Preterm neonates with sepsis, pneumonia or necrotising enterocolitis showed increased interleukin-6, interleukin-10 and C-reactive protein levels. High interleukin-10 concentration was associated with mortality and could be an early indicator of prognosis.

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Old CLD development, mainly corresponding to the moderate/severe forms of new BPD, was associated with increased proinflammatory and profibrotic/angiogenic cytokines, while mild forms of new BPD were characterized only by increases in profibrotic/angiogenic cytokines, suggesting a different balance of two pathogenic mechanisms in different phases of the disease.

BackgroundThe introduction of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) programs has drastically contributed to the early diagnosis of hearing loss in children, allowing prompt intervention with significant results on speech and language development in affected children. UNHS in the Lazio region has been initially deliberated in 2012; however, the program has been performed on a universal basis only from 2015. The aim of this retrospective study is to present and discuss the preliminary results of the UNHS program in the Lazio region for the year 2016, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the program.MethodsData from screening facilities in the Lazio region for year 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Data for Level I centers were supplied by the Lazio regional offices; data for Level II and III centers were provided by units that participated to the study.ResultsDuring 2016, a total of 44,805 babies were born in the Lazio region. First stage screening was performed on 41,821 children in 37 different birth centers, with a coverage rate of 93.3%. Of these, 38.977 (93.2%) obtained a “pass” response; children with a “refer” result in at least one ear were 2844 (6.8%). Data from Level II facilities are incomplete due to missing reporting, one of the key issues in Lazio UNHS. Third stage evaluation was performed on 365 children in the three level III centers of the region, allowing identification of 70 children with unilateral (40%) or bilateral (60%) hearing loss, with a prevalence of 1.6/1000.ConclusionsThe analysis of 2016 UNHS in the Lazio region allowed identification of several strengths and weaknesses of the initial phase of the program. The strengths include a correct spread and monitoring of UNHS among Level I facilities, with an adequate coverage rate, and the proper execution of audiological monitoring and diagnosis among Level III facilities. Weakness, instead, mainly consisted in lack of an efficient and automated central process for collecting, monitoring and reporting of data and information.

A prospective study was performed enrolling 11 newborns with neonatal lupus syndrome (NLS) and 22 control newborns to investigate cerebral ultrasound (US) anomalies and their relationship with clinical neurological signs and laboratory findings. Cerebral US detected a significantly higher incidence in the study group of both subependymal pseudocysts (SEPC) and subependymal hemorrhage (SEH), neither of which correlated to autoantibody levels. All infants had completely normal neurological examinations both at birth and follow-up. The etiopathogenesis of central nervous system findings in NLS is discussed. US evaluation identified minimal anomalies compatible with favorable outcome: further studies are necessary to investigate the possible long-term sequelae, pathogenesis and spectrum of cerebral US findings.

This study investigated hearing threshold changes during the first year of corrected age (CA) in infants admitted in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In 5 years, 239 infants with birth weight (BW) ≤ 1,000 gm and/or gestational age (GA) ≤ 30 weeks were enrolled. Hearing was evaluated by oto-acoustic emission (OAEs) before discharge and auditory brainstem response (ABR) within 3 months of CA. Infants affected by unilateral or bilateral hearing loss were addressed to audiological follow-up until definitive diagnosis (within 6 months of CA). Changes in hearing threshold were also carefully analysed. 207 (86.6%) infants had normal hearing while 32 infants (13.4%) showed hearing loss (HL) at the confirmative ABR evaluation (9 mild, 16 moderate, 4 severe, 3 profound). The latter showed lower GA (27.7 ± 2 vs 28.4 ± 1.2; p = 0.0061) and BW (950 ± 390 vs 1,119 ± 326 gm; p = 0.0085). At final evaluation, 15 infants (47%) recovered a normal hearing. HL was confirmed in 17 patients. Among these, 3 infants were addressed to audiological follow-up (one case of mild unilateral hearing loss (UHL) and two with moderate UHL), while in 14 cases (44%) with bilateral sensory neural hearing loss (SNHL) (7 moderate, 4 severe, 3 profound) hearing aids were prescribed. They showed significantly lower GA and longer hospital stay in the NICU in comparison with infants without indication for audiological habilitation (18 infants) (GA 26.2 ± 2.2 weeks vs 28.4 ± 2.4; p = 0.01; NICU stay 132 ± 67 vs 59 ± 7; p = 0.0002). Definitive diagnosis was obtained at 5.9 ± 1.3 months of CA. Our study confirms the importance of audiological surveillance in preterm newborns. Hearing thresholds of preterm infants with hearing loss can change during the first year of CA and we observed normalisation in 47% of our patients. Most vulnerable to permanent SNHL were very preterm infants with a longer NICU stay, while a shorter stay represents a favourable prognostic factor for hearing improvement.

To evaluate whether growth discordance is an independent risk factor in the neonatal outcome of the smaller twin, all medical records of twin pregnancies delivered between 26 and 41 weeks during a 5-year period (January 2004–December 2008) were reviewed. Among the 49 selected twins, weight discordance was 15–20% in 7 infants, 21–30% in 16 infants, 31–40% in 16 infants and > 40% in 10 infants. No significant differences between the four groups were found with regards to obstetric complications and neonatal disease. Occurrence of birthweight below the 10th percentile and rate of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit significantly increased as intra-pair birthweight difference increased (p = .03). The > 40% discordant group had a significantly lower gestational age (p = .03), lower birthweight (p = .007) and a significantly higher mortality rate (4/10 versus 3/39 p = .04) in comparison with the other discordant groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that birthweight was the single independent and consistent factor associated with elevated risks of mortality. For every 250 g increase in birthweight, the risk for mortality decreased by about 84% [RR 0.16(CI 0.00-0.70)]. Gestational age was the most reliable predictor for major neonatal complications. For every 1-week increase in gestational age a significant decreased risk for all outcomes was found. Discordance alone should not be considered as a predictor for adverse neonatal outcome. Neonatal outcome in discordant twins appears to be related to gestational age and birthweight rather than to the degree of discordance.