Prevention of preterm birth and subsequent newborn immaturity is a primary goal of obstetrical care worldwide. Accumulated evidence shows that 1) as many as 25-50% of preterm births are caused by common genital tract infections and subsequent maternal/fetal inflammatory responses; 2) microbial and maternal host factors (phospholipases, proteases, etc.) play roles in preterm labor and preterm pr...

Objective: Evaluate the educational software application Semiotics and semiology of the preterm newborn. Methods: The layout and content evaluation of the application was performed with the participation of three information technology specialists, two audiovisual specialists and eleven nurses (professors and healthcare nurses). Results: Most of the items evaluated in the application received g...

Neuroinflammation contributes to developmental brain injury associated with preterm birth, but the mediators that drive it are incompletely understood. Previous studies have shown that complement C5a is present and injurious in the brains of foetal mice exposed to preterm labour. Here, we demonstrate that C5a is present in the cerebrospinal fluid of newborn human infants and that levels are ele...

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...

Introduction: Some studies have linked maternal underweight with adverse perinatal outcomes such as spontaneous abortion, abruptio placentae, small for gestational age newborn, intrauterine growth retardation and preterm birth. Objective: To determine the influence of maternal underweight in the onset of labor, route of delivery, birth weight, Apgar score and preterm birth. Methods: Retrospecti...

Piglets are often used as experimental models for studying cerebrovascular responses in newborn infants. However, the mechanical characteristics of piglets' middle cerebral arteries (MCA) are not well characterized. Additionally, the vessels' response to dopamine, the most commonly used vasopressor in newborns, is not characterized in piglets' MCA. Finally, the influence of preterm birth on the...

The temperature changes associated with total care nursing procedures were studied on 249 occasions during the first week of life in 25 preterm infants weighing less than 1500 g, 16 of whom weighed less than 1100 g. Large drops in both central and peripheral temperature occurred, with widening of the central-peripheral temperature gap. Recovery of the temperature after the total care procedure ...

OBJECTIVE To detail low molecular mass heparin (enoxaparin) use in the first few months of life. DESIGN Prospective, consecutive cohort of unselected newborn infants. METHODS Newborn infants were divided into groups by gestational age, underlying condition, hepatic and renal function, thrombocytopenia, and prothrombin time (PT/INR). Groups were analysed with respect to many aspects of enoxa...

INTRODUCTION In-Home nursing care of the preterm newborn helps to bring the family situation to normal, promotes breastfeeding and development of the newborn, and enables the reorganization of health care resources. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that in-home nursing care of the preterm newborn leads to an increase in weight and a similar morbidity. PATIENTS AND METHODOLOGY A tot...

Abnormalities of premature newborn adaptation after preterm birth result in significant perinatal mortality and morbidity. We assessed the effects of short-term (24 h) fetal betamethasone exposure on preterm newborn baboon pulmonary and cardiovascular regulation and renal sodium handling during the first 24 h after birth. Male fetal baboons ( Papio) (124-day gestation, term 185 days) received u...