Minimal Breathing Support and Early Steroids to Prevent Chronic Lung Disease in Extremely Premature...
Bronchopulmonary DysplasiaRespiratory Distress Syndrome8 moreThis multicenter clinical trial tested whether minimal ventilation decreases death or BPD. Infants with birth weight 501g to 1000g and mechanically ventilated before 12 hours were randomly assigned to minimal ventilation (partial pressure of carbon dioxide [PCO(2)] target >52 mm Hg) or routine ventilation (PCO(2) target <48 mm Hg) and a tapered dexamethasone course or saline placebo for 10 days, using a 2 x 2 factorial design. The primary outcome was death or BPD at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. Blood gases, ventilator settings, and FiO2 were recorded for 10 days; complications and outcomes were monitored to discharge. The infants' neurodevelopment was evaluated at 18-22 months corrected age.
Inhaled Nitric Oxide for Preterm Infants With Severe Respiratory Failure
InfantNewborn11 moreThis multicenter trial tested whether inhaled nitric oxide would reduce death or the need for oxygen in preterm infants (less than 34 weeks gestational age) with severe lung disease.
Healthy Mums, Healthy Babies: Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation in Ethiopia
Birth WeightBackground: This programme effectiveness study responds to the need for evidence on the effect on birthweight of switching from iron-folic acid supplementation (IFA) to multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) as part of routine antenatal care in Ethiopia. A 2019 meta-analysis of trial data reported a mean improvement of 35g in newborn birthweight amongst newborns born to women who took MMS in pregnancy compared to those who took IFA. Responding to this evidence, in 2020 the World Health Organisation updated its global guideline on MMS from 'not recommended' to 'recommended in the context of rigorous research'. The guideline identifies priority research being 'to establish the impact of switching routine antenatal IFA to MMS on important health outcomes, equity, acceptability, feasibility, sustainability and health-care resources in different country settings.' In 2022 the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia (MoH), will change from MMS to IFA in a set of pilot districts. EPHI and LSHTM have been asked to evaluate the effect of this change on mean birthweight and propose the current trial for this purpose. The overall aim is to evaluate the programme effectiveness on mean birthweight of providing MMS as part of routine antenatal care, compared to providing IFA. Findings will support the MoH to make evidence-informed decisions about the large-scale implementation of MMS in Ethiopia and also contribute to the global evidence base on the effectiveness of MMS in a programmatic setting. Methods: A two-arm cluster randomized trial will be used to estimate the effect of the programme change on mean birthweight, with cost-effectiveness and process evaluations embedded in the trial design. Women aged 15-49 who deliver a live born child in a study district health facility (mother/infant dyads) will be eligible for enrolment in the study. The primary outcome measure will be birthweight, recorded in facilities at the time of birth as part of the routine maternity care. Secondary objectives include costs of providing MMS, acceptability of MMS, adherence to antenatal micronutrient supplementation and implementation challenges.
Dietary Protein in the Very-low-birth-weight Infant
PrematurityIn this randomized study The investigators aim to compare the growth of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants fed either a high protein or a standard protein preterm infant formula. Babies will be fed the assigned formula between the time they achieve full enteral feeds and hospital discharge, for a minimum of 3 weeks. The weight gain (g/d) will be measured and compared between groups. Feeding tolerance, protein-energy status and body composition between the study groups will also be analysed. After discharge, babies will be fed a post-discharge preterm infant formula (PDF) between hospital discharge and 3 m corrected age.
Effects of Recto-colic Enemas of Butyrate on the Digestive Disorders of Very Low Birth Weight Preterms...
Very Low Birth Weight PretermsClinical management of very low birth weight newborns (VLBW <1250g) consists in several challenges to adapt immature physiological systems to extrauterine life. Advances in neonatal medicine for pulmonary and/or neurological and/or cardiovascular diseases have significantly improved outcomes of these children. However, the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract remains a major cause of morbidity due to the immaturity of GI functions (prolonged ileus, bacterial overgrowth and translocation), the complication of GI tract immaturity: intestinal perforation and enterocolitis necrotizing) the need of a prolonged parenteral nutrition and its complications (central venous catheter infections, sepsis, electrolyte disturbances) but without generate a high proof level on this targeted population (<1250g). The GI functions are progressively acquired during development and are largely sensitive to the environment, especially the intestinal luminal content. Indeed, probiotics and prebiotics have shown beneficial effects upon GI functions of newborns. One of the metabolite of the gut flora potentially involved is the butyrate. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid produced in the colon by the microbiota (carbo-hydrates degradation). The colonic amount of butyrate increases gradually after birth. The beneficial effects of butyrate are related to its properties upon the epithelial barrier (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, barrier repair) and upon the enteric nervous system (network of neurons and glial cells) that regulate GI functions and in particular colonic motility. To date, there is no clinical consensus to manage digestive disorders of VLBW. Several clinical studies have assessed the effects of prokinetic drugs, dietary supplements (probiotics, prebiotics) but without generate a high proof level on this targeted population. In this context, a recent study of our Research Unit (INSERM-CIC Mère-Enfant 004) has shown benefit effects of oral probiotics supplementation in children with birth weight greater than 1000g but not in extreme preterms with birth weight less than 1000g. The main hypothesis to explain theses results lies in the intensive use of antibiotic and feeding interruption frequency in this targeted population which induce disturbances in the composition of the gut lumen (in particular the flora). Colonic enemas assessed in various observational studies concerning VLBW seem to demonstrate a clinical efficiency upon the colonic transit, underlying by mechanical and osmotic mechanisms. Here, the investigators propose to evaluate the clinical efficiency of butyrate enemas by a prospective randomized clinical trial blinded design. The purpose of NEOTRANS study is to demonstrate that butyrate enemas may improve the nutritional management of extreme preterm less than 1250 grams, by facilitating the development of colic motility and clinical nutrition tolerance.
Improving Neonatal Health Through Rapid Malaria Testing in Early Pregnancy With High-Sensitivity...
Malaria,FalciparumMalaria in Pregnancy7 moreThe purpose of the INTREPiD study is to compare 1st trimester screening for malaria parasites with a high-sensitivity malaria rapid diagnostic test followed by treatment of test-positive women with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) against usual antenatal care on a composite adverse pregnancy outcome including low birth weight, small for gestational age, preterm, fetal loss, or neonatal death.
A Mobile Web-Based Parenting Intervention to Strengthen Social-Emotional Development of Low Birth...
Intensive Care Units NeonatalParenting1 moreLow birth weight (LBW) infants are at significantly elevated risk for a host of detrimental outcomes including cognitive, language, and social delays and disabilities, which persist into adulthood. An important protective factor for mitigating risk is sensitive and responsive parenting. While evidence- based home visiting interventions exist and were developed specifically for LBW infants, such as the Play and Learning Strategies program, parents face major obstacles in accessing these interventions. In general, interventions demonstrated to be effective through federal research are very slow to migrate to community service delivery systems. Exacerbating this problem currently is the fact that while VLBW has been increasing, and disproportionately so for those who are poor an of minority status, home visiting programs have sustained some of the largest cuts in their histories. Consequently, there is high demand for effective interventions that can be delivered remotely. Through prior, the investigator team addressed this need by adapting the evidence-based PALS program for web-based delivery using laptop computers with streaming video of in-home parent child interactions and weekly remote coaching. The investigator team then rigorously tested its effects in a sample of low-income mothers and infants with typical birth histories. Results of this randomized controlled study showed pre-post growth in maternal sensitivity behaviors and significant increases in infants' social engagement with their mothers, with moderate to large effect sizes for the intervention group as compared to the control group. These encouraging results provide a strong empirical basis for the enhanced web-based delivery method of the PALS program. Although PALS was originally developed and tested with LBW infants, the web-based version, InfantNet, has not yet been tested with this population. Moreover, emergent trends show that young Latino and Black women most often access the Internet through smart phones, not laptops. Consequently, there is great demand for improving access to evidence-based interventions by making them available on mobile devices such as smart phones. Response: To address the need for more accessible evidence-based interventions, the investigator team will overlay the InfantNet program onto the iPhone and rigorously test its effects with 60 low- income mothers and their LBW infants through a 2-arm, 3 cohort, randomized-controlled design.
Sucrose to Reduce Pain During Initiation of Venipuncture in Extremely Low Birth Weight Babies
NeonatePain1 moreNewborn infants in the neonatal intensive care nursery experience multiple, painful tissue damaging procedures daily. Preterm especially extremely low birth weights and critically ill newborns admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) undergo repeated skin-breaking procedures that are necessary for their survival. Sucrose is the accepted clinical standard nonpharmacological intervention for managing acute procedural pain for these infants. However its role in extremely low birth weight infants still need to be addressed. The exact dose and concentration of oral sucrose is still not clear. When a Medline search was carried out to evaluate the role of two different concentrations (12% vs 24%) of oral sucrose in reducing pain in extremely low birth weight babies, very limited data was available. Cochrane Systemic Review also indicated that specific attention to the efficacy and safety of sucrose administration in extremely low birth weight preterm infants needs to be further investigated. More so, no work on this aspect was identified from the Indian subcontinent. Hence, the current study was planned with an aim to study the effects of 12% and 24% oral sucrose in extremely low birth weight infants during initiation of venipuncture and also study the side effects if any associated with these concentrations. This is a preliminary work on this topic, the results would therefore need to be interpreted with caution. However, the findings and the study design of this work will provide suitable platform for future well powered studies on this population.
Effects of Early Yakson Touch and Kinesthetic Stimulation on the Development of High Risk Neonates...
Preterm InfantsInfant1 moreThe role of physiotherapy interventions in treatment of high risk infants has not been established even after a number of studies. The high risk infants are prone to developmental delays and early intervention is most effective for them owing to the plasticity of brain in early infancy. Yakson is one among the most effective and safe methods of tactile stimulation for preterm neonates. Tactile and kinesthetic stimulation techniques have been proved to be effective but there is no standardized protocol. The present study will try to investigate the efficacy of Yakson touch in combination with kinesthetic stimulation on the development of high risk neonates against conventional handling which will include developmental positioning and Kangaroo mother care.
Micronutrient Supplementation Before and During 1st Pregnancy to Improve Birth Outcomes (JiVitA-5)...
Birth WeightMiscarriage2 moreThe purpose of this cluster-randomized trial is to evaluate the efficacy of daily, multiple micronutrient (MM) supplement versus identical placebo use among nulligravid, recently married women, starting preconceptionally through the 1st trimester of pregnancy, in reducing low birth weight and other adverse pregnancy outcomes in rural Bangladesh.