OBJECTIVE Early neonatal mortality within the first 24 hours contributes substantially to overall neonatal mortality rates. The definition of birth asphyxia (BA) is imprecise, and reliable cause-specific mortality data are limited; thus the estimated proportion of BA-related deaths globally remains questionable. The objective was to determine the presumed causes of neonatal death within the fir...

The low birth weight (LBW) infant has a much higher risk of mortality and morbidity in infancy and early childhood. This study examined the effects of maternal HIV infection and other risk factors for LBW (< 2,500 g). A retrospective study of mothers who delivered at Mae Chan Hospital from 1997 to 2002 was conducted. Logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding factors. There were 266...

BACKGROUND Manganese (Mn) is an essential element for humans, but exposure to high levels has been associated with adverse developmental outcomes. Early epidemiological studies evaluating the effect of Mn on fetal growth are inconsistent. METHODS We investigated the association between maternal urinary Mn during pregnancy and the risk of low birth weight (LBW). Mn concentrations in maternal u...

Optimal feeding of low birth weight (LBW) infants improves their immediate survival and subsequent growth and development. Being a heterogeneous group comprising term and preterm neonates, their feeding abilities, fluid and nutritional requirements are quite different from normal birth weight infants. A practical approach to feeding a LBW infant including choice of initial feeding method, progr...

Latest World Health Organization guidelines recommend weight-based nevirapine prophylaxis for all HIV-exposed infants in resource-limited settings, yet low birth weight (LBW) infants (< 2500 g) have been understudied. Using data from the NIH-funded India six-week extended-dose nevirapine (SWEN) study, a randomized clinical trial of SWEN versus single-dose nevirapine (SD) for prevention of breas...

BACKGROUND Kangaroo mother care (KMC), originally defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent and exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from hospital, has been proposed as an alternative to conventional neonatal care for low birthweight (LBW) infants. OBJECTIVES To determine whether evidence is available to support the use of KMC in LB...

BACKGROUND Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that is common in many tropical and subtropical areas. Dengue infections can occur at any age and time in the lifespan, including during pregnancy. Few large scale studies have been conducted to determine the risk of preterm birth (PTB) and low birthweight (LBW) for infants born to women who had symptomatic dengue infection during pregnancy. METHO...

Birth weight of the baby is an important indicator of reproductive health and general health status of a population. Low birth weight (LBW) is considered as single most important predictor of infant mortality, especially of deaths within the first month of life [1]. According to WHO, LBW is defined as an infant birth weight less than 2500g [2]. Low and middle income countries are the target pop...

There are minimal data to define normal oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels for infants within the first 24 hours of life and even fewer data generalisable to the 7% of the global population that resides at an altitude of >1500 m. The aim of this study was to establish the reference range for SpO2 in healthy term and preterm neonates within 24 hours in Nairobi, Kenya, located at 1800 m. A random sa...

13 VOLUME 45__JANUARY 17, 2008 A newborn infant weighing less than 2500g at birth is termed as low birth weight (LBW) neonate. Low birth weight in a newborn infant results due to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or prematurity. According to UNICEF, the incidence of LBW neonates is 30% in India(1). Low birth weight neonates are further classified as very low birth weight (VLBW <1500 g) and...