Active clinical trials for "Premature Birth"

A prospective observational study of the incidence of treatment-requiring ROP (TR-ROP), at a national level, in Greece.

This is a retrospective, multi center clinical study collecting existing, de-identified subject data from medical records to be analyzed using an independent core laboratory to validate performance of a computational ECG mapping system (vMap™).

The anticipated birth of an extremely low gestational age infant presents many complex and ethically challenging questions, including whether to initiate resuscitation or comfort care after delivery. Failure to identify and align decision-making to parents' values during periviabilty counseling may result in greater opportunity for decisional regret. The goal of the proposed research is to assess decisional regret in mothers of extremely premature births and to compare decisional regret in mothers who chose resuscitation at time of delivery to those who chose comfort care. Approximately 1000 mothers of infants born extremely premature at 2 perinatal centers in the US will be surveyed.

Women are being asked to participate in a research study that is looking for new methods to understand and predict premature birth (birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy-full term pregnancy is 40 weeks). In this study the investigators will be looking at proteins in vaginal fluid, tissue from the placenta after the baby is born (fetal membranes), and a new form of ultrasound of the mouth of the womb (cervix) that measures its length, volume, and stiffness, in order to try to know who will have a preterm birth and who will reach full term. The investigators will collect the vaginal fluid samples and perform ultrasounds both in the clinic throughout pregnancy in normal women, and from women admitted to the hospital because they are in early labor. The investigators will collect the placental tissue after the baby is born (this is normally discarded). This study will help us to understand the process of preterm birth and the investigators hope that this will eventually allow us to develop better methods to treat preterm labor and prevent the birth of premature babies.

Premature Endothelial Dysfunction is present in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

This is a study examining repeatability and feasibility of a new method for measurement of lung function in babies. A flexible vest is placed around the torso of the baby, and changes in tidal volume and flow is measured. The study will enable a better understanding of the usefulness of this equipment in a neonatal intensive care unit. The equipment is made by VOLUSENSE Norway AS, and marketed under the name FloRight. The equipment is owned by Volusense Norway AS during the study period.

Prematurity represents 8% of birth and it is one of the leading causes of infant complications. The preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) represents one-third of preterm birth and the rupture of membranes increase the risk of fetal exposition to infection which could lead to neurological sequels. Classic management of women with PPROM before 32SA is based on the extension of the pregnancy with the risk of adding complications like a secondary infection. Moreover, different studies have shown that fetal infection could be one of the most important risk factor for subsequent neurological complications. However, it is difficult to know if it is better to extend the pregnancy to gain in maturity or to arrest the pregnancy to avoid the risk of intrauterine infection. The research objective is to suggest a new strategy to manage women with PPROM. With this new strategy, the investigators seek to extend pregnancy as much as possible but the investigators would like to give birth before the intrauterine infection. The investigators suggest detecting protein associate with neurological complications of preterm child in the amniotic liquid found in the vagina of the mother. A positive test will lead to the delivery of the newborn before its infection. The hypothesis is that it is possible to study changes in the inflammatory status of patients who presented an PPROM from repeated detection of interleukins in vaginal secretions.

The aim of this project is to establish a clinical database and a bank of biological materials which will be used to improve the pathophysiologic understanding of the mechanisms underlying various pregnancy diseases. The US-Mexico Reproductive Health Research Development Workshop, sponsored by the NIH, recommended that the setting up of "tissue, blood, and placental banks from human and relevant animal models should be developed to aid in understanding how prenatal conditions relate to pathological consequences in adult life". A large observational study in the United States of America, the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (NCPP), was conducted over 30 years ago (1959-1966) and has yielded a large amount of useful information. However standards of obstetrical and neonatal care have changed significantly over the last 30 years. Thus the setting up of a contemporary clinical perinatal database and bank of biological materials is required. In order to obtain sufficient data for statistical analysis a large sample size is necessary. We propose to carry out this project at Sotero del Rio Hospital, Santiago Chile as this hospital has a delivery rate of approximately 14,000 women per year. Previous research collaborative efforts between the Sotero del Rio Hospital and the PRB have been carried out in compliance with NIH research regulations. Sotero del Rio Hospital has had previous successful negotiations of Single Project Assurances (SPA) with the NIH. Information will be collected from clinical history taking, physical examination, sonographic examination and standard laboratory procedures. The bank of biological fluids and tissues will include maternal blood, umbilical cord plasma, amniotic fluid, maternal urine and placental tissue. No procedures will be carried out on patients that are not part of standard of care at Sotero del Rio Hospital.

The purpose of this application is to request permission to use a bank of biological specimens and clinical information collected by the investigators prior to their joining the intramural program. The samples have been gathered under the sponsorship and approval of the Human Investigations Committees at Yale University, Wayne State University and Pennsylvania Hospital in the United States, the Sotero del Rio Hospital, the Hospital of the Universidad de Chile and the Universidad Catolica de Chile , in Chile. The investigators have generated a bank of amniotic fluid, maternal blood and urine, and fetal blood obtained at the time of delivery (from the umbilical cord and by cordocentesis), neonate s urine and sonographic examinations of the fetus, including echocardiography, stored on videotapes. Clinical information with patient identifiers is available for these samples and sonographic examinations.

The development of sleep-wake behavior is considered to be one of the most important maturation processes occurring in the first year of life. Sleep-wake behavior is related to neurobehavioral regulation of the infant and cognitive function, and gives important information about infant's health. It is suggested that the identification of sleep-wake patterns in preterm infants is critical to the detection of future disorders, early diagnosis and planning of intervention studies In this study we aimed to recruit a total of 25 premature babies born between 28 to 37 weeks of gestational age over six month in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital. Sleep wake cycles of these premature infants will be assessed at 32 weeks corrected age by actigraphy, sleep diaries, direct observation and Amplitude integrated electroencephalography (aEEG). We also aimed to investigate the maturation of sleep patterns of these infants included in the study at postconceptional 40th weeks of age, and 12th, and at 24th weeks corrected age, by sleep diaries and actigraphic measurements at their home environment. Development will be assessed by Bayley and Ages and Stages Questionnaire.