Neonatal Medicine News

In the United States, singleton births at 30 and 40 weeks’ gestational age increased to 60.2% of all births in 2015, with a decrease in perinatal mortality observed for neonates born at these ages, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Fetuses exposed to lithium during the first-trimester had elevated risk for major congenital malformations, according to results from a large meta-analysis.

Gastroesophageal reflux, a common and normal condition among preterm neonates, should be diagnosed using signs of the condition such as feeding intolerance and irritability, and treated without the use of pharmacologic agents, according to a clinical report issued by the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn.

Infants whose mothers received prenatal Tdap were more than 40% less likely to experience pertussis when compared with infants of mothers who were not immunized, according to recently published research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Breast-feeding allows the infant microbiome to develop in a healthy manner and may protect infants from developing overweight in the future.

Skin-to-skin contact between parents and newborns — also known as kangaroo care — has been shown in studies improve children’s health and development, but it can also expose NICU patients to Staphylococcus aureus colonization and infection. A three-part intervention that included skin cleansing reduced the incidence of these infections, according to research presented at the annual conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, or APIC.

ATLANTA — Infants born to mothers with HIV who were not infected at the time of birth had significantly higher levels of regulatory lymphocyte T cells than infants who were infected in utero, according to research presented at ASM Microbe.

Infant boys with hydronephrosis who received newborn circumcision had a significantly decreased risk of urinary tract infections, according to recently published research in Pediatrics.

Exposure to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was associated with a small, but statistically significant, rise in offspring’s risk for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, according to meta-analysis data.

Children with preterm birth and low birth weight have lower rates of education and employment and a higher rate of receiving social benefits in adulthood, according to recently published research in Pediatrics.