Objective: To investigate the prognostic effect of neonatal morbidities on poor outcomes at 12 months corrected age in very low birth weight (VLBW) premature infants . Method: From November 2013 to October 2014, a multi-center retrospective study was conducted in 8 tertiary Maternal and Children′s hospitals in Guangdong, Hunan and Fujian. The premature infants survived to a postmenstrual age (PMA) of 36 weeks with birth weight less than 1 500 g and without congenital diseases were included, and divided into two groups according to poor outcomes. The birth weight, gestational age, morbidities and poor outcomes (death, cerebral palsy, cognitive delay, et al) were recorded. Data were analyzed with Chi-square test to investigate the relationship between morbidities and poor outcomes. And the predictive effect of the top three morbidities were analyzed by Logistic regression analysis. Result: Total of 834 VLBW premature infants (473 boys and 361 girls) finished the follow-up, whose average gestational age and birth weight were (30.6±1.8) weeks and (1 189±159)g. The incidences of BPD, severe ROP, NEC, brain injury and sepsis were 207 (24.8%), 119 (14.3%), 58 (7.0%), 281 (33.7%) and 124 (14.9%), respectively. There were significant differences between the two groups in the incidences of BPD, severe ROP, NEC, brain injury and sepsis(χ²=42.10, 47.20, 4.81, 44.28, 18.63, all P<0.01), which had significant correlation with poor outcomes at 12 months corrected age. The three top morbidities were severe ROP, BPD and brain injury(OR=3.82, 2.90, 2.80). Combined morbidities with BPD, severe ROP and brain injury correlated with higher risk of poor outcomes (one morbidity, OR=3.14, β=1.15; two morbidities, OR=7.31, β=1.99; three morbidities, OR=22.41, β=3.11; all P<0.01). Conclusion BPD, severe ROP, NEC, brain injury and sepsis were the risk factors of poor outcomes at 12 months corrected age in VLBW infants. And the more combined morbidities with severe ROP, BPD and brain injury, the higher risk of poor outcomes in this population. Trial registration Clinical Trails, NCT03104946.

Objective: To observe the effect of chorioamnionitis on placental microvessel and platelet metabolism in premature and the correlation between them. Methods: With clinical randomized controlled trial (RCT), the cases were matched by 11 according to gestational ages and divided into 2 groups according to the placental pathology results: chorioamnionitis group and control group, 32 cases in each group.Dates were obtained for preterm infants (gestational age<37 weeks) admitted to the Department of Neonatology at Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, born between June and December 2016.The platelet parameter [platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), plateletcrit (PCT)], birth weight, thrombocytopenia, hemorrhage complication, miscrovascular density (MVD) in placenta, platelet activating factors (CD_62p, CD₆₃) and thrombopoietin (TPO) in preterm infants were recorded and compared. Results: In chorioamnionitis group, the infant birth weight[(1.90±0.41) kg vs.(2.31±0.62) kg] and the PLT in 72 hours [<24 h (197.97±63.43)×10⁹/L vs.(266.34±69.92)×10⁹/L; 24-72 h (202.28±29.70)×10⁹/L vs.(256.38±69.96)×10⁹/L] were significantly lower compared with the control group, and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05). The incidence of early thrombocytopenia(37.50% vs.9.38%), intracranial hemorrhage(40.62% vs.15.63%), MPV [(8.73±0.89) fL vs.(8.27±0.64) fL] and PDW[(59.46±5.90)% vs.(55.20±5.37)%] in 24 hours were significantly higher in chorioamnionitis group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The placental MVD in chorioamnionitis group significantly decreased[(9.08±1.35)% vs.(12.89±1.36)%, P<0.05 ]. The level of CD_62p, CD₆₃ and TPO in umbilical cord blood were significantly higher in chorioamnionitis group[(25.37±5.20)% vs.(10.35±2.94)%, (9.49±1.58)% vs.(4.04±1.21)%, (271.08±197.22) μg/L vs.(141.87±78.10) μg/L, all P<0.05]. The placental MVD was positively associated with PLT (r=0.74, P<0.05) and negatively associated with CD_62p, CD₆₃ and TPO among infants with chorioamnionitis (r=-0.64, -0.44, -0.44, all P<0.05). Conclusions The chorioamnionitis may decrease the MVD in placenta and activate platelet in fetal circulation, damaged placental microvessel may activate platelet further.