BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests that elevated ambient temperatures may trigger preterm delivery. Since results from studies in temperate climates are inconclusive, we investigated the association between temperature and the risk of preterm birth in Flanders (Belgium). METHODS We used data on 807 835 singleton deliveries (January 1998-July 2011). We combined a quasi-Poisson model with dist...

Recent investigations have shown that late preterm infants have increased risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, neurosensory impairment, and emotional, behavior and learning problems. Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) abnormality may partly contribute to these problems. Our aim was to measure VEMP in late preterm infants and to compare the findings between late preterm an...

OBJECTIVE To examine prenatal, maternal, and infant outcomes and costs through 1 year after delivery using a model of prenatal care for women at high risk of delivering low-birth-weight infants in which half of the prenatal care was provided in women's homes by nurse specialists with master's degrees. STUDY DESIGN Randomized clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS A sample of 173 women (and 19...

OBJECTIVES To investigate whether risk factors for preterm (<37 weeks gestation) and early-term birth (37 and 38 weeks gestation) are similar. DESIGN Nationally representative cross-sectional study of births. SETTING France in 2010. PARTICIPANTS Live singleton births (n=14 326). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES Preterm and early-term birth rates overall and by mode of delivery (sp...

Numerous reports have examined the relationship between sonographically determined cervical length and spontaneous preterm birth. Moreover, large screening studies have consistently demonstrated that the shorter the cervical length, the higher the rate of spontaneous preterm delivery. However, the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the cervical length for detecting preterm birth were ...

background: group b streptococcus is regarded as a potential factor for adverse outcomes of pregnancy such as preterm birth. objective: to study the association of maternal vaginal colonization with group b streptococcus (gbs) and preterm labor. materials and methods: from april 2005 to may 2006, vaginal culture for gbs were conducted in 101 laboring women with a gestational age of 24-37 weeks ...

OBJECTIVE Preterm labor is one of the common causes of prenatal morbidity and mortality. With considering the importance of preterm labor and lack of sufficient studies about the relationship between preterm labor and some factors such as cigarette smoking and opiate-using, the present study was designed. METHODS We performed this descriptive-analytic study on 988 pregnant women referring to ...

BACKGROUND The antigen-specific T cell responses of preterm infants to immunization are not well understood. The aim of the present study was to compare the T cell responses of preterm infants after inactivated poliovirus vaccination with those of term infants. METHODS We prospectively enrolled 2-month-old preterm (gestational age, 33 weeks) and term (gestational age, 37 weeks) infants to rec...

Maternal milk is the first source of exogenous polyamines for the newborn. Polyamines modulate gut maturation in neonates, but no studies are available on polyamine concentration in human milk of preterm babies, even though they could be important for their immature gut. The present study aimed to determine polyamine concentration in human breast milk of mothers with preterm or term infants dur...

Aims: Low systemic blood flow occurs in up to 30% of infants born at less than 30 weeks gestation. It is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and current treatments are ineffective in 40% of cases. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of the preterm heart to respond to the acute shifts in preload and afterload that occur at the time of birth. Methods: Myocardial and coro...