Active clinical trials for "Premature Birth"

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. PCOS is a heterogeneous condition, characterised by metabolic disturbances, insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism. Pregnancies in women with PCOS have an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia and preterm birth, and their offspring have an increased risk of aberrant birth weight and hospitalization. After pregnancy, PCOS is thought to have an impact on breastfeeding success and breastmilk composition. Current strategies to improve pregnancy outcome among women with PCOS have not demonstrated significant risk reduction. Myo-inositol is a commonly used dietary supplement with a favourable effect on glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Optimal intake of myo-inositol is associated with a decrease in glucose, lower insulin and lower testosterone levels in women with PCOS. Among women with PCOS-related disorders (e.g. in women with obesity), myo-inositol supplementation in pregnancy has been shown to have clinical benefits in preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes in a number of clinical trials, by reducing the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertensive complications and preterm birth. The MYPP-trial will be the first randomised prospective trial aimed specifically at pregnant women with PCOS, to evaluate the potential effectiveness of myo-inositol supplementation as a nutritional intervention to prevent all three pregnancy complications associated with PCOS (i.e. GDM, preeclampsia and preterm birth). Secondary objectives are to evaluate the impact of supplementation on maternal (mental) and neonatal health, breastfeeding practices and breastmilk composition. In addition, a full cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. Women with a diagnosis of PCOS and a singleton pregnancy between 8+0 and 16+0 weeks of gestational age are eligible. Participants randomly allocated to the intervention group will receive 4 grams myo-inositol added to their routinely recommended folic acid supplement, divided over two daily sachets of sugary powder throughout pregnancy. The control group will receive similar looking sachets of supplements containing only the standard dose of folic acid without the added myo-inositol supplement, as part of the current standard-of-care recommendation. In addition to receiving supplements, participants will be asked to complete three questionnaires, provide blood and urine samples once each trimester of pregnancy, and routine ultrasound scanning will be performed to assess fetal growth. All study visits will be aligned with routine antenatal care appointments. Additionally, subjects can choose to participate in research on the impact of myo-inositol supplementation on breastfeeding and take part in the MYPP biobank. The results of this study will provide important novel recommendations for PCOS patients on the importance of optimising life-style and nutrient intake to improve pregnancy outcome.

This randomized controlled trial is aimed to assess the protective value of prophylactic cervical cerclage against preterm birth in twin pregnancies with history of one or more preterm births without having cervical shortening in the current pregnancy.

Unblinded, controlled, non-randomized, mechanistic study to determine whether physiological mechanisms underlying PVC are sensitive to adenosine. One hundred subjects undergoing clinically-indicated, standard-of-care cardiac electrophysiology study (EPS) procedure for PVCs will receive adenosine and/or verapamil to learn if their arrhythmias are inducible similarly to sustained ventricular tachycardia.

Previous studies have shown that mortality and morbidity in preterm neonates are correlated with the fall in body temperature on admission. Hypothermia can be decreased by reducing body heat losses to the environment. The investigator research hypothesis is that a new calculation of the air temperature in the incubator would promote the newborn infant weight growth from the period between birth and day 10 of life compared to cutaneous mode. The secondary hypotheses assumes a decrease in the side effects usually observed in both morbidity and mortality. A software is used to calculate the body heat loss (BHL) of each individual preterm infant, and to propose a specific air temperature setting inside the incubator to reduce BHL to zero. This software has been validated in a previous pilot study (Degorre et al. 2015). This study aims to compare the energy costs of providing incubated preterm infants born between 25 and 32 weeks of gestation with homeothermia using either specific individualized air temperature control (ATC) or skin servocontrol (SSC).

This prospective randomized controlled trial aims to investigate whether feeding very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with Mother's own milk (MOM) supplemented with either preterm (PDM) or term donor milk (TDM), when MOM is insufficient, has a positive impact on infants' protein intake, growth and morbidity.

This is a study proposal for a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a reduced dose of antenatal betamethasone (a steroid medication) in preventing respiratory problems in late preterm infants (born between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation). The study will be conducted in medical centers in Israel and will involve women who are at high risk for delivering a late preterm infant. The participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a full dose (12 mg) or a quarter dose (3 mg) of betamethasone, administered 24 hours apart. The main outcome measure of the study will be the incidence of respiratory problems or neonatal death within 72 hours of delivery in the two groups. The study is designed to determine if the reduced dose of betamethasone is non-inferior (i.e., not significantly worse) than the full dose in preventing respiratory problems in late preterm infants.

Pre-clinical animal studies provide robust evidence regarding the beneficial effect of stem cells for intestinal disease. This single-center, randomized, controlled, blinded trial assessed the effect of a single intravenous infusion of autologous cord blood MNCs (ACBMNCs) in preventing NEC in preterm neonates,and influence on growth and development.

Extremely low gestational age neonates (ELGAN, i.e., born before 28 gestation weeks) are among the most heavily transfused pediatric patients. In this clinical setting, repeated red blood cell (RBC) transfusions independently predict a poor outcome, with a higher risk for mortality and morbidity. Recent studies from our own and other groups highlighted a close association between low levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), two disabilities that frequently complicate preterm birth. This association is not surprising, considering that 1) preterm neonates have a highly immature antioxidant reserve and both ROP and BPD rely on the oxidative damage as underlying mechanism; 2) in comparison with HbA, HbF is endowed with higher oxygen affinity, greater redox potential, higher tetrameric stability, and higher ability to generate unbound nitric oxide, all functions potentially protective in presence of an oxidative challenge; 3) in normal prenatal life, developing organ and tissues are exposed exclusively to HbF until last weeks of gestation; 4) in preterm neonates, the switch of the synthesis from HbF to HbA occurs around their due date, i.e., several weeks after the premature birth; 5) when preterm neonates receive transfusions, their tissues are abruptly exposed to high levels of HbA. We have recently run a pilot trial demonstrating as a proof-of-concept that transfusing cord blood red blood cell concentrates (CB-RBC) effectively prevents or restrains the HbF loss consequent to adult donor standard transfusions (A-RBC). This study explores the hypothesis that transfusing CB-RBCs instead of A-RBC may lower the incidence of severe ROP in ELGANs needing transfusions.

A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial to Evaluate the Impact of Early Prophylactic Continuous Positive Airway Pressure with or without Supplemental Oxygen in Spontaneously Breathing Late Preterm Newborn Infants Born by Cesarean Delivery, Compared to No Early Prophylactic Continuous Positive Airway Pressure with or without Supplemental Oxygen, on the Need for Further Respiratory Support Leading to NICU Admissions.

This study will evaluate the impact of matching donor human milk to the maternal secretor status of very preterm infants (<34 weeks gestation) on the gut microbiome. Half of enrolled infants will receive donor human milk which is matched their mother's secretor status and half will receive standard (unmatched) donor human milk, which is standard care in the neonatal intensive care unit.