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In the transition to parenthood, the COVID-19 pandemic poses an additional strain on parental well-being. Confirmed infections or having to quarantine, as well as public health measures negatively affect parents and infants. Contrary to previous studies mainly focusing on the well-being of school-aged children and their parents during lockdown periods, the present study investigated how mothers of infants respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and whether this is related to maternal well-being, maternal socio-emotional investment, and infant regulation. Between April and June 2021, 206 mothers of infants (M

Infant temperament is usually considered biologically driven and a precursor of personality. Despite being conceived as trait measures, parent reports for assessing infant temperament use short timescales, for example, the past 7 days, implying variability in temperament traits' expressions. In two daily diary studies, we use the perspective of whole-trait theory to investigate whether infant temperament is observable on a daily basis and to what degree infant temperament varies within-person across days. In Study 1, N = 137 mothers of infants aged 6-18 months reported on their infant’s daily (state) temperament (median number of days: 8, total observations: 984). The results suggest a substantial within-person variation in daily infant temperament (ICCs: .41 to .54). Study 2 (N = 199 mothers, median number of days: 7, total observations: 1375) replicated these results on the variability in infant state temperament (ICCs: .41 to .51). In addition, infant state temperament was related to infant trait temperament. However, certain temperament items – primarily those assessing surgency – were frequently rated as not applicable and did not seem suitable for daily assessments. Across both studies, results indicate substantial within-person variability in daily infant temperament and a strong trait component.

In light of the promising neuroprotective properties of recombinant human erythropoietin (RHEpo), the Swiss EPO Neuroprotection Trial was started to investigate its effect on neurodevelopment in very preterm infants. The results of the primary and secondary outcome analysis did not show any effect of RHEpo on cognitive performance, neuromotor outcomes, or somatic growth of the study participants at ages 2 or 5 years.To investigate whether early high-dose RHEpo improves behavioral outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at age 5 years.This was a prespecified secondary analysis of the double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter Swiss EPO Neuroprotection randomized clinical trial, which was conducted at 5 level-III perinatal centers in Switzerland. Infants born between 26 weeks 0 days' and 31 weeks 6 days' gestation were recruited between 2005 and 2012 and followed-up until age 5 years (last follow-up in 2018). Data were analyzed from January 6 to December 31, 2021.Infants were assigned to receive either RHEpo (3000 IU/kg) or placebo (saline, 0.9%) intravenously 3 times within the first 42 hours after birth.The prespecified parent-reported measures of behavioral outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of their children at the age of 5 years were assessed by two standardized questionnaires: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (behavioral outcomes) and the KIDSCREEN-27 (HRQoL).Among 448 randomized infants, 228 infants were assigned to the RHEpo group and 220 infants were assigned to the placebo group. Questionnaire data were available for 317 children (71%) at a mean (SD) age of 5.8 (0.4) years (mean [SD] gestational age at birth, 29.3 [1.6] weeks; mean [SD] birth weight 1220 [340] grams; 128 [40%] female infants). At the age 5 years follow-up, the mean (SD) total difficulties score in the RHEpo group (8.41 [5.60] points) was similar to that of the placebo group (7.76 [4.81]) (P = .37). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in any other outcome measures.This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial showed no evidence for an effect of early high-dose RHEpo administration on behavioral outcomes or HRQoL in children born very preterm at early school age.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00413946.

Objective To compare therapeutic hypothermia (TH) treatment of term and near-term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) between neonatal units. Study design Population-based, retrospective analysis of TH initiation and maintenance, and of diagnostic imaging. The comparison between units was based on crude data analysis, indirect standardization, and adjusted logistic regression. Results TH was provided to 570 neonates with HIE between 2011 and 2018 in 10 Swiss units. We excluded 121 off-protocol cooled neonates to avoid selection bias. Of the remaining 449 neonates, the outcome was favorable to international benchmarks, but there were large unit-to-unit variations in baseline perinatal data and TH management. A total of 5% neonates did not reach target temperature within 7 h (3–10% between units), and 29% experienced over- or undercooling (0–38%). Conclusion Although the neonates had favorable short-term outcomes, areas for improvement remain for Swiss units in both process and outcome measures.

Objective To assess patent ductus arteriosus treatment variation between Swiss perinatal centers and to determine its effect on outcome in a population-based setting. Study design This was a retrospective cohort study of infants born less than 28 weeks of gestation between 2012 and 2017. Outcomes between surgically ligated and pharmacologically treated infants as well as infants born in centers performing ≤10% ligation (“low” group) and >10% (“high” group) were compared using logistic regression and 1:1 propensity score matching. Matching was based on case-mix and preligation confounders: intraventricular hemorrhages grades 3-4, necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, and ≥28 days’ oxygen supply. Results Of 1389 infants, 722 (52%) had pharmacologic treatment and 156 (11.2%) received surgical ligation. Compared with infants who received pharmacologic treatment, ligated infants had greater odds for major morbidities (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.44-3.04) and 2-year neurodevelopmental impairment (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.15-2.84). Mortality was comparable after restricting the cohort to infants surviving at least until day 10 to avoid survival bias. In the “low” group, 34 (4.9%) of 696 infants were ligated compared with 122 (17.6%) of 693 infants in the “high” group. Infants in the “high” group had greater odds for major morbidities (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.11-2.0). Conclusions Our analysis identified a burden on infants receiving surgical ligation vs pharmacologic treatment in a population-based setting where there was no agreed-on common procedure. These results may guide a revision of patent ductus arteriosus treatment practice in Switzerland.

Human milk is considered the most advantageous source of nourishment for infants. Even though there is no ideal composition of human milk, it still contains a unique combination of components that contribute to brain development. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the possible correlation of human milk with the neurodevelopment of infants, with a special emphasis on myelination and epigenetic modifications. Research in human milk is a rapidly expanding field and cutting-edge technologies might contribute to identify specific mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects on human milk on neurodevelopment.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global issue which affects the entire population&rsquo, s mental health. This study evaluates how restrictions to curtail this pandemic change parenting self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, couple satisfaction and health-related quality of life in parents after delivery of a newborn. Methods: In this prospective single center evaluation of parental self-efficacy and quality of life, four validated questionnaires were used to repeatedly assess parenting self-efficacy (Tool to measure Parental Self-Efficacy, TOPSE), depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS), couple satisfaction (Couple Satisfaction Index, CSI) and health-related quality of life (short form 12, SF12). Fifty-three parents of 50 infants answered a total number of 63 questionnaires during the lockdown period to limit the spread of COVID-19. These questionnaires were matched with 63 questionnaires of 58 other parents that had answered them before or after strong pandemic related measures. Results: Parents experienced lower parenting self-efficacy during the strict pandemic measures as compared to before and after (p = 0.04). In terms of age, socioeconomic, marital status and duration of hospitalization we detected no significant difference between both groups. On univariate linear regression, TOPSE scores were associated with gestational age (p = 0.044, parameter estimate: 1.67, 95% CI: 0.048 to 3.301), birth weight (p = 0.035, parameter estimate: 0.008, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.015), number of newborns&rsquo, siblings (p = 0.0554, parameter estimate: 7.49, 95% CI: &minus, 0.174 to 15.145) and distance of home from hospital (p = 0.043, parameter estimate: &minus, 0.38, 95% CI: &minus, 0.745 to &minus, 0.011). Interestingly, there was a positive correlation between quality of life and TOPSE scores, suggesting that those who experience a higher self-efficacy also have a higher quality of life. Conclusions: When implementing a lock-down period psychological effects such as lower experience of parental self-efficacy have to be considered.

It is critical to quantitatively analyse the developing human fetal brain in order to fully understand neurodevelopment in both normal fetuses and those with congenital disorders. To facilitate this analysis, automatic multi-tissue fetal brain segmentation algorithms are needed, which in turn requires open datasets of segmented fetal brains. Here we introduce a publicly available dataset of 50 manually segmented pathological and non-pathological fetal magnetic resonance brain volume reconstructions across a range of gestational ages (20 to 33 weeks) into 7 different tissue categories (external cerebrospinal fluid, grey matter, white matter, ventricles, cerebellum, deep grey matter, brainstem/spinal cord). In addition, we quantitatively evaluate the accuracy of several automatic multi-tissue segmentation algorithms of the developing human fetal brain. Four research groups participated, submitting a total of 10 algorithms, demonstrating the benefits the dataset for the development of automatic algorithms., Scientific Data, 8 (1), ISSN:2052-4463

Background. The role of primary immunodeficiencies (PID) in susceptibility to sepsis remains unknown. It is unclear whether children with sepsis benefit from genetic investigations. We hypothesized that sepsis may represent the first manifestation of underlying PID. We applied whole-exome sequencing (WES) to a national cohort of children with sepsis to identify rare, predicted pathogenic variants in PID genes., Methods. We conducted a multicenter, population-based, prospective study including previously healthy children aged >= 28 days and, Results. There were 176 children presenting with 185 sepsis episodes who underwent WES (median age, 52 months; interquartile range, 15.4-126.4). There were 41 unique predicted pathogenic PID variants (1 homozygous, 5 hemizygous, and 35 heterozygous) found in 35/176 (20%) patients, including 3/176 (2%) patients carrying variants that were previously reported to lead to PID. The variants occurred in PID genes across all 8 PID categories, as defined by the International Union of Immunological Societies. We did not observe a significant correlation between clinical or laboratory characteristics of patients and the presence or absence of PID variants., Conclusions. Applying WES to a population-based cohort of previously healthy children with bacterial sepsis detected variants of uncertain significance in PID genes in 1 out of 5 children. Future studies need to investigate the functional relevance of these variants to determine whether variants in PID genes contribute to pediatric sepsis susceptibility.

Although recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) has been shown to be neuroprotective in experimental and clinical studies,1,2 prophylactic early high-dose rhEpo did not improve neurodevelopment among 2-year-olds who had been born very preterm in a randomized clinical trial.3 We report the prespecified secondary neurodevelopmental outcomes of the trial cohort at early school age.

Introduction: The only causal therapy is fetoscopic laser surgery (FLS). The aims of this study were to analyze the long-term outcome of monochorionic twins treated by FLS, including their school career, need for therapy and special aid equipment, and free-time activities, and compare their outcome to matched dichorionic twins. Material and Methods: Among the 57 women treated at a single fetal treatment center between 2008 and 2017 with FLS because of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, 25 women with 42 children were included in the FLS group. The control group consisted of 16 dichorionic twin pairs matched for birth year, gestational age (GA), birth weight, and sex. The long-term outcome was assessed by a parental questionnaire and a standardized neurodevelopmental examination for children born before 32 gestational weeks or with a birth weight lower than 1500 g. They were also registered into the Swiss Neonatal Network database. The primary outcome was event-free survival, defined as normal neurology, behavior, vision, and hearing. The secondary outcomes were school career, need for therapy and special aid equipment, and free-time activities. Results: An event-free survival was found in 32 children (76%) in the laser and in 24 children (75%) in the control group (p = 0.91). Neurological anomalies were found in 5 children (12%) in the laser group and 3 children (9%) in the control group (p = 1.00). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that GA at delivery was the only predictive factor for event-free survival. There were no significant differences regarding school career, therapies, or special aid equipment between the 2 groups. We found that children without FLS were involved in more free-time activities and needed fewer breaks during physical activity than children with FLS during pregnancy. Conclusion: The outcome of monochorionic twins treated with FLS is comparable to the outcome of dichorionic twins. Long-term neurodevelopment in the cohort was mainly dependent on GA at birth.

The recent introduction of newborn screening for severe primary T and B cell deficiencies in Switzerland allows rapid identification of patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Outcomes for SCID are greatly improved by early diagnosis and treatment with allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation or, in selected cases, gene therapy. National centralised newborn screening is performed in Switzerland since January 2019 using a combined T cell receptor excision circles (TREC) / κ-deleting recombination excision circles (KREC) assay, also revealing infants with non-SCID severe T and B cell disorders, who are often diagnosed with a substantial delay. Here, we outline the screening procedure currently performed in Switzerland and give recommendations for diagnostic evaluations and precautionary measures against infection in children with abnormal screening test results.

Introduction The thalamus is a key hub for regulating cortical connectivity. Dysmaturation of thalamocortical networks that accompany white matter injury has been hypothesized as neuroanatomical correlate of late life neurocognitive impairment following preterm birth. Our objective was to find a link between thalamocortical connectivity measures at term equivalent age and two‐year neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants. Methods Diffusion tensor MRI data of 58 preterm infants (postmenstrual age at birth, mean (SD), 29.71 (1.47) weeks) were used in the study. We utilized probabilistic diffusion tractography to trace connections between the cortex and thalami. Possible associations between connectivity strength, the length of the probabilistic fiber pathways, and developmental scores (Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition) were analyzed using multivariate linear regression models. Results We found strong correlation between mental developmental index and two complementary measures of thalamocortical networks: Connectivity strength projected to a cortical skeleton and pathway length emerging from thalamic voxels (partial correlation, R = .552 and R = .535, respectively, threshold‐free cluster enhancement, corrected p‐value, Our purpose was to find a link between thalamocortical connectivity measures at term equivalent age and two‐year neurodevelopmental outcome in 58 infants following preterm birth. Using probabilistic diffusion tractography, we found that injury or dysmaturation of tracts emerging from ventral‐specific and various nonspecific thalamus projecting to late‐maturing cortical regions is predictive of mental, but not psychomotor developmental outcomes

Purpose: Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) complicates 10–15% of all monochorionic twin pregnancies. Selective laser coagulation of placental anastomoses is the only causal therapy. ...

Objective\ud To validate and test a German version of the revised Parent Report of Children's Abilities questionnaire (PARCA-R).\ud \ud Methods\ud Multicentre cross-sectional study. Parents of infants born

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a significant cause of pneumonia in school-aged children and young adults. We report a case of neonatal M. pneumoniae pneumonia in a preterm child manifesting in the first hours of life. Vertical transmission was demonstrated by the detection of M. pneumoniae in inflamed placental tissue indicating chorioamnionitis.

Background In utero intravoxel incoherent motion magnetic resonance imaging (IVIM-MRI) provides a novel method for examining microvascular perfusion fraction and diffusion in the developing human fetus. Purpose To characterize gestational changes in the microvascular perfusion fraction of the placenta, fetal liver, and lungs using IVIM-MRI. Study type Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Subjects Fifty-five datasets from 33 singleton pregnancies were acquired (17-36 gestational weeks). Field strength/sequence In utero diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging at 1.5T and 3.0T with b-factors ranging from 0 to 900 s/mm2 in 16 steps. Assessment Using the IVIM principle, microvascular perfusion fraction (f), pseudodiffusion (D*), and diffusion coefficients (d) were estimated for the placenta, liver, and lungs with a biexponential model. A free-form nonlinear deformation algorithm was used to correct for the frame-by-frame motion of the fetal organs and the placenta. The IVIM parameters were then compared to a Doppler ultrasound-based assessment of the umbilical artery resistance index. Statistical tests Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (PMCC) to reveal outlier corrected correlations between Doppler and IVIM parameters. Gestational age-related changes were assessed using linear regression analysis (LR). Results Placental f (0.29 ± 0.08) indicates high blood volume in the microvascular compartment, moderately increased during gestation (LR, R = 0.338), and correlated negatively with the umbilical artery resistance index (PMCC, R = -0.457). The f of the liver decreased sharply during gestation (LR, R = -0.436). Lung maturation was characterized by increasing perfusion fraction (LR, R = 0.547), and we found no gestational changes in d and D* values (LR, R = -0.013 and R = 0.051, respectively). The Doppler measurements of the umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery did not correlate with the IVIM parameters of the lungs and liver. Data conclusion Gestational age-associated changes of the placental, liver, and lung IVIM parameters likely reflect changes in placental and fetal circulation, and characterize the trajectory of microstructural and functional maturation of the fetal vasculature. Level of evidence 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017.

AimTo analyse the association between early aEEG and cognitive outcome at early school-age in very preterm infants.MethodsProspective cohort study including infants with gestational age (GA) ResultsAmong 118 monitored preterm children, 89 were assessed at median(IQR) corrected age of 68.6 months (65.5-71.2) [48% female, median(IQR) GA 29.9(28.2,30.9) weeks, mean(SD) birth weight 1235(363) grams]. Mean(SD) IQ was 97.8(12.7). IQConclusionIn this cohort of very preterm infants, early short-term aEEG was not predictive of later cognitive outcome. Further research is needed to explore how aEEG could help to inform long-term prognosis in this population group.Key notesPreterm born infants are at high risk for neurodevelopmental impairment.Early amplitude integrated electroencephalography characteristics are univariately associated with cognitive outcome at 5 years of age in preterm born children.However, socioeconomic factors and neonatal morbidity were stronger predictors of long-term neurodevelopmental outcome than early aEEG measures.

AIM We investigated the association between early amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) and cognitive outcome in very preterm infants at early school-age. METHODS This prospective cohort study, conducted in the Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, from 2009-2012, comprised infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation, who underwent continuous aEEG recording during the first four days of life. Cognitive outcome was assessed with the Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children at five years. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were calculated between aEEG parameters and normal cognitive outcome, defined as an intelligence quotient (IQ) of at least 85. RESULTS The 118 (52.5% male) infants were born at a mean gestational age of 29.9 weeks and a mean birth weight of 1,235 ±363 grams. We followed up 89 children at the age of five and they had a mean IQ of 97.8 ±12.7 with 21.3% under 85 - and 2.2% had cerebral palsy. Univariate analyses found associations between aEEG measures and normal cognitive outcome, but these were no longer significant after adjustment for confounders. Socioeconomic status and neonatal morbidity were independent predictors of cognitive outcome. CONCLUSION Early short-term aEEG did not predict later cognitive outcome in our cohort of very preterm infants. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Objective: In order to provide aid for prenatal counseling in fetal isolated ventriculomegaly (IVM) on ultrasound, we recorded the latest long-term clinical and imaging outcomes of children with a mean age of 7.2 years (range 2.1-14.6). Methods: In 72 fetuses with IVM, diagnosed between 1999 and 2011, the measurement quality of atrial diameter was reviewed in the axial plane. We assessed the association of characteristics of IVM with outcome parameters in the cohort and in subgroups. Prognostic values of significant associations were reported by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: Cerebral anomalies were diagnosed postnatally in 42% and genetic disorders in 12% of 45 live births. Significant associations of outcome parameters were found between the degree of IVM and genetic disorders (p = 0.017) with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.866, and between progression of IVM and motor impairment (p = 0.024) with an AUC of 0.789. No significant correlation was found with the other assessed outcome parameters. Furthermore, our subgroup analysis clearly showed that, if cerebral or genetic anomalies are not found postnatally, a favorable outcome may be expected. Discussion: Diameter and progression in IVM are not significantly associated with most outcome parameters. Cerebral anomalies and genetic disorders may contribute to an unfavorable outcome.

Objective To assess the contribution of the severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and the time point of its diagnosis to the prediction of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at corrected age of 2 years in preterm infants. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Level-III perinatal centre. Patients and outcome measures Infants born in 2000–2013 with gestational age 21% for ≥28 days and its severity classified as mild, FiO2=21%; moderate, FiO2 21% for ≥28 days nor mild or moderate BPD at either 36 or 40 weeks’ PMA was associated with NDI, but severe BPD was (at 36 weeks’ PMA 5.6 (2.0 to 16.0) and at 40 weeks’ PMA 16.6 (4.6 to 59.9)). Infants with severe BPD at both 36 and 40 weeks’ PMA had lower mental (mean difference −11.4 (−18.5 to −4.3), −25.7(−35.9 to −15.5), respectively) and motor (−7.8 (−14.9 to −0.6), −20.1(−30.7 to −9.5), respectively), developmental scores than infants without BPD. Conclusion In this cohort, severe BPD was a better independent predictor of NDI at 2 years than mild or moderate BPD. BPD diagnosed at 40 weeks’ PMA might allow better identification of infants at highest risk for NDI.

Aim: This study aimed at exploring the type, degree, and duration of work-related burden on neonatal physicians and nurses working in tertiary level neonatal intensive care units, its impact on their private life, and at assessing which coping strategies were found helpful. Methods: Transversal descriptive study using an anonymous questionnaire. Results: Fifty-two neonatal physicians and 60 nurses took part in this survey (response rate 77%). Altogether, 78% stated that the difficult medical and ethical dilemmas represent a burden to them. 87% experienced this work burden as momentary, and 12% as long-lasting. In 40% of the respondents, their private life was affected. Exhaustion was the most frequently cited stress symptom (physicians 25%, nurses 15%). Close to 90% of the caregivers were offered a platform for team debriefings and discussions or pastoral assistance by their hospital, but most of the respondents found relief from stress through discussions with family members and friends (20%), and through their hobbies (15%), or both (43%). Conclusion: Working in a NICU environment represents a burden for the majority of neonatal health care providers. Exhaustion was the most frequent symptom. Social contacts with family and friends and hobbies are the coping strategies found most helpful. Staff meetings, debriefing platforms and pastoral assistance help alleviate work-related stress. Keywords: Coping; Coping behavior; Exhaustion; Work-related stress; NICU