Iron deficiency anemia is a common problem in newborn infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends iron prophylaxis at 4 months of age for term infants. There is no specific recommendation for iron prophylaxis in late-preterm infants. We aimed to establish the optimum time for iron prophylaxis in late-preterm infants. Thirty-eight late-preterm (Group 1) and 38 term (Group 2) infants b...

Free radical injury is thought to be one of the common mechanisms for several diseases in preterm infants. Lipid peroxidation plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of many neonatal complications because the antioxidant system of preterm infants is highly stressed and incompletely developed. We aimed to determine the oxidative stress [Malondialdehyde (MDA)] and antioxidants [Total antioxidant a...

BACKGROUND Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants. Preterm birth, in addition to several demographic and environmental factors, increases the risk for development of severe RSV infection. The purpose of this study was to describe differences in risk factors and protective factors between preterm birth (up to 35 weeks' gestational age...

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...

BACKGROUND Preflight hypoxia challenge testing (HCT) in a body plethysmograph has previously been done only on infants >3 months of corrected gestational age (CGA). This study aims to determine the earliest fit-to-fly age by testing neonates <1 week old. METHODS A prospective observational study was carried out on 3 groups of infants: healthy term infants ≤7 days old, preterm infants (≥34 wee...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare growth and body composition of late preterm infants to that of extremely preterm and full-term infants. METHODS Observational longitudinal study. Forty-nine late preterm infants and 63 extremely preterm infants were included in the study. Forty healthy, full-term, breast-fed infants were enrolled as a reference group. Anthropometric parameters a...

BACKGROUND Neonatal brain injuries are the main cause of visual deficit produced by damage to posterior visual pathways. While there are several studies of visual function in low-risk preterm infants or older children with brain injuries, research in children of early age is lacking. AIM To assess several aspects of visual function in preterm infants with brain injuries and to compare them wi...

BACKGROUND No pharmacokinetic data about remifentanil in preterm infants exist, although remifentanil is increasingly used in this especially vulnerable subgroup of pediatric patients. Unfortunately, ethical restrictions in the volume of blood that can be withdrawn for kinetic sampling nearly prohibit pharmacokinetic studies in preterm infants. METHODS Because remifentanil is rapidly metaboli...

Newborn infants, especially preterm infants, have an immature immune system, which is not capable to actively protect against vaccine-preventable infections. Therefore, the newborn is dependent on transplacental transport of Immunoglobulin G (IgG), an active, FcRn receptor mediated process. Fetal IgG rises from approximately 10% of the maternal concentration at 17-22weeks of gestation to 50% at...