Introduction Preterm neonates have under-developed immune-regulatory system; consequently, there is a risk for developing chronic inflammation. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an acute devastating neonatal intestinal inflammatory disorder. Due to the obscure multifactorial etiology, early diagnosis and effective treatment of NEC are limited. Consequently, effective strategies in the prevention of NEC, including nutritional approaches, are critically needed. The current study was conducted to assess the potential immunomodulatory effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) supplementation in preterm neonates at neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and subsequently its effect on preventing or reducing NEC incidence. Methods This was a prospective randomized controlled study. A total of 67 neonates, with gestational age equal or less than 32 weeks at birth and weight less than or equal 1500 g, were randomly assigned to either DHA group or the control group. Modified Bell’s staging criteria for NEC was used as an objective tool for diagnosis and staging of NEC. Levels of Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) were measured at baseline and after 10 days. Mortality and NICU length of stay (LOS) were also monitored. Results Thirty neonates of each group completed the study. A statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding diagnosis and staging of NEC ( p = 0.0001). There was also a statistically significant difference between DHA group 22(73.3), 95% CI [55.9, 86.5] and the control group 8 (26.7), 95% CI [13.5, 44.1] in the percentage change in IL-1β levels ( p = 0.0001). A statistically significant association was found between IL and 1 β change and NEC diagnosis ( p = 0.001). NICU LOS was significantly lower among DHA group 21.63 ± 6.67 compared to the control group 25.07 ± 4.67 ( p = 0.025). Mortality n (%) among the control group 4 (11.8) was higher than DHA group 3 (9.1), however, no significant difference was detected ( p = 1.0). Conclusion Findings of this study suggest that enteral DHA supplementation can reduce NEC incidence in preterm neonates through its immunoregulatory effect that modulates production of regulatory cytokines. Trial registration: Registered at clinical trials.gov (NCT03700957), 6 October 2018.

Background Rigorous implementation of infection prevention and control practices by healthcare workers in different healthcare settings is of utmost importance. Neonates, particularly preterm babies in neonatal intensive care units, are a vulnerable population at high risk for developing nosocomial infections. Nurses have the greatest risk of spreading healthcare-associated infections among patients and healthcare workers. This study was conducted to assess the compliance of neonatal intensive care unit nurses with standard precautions of infection control and to identify the potential influencing factors. Results This was a cross-sectional study, whereby the compliance of a total of 58 neonatal intensive care unit nurses with standard precautions of infection control was assessed using the Arabic version of the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (CSPS-A). Student’s t test, ANOVA test, and post hoc test were used for analysis. A suboptimal compliance rate (66.7%) was detected, with the highest for disposal of sharp articles into sharps boxes (86.2%) and the lowest for disposal of sharps box not only when full (27.6%). Significant differences were observed when participants were grouped according to their clinical experience and qualifications, where participants with longer clinical experience displayed higher mean scores for the use of protective devices score (P = 0.024), disposal of sharps score (P = 0.003), and total CSPS score (P = 0.006). Conclusions Clinical experience and educational qualifications are key factors that impact nurses’ compliance with infection control practices. Nurses should receive up-to-date evidence-based educational and practical sessions that link theory to clinical practice and elucidate the importance of accurate implementation of proper infection prevention and control practices.

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Background There is an increased use of heated, humidified, high-flow nasal cannula (HHFNC) as a non-invasive respiratory support. Yet, there are limited data that compares it with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) as regard the efficacy & outcome when used for initial treatment in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) shortly postnatal. Method A prospective study conducted aiming to evaluate the effectiveness & outcome of HHFNC compared to nCPAP for the treatment of preterm infants with RDS. Preterms < 35 weeks of gestational age with symptoms and signs of RDS early after birth were randomized to HHFNC or nCPAP. Primary outcome was the incidence of treatment failure (defined as need for upgrading to noninvasive positive pressure ventilation or invasive ventilation). Results Analysis of the randomly allocated infants to HHFNC and nCPAP showed no significant difference in treatment failure (P > 0.05). There was also no significant difference (P > 0.05) among groups as regard mortality, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, incidence of interventricular hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Conclusion This indicates that HHFNC may be used as an equally effective and safe method of non-invasive ventilation when compared to nCPAP for initial respiratory support in preterm infants with respiratory distress.

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