Active clinical trials for "Birth Weight"

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of two surfactants, Exosurf Neonatal (Burroughs Wellcome Co.) and Survanta (Ross Laboratories), for the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

This study tested the safety and efficacy of transfusing erythropoietin (Epo) and iron in infants of <1,250g birth weight. For infants 401-1,000g birth weight, we tested whether early erythropoietin (Epo) and iron therapy would decrease the number of transfusions received. For infants 1,001-1,250g birth weight, we tested whether early erythropoietin (Epo) and iron therapy would decrease the percentage of infants who received any transfusions.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether oral probiotic supplementation could reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections in preterm infants.

This study is to determine the amount of vitamin D required for a very low birth weight infant to reach vitamin D sufficiency and achieve optimal calcium health and bone growth.

The purpose of the study is to investigate if treatment with an anticoagulant drug increases birth weight in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction.

Our hypothesis is that treatment of known Ureaplasma spp. infection of the airways in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with azithromycin will eradicate the organisms and lessen the proinflammatory state caused by infection that puts them at risk for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD). We propose to conduct a randomized trial of early (less than 3 days of age) treatment with intravenous azithromycin versus expectant management for VLBW infants with Ureaplasma spp. respiratory tract infection with the following specific aims: (1) Determine microbiological efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and safety of azithromycin treatment for eradication of Ureaplasma spp. in preterm infants, (2) Determine the respiratory outcomes of infants in the two treatment groups and those without respiratory tract Ureaplasma spp. infection

Plasmodium falciparum resistance to chloroquine (CQ) and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) continue to spread, impeding control of this important disease. CQ and SP are still the most commonly used antimalarial drugs for malaria prevention during pregnancy and might be made less effective by resistance. However, the treatment and prophylaxis regimens used may also create conditions for selecting resistant malaria parasite strains. A better understanding of the relationships between chemoprophylaxis regimens and resistance would be helpful to improve chemoprophylaxis of malaria in pregnancy. This work aims to improve the use of chemoprophylaxis in pregnancy by determining whether there is a relationship between the use of standard prophylactic regimens with CQ and SP and the occurrence of P. falciparum resistant strains in pregnant women. The study consists of 2 parts. The first part is a randomized trial comparing 3 chemoprophylactic treatment groups: - weekly CQ after initial presumptive CQ treatment, - CQ intermittent presumptive treatment given as a standard dose at 2nd and 3rd trimester, respectively and SP intermittent presumptive treatment given as a single dose at 2nd and 3rd trimester, respectively. These treatment groups will also be compared to a group of women delivering at the same health centre but who have not been participating in the study. The second part will be a clinical trial for assessment of clinical and parasitological efficacy of CQ and SP treatment in pregnant women presenting with uncomplicated malaria attacks. The study will be conducted from October 2002 to March 2005 in a health centre of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso where malaria transmission is seasonal and resistance to CQ and SP is low.

This large multicenter double-masked clinical trial tested whether supplementation of standard neonatal parenteral nutrition with glutamine would reduce the risk of death or late-onset sepsis in extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW, less than or equal to 1000 gm) infants. Neonates with birth weights of 401-1000gm were randomized to standard TrophAmine or TrophAmine supplemented with glutamine before 72 hours and continued until the infants are tolerating full enteral feedings.

Low blood pressure or hypotension is a very important problem that is often seen in premature babies, especially those with low birth weight. Severe hypotension leads to significant problems including brain bleeds, developmental delays, kidney and liver problems, and other issues that can affect babies for the rest of their lives. An important aspect in the management of infants with hypotension is the decision of when to treat and with what agent. Research is being conducted to try to find the best medication to use in these situations. Dopamine is often used first, but it does not always prove to be effective, and it has several concerning side effects. This study will look at vasopressin, which has fewer side effects, as a first-line medication for low blood pressure in extremely low birth weight infants. Hypotheses and Specific Aims: This study will show superiority of vasopressin to dopamine in preterm, extremely low birth weight infants who have hypotension within the first 24 hours of life. We will specifically look at its ability to raise blood pressure values, improve clinical symptoms seen, any adverse effects, and clinical outcomes of babies being treated.

Vitamin A is essential for optimal growth, and development. In the newborn, especially if preterm, it is necessary for the cellular differentiation, for the health of the anterior eye, it is a constituent of visual pigment, and it is essential for surfactant synthesis. Immune response Vitamin A supplementation demonstrated to reduces infancy mortality, but very low (<1500g birth weight) and extremely low (<1000g birth weight) preterm infants are born with low body stores of vitamin A and are at high risk of vitamin A deficiency. Nevertheless, optimal vitamin A supplementation for these infants is not clearly defined, despite evidence of benefit of an early supplementation. Prematurity is associate to the risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) which is a disease marked by respiratory compromise associated with high mortality and severe long-term morbidity, as well as prematurity is associate to the risk for retinopathy, a pathology that may be related to less rhodopsin quantity which seem dependent on vitamin A concentration. Vitamin A can be given enterally, intramuscularly, or intravenously. Recently an oral administration as drops is available resulting particularly convenient avoiding the pain associated with repetitive intramuscular injections, or the discomfort of parenteral administration. Studies of vitamin A in the infant population suggest that plasma retinol concentrations >0.7 µM/L indicate vitamin A sufficiency, nevertheless preterm infants have lower concentration and concentration < 0.35 µM/L are very dangerous. Vitamin A deficiency at this level may constitute a problem for preterm newborn, resulting for example, in histological alterations in the respiratory epithelium leading to chronic lung disease, retinopathy of prematurity, patency of the ductus arteriosis, and immune competence deficiency. The aim of the present study is to verify efficacy and tolerability of a new oral administration of vitamin A as drops, 3000 IU/kg/die for 4 weeks, in infants < 1500g weight at birth, verifying the competence of the supplementation reaching ideal blood concentration (≥0.7 µM/L) and relating the blood achieved concentrations of vitamin A to the outcome in typical pathologies, as BPD and ROP. Not treated group of matched newborn infants is the controlarm.