Active clinical trials for "Leukomalacia, Periventricular"

Neurodevelopmental disability is now recognized as the most common long-term complication after cardiac surgery in neonates. Research studies have shown that progesterone is critical to the development of the brain and in a variety of clinical situations including brain injury can protect the brain. The purpose of this research study is to determine whether progesterone administered during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy (24-39 weeks) to pregnant women protects the brain of unborn babies with CHD and improves their neurodevelopmental outcomes after heart surgery.

The trial intends to evaluate the efficacy of specially designed probiotics to prevent premature birth and related neonatal morbidity associated to intra-uterine infection. The tested probiotics are efficacious to decrease the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis. The study hypothesis is that the early administration of those probiotics to pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis can prevent premature birth through antibiotic activity and modulation of the immune response to infection.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether restrictive guidelines for red blood cell (RBC) transfusions for preterm infants can reduce the number of transfusions without adverse consequences.

The highest risk for perinatal brain injury occurs among extremely premature infants who weigh less than 1250 grams at birth. Such perinatal brain injury is currently irreversible, associated with neurodevelopmental disability, and without adequate treatment modalities. Research in recent years suggest in both animal and human studies that erythropoietin (Epo) may have significant neuroprotective effects. Given the historical safe medical profile of Epo when used for anemia of prematurity but the likely need for a greater dosage regimen for activation of neuroprotective pathways against neonatal brain injury, we therefore propose this phase II study of high-dose Epo in very low birth weight infants for the prevention and/or attenuation of prematurity-related cerebral hemorrhagic-ischemic injury.

BACKGROUND Treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome with exogenous surfactant and mechanical ventilation made millions of preterm infants survived in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Endotracheal intubation surfactant administration is related to invasive intubation and short periods of positive pressure ventilation and implies the risk of lung injury. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or NIPPV (Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation) with surfactant but without intubation may work synergistically. This randomized trial investigated a minimal invasive surfactant administration (MISA). To test the hypothesis that MISA increases survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at 36 weeks' gestational age in very low birth weight infants. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Minimal Invasive Surfactant Administration (MISA) was a multicenter, randomized, clinical, parallel-group study conducted between July 1st, 2017, and November 30, 2018, in 8 level III neonatal intensive care units in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province, China. The final follow-up date was March 30, 2019. Participants enrolled spontaneously breathing preterm infants born between 26.1 and 31.9 weeks' gestational age with signs of respiratory distress syndrome. In an intention-to-treat design, infants were randomly assigned to receive surfactant (Calf pulmonary surfactant, Double-Crane Pharmaceutical Co., China) either via a 5Fr nasogastric tube during CPAP/NIPPV-assisted spontaneous breathing (minimal invasive surfactant administration group, MISA group) or after conventional endotracheal intubation during mechanical ventilation (endotracheal intubation surfactant administration group, EISA group). INTERVENTION MISA via a 5Fr nasogastric tube with an ophthalmic surgery straight forceps.

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) are brain lesions that commonly occur in preterm infants and are well-recognized major contributors to long-term brain injury and related disabilities later in life. Despite its prevalence, long term consequences, and enormous medical and social costs, mechanisms of IVH and optimal strategies to prevent or treat its occurrence are poorly defined, especially for extremely premature infants. Only one medical therapy, prophylactic indomethacin during the first 3 days of life, has been shown to prevent or decrease the severity of IVH in preterm infants, but its use is limited by toxic side effects and debatable effects on long-term outcomes. Several small studies and case reports suggest that delayed umbilical cord-clamping (DCC) may also decrease the incidence of IVH in premature infants, but thus far these trials have indomethacin treatment mixed within their cord clamping protocols. The investigators are conducting a randomized, blinded investigation of 4 treatment groups: 1) Control (no intervention); 2) DCC alone; 3) Prophylactic indomethacin alone; 4) Combination of DCC/indomethacin, with respect to survival, IVH or PVL incidence and severity, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and relevant mechanistic effects. With the steady rise in extreme prematurity births and clear links of IVH to long-term disabilities there is a need to improve care for these patients. This multi- disciplinary project addresses an important medical problem for an understudied patient population, where the current practice has clear limitations.

The main goal of this trial is to investigate whether early administration of human erythropoietin (EPO) in very preterm infants improves neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months corrected age. This study is designed as randomized, double-masked, placebo controlled multicenter study involving at least 420 patients.

Magnesium is neuroprotective in neonatal animal models of acquired hypoxic-ischemic and/or inflammatory cerebral lesions. It is associated with a significant reduction of perinatal death and cerebral palsy in some observational studies. The objective of the study is to assess if prenatal magnesium sulfate given to women at risk of preterm birth before 33 week's gestation is neuroprotective.

The research endeavors to examine the critical composition of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) in premature infants across different gestational stages and under varying disease conditions, and delineate the metabolic attributes of PUFAs in premature infants and their interplay with the onset of diseases. This study anticipates furnishing a theoretical foundation for the rationalization of PUFAs supplementation in premature infants and for informing strategies related to disease prevention and management.

The goal of this study is to characterize individual responses to a single application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP), and to test which electrode configuration produces changes in brain excitability and motor function. Participants with UCP, ages 7-21 years, will be assigned to one of four tDCS groups. Using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, the investigators will assess cortical excitability before and at regular intervals up to 1 hour following tDCS. The knowledge gained from this study will advance the field through more targeted approaches of neuromodulatory techniques in this population and others, using individual characteristics to guide optimal treatment