Neonatal Medicine News

A recent study found that prolonged empirical antibiotic exposure could potentially cause harm when used within the first week after birth in very low-birth-weight infants.

Mothers who exclusively breastfed for longer than 3 months significantly lowered their child’s risk of eczema, according to findings presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting.

Research published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases showed that in more than 90% of cases of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis in Brazil, mothers had access to prenatal care.

Clinicians did not consistently adhere to peanut allergy–related guidelines or conduct proper allergy screenings, according to three different abstracts presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting. 

WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization has released interim guidance supporting the immunization of pregnant and lactating women against Ebola — but only those who are health care or front-line workers — in areas neighboring the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC. The recommendation includes three types of experimental vaccines.

Researchers used continuous-process quality improvement to implement a clinical pathway that reduced lumbar punctures, antibiotic use and hospital admission in febrile infants at low risk for serious bacterial infection, according to study results published in Pediatrics.

The annual number of calls related to kratom that were made to poison control centers in the U.S. increased from 13 calls in 2011 to 682 calls in 2017, a 52.5-fold increase, according to findings recently published in Clinical Toxicology.

The use of urinalysis, absolute neutrophil count and procalcitonin levels accurately identified young infants at low risk for serious bacterial infection, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics.

IV palivizumab, a monoclonal antibody to respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, did not appear to help or harm infants with RSV-positive bronchiolitis, according to findings from a double-blind, randomized trial.

Prenatal and postnatal exposure to parabens, phthalates and perfluoroalkyl substances may reduce lung function in children, researchers said.