Active clinical trials for "Premature Birth"

The purpose of this study is to compare the tocolytic efficacy, effectiveness and safety of Atosiban in comparison with the combination of Atosiban and Nifedipine together.

Yearly in the United States over 500,000 newborns are delivered prematurely. This population is at high risk of catastrophic bowel disease known as necrotizing enterocolitis. Infants with necrotizing enterocolitis are at high risk of death, and survivors are at increased risk of mental retardation. Metronidazole is an antibiotic that is often administered to infants with suspected or confirmed necrotizing enterocolitis. Unfortunately, the appropriate dose of metronidazole in premature infants has not been established and it is likely to be different from older children and adults. The investigators will investigate the appropriate metronidazole dose in very premature infants by: 1) determining how premature infants eliminate metronidazole from the body and 2) determining the safest and most effective dose of metronidazole in premature infants. The investigators hypothesis are: 1) The rate of removal of metronidazole will increase with infant maturity and 2) an appropriate metronidazole dosing regimen will result in necessary drug levels to treat bacteria involved in necrotizing enterocolitis.

The use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in preterm infants has been documented and results from previous studies suggest the association between OMT and length of stay (LOS) reduction, as well as significant improvement in several clinical outcomes. The aim of the present study is to show the effect of OMT on LOS in a sample of premature infants.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy in preterm infants following treatment with BSSL when administered in pasteurized breast milk.

Purpose of the study: To evaluate renal function maturation within the first month of life in very premature infants. To determine whether a treatment with Ibuprofen for patent ductus arteriosus would alter renal function maturation at short term and up to 28 days of life.

Very premature infants uniformly do not have mature functioning lungs to breathe well nor mature regulation mechanisms to breathe regularly. Assistance with a mechanical respirator is common. However, prolonged use of a respirator can itself cause long-term complications. Furthermore, commonly used drugs to improve the regularity of breathing may have long-term consequence only recently recognized. This study will compare two different types of assistance using a nasally applied breathing assist device. The aim is to see which type of assistance is best at avoiding the need for both prolonged respirator use and drugs to regulate breathing.

• To determine the effects of four different single bolus doses of FE200440 administered intravenously on stopping preterm labour compared to placebo in pregnant women with advanced gestational age

Acyclovir is a drug used to treat herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in babies. Appropriate dosing of acyclovir is known for adults and children but acyclovir has not been adequately studied in full-term or premature neonates. HSV is a very serious infection in babies <6 months of age and often results in death or profound mental retardation. HSV leads to profound mental retardation in young infants because the virus attacks the central nervous system. The investigators hypothesize that the currently recommended dose of acyclovir is inadequate to produce adequate blood levels to combat herpes simplex infection. The investigators propose to study acyclovir levels in the blood of babies who are placed on acyclovir to treat a suspected HSV infection. This will allow them to determine the appropriate dose in premature infants. This is an unmet public health need because it is likely that the drug behaves differently in premature infants than it does in term infants and older children. Premature babies have more body water and less body tissue. Their kidneys are more immature and do not function as well as full term infants. Premature neonates are also at the greatest risk from herpes infection because they have poorly functioning immature immune systems. Early and appropriate treatment with acyclovir has resulted in improved outcome in term infants.

Immediately following birth, preterm infants face a period of stressful environmental inputs, which may have negative consequences on early brain development and subsequent neurobehavioral outcomes. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of training parents in reducing stressful experiences early in life. The investigators hypothesized that this intervention would insulate preterm infants from the harmful effects of acute and chronic stress, which in turn would result in enhanced brain development. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate if this intervention was associated with improved brain development measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term-equivalent age. A secondary aim was to assess some possible short-term medical benefits.

A study conducted on healthy volunteers to determine the safety, tolerability and affect on the human body by experimental drug GSK557296.