Active clinical trials for "Premature Birth"

In the embry life there is a passage of IgG type, from the mother to tha embryoyo and only in the age of 3-5 month after birth the infant start to develop them by himself. In preterm infants the starting point of the level of the IgG's is lower from the level of term infants. Delayed cord clamping /milking it was prooved in many researches as benificial in terms of : levels of hemoglobin; hematocrit and feritin in the neonats. Also benefits were proved by means of less need for blood tranfusion, less intra ventricular hemorrhage; necrotzing entero colitis and iron deficiency anemia. The hypothesis is that delayed clamping /milking it will increse the level of IgG's in preterm infants. The end point hypothesis is that delayed cord clamping /milking cause to less fever disease or hospitalization it the neonats.

The purpose of this study is to test the safety and effectiveness of a whole own (autologous) umbilical cord blood transfusion in the first 5 days after birth if the baby is born premature <34 weeks and developed anemia of prematurity.

Infants are exposed to either continuous bright light continuous near darkness or unstructured combination of the two. The investigators primary objective is to determine the effectiveness cycled light and near darkness on growth in preterm infants.

Very preterm babies frequently develop problems with their blood circulation during the first few days after birth. These circulation problems could affect the oxygen and blood flow to their brain and lead to effects such as bleeding in the head or delayed developmental milestones later in life. Currently the care for such problems may include transfusion of intravenous fluids or blood to the baby and/or giving the baby medications that can help circulation. The current practice at the delivery of these babies is to immediately clamp their umbilical cords after birth. Recent research studies have shown that giving more of the baby's own blood to them at birth by delayed cord clamping (waiting for clamping the cord for about 30-90 seconds) or by milking the cord, may reduce the number of blood transfusions that these babies may need later on. It may also improve their initial blood pressure and reduce the chances of bleeding in their heads. More research is needed to prove if either delayed cord clamping or milking the cord at birth will be better in terms of improving these babies' health. The aim of this study is to find out if adding some blood to these babies' circulation, through milking the cord at birth, could prevent or reduce the possible problems with blood circulation and the reduced blood flow to the brain that some of these babies may have after birth. The investigators will also investigate if milking the cord at birth could improve their long-term developmental outcome. Hypothesis: In preterm infants less than 31 weeks' gestation, milking the umbilical cord 3 times prior to clamping, compared to immediate clamping after birth will improve systemic blood flow (as assessed by improving superior vena cava flow measured by heart ultrasound in the first 24 hours after birth)

Preterm children are at increased risk for autism spectrum disorders, with an estimated rate of 10%. In the US, about 1 in 8 pregnancies ends with a premature birth. Therefore, individuals with ASD who were born prematurely form a substantial body of children diagnosed with ASD. Premature birth confers an insult to the newborn at a neurologically vulnerable stage. Prematurity associated changes in oxygen tension can be detrimental to developing organs, the brain being one of the most rapidly developing organs in the second half of the pregnancy. Changes in oxygen tension mediate activation of proteins that change the course of cell development. In this study, we plan to measure changes in the expression of 3 proteins that may be affected by changes in oxygen level at birth. We will study the interaction between the proteins' levels in the first few days after premature birth with a diagnosis of ASD at 2 years of age. The proteins are: VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), a protein that takes part in creating new blood vessels during embryonic development. Hypoxia-inducible factor -1(HIF-1), a key protein that coordinates expression of different genes, many with developmentally critical functions. CXCR4, a cell surface protein that is activated by SDF-1. SDF- 1 is a molecule that regulates migration of cells to their target destination during embryonic life. CXCR4 is expressed in areas of the brain and on cells that are known to be associated with ASD. We hypothesis that changes in oxygen tension in premature babies initiates a cascade of events that lead to changes in cell mobility via abnormal CXCR4 expression. This change leads to abnormal neurodevelopment. The investigators' primary aim is to find if there is a correlation between postnatal levels of expression of HIF-1, CXCR4 and VEGF and a diagnosis of autism at age 24 months. The investigators' secondary aim is to find if there is a correlation between postnatal levels of expression of HIF-1, CXCR4 and VEGF and a language or neurocognitive delay. Methods: Premature babies will be recruited in the first day post delivery. Blood samples will be collected at 3 time points during their hospitalization, and the expression of HIF-1, CXCR4 and VEGF will be determined. Infants will undergo a complete developmental evaluation at 18-24 months of age . Postnatal levels of HIF, CXCR4 and VEGF will be plotted against the results of the developmental evaluation.

Pregnant women who receive study counseling which includes gestational age specific written information in addition to the verbal counseling will have better knowledge of problems and outcomes of prematurity than women who receive standard counseling which consists of only verbal counseling.

Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) is treated with an antibiotic, erythromycin or azithromycin, to prolong pregnancy. Erythromycin is taken for several days and can result in stomach upset in some patients, causing them to stop taking the medication. Therefore, azithromycin is often prescribed instead. Azithromycin is usually taken only once and stomach upset is not seen or greatly reduced. The goal of this study is to see if there is a difference between the antibiotic (azithromycin) compared to the antibiotic (erythromycin) in prolonging pregnancy in patients with Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM). The working hypothesis is that there is no difference in the clinical effectiveness between antibiotic regimens containing te macrolides azithromycin and erythromycin for prolonging latency in PPROM.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the signs of nephronic reduction in preterm infants who have presented neonatal acute renal failure. The investigators hypothesize that signs of nephronic reduction would appear earlier in former preterm with neonatal acute renal failure than in control preterm infants.

Study to assess the efficacy and safety of oral potassium citrate on the Prevention of nephrocalcinosis in extreme premature: a clinical trial, randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial.

This is a research study to determine if an experimental device called the NTrainer can improve oral feeding skills more quickly and more effectively than traditional methods in infants who are at high risk of feeding dysfunction and delayed hospital discharge.