Neonatal Medicine News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Though expanded carrier screening can predict likely instances of infant hospitalization or infant mortality before a child is conceived, there is not a complete understanding among the medical and patient communities about what the role of this screening should be, according to a discussion here at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting.

Infants born through cesarean section are more likely to require hospitalization for bronchiolitis compared with infants born through spontaneous vaginal delivery, according to research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting. Researchers said the season in which the infant is born may also affect the risk for hospitalization.

A review published in Breastfeeding Medicine reinforces that no routine vaccinations are contraindicated for nursing mothers.

The earlier in pregnancy a woman quits smoking, the lower her risk for preterm birth, even if she was a high-frequency cigarette smoker, according to findings recently published in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers in Finland found that a newborn’s microbiome, measured in his or her first stool sample, predicted whether the child would subsequently become overweight.

The rare occurrence of a scabies outbreak in the NICU of a children’s hospital underscored just how difficult the disease is to diagnose and treat in that setting, according to researchers.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently concluded there is insufficient evidence to determine the balance and harms of screening for elevated blood lead levels in asymptomatic pregnant women and children aged 5 years and younger.

Findings of a prospective birth cohort study presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases suggested that infants born through caesarean section have an altered gut microbiota that may leave them more susceptible to respiratory infections in the first year of life.

Children of women who used tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, or TDF, to prevent transmission of hepatitis B to their child did not have lower bone mineral density compared with children who were exposed to placebo, according to findings from a randomized controlled trial published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

About 13% of infants survive to discharge when they are born weighing less than 400 g — or slightly less than 1 pound — and those who do survive face an increased risk for neurodevelopmental impairment. However, researchers said active treatment considerably improves the infants’ chances of survival.