Active clinical trials for "Birth Weight"

This trial is a collaborative study between 4 sites worldwide. A total of 600 research subjects will be enrolled. We will investigate the validity of using 5D Limb Volume software to improve on estimated fetal weight predictions over a broad range of gestational ages. The purpose is to compare the accuracy and precision of birth weight predictions based on this new technology as compared to the current 2D birth weight prediction models.

Urinary intestinal fatty acid binding protein (i-FABP), a marker of intestinal mucosal cell damage, has recently been proposed as a clinically useful measure in the early detection of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). However, there are no data on urinary i-FABP in meconium obstruction of prematurity (MOP). This study aimed to evaluate urinary i-FABP in MOP patient as a marker for early detection.

Objective: Due to high mortality rates the capillary leakage and the acute abdomen are important risk factors of the probability of survival. The aim of an optimal therapy of the acute abdomen within the neonatal period is beside the cure of the underlying disease the prophylaxis of capillary leakage with the help of optimised intra- and postoperative volume therapy. Question: Do the neonates with very low birth weight and a surgery therapy of acute abdomen benefit from early increase of the haemoglobin/haematocrit by optimised volume therapy with crystalloid and colloidal volume as prophylaxis of the capillary leakage?

Babies that are either very small or very big have increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. Predicting which babies will fall into these groups is traditionally done with risk assessment and third trimester manual palpation, however neither of these techniques are sensitive and a considerable number of affected pregnancies are missed. This results in stillbirth for small babies or birth trauma for larger ones. Serial scanning in the third trimester can improve detection rates but this is expensive and cannot currently be provided to all NHS patients. A more sensitive test that can be performed earlier in pregnancy would allow identification of at risk pregnancies allowing for increased monitoring. New three dimensional ultrasound techniques that measure volume and volumetric flow have become available that may allow this to happen. This study proposes to trial newer ultrasound techniques on a cohort of pregnant women. The findings from these scans will then be correlated with actual birth weights at the end of pregnancy to determine the ability of these parameters to act as screening tools for babies at the extremes of size.

Parenteral nutrition associated liver disease (PNALD) in preterm neonates is characterized by early occurrence of intrahepatic cholestasis (parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis (PNAC). Extreme low birth weight infants (ELBW, birth weight < 1000 g) are at increased risk for development of PNAC. Important factors implicated in the aetiology of PNAC are high caloric parenteral nutrition using amino acids or dextrose, but also intravenous lipids and infections in particular necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Due to a change of paradigm a more aggressive nutrition with early use of parenteral amino acids/lipids and early fortification of mothers milk or alternatively high caloric preterm formula is warranted. Accordingly - in line with the existing expert opinion and evidence - the feeding policy at the neonatal care units of our hospital was adapted. Evidence exists that PNAC might be caused by the use of high concentrations of amino acids and lipids in parenteral nutrition. Furthermore NEC is associated with high osmotic feeds. Therefore the incidence of PNAC might be increased directly and indirectly after introducing the new feeding policy. The investigators therefore aim at retrospectively investigating the incidence of PNAC before and after introduction of a feeding policy of "aggressive nutrition" for ELBW infants.

The aim of the present study is to describe the performance of very low birth-weight preterm toddlers regarding expressive language and cognitive development during sensorimotor and beginning of pre-operational periods, as well as to compare the performance presented by these children to that presented by their full-term peers, according to Genetic Epistemology theoretical principles. The hypothesis of this study is that very-low birth weight preterms would present a poorer performance, concerning expressive language and cognition development,than their full-term peers.

The purpose of this study is to apply a different incubator humidity strategy at birth to decrease morbidity and mortality in extremely low birth (1000 g or less) infants.

Low birth weight (LBW) status (< 10% for gestational age at birth) is associated with increased risk for diseases such as type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary artery disease in adults, and represents one example of the "fetal onset of adult disease" hypothesis. Recent data strongly associates LBW status with impaired innate and adaptive immunity leading to increased risk for severe infections during adolescence or early adulthood. Animal studies suggest that the ratio of certain B lymphocyte subpopulations, the B1a and B1b cells, determines whether deficits in immunity occur. This study will determine the ratio of B1b to B1a lymphocyte subpopulations in the cord blood of infants born LBW in the late preterm to term gestations (> 34 weeks at birth) and compare those ratios with those of normal birth weight (NBW) controls in a nested case control study design. Furthermore, animal studies suggest that the expression patterns of CD5 and CD19 proteins determines the cellular phenotype of the B lymphocyte, that of a B1a or a B1b cell, and that the regulatory regions controlling their expression are epigenetically vulnerable. The investigators will therefore isolate DNA and RNA from both B lymphocyte subpopulations and determine whether epigenetic changes to the regulatory regions of the genes coding for CD5 and CD19 protein expression occur in LBW lymphocyte subpopulations as compared to the lymphocytes from NBW infants. This proposal will be the first human study to examine epigenetic determination of a maladaptive phenotype following LBW status at birth in a specific cell type leading to a specific impairment of innate and adaptive immunity.

Enrolled neonates will be provided routine supportive care as per existing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)protocols. This will be carried out in the initial 6 months (0-180 days) of study commencement. This group will serve as control group (group A). During subsequent 6 months (181-360 days) of the study period, enrolled neonates fulfilling the inclusion criteria will be provided routine supportive care and the components of developmentally supportive care (DSC).

Primary Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of bovine colostrum in prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Secondary Aim: To improve outcomes of neonatal sepsis and NEC in the pe-terrms and to decrease their hospital stay.