Early Human Development

BACKGROUND: Surfactant protein C (SP-C) disorder is a major component of hereditary interstitial lung disease (HILD) among Japanese. The correlation between clinical outcomes and the phenotype/genotype of SP-C disorder has not been evaluated comprehensively. The current study aimed to evaluate the phenotype/genotype correlated with poor outcomes in patients with SP-C disorder. METHODS: Sequencing analysis of SFTPC in 291 candidates with HILD was performed. The phenotype and genotype correlated with poor outcomes were examined...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This bibliometric analysis provides an in-depth exploration of the scholarly landscape in the field of Prechtl General Movement Assessment (GMA) research, spanning the period from 1961 to 2023. It offers valuable insights into the evolutionary trajectory and global impact of GMA. The study employs a longitudinal approach, meticulously tracking trends in scholarly output, international collaborations, and authorship patterns. Notably, our findings reveal a significant increase in GMA-related publications, highlighting the growing prominence of this field...

INTRODUCTION: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal emergencies affecting very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with an incidence of 6-15 %. Early recognition is crucial. Mortality is high and variable (30-50 %). Those requiring surgical intervention have a higher mortality rate than those who receive medical treatment. OBJECTIVES: 1) To assess the prevalence of surgical NEC and associated risk factors 2) To compare outcomes based on the type of treatment required 3) To estimate the mortality associated with NEC and surgical NEC...

BACKGROUND: Infants with complex congenital heart disease are at increased risk of impaired fetal brain growth, brain injury, and developmental impairments. The General Movement Assessment (GMA) is a valid and reliable tool to predict cerebral palsy (CP), especially in preterm infants. Predictive properties of the GMA in infants with complex congenital heart disease (CCHD) are unknown. AIM: To evaluate predictive properties of the GMA to predict developmental outcomes, including cerebral palsy (CP), at 18-months corrected age (CA) in children with CCHD undergoing heart surgery in the first month of life...

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant global health concern with potential health risks and developmental implications for infants. Catch-up growth, an accelerated growth following an inhibition period, may partially compensate for growth deficits in LBW children. AIMS: This study investigated the prevalence of LBW and catch-up growth in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) among LBW children in Japan, identified factors associated with LBW, and explored the potential for catch-up growth at different ages up to seven years...

BACKGROUND: Sleep consolidation into nighttime is considered the primary goal of sleep development in early infants. However, factors contributing to sleep consolidation into nighttime remain unclear. AIM: To clarify the influences of the light environment and nighttime co-sleeping on sleep consolidation into nighttime in early infants. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sleep-wake time and light stimulation were measured in infants for 4 consecutive days using actigraphy...

BACKGROUND: Prematurity is associated with reduced cardiac autonomic function. This study aimed to investigate the heart rate variability (HRV) in school-age children born moderately to late preterm (MLPT). METHODS: This cross-sectional study investigated school-age children, aged 5 to 10 years, born moderate-to-late preterm. Electrocardiograms recordings were performed during fifteen-minutes. Time and frequency domain parameters were calculated, corrected for heart rate and compared between the groups...

BACKGROUND: Parents play a vital role in promoting infant motor development and physical activity; however, there is little information available to parents on how to support healthy movement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of implementing video-based education to improve infant physical activity and motor development. METHODS: This multiple case study consisted of semi-structured interviews with mothers (n = 12) and early childhood experts (n = 5, e...

BACKGROUND: Childhood outcomes following preterm birth are widely published, however long-term adult outcomes are less well described. We aimed to determine the quality of life and burden of co-morbidities experienced by preterm-born young adults in Western Australia. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted. Participants born at 23-33 weeks gestation cared for at King Edward Memorial Hospital during 1990 and 1991 were recruited from a historical birth cohort...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between intermittent hypoxemic events (IHEs) and severe neurodevelopmental impairment (SNDI) or death in extremely premature infants. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of extremely premature infants 230/7 -276/7 weeks gestational age (GA) and birthweight (BW) ≤1250 grams (g) admitted to a level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) from 2013 to 2017. IHEs, defined as events with SpO2  ≤ 80 % lasting 10 s to 5 min, were algorithmically identified using data extracted from bedside monitors at 2 s intervals (0...

BACKGROUND: The effects of SARS-CoV-2 gestational exposure on child development remain inconclusive. AIMS: To analyze the effects of SARS-CoV-2 gestational exposure on neurodevelopment until 12 months. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study conducted in five municipalities in Southeast Brazil from August 2021 to September 2022. SUBJECTS: Infants were recruited from a serological survey performed during neonatal screening and followed up to 12 months old...

BACKGROUND: Executive function, adaptive function, and behavioral outcomes in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) survivors have not been well studied. AIM: To evaluate executive and neurobehavioral dysfunction in preschool and early school-aged children with CDH. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SUBJECTS: All eligible CDH survivors ages 3 to 7 years enrolled in our follow-up program between February 2020 and February 2021...

In neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), we studied the correlation between cord blood base excess (BE) and kidney function. Among 225 infants, 29 % had oliguria. BE levels differed significantly between oliguric and non-oliguric infants (p < 0.01), with a negative correlation to kidney injury (r = -0.544, p < 0.01). BE < -18 had 85 % specificity and 76 % sensitivity in predicting kidney injury (AUC = 0.88). These findings suggest BE as a valuable indicator of impending kidney injury in HIE infants, though underlying mechanisms may vary...

Two novel parenting terms are introduced into the literature on parent-child relationships. The first term, assortative parenting, references a familiar, but poorly defined concept regarding parental affinity for a given child. The second term, assortative cross-parenting, denotes a previously unrecognized relationship phenomenon, namely parental attraction to a child who displays favored qualities expressed by the parent's partner. These terms derived from interviews with same-sex couples, but easily apply to heterosexual couples, as well...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) is a type of free flap which is commonly used in reconstructive surgery procedures and is based on the perforator from femoral circumflex artery. Some authors found that the location of the perforator differs between sexes. OBJECTIVE: To verify the influence of prenatal sex hormones (as measured by 2D:4D) on the morphology of the perforator of the descending branch of the femoral circumflex artery. METHODS: 88 participants (43 women) of a mean age of 28...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We aimed to investigate the hemodynamic status of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants during the transitional period under intensive management. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic wall stress (ESWS), left ventricular internal dimension in diastole (LVIDd), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) of ELBW infants during their first week of life. Small for gestational age (SGA), histological chorioamnionitis (hCAM), severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and non-survival to discharge infants were compared to their counterparts...

OBJECTIVE: Birth weight (BW) discordant twins have an increased risk of mortality and morbidity. We aimed to study the effect of BW discordance on the risk of neonatal hearing loss (NHL) in very and extremely preterm twins. STUDY DESIGN: Results of the nationwide newborn hearing screening program in Dutch Neonatal Intensive Care Units and diagnostic examination were centrally registered between 2003 and 2021 and included in this study. We selected twins and singletons with a gestational age (GA) 24- < 32 weeks...

Neonatal care has made significant advances in the last few decades. As a result, mortality and morbidity in high-risk infants, such as extremely preterm infants or those infants with birth-related brain injury, has reduced significantly. Many of these advances have been facilitated or delivered through development of medical technologies allowing clinical teams to be better supported with the care they deliver or provide new therapies and diagnostics to improve management. The delivery of neonatal intensive care requires the provision of medical technologies that are easy to use, reliable, accurate and ideally developed for the unique needs of the newborn population...