Necrotizing enterocolitis in full-term infants is relatively rare. When seen, it is usually associated with perinatal asphyxia, sepsis, or specific forms of congenital heart disease. It can also be associated with endocrinopathies. In this review, a full-term infant was found to have necrotizing enterocolitis and persistent hypoglycemia. Evaluation for hypoglycemia revealed pan-hypopituitarism,...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a common and devastating disease of premature infants. Immaturity of the innate immune system of the gut is central to the pathogenesis of NEC. Recent studies suggest a key role for Paneth cells in this disease. Addressing basic questions on the development and function of immature Paneth cells may shed light on the puzzling pathophysiology of NEC. Current ani...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is among the most common and devastating diseases that primarily afflicts preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) (1). Despite recent advances in neonatal care, the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and the associated morbidity and mortality have remained unchanged because of the improved survival for smaller, more premature infants (2). Both...

The clinical presentation, diagnostic features, therapeutic measures, and results of treatment of 29 infants with the firmly established diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis are reviewed. A cohort of control patients are studied in an attempt to identify risk factors which may predispose infants to develop this serious complication of the newborn period. The incidence of necrotizing enterocol...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a gastrointestinal disease that mostly affects premature infants. It involves infection and inflammation that causes destruction of the bowel. Although it affects only 1 in 2,000 to 4,000 births, or between 1 and 5% of neonatal intensive care unit admissions, NEC is the most common and serious gastrointestinal disorder among hospitalized preterm infants. We pr...

From October 2010 to December 2015, we screened a total of 1716 babies. 809 babies were from well-baby nurseries and 907 babies were from neonatal intensive care unit. 299 babies failed the first screen, but only 66 out of 299 appeared for rescreen. Eighteen babies failed the rescreen and were recommended BERA testing. However, none of the babies turned up for BERA testing or could not be track...

A 66-year-old male presented with posterior myocardial infarction and painless rectal bleeding. He was treated for acute coronary event but despite extensive investigations the cause of his lower gastrointestinal bleeding remained elusive. Patient died 5 days after admission. Postmortem examination showed evidence of severe atherosclerosis and thrombosis in branches of abdominal aorta leading t...

One of the most controversial areas in neonatology is whether probiotics should be provided routinely to preterm infants to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). This review provides the reader with a brief overview of NEC and current concepts of its pathophysiology, discusses the microbial ecology of the intestine in preterm infants and factors that may lead to a "dysbiosis", summarizes stu...

From October 2010 to December 2015, we screened a total of 1716 babies. 809 babies were from well-baby nurseries and 907 babies were from neonatal intensive care unit. 299 babies failed the first screen, but only 66 out of 299 appeared for rescreen. Eighteen babies failed the rescreen and were recommended BERA testing. However, none of the babies turned up for BERA testing or could not be track...