Active clinical trials for "Premature Birth"

This single-group study will assess growth and tolerance of infants fed a post-discharge preterm infant formula containing a prebiotic.

Chronic Lung Disease (CLD) of Prematurity is a common yet challenging co-morbidity affecting extremely premature newborns. Multifactorial influences leading to this co-morbidity is known and targeted in various research studies. Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is common among the same cohort of patients. The investigators hypothesize that recurrent milk reflux into the airways of the premature babies worsen the inflammation of premature lungs and is a major contributor of CLD. The investigators hypothesize that Continuous feeding (CF) minimises GER and micro-aspiration, thereby reducing the incidence and severity of CLD in high-risk infants. Our aim is to compare the effect of intermittent bolus versus continuous intra-gastric feeding on the incidence and severity of CLD in very low birth weight infants ≤ 1250 grams.

Preterm birth (PTB) is the primary cause of infant death worldwide. It has been shown that a vaginal microbiota deplete in Lactobacillus species is a risk factor for preterm labour. Conversely a vaginal microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus crispatus appears to be protective for these adverse outcomes. A wide range of 'over the counter' Lactobacillus spp. containing products targeted at 'vaginal health' and formulated for vaginal administration are available, but most of them do not contain vaginal species of Lactobacillus. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether vaginal supplementation with L. crispatus CTV-05 is associated with colonisation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of fetal right heart doppler findings in determination of pulmonary maturity. Materials and Methods: Pregnant women refered to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Karadeniz Technical University were included in the study. Pregnant women with pregestational or gestational diabetes mellitus, morbid obesity, thyroid dysfunction and fetal abnormality aneuploidy were not included in the study. The study was planned on women with late preterm and term pregnancy. Late preterm cases between 34-37 weeks were included in study group and term cases over 37 weeks were in control group. The doppler findings of main pulmonary artery and right pulmonary artery, mitral valve e/a wave ratio and lamellar body count were determined as the main outcomes. During caesarean section, 5cc amniotic fluid was taken to measure lamellar bodies count. Perinatal results of patients were recorded. p<0.05 was considered as statistical significance.

This thesis was planned to examine the effects of risk factors seen with a history of preterm birth on sensory and motor development in preschool children. A total of 48 children, 24 with only a history of preterm birth and 24 with additional risk factors for preterm birth, were included in the study.

Abstract Background: Screening examinations for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is critical to reduce ROP-related vision loss, however, the procedure is painful and uncomfortable, and topical anesthetics do not completely suppress the painful responses. The number of safe and effective pharmacological options to reduce pain during eye examinations for ROP screening in preterm infants is limited. Objective: This study compared the efficacy of oral ibuprofen and oral paracetamol in reducing pain during screening for ROP in preterm infants. Design: This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary-care neonatal intensive care units. Forty-four preterm infants with gestational age ≤ 32 weeks undergoing ROP screening were included. Each enrolled infant received either oral ibuprofen 10 mg/kg (n = 22) or oral paracetamol 10 mg/kg (n = 22) one hour before eye examination. The primary outcome measure was pain assessed by the Neonatal Pain, Agitation, and Sedation (N-PASS) scale. Secondary outcome measures were tachycardia, bradycardia, desaturations, and crying time.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is common among very preterm infants. If pharmacological closure is ineffective or contraindicated, surgical ligation may be required. Access to cardiothoracic surgery may influence the timing of ligation, with possible long-term clinical effects. This study protocol aims to assess the impact of different surgical management of PDA (bedside surgery vs. referral to a cardiac surgery centre) on ligation timing and neonatal clinical outcomes in two tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Infants born at St. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy (group 1, bedside ligation) and Cambridge University Hospital, Cambridge, UK (group 2, referred to an off-site specialist paediatric cardiac surgical centre) who underwent PDA ligation between 2007 and 2018 will be included in this retrospective cohort study if fulfilling the following criteria: gestational age (GA) <32 weeks, birth weight (BW) <1500 g, inborn, absence of major malformation or congenital heart disease. Neonatal clinical outcomes will be collected and compared between the 2 groups.

Intermittent episodes of hypoxemia and/or bradycardia, also defined as cardio-respiratory events (CRE) are very frequent in preterm infants and may result in transient hypoxia and hypoperfusion of target organs, with possible clinical implications. The hemodynamic instability that characterizes the first 72 hours of life, also called as transitional period, place preterm infants at high risk of complications and may contribute to enhance fluctuations in end-organ perfusion and oxygenation induced by CRE. In this study we aimed to explore cardiovascular and cerebrovascular changes determined by different CRE types in preterm infants during the transitional period.

For therapy of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature babies, there are several established options. An important therapeutic aspect is the tracheal administration of exogenous surfactant into the child's lung. In the recent years, several methods have been developed. The methods differ in the selected ventilation mode (intubation with mechanical ventilation vs. Continous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)-supported spontaneous breathing) and in the way in which the application of surfactant is technically conducted (via endotracheal tube, endotracheal catheter or nebulization). In selection of ventilation technique, there is an upcoming trend towards less invasive respiratory support via CPAP. While this may increase the rate of complications on the one side (i.e. pneumothorax), it shows much lower oxygen demand and a shorter need for mechanical ventilation on the other side. In the selection of the administration technique, different methods were repeatedly developed to adapt the surfactant administration to the CPAP therapy. In this study, a newly developed and in the European Community now certified (CE-Mark) application aid (Neofact) will be tested for the first time on preterm infants, to verify the feasibility.

Objectives: To evaluate maternal serum trace elements and heavy metals namely, aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), molybdenum (Mo), cadmium (Cd), tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) in pregnant women complicated by preterm prelabour rupture of the membranes (pP-ROM) and to compare the results with healthy pregnancies. Methods: Maternal serum levels of Al, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg, and Pb were measured in the study group, which included 55 pregnant women complicated with pP-ROM and 60 healthy pregnancies (control group) with respect to maternal age and gestational weeks. The maternal serum levels of trace elements and heavy metals in both groups were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and compared.