Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Diabetes, Gestational/diagnosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Maternal Age

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of thyroid function on the fetal fraction (FF) during the second trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: A total of 1 861 pregnant women undergoing non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and thyroxine function testing at 12 ~ 26 gestational weeks at the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University/Suzhou Municipal Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020 were selected as the study subjects. Univariate analysis and multivariate regression models were used to assess the correlation between free thyroxine 4 (FT4) levels and FF. RESULTS: Univariate linear regression analysis indicated that the FF is correlated to the level of FT4 (b = 0.035, P < 0.001). The median fetal FF was 10.78% (IQR: 8.2%, 13.82%), and this has increased along with the level of FT4 from 10.58% at <= 12.0 pmol/L to 11.77% at > 16.0 pmol/L. After further adjustment of gestational age and body mass index (BMI), the FF showed an increase trend along with the increase of FT4 levels, and a trend test also showed a statistical significance (Ptrend < 0.001). CONCLUSION Maternal FF can be affected by the level of free thyroxine during the second trimester of pregnancy.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroxine ; Fetus ; Gestational Age

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a fetus with limb abnormality and cardiac malformation. METHODS: Clinical data of a fetus diagnosed at the Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital on April 30th, 2021 was collected. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out, and candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. X-inactivation analysis was carried out for the female members of its family. RESULTS: The fetus was found to have meningoencephalocele, absence of bilateral radii, cleft lip, abnormal great arteries, and single umbilical artery at the gestational age of 11+ weeks. Sequencing revealed that the fetus has harbored a hemizygous c.1162del (p.Y388Tfs*7) variant of the FANCB gene, which was maternally inherited. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and ClinGen, the variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4). X-inactivation analysis has revealed complete skewed X-inactivation in the pregnant woman and her mother. CONCLUSION The hemizygous c.1162del (p.Y388Tfs*7) variant of the FANCB gene probably underlay the multiple malformations in this fetus.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Abnormalities, Multiple ; Cleft Lip ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group Proteins ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Mothers

With the deepening of clinical research, the management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) needs to be optimized and improved. This article aims to introduce the 2022 European guideline on the management of neonatal RDS, focusing on its key updates. The guide has optimized the management of risk prediction for preterm birth, maternal referral, application of prenatal corticosteroids, application of lung protective ventilation strategies, and general care for infants with RDS. The guideline is mainly applicable to the management of RDS in neonates with gestational age greater than 24 weeks.
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Family ; Gestational Age ; Premature Birth ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/therapy*

OBJECTIVES: To establish a new method for evaluating the brain maturation of preterm infants based on the features of electroencephalographic activity. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on the video electroencephalography (vEEG) and amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) recordings within 7 days after birth of preterm infants who had a postmenstrual age (PMA) of 25-36 weeks and met the inclusion criteria. The background activity of aEEG+conventional electroencephalography (cEEG) was scored according to the features of brain maturation as a new evaluation system and was compared with the aEEG evaluation system. The correlations of the evaluation results of the two methods with gestational age (GA), PMA, and head circumference were evaluated. The intervals of the total scores of aEEG+cEEG and aEEG were calculated for preterm infants with different PMAs and were compared between groups. The consistency of the new scoring system was evaluated among different raters. RESULTS: A total of 52 preterm infants were included. The total scores of aEEG+cEEG and aEEG were positively correlated with GA, PMA, and head circumference (P<0.05), and the correlation coefficient between the total scores of the two systems and PMA and GA was >0.9. The normal score intervals for aEEG+cEEG and aEEG scoring systems were determined in preterm infants with different PMAs as follows: infants with a PMA of less than 28 weeks had scores of 13.0 (11.0, 14.0) points for aEEG+cEEG and 6.0 (4.0, 7.0) points for aEEG; infants with a PMA between 28 and 29⁺⁶ weeks had scores of 16.0 (14.5, 17.0) points for aEEG+cEEG and 8.0 (6.0, 8.0) points for aEEG; infants with a PMA between 30 and 31⁺⁶ weeks had scores of 18.0 (17.0, 21.0) points for aEEG+cEEG and 9.0 (8.0, 10.0) points for aEEG; infants with between 32 and 33⁺⁶ weeks had scores of 22.0 (20.0, 24.5) points for aEEG+cEEG and 10.0 (10.0, 10.8) points for aEEG; infants with a PMA between 34 and 36 weeks had scores of 26.0 (24.5, 27.5) points for aEEG+cEEG and 11.0 (10.0, 12.0) points for aEEG. There were significant differences in the total scores of aEEG+cEEG and aEEG among the different PMA groups (P<0.05). There was a high consistency between different raters when using the scoring system to evaluate the brain maturation of preterm infants (κ=0.86). CONCLUSIONS The aEEG+cEEG scoring system established in this study can quantitatively reflect the brain maturation of preterm infants, with a good discriminatory ability between preterm infants with different PMAs and high consistency between different raters.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Premature ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) exposure and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted, recruiting 221 children with ASD and 400 healthy children as controls. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect information on general characteristics of the children, socio-economic characteristics of the family, maternal pregnancy history, and maternal disease exposure during pregnancy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between maternal GDM exposure and the development of ASD in offspring. The potential interaction between offspring gender and maternal GDM exposure on the development of ASD in offspring was explored. RESULTS: The proportion of maternal GDM was significantly higher in the ASD group compared to the control group (16.3% vs 9.4%, P=0.014). After adjusting for variables such as gender, gestational age, mode of delivery, parity, and maternal education level, maternal GDM exposure was a risk factor for ASD in offspring (OR=2.18, 95%CI: 1.04-4.54, P=0.038). On the basis of adjusting the above variables, after further adjusting the variables including prenatal intake of multivitamins, folic acid intake in the first three months of pregnancy, and assisted reproduction the result trend did not change, but no statistical significance was observed (OR=1.94, 95%CI: 0.74-5.11, P=0.183). There was an interaction between maternal GDM exposure and offspring gender on the development of ASD in offspring (P<0.001). Gender stratified analysis showed that only in male offspring of mothers with GDM, the risk of ASD was significantly increased (OR=3.67, 95%CI: 1.16-11.65, P=0.027). CONCLUSIONS Maternal GDM exposure might increase the risk of ASD in offspring. There is an interaction between GDM exposure and offspring gender in the development of ASD in offspring.
Child ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Male ; Diabetes, Gestational/etiology* ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/etiology* ; Case-Control Studies ; Gestational Age ; Mothers

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of volume-guaranteed high frequency oscillation ventilation (HFOV-VG) versus conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) in the treatment of preterm infants with respiratory failure. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on 112 preterm infants with respiratory failure (a gestational age of 28-34 weeks) who were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, Jiangyin Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Southeast University, from October 2018 to December 2022. The infants were randomly divided into an HFOV-VG group (44 infants) and a CMV group (68 infants) using the coin tossing method based on the mode of mechanical ventilation. The therapeutic efficacy was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After 24 hours of treatment, both the HFOV-VG and CMV groups showed significant improvements in arterial blood pH, partial pressure of oxygen, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and partial pressure of oxygen/fractional concentration of inspired oxygen ratio (P<0.05), and the HFOV-VG group had better improvements than the CMV group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence rate of complications, 28-day mortality rate, and length of hospital stay (P>0.05), but the HFOV-VG group had a significantly shorter duration of invasive mechanical ventilation than the CMV group (P<0.05). The follow-up at the corrected age of 6 months showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in the scores of developmental quotient, gross motor function, fine motor function, adaptive ability, language, and social behavior in the Pediatric Neuropsychological Development Scale (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Compared with CMV mode, HFOV-VG mode improves partial pressure of oxygen and promotes carbon dioxide elimination, thereby enhancing oxygenation and shortening the duration of mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory failure, while it has no significant impact on short-term neurobehavioral development in these infants.
Infant ; Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Infant, Premature ; Prospective Studies ; Gestational Age ; Carbon Dioxide ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/therapy* ; High-Frequency Ventilation/methods* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency/therapy* ; Oxygen ; Cytomegalovirus Infections

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the level of neuropsychological development in large for gestational age (LGA) infants at the age of 12 months. METHODS: The infants, aged 12 to <13 months, who attended the Outpatient Service of Child Care in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from December 2021 to June 2023, were enrolled as subjects. According to the gestational age and birth weight, they were divided into preterm appropriate for gestational age (AGA) group, preterm LGA group, early term AGA group, early term LGA group, full-term AGA group, and full-term LGA group. A modified Poisson regression analysis was used to investigate the association between LGA and neuropsychological development outcome at 12 months of age. RESULTS: After adjustment for confounding factors, compared with the full-term AGA group at the age of 12 months, the full-term LGA group had a significant increase in the risk of language deficit (RR=1.364, 95%CI: 1.063-1.750), the early term LGA group had significant increases in the risk of abnormal gross motor, fine motor, language, and the preterm LGA group had significant increases in the risk of abnormal language, social behavior, and total developmental quotient (P<0.05); also, the early term AGA group had higher risks of developmental delay across all five attributes and in total developmental quotient at the age of 12 months (P<0.05); except for the language attribute, the preterm AGA group had higher risks of developmental delay in the other 4 attributes (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The neuropsychological development of LGA infants with different gestational ages lags behind that of full-term AGA infants at 12 months of age, and follow-up and early intervention of such infants should be taken seriously in clinical practice.
Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Child ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Infant, Large for Gestational Age ; Infant, Small for Gestational Age ; Gestational Age ; Child Health

Objective: To establish the reference values and growth curves of length for weight and head circumference for weight among Chinese newborns in order to provide a reference for the assessment of body proportionality at birth. Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied. A total of 24 375 singleton live birth newborns with gestational ages at birth of 24⁺⁰ to 42⁺⁶ weeks were recruited from June 2015 to November 2018 from 13 cities including Beijing, Harbin, Xi'an, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Kunming, Tianjin, Shenyang, Changsha, and Shenzhen, excluding those with maternal or newborn conditions that may impact the establishment of the reference values. The generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape was employed to establish reference values in terms of percentile and growth curves of length for weight and head circumference for weight for male and female newborns. The random forest machine learning method was employed to analyze the importance of variables between the established reference values in this study and the previous published weight/length, body mass index (BMI), ponderal index (PI), weight/head circumference, length/head circumference in the assessment of symmetrical and asymmetrical small for gestational age (SGA) newborns. Results: A total of 24 375 newborns with 13 197 male infants (preterm birth 7 042 infants and term birth 6 155 infants) and 11 178 female infants (preterm birth 5 222 infants and term birth 5 956 infants) were included in this study. The reference values in terms of percentile (P₃, P₁₀, P₂₅, P₅₀, P₇₅, P₉₀, P₉₇) and growth curves of length for weight and head circumference for weight were obtained for male and female newborns with gestational ages of 24⁺⁰ to 42⁺⁶ weeks. The median birth lengths corresponding to the birth weights of 1 500, 2 500, 3 000, and 4 000 g were 40.4, 47.0, 49.3 and 52.1 cm for males and 40.4, 47.0, 49.2, and 51.8 cm for females, respectively; the median birth head circumferences were 28.4, 32.0, 33.2 and 35.2 cm for males and 28.4, 32.0, 33.1, and 35.1 cm for females, respectively. The differences of length for weight between males and females were minimum, with the difference range of -0.3 to 0.3 cm at P₅₀; the differences of head circumference for weight between males and females were minimum, with the difference range of 0 to 0.2 cm at P₅₀. Based on the match between birth length and birth weight for classifying symmetrical and asymmetrical SGA, length for weight and PI contributed the most, accounting for 0.32 and 0.25, respectively; based on the match between birth head circumference and birth weight, head circumference for weight and weight/head circumference contributed the most, accounting for 0.55 and 0.12, respectively; based on the match between birth length or head circumference with birth weight, head circumference for weight and length for weight contributed the most, accounting for 0.26 and 0.21, respectively. Conclusion: The establishment of the new standardized growth reference values and growth curves of length for weight and head circumference for weight among Chinese newborns are useful for clinical practice and scientific research.
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Birth Weight ; Body Height ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; East Asian People ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Premature Birth ; Reference Values

BACKGROUND: Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) can significantly improve the outcomes of preterm infants. This study aimed to describe the ACS use rates among preterm infants admitted to Chinese neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and to explore perinatal factors associated with ACS use, using the largest contemporary cohort of very preterm infants in China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled all infants born at 24 +0 to 31 +6 weeks and admitted to 57 NICUs of the Chinese Neonatal Network from January 1st, 2019 to December 30th, 2019. The ACS administration was defined as at least one dose of dexamethasone and betamethasone given before delivery. Multiple logistic regressions were applied to determine the association between perinatal factors and ACS usage. RESULTS: A total of 7828 infants were enrolled, among which 6103 (78.0%) infants received ACS. ACS use rates increased with increasing gestational age (GA), from 177/259 (68.3%) at 24 to 25 weeks' gestation to 3120/3960 (78.8%) at 30 to 31 weeks' gestation. Among infants exposed to ACS, 2999 of 6103 (49.1%) infants received a single complete course, and 33.4% (2039/6103) infants received a partial course. ACS use rates varied from 30.2% to 100% among different hospitals. Multivariate regression showed that increasing GA, born in hospital (inborn), increasing maternal age, maternal hypertension and premature rupture of membranes were associated with higher likelihood to receive ACS. CONCLUSIONS The use rate of ACS remained low for infants at 24 to 31 weeks' gestation admitted to Chinese NICUs, with fewer infants receiving a complete course. The use rates varied significantly among different hospitals. Efforts are urgently needed to propose improvement measures and thus improve the usage of ACS.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use*