The inverse relationship between gestational age at birth and postviral respiratory morbidity suggests that infants born preterm (PT) may miss a critical developmental window of T cell maturation. Despite a continued increase in younger PT survivors with respiratory complications, we have limited understanding of normal human fetal T cell maturation, how ex utero development in premature infant...

BACKGROUND In high-income countries, it is standard practice to give antibiotics to women with pre-term, pre-labour rupture of membranes (pPROM) to delay birth and reduce the risk of infection. In low and middle-income settings, where some 2 million neonatal deaths occur annually due to complications of pre-term birth or infection, many women do not receive antibiotic therapy for pPROM. OBJEC...

Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy has been suggested to affect birth outcomes. Previous studies mainly focused on birth outcomes and did not study fetal growth during pregnancy. In a prospective cohort study from early pregnancy onwards in The Netherlands, we assessed the associations of first-trimester maternal total-fish, lean-fish, fatty-fish and shellfish consumption with fetal gro...

Composite outcomes comprising more than one clinically relevant end point are used in clinical trials where there is no single important outcome or the outcome is very rare. Pre-eclampsia is associated with significant maternal and neonatal complications and delivery is often expedited to minimise complications. There is a need for a randomised trial to evaluate the timing of delivery in women ...

Ten million or more newborns worldwide each year need some type of resuscitation assistance. More than 1 million babies die annually from complications of birth asphyxia. Over the past 3 decades, neonatal resuscitation has evolved from disparate, word-of-mouth teaching methods to organized programs. The most widely-used curriculum is the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, which is supported by the...

BACKGROUND Preterm birth is the major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prophylactic vaginal progesterone on decreasing preterm birth rate and neonatal complications in a high-risk population. MATERIALS AND METHODS A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed on 100 high-risk singleton pregnancies. ...

Congenital hypopituitarism is a rare condition associated with possible serious complications and long-term neurological sequelae, if not promptly recognized and treated.1 Neonates with congenital hypopituitarism may present with or without associated developmental defects, such as ocular, midline, and genital abnormalities. They may also present with nonspecific symptoms, including hypoglycemi...

BACKGROUND Globally 7.6 million children died in 2010 before reaching their fifth birthday and 40% of these deaths occur in the neonatal period. Pakistan has the third highest rate of neonatal mortality globally. To implement evidence-based interventions for the reduction of neonatal mortality, it is important to investigate factors associated with neonatal mortality. The aim of the current stu...

Umbilical and supraumbilical catheter insertion is a common procedure performed in the NICU. It is a safe and usually easy procedure devoid of serious mishaps, morbidity and mortality. Complications such as hemorrhage, infection, hernia, evisceration, omphalitis, portal vein thrombosis and portal hypertension may occur after umbilical catheter insertion. Other uncommon and rare complications re...

OBJECTIVES Genetic and nonshared environmental factors (experienced by 1 family member to the exclusion of the others) have been strongly implicated in the causes of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Pregnancy, labour/delivery and neonatal complications (PLDNC) have often been associated with ADHD; however, no investigations aimed at delineating the shared or nonshared nature of ...