Probiotics, in the form of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, fed enterally to very low birth weight preterm infants for 6 weeks reduced the incidence of death or necrotizing enterocolitis.

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Barth syndrome presents in infancy with hypotonia, dilated cardiomyopathy, and neutropenia. We report a patient whose family history included two males who had died suddenly at the age of 15 days and 2 years, respectively. The index case presented with acute metabolic decompensation at 13 days of age. Within 8 h of presenting with metabolic acidosis (pH 7.13), lactic acidemia (18.5 mmol/l), hyperammonemia (375 microg/dl), hypoglycemia (25 mg/dl), and coagulopathy, the patient developed respiratory failure and required intubation. The diagnosis was established by the presence of left ventricular noncompaction and molecular analysis (c.C153G or Y51X mutation of the TAZ gene). The gene product, taffazin, is a homologue of the glycerolipid transferases involved in the phospholipid metabolism as tetralinoleoyl-cardiolipin, a component of the mitochondrial inner membrane. In conclusion, mutations in taffazin impair mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, which may results in the acute metabolic decompensation and sudden death; cardiac transplantation is the only possibility at the present time.

All trisomy 18 infants in this study were preterm or full-term deliveries. Mean birth weight was lower than previously reported, and a high percentage of families signed do-not-resuscitate consent forms. Females did not survive longer than males, due to more females not being resuscitated. Most infants died in the first few weeks of life, but 3-6% of infants lived for 21 year. The possibility of long-term survival should be considered when counseling parents regarding trisomy 18.

We concluded that universal maternal rectovaginal culture of GBS with intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis is an urgent call to reduce EOD and mortality because of GBS infection in neonates in Taiwan.

Persistent inflammation with oxidative DNA damage in the respiratory tract may be a crucial mechanism in BPD.

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