Background::Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are the key populations in neonatology, wherein morbidity and mortality remain major challenges. The study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of VLBW infants.Methods::A retrospective cohort study was conducted in West China Second Hospital between January 2016 and December 2021. Neonates with a birth weight of <1500 g were included. Mortality, care practices, and major morbidities were analyzed, and compared with those of previous 7 years (2009-2015).Results::Of the total 1750 VLBW, 1386 were infants born with birth weight between 1000-1499 g and 364 infants were born with weight below 1000 g; 42.9% (751/1750) required delivery room resuscitation; 53.9% (943/1750) received non-invasive ventilation only; 38.2% (669/1750) received invasive ventilation; 1517 VLBW infants received complete treatment. Among them, 60.1% (912/1517) of neonates had neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS), 28.7% (436/1517) had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), 22.0% (334/1517) had apnea, 11.1% (169/1517) had culture-confirmed sepsis, 8.4% (128/1517) had pulmonary hemorrhage, 7.6% (116/1517) had severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)/periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), 5.7% (87/1517) had necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and 2.0% (31/1517) had severe retinopathy of prematurity. The total and in-hospital mortality rates were 9.7% (169/1750) and 3.0% (45/1517), respectively. The top three diagnoses of death among those who had received complete treatment were sepsis, NRDS, and NEC. In 2009-2015, 1146 VLBW were enrolled and 895 infants received complete treatment. The proportions of apnea, IVH, and IVH stage ≥3/PVL, were higher in 2009-2015 compared with those in 2016-2021, while the proportions of NRDS and BPD were characterized by significant increases in 2016-2021. The total and in-hospital mortality rates were 16.7% (191/1146) and 5.6% (50/895) respectively in 2009-2015.Conclusion::Among VLBW infants born in 2016-2021, the total and in-hospital mortality rates were lower than those of neonates born in 2009-2015. Incidences of NRDS and BPD increased in 2016-2021, which affected the survival rates and long-term prognosis of VLBW.

BACKGROUND: Extreme temperature events, including extreme cold, are becoming more frequent worldwide, which might be harmful to pregnant women and cause adverse birth outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to low ambient temperature in pregnant women and adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth, and to summarize the evidence herein. METHODS: Relevant studies were searched in PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase electronic databases until November 2021. Studies involving low ambient temperature, preterm birth, birth weight, and stillbirth were included. The guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses were followed to conduct this study risk of bias and methods for data synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 34 studies were included. First, pregnant women exposed to low ambient temperature had an increased risk of preterm birth (risk ratio [RR] 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.13). Subgroup analyses revealed that exposure during late pregnancy was more likely to induce preterm birth. In addition, only pregnant women exposed to <1st percentile of the mean temperature suffered increased risk of preterm birth. Moreover, pregnant women living in medium or hot areas were more prone to have preterm births than those in cold areas when exposed to low ambient temperatures. Asians and Blacks were more susceptible to low ambient temperatures than Caucasians. Second, pregnant women exposed to low ambient temperature had an increased risk of low birth weight (RR 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.12). Third, pregnant women had an increased risk of stillbirth while exposed to low ambient temperature during the entire pregnancy (RR 4.63; 95% CI 3.99-5.38). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to low ambient temperature during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes. Pregnant women should avoid exposure to extremely low ambient temperature (<1st percentile of the mean temperature), especially in their late pregnancy. This study could provide clues for preventing adverse outcomes from meteorological factors. REGISTRATION No. CRD42021259776 at PROSPERO ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ ).
Pregnancy ; Infant, Newborn ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Premature Birth/epidemiology* ; Stillbirth/epidemiology* ; Temperature ; Pregnancy Complications

Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Blood Transfusion ; Infant, Premature, Diseases

BACKGROUND: Intensive phototherapy (IPT) and exchange transfusion (ET) are the main treatments for extreme hyperbilirubinemia. However, there is no reliable evidence on determining the thresholds for these treatments. This multicenter study compared the effectiveness and complications of IPT and ET in the treatment of extreme hyperbilirubinemia. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in seven centers from January 2015 to January 2018. Patients with extreme hyperbilirubinemia that met the criteria of ET were included. Patients were divided into three subgroups (low-, medium-, and high- risk) according to gestational week and risk factors. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance the data before treatment. Study outcomes included the development of bilirubin encephalopathy, duration of hospitalization, expenses, and complications. Mortality, auditory complications, seizures, enamel dysplasia, ocular motility disorders, athetosis, motor, and language development were evaluated during follow-up at age of 3 years. RESULTS: A total of 1164 patients were included in this study. After PSM, 296 patients in the IPT only group and 296 patients in the IPT plus ET group were further divided into the low-, medium-, and high-risk subgroups with 188, 364, and 40 matched patients, respectively. No significant differences were found between the IPT only and IPT plus ET groups in terms of morbidity, complications, and sequelae. Hospitalization duration and expenses were lower in the low- and medium-risk subgroups in the IPT only group. CONCLUSIONS In this study, our results suggest that IPT is a safe and effective treatment for extreme hyperbilirubinemia. The indication of ET for patients with hyperbilirubinemia could be stricter. However, it is necessary to have a contingency plan for emergency ET as soon as IPT is commenced especially for infants with risk factors. If IPT can be guaranteed and proved to be therapeutic, ET should be avoided as much as possible.
Child, Preschool ; Exchange Transfusion, Whole Blood/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal/therapy* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Kernicterus/therapy* ; Phototherapy/methods* ; Retrospective Studies

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common respiratory disease in preterm infants.Infection, inflammation and oxidative stress are the main pathogenic mechanisms of BPD.Recent studies have shown that the colonization of pulmonary microorganisms begins from the perinatal period and dynamically changed by multiple factors.Respiratory microecology dysbiosis may trigger oxidative stress, inhibit the expression of miR-876-3p, change pulmonary metabolism and weaken local barrier function, thereby leading to the occurrence and progress of BPD.At the same time, abnormal pulmonary development and lung injury also exert impact on respiratory microecology, and the impact even lasts till adulthood.Probiotics have anti-inflammatory, anti-infection and antioxidant effects.Supplementation of probiotics may promote lung development and alleviate lung injury conditions by regulating respiratory microecology.In this article, the establishment and dynamic changes of neonatal respiratory microecology were elaborated, and the role of respiratory microecology in the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of BPD was explored.

Background::Sepsis, a serious condition with high mortality, usually causes sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) that involves neuronal cell death. However, the cell death programs involved and their underlying mechanisms are not clear. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms of different cell death programs in SAE.Methods::A neonatal rat model of SAE was established by cecal ligation and perforation. Survival rate and vital signs (mean arterial pressure and heart rate) were monitored, nerve reflexes were evaluated, and cortical pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The expression of pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis (PANoptosis)-related proteins, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and its upstream regulator toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) were detected. The expression of TLR9 in neurons was observed by immunofluorescence staining. The ultrastructure of neurons was observed by transmission electron microscope.Results::First, PANoptosis was found in cortical nerve cells of the SAE rats. Meanwhile, the subunits of MAPKs, p38 MAPK, Jun N-terminal kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) were activated. After pharmacologically inhibiting each of the subunits, only p38 MAPK was found to be associated with PANoptosis. Furthermore, blocking the p38 MAPK signaling pathway activated necroptosis but inhibited apoptosis and pyroptosis. When necroptosis was pharmacologically inhibited, apoptosis and pyroptosis were reactivated. Finally, we found that the expression of TLR9, a regulator of MAPKs, was significantly increased in this model. After down-regulation of TLR9, p38 MAPK, and ERK signaling pathways were inhibited, which led to the inhibition of PANoptosis. Further analysis found that down-regulation of TLR9 improved the survival rate and reduced the pathological changes in SAE rats.Conclusions::Our study showed that the programs comprising PANoptosis are activated simultaneously in SAE rats. TLR9 activated PANoptosis through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. TLR9 may work as a potential target for SAE treatment.

Micronutrients, as coenzymes and cofactors for many metabolic processes, play an important role in parenteral nutrition, but the guidelines and expert consensus published cannot fully solve the problem with clinical application of micronutrients.Parenteral Provision of Micronutrients to Pediatric Patients: an International Expert Consensus Paper, released in September 2020 in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, presented recommendations about common clinical questions for the assessment of micronutrients deficiency in children and the parenteral provision of micronutrients.The main content of International Expert Consensus Paper was interpreted in this article.

Objective To study the effects of exchange transfusion(ET) and intensive phototherapy (IPT) on neurodevelopment in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia reaching ET criteria.Method From January 2015 to March 2016,neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia reaching ET criteria with gestational age ≥35 weeks,and hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology of our hospital were enrolled in the study.The parents were informed of the risks of acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE) and both the advantages and disadvantages of IPT and ET.Based on the different choices of their parents,the neonates were assigned into the ET group and the IPT group.General conditions,treatment effects,the incidences of ABE and the prognosis were recorded and analyzed.Result A total of 335 patients were included in this study,147 in the ET group and 188 in the IPT group.Before intervention,the peak of total serum bilirubin (TSB) in ET group (475.8± 100.6 &mu;mol/L) was higher than IPT group (398.3±39.8 &mu;mol/L) (the difference of TSB between two groups was 77.4 &mu;mol/L,P＜0.001),and the incidences of high risk factors such as blood incompatibilities,sepsis,cranial hematoma and intracranial hemorrhage in ET group were higher than IPT group (P＜0.05).Compared with at admission,the incidence of ABE in the ET group increased from 32.0％ to 34.0％ at discharge,mainly due to moderate and severe ABE (the ratio of moderate ABE increased from 2.7％ to 10.2％,and severe ABE increase from 2.7％ to 4.8％).Statistically significant differences existed in the proportion of ABE with different severity at admission and discharge in ET group (P＜0.05),while that in IPT group wasn't statistically significant.241 patients were followed up (follow-up rate 71.9％),with the age ranging from 20 to 36 months.6 cases (5.7％,6/106) in the ET group showed hearing disorder while none (0％,0/135) in the IPT group (P＜0.05).The incidences of neuromotor dyskinesia,language development disorder and spasm in ET group were higher than IPT group(7.5％ vs.3.7％,3.8％ vs.1.5％,4.7％ vs.4.4％,respectively),but the differences weren't statistically significant(P＞ 0.05).No deaths were observed in both groups.Conclusion In neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia whose TSB exceeding the upper limit of current ET criteria (and within upper limit+5 mg/dl),if the neonates have no risk factors nor clinical symptoms of moderate or severe ABE,only IPT and without ET does not increase the incidence of unfavourable prognosis of central nervous system.

Objective: To summarize the research hotspots and knowledge structure of pediatric teaching model by introducing the co-word clustering analysis into the research on the current status of pediatric teaching model and conducting a visualized analysis of related articles in the past decade, and to provide a reference for further development of pediatric teaching model. Methods: In July 2017, CNKI and Wanfang Data were searched for related articles published from January 2006 to June 2017, with "pediatrics" and "teaching model" as the key words. The articles which met the research criteria were screened out manually, and Word and Bicomb 2.0 were used to identify high-frequency key words. SPSS 20.0 was used to plot the diagram of the cluster analysis, and Ucinet 6.0 and Newdraw were used to generate the co-occurrence network map to show the relationship between high-frequency key words. Results: A total of 367 articles were included and 31 high-frequency key words were extracted, among which the most frequently used key word was "PBL teaching method". Studies in this field were roughly classified into four types, i.e., teaching method in pediatric practice/and clerkship, contents of cultivation and assessments in pediatric teaching, teaching methods for pediatric nursing, and objects of the reform of teaching methods. The key words of "PBL teaching method", "multimedia teaching", "case-based teaching", and "nursing" were located at the center of the co-occurrence network map. Conclusion Exploration and practice of various teaching methods have been the main research topics in pediatric teaching model in China over the past decade. PBL is a research hotspot in this field and is often combined with multimedia, case teaching, or other methods in pediatric teaching. In addition, the application of evidence-based medicine has attracted more and more attention.

The nervous system of very low birth weight infants is particularly sensitive to malnutrition.The growth and neural development of very low birth weight infants will be limited by various nutritional deficiencies.Early enteral nutrition is beneficial for the growth and neural development of very low birth weight infants.However,there is still a controversy about the timing of starting enteral nutrition,the amount of milk to be fed,the rate of adding milk and whether strengthening breast milk or adding probiotics.This article reviews the problems and controversy of enteral nutrition in very low birth weight infants.