleeds, 6 (12%) had pulmonary bleeds and 21 (27%) had meconium on delivery. Fifteen (18%) babies died before discharge from hospital. Heart rate more than 120 bpm during cooling (P=0.01) and gastric bleeds (P<0.001) were associated with neonatal mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The low-cost servo-controlled cooling device maintained the core temperature well within the target range. Adequately powered clinical trials are required to establish the safety and efficacy of TH in LMICs. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01760629.

Cognitive outcome in childhood of birth weight discordant monochorionic twins: the long-term effects of fetal growth restriction.

AIM: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with poorer outcomes in later life. We used a monochorionic twin model with IUGR in one twin to determine its impact on growth and neurocognitive outcomes. METHODS: Monochorionic twins with ≥20% birth weight discordance born in the north of England were eligible. Cognitive function was assessed using the British Ability Scales. The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to identify behavioural problems. Auxological measurements were collected. Generalised estimating equations were used to determine the effects of birth weight on cognition. RESULTS: Fifty-one monochorionic twin pairs were assessed at a mean age of 6.3 years. Mean birth weight difference was 664 g at a mean gestation of 34.7 weeks. The lighter twin had a General Conceptual Ability (GCA) score that was three points lower (TwinL -105.4 vs TwinH -108.4, 95% CI -0.9 to -5.0), and there was a significant positive association (B 0.59) of within-pair birth weight differences and GCA scores. Mathematics and memory skills showed the largest differences. The lighter twin at school age was shorter (mean difference 2.1 cm±0.7) and lighter (mean difference 1.9 kg±0.6). Equal numbers of lighter and heavier twins were reported to have behavioural issues. CONCLUSIONS: In a monochorionic twin cohort, fetal growth restriction results in lower neurocognitive scores in early childhood, and there remain significant differences in size. Longer term follow-up will be required to determine whether growth or cognitive differences persist in later child or adulthood, and whether there are any associated longer term metabolic sequelae.

Residual brain injury after early discontinuation of cooling therapy in mild neonatal encephalopathy.

We examined the brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcomes in a prospective cohort of 10 babies with mild encephalopathy who had early cessation of cooling therapy. All babies had MRI and spectroscopy within 2 weeks after birth and neurodevelopmental assessment at 2 years. Cooling was prematurely discontinued at a median age of 9 hours (IQR 5-13) due to rapid clinical improvement. Five (50%) had injury on MRI or spectroscopy, and two (20%) had an abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years. Premature cessation of cooling therapy in babies with mild neonatal encephalopathy does not exclude residual brain injury and adverse long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study refers to babies recruited into the MARBLE study (NCT01309711, pre-results stage).

Therapeutic Hypothermia for Neonatal Encephalopathy in Indian Neonatal Units: A Survey of National Practices.

This cross-sectional web-based survey suggests that cooling therapy is offered as standard of care for babies with neonatal encephalopathy in 10/25 (40%) of public and 37/68 (51%) of private level 2 or 3 neonatal units in India. 25 (53%) used locally improvised cooling methods, and the cooling practices differed from established protocols in high-income countries.

Hypothermia for encephalopathy in low and middle-income countries (HELIX): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia reduces death and disability after moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy in high-income countries and is used as standard therapy in these settings. However, the safety and efficacy of cooling therapy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 99% of the disease burden occurs, remains unclear. We will examine whether whole body cooling reduces death or neurodisability at 18-22 months after neonatal encephalopathy, in LMICs. METHODS: We will randomly allocate 408 term or near-term babies (aged ≤ 6 h) with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy admitted to public sector neonatal units in LMIC countries (India, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka), to either usual care alone or whole-body cooling with usual care. Babies allocated to the cooling arm will have core body temperature maintained at 33.5 °C using a servo-controlled cooling device for 72 h, followed by re-warming at 0.5 °C per hour. All babies will have detailed infection screening at the time of recruitment and 3 Telsa cerebral magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy at 1-2 weeks after birth. Our primary endpoint is death or moderate or severe disability at the age of 18 months. DISCUSSION: Upon completion, HELIX will be the largest cooling trial in neonatal encephalopathy and will provide a definitive answer regarding the safety and efficacy of cooling therapy for neonatal encephalopathy in LMICs. The trial will also provide important data about the influence of co-existent perinatal infection on the efficacy of hypothermic neuroprotection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02387385 . Registered on 27 February 2015.

Catch-up growth and metabolic outcomes in adolescents born preterm.

BACKGROUND: Accelerated infant weight gain in individuals born full term is linked to cardiovascular risk in adulthood, but data in those born preterm are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between weight gain in infancy and childhood with later markers of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents who were born preterm. STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Children born preterm with regular assessments of infant growth had auxology, body composition (dual X-ray absorptiometry), blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and lipid profile determined in adolescence. RESULTS: We reviewed 153 children (mean gestation 30.8 weeks, median birth weight 1365 g) of whom 102 consented to venepuncture at a median age of 11.5 years. Adolescent height and weight standard deviation scores (SDS) were similar to population averages (0.01±0.92 and 0.3±1.2, respectively) and did not differ between infants when grouped according to degree of catch-up in weight gain in the immediate postdischarge period to 12 weeks of age. There were no significant associations between infant weight gain (change in weight SDS adjusted for length) and later metabolic outcome. However, there were strong associations between more rapid childhood weight gain (after 1 year of age) and subsequent body composition (higher fat mass %, fat mass index and waist circumference) and metabolic markers (higher fasting insulin, blood pressure and lower insulin sensitivity). CONCLUSIONS: The association of rapid weight gain on health is time critical in those born preterm; in early infancy, this does not impact on metabolic status in adolescence, in contrast to rapid weight gain in childhood, which should be discouraged. However, given the critical importance of brain growth in the neonatal period and infancy, further research is needed before strategies that discourage infant weight gain or catch-up can be recommended for infants born preterm.

Neonatal encephalopathic cerebral injury in South India assessed by perinatal magnetic resonance biomarkers and early childhood neurodevelopmental outcome.

UNLABELLED: Although brain injury after neonatal encephalopathy has been characterised well in high-income countries, little is known about such injury in low- and middle-income countries. Such injury accounts for an estimated 1 million neonatal deaths per year. We used magnetic resonance (MR) biomarkers to characterise perinatal brain injury, and examined early childhood outcomes in South India. METHODS: We recruited consecutive term or near term infants with evidence of perinatal asphyxia and a Thompson encephalopathy score ≥6 within 6 h of birth, over 6 months. We performed conventional MR imaging, diffusion tensor MR imaging and thalamic proton MR spectroscopy within 3 weeks of birth. We computed group-wise differences in white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) using tract based spatial statistics. We allocated Sarnat encephalopathy stage aged 3 days, and evaluated neurodevelopmental outcomes aged 3½ years using Bayley III. RESULTS: Of the 54 neonates recruited, Sarnat staging was mild in 30 (56%); moderate in 15 (28%) and severe in 6 (11%), with no encephalopathy in 3 (6%). Six infants died. Of the 48 survivors, 44 had images available for analysis. In these infants, imaging indicated perinatal rather than established antenatal origins to injury. Abnormalities were frequently observed in white matter (n = 40, 91%) and cortex (n = 31, 70%) while only 12 (27%) had abnormal basal ganglia/thalami. Reduced white matter FA was associated with Sarnat stage, deep grey nuclear injury, and MR spectroscopy N-acetylaspartate/choline, but not early Thompson scores. Outcome data were obtained in 44 infants (81%) with 38 (79%) survivors examined aged 3½ years; of these, 16 (42%) had adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: No infants had evidence for established brain lesions, suggesting potentially treatable perinatal origins. White matter injury was more common than deep brain nuclei injury. Our results support the need for rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of rescue hypothermic neuroprotection in low- and middle-income countries.