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Background: The falling of Umbilical stump occurs by 7-15 days of age. The healing of umbilical stump may be complicated by Umbilical Granuloma. It is often treated by chemical cauterisation which require repeated applications and may lead to local or systemic complications. Common salt by way of its dessicative property may help in treatment of Umbilical Granuloma.Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the role of common salt application in umbilical granuloma.Materials and Methods: This is retrospective study over 3 years from a pediatric surgery unit in Northern India. The study subjects were infants less than 10 weeks of age who presented with umbilical granuloma. The method of salt application was 1 pinch of common salt for 1 hour twice a day for 3 consecutive days. The babies were assessed at day 5th for resolution. The success was defined as thrice resolution after 3 cycles. The baseline demographic details were taken and the association of success of treatment was analyzed.Results: A total of 36 infants were given treatment in form of common salt application for treatment of umbilical granuloma. The success of around 96% and the cases which presented early responded well. Most of the cases resolved after 3 cycles of treatment.Conclusion: The common salt application is effective in treatment of granuloma without any side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objective: Bacteriologic profile and risk factors for ESBL sepsis in newborns admitted to a Level III NICU.Methods: This was a retrospective observational study that enrolled newborns admitted to NICU with perinatal risk factors or clinical signs of sepsis and positive blood culture from January 2013 to August 2014. Blood cultures were done by BACTEC and ESBL production was evaluated from double-disc synergy method. Maternal, perinatal and neonatal risk factors were recorded from the case records and computerized information base. Mothers received cephalosporins for PPROM but its use was restricted in newborns for both probable and culture-positive sepsis.Results: Among the infants with sepsis 24% had early-onset sepsis. The incidence of ESBL of early-onset Gram-negative sepsis (EOGNS) was 44.7% (n = 17 of 38) and it was 65% in late-onset Gram-negative sepsis (n = 84 of 129). The predominant ESBL-producing microbe responsible for neonatal sepsis was Klebsiella sp. Among newborns with EOGNS, the risk factors for the production of ESBL were preterm PROM (p = 0.004) and maternal exposure to antibiotics (p = 0.05).Conclusion: ESBL Gram-negative sepsis is a substantial problem in neonatal infections. Maternal exposure to cephalosporins and maternal PPROM are important risk factors for ESBL Gram-negative EOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in children aged <19 years with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), attending/admitted in the Department of Pediatrics and Radiotherapy, Government Medical College, Jammu. Furthermore, we aimed to study the correlation between the cytogenetic molecular abnormalities and the immediate clinical outcome (induction of remission). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study conducted over a period of 2 years (May 2011 to May 2013) in a tertiary care hospital in India. Forty pediatric (1-19 years) patients (18 males, 22 females; M: F = 0.8 : 1) with newly diagnosed ALL were studied for molecular cytogenetic analysis. Written consent was obtained from the parents of the patients. Bone marrow aspiration was done for making the diagnosis of ALL. Children lost to follow-up and who failed to give consent were excluded from the survey. Host factors and clinical parameters were obtained from patients. RESULTS: Bone marrow aspirate samples of 40 diagnosed cases of ALL were subjected to routine cytogenetic analysis, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used for molecular analysis. Well-spread metaphase plates were obtained in 18/40 (45%) cases for analysis. RT-PCR revealed abnormal genes in 20/40 (50%) patients. The results of molecular cytogenetic analysis were correlated with patients' clinical and hematological parameters for risk stratification and immediate outcome (induction of remission). Eighteen out of 40 (45%) cases revealed no abnormality. Among the remaining 22 cases, 8 had TEL-AML1 (20%), 6 had BCR-ABL (15%), 4 had MLL-AF4 (10%), 2 had E2A-PBX1 (5%) fusion genes, and 2 had hyperdiploidy. To conclude, a higher proportion of cases in this study showed adverse translocations such as t (9;22), t (4;11), and t (1;19) compared to that reported in literature. CONCLUSION: RT-PCR assay was useful in detecting the prognostically significant oncogene fusion transcripts. In our study of 40 patients, we found that the pattern and frequency differ from those reported in Western literature. Our study reveals a lower frequency of hyperdiploidy (5%) and a higher frequency of BCR--ABL gene fusion (20%) in childhood ALL. Above all, in contrast to previous studies on childhood ALL, our study showed female predominance, with the male-to-female ratio being 0.8 : 1. Apart from the BCR--ABL fusion gene, none other was associated with poor prognosis. It is already well established that the characterization of the genetic entities at diagnosis is crucial for the understanding and the optimal treatment of ALL. Because the aberrations in our population differ significantly from those reported in Western populations, we may be required to tailor our protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: To study the role of Doppler imaging in prediction of high-risk pregnancies and their outcomes. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This prospective study in a setup of tertiary-level care center includes 500 high-risk pregnant women from rural and urban sectors and evaluates the predictive values of various Doppler indices. RESULTS: Out of 500 patients, 110 patients had abnormal Doppler among them, 70 patients had abnormal uterine artery Doppler, and 50 patients had abnormal umbilical artery Doppler low indices. In all, 10 patients had both umbilical artery and uterine artery abnormal Doppler indices. When uterine artery was abnormal (70 patients), 20 patients had preeclampsia, 10 patients had pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), and 25 patients had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio and notch had sensitivity of 60% and positive predictive value of 33.3% and 37.5%, respectively. When umbilical artery was abnormal (50 patients), 10 had preeclampsia, 15 had PIH, and 15 had IUGR. S/D ratio had the highest positive predictive value of 40%; sensitivity is same for all. In uterine artery, combination of parameters had the best sensitivity of 80%, followed by notch and S/D ratio. In umbilical artery, combination of parameters, S/D ratio, and RI (resistance index) had sensitivity of 40%; specificity of all the indices was 91-96%. In all, 20 patients had bilateral notch, and among them 15 developed preeclampsia and 15 developed IUGR. When both uterine and umbilical artery Doppler were abnormal (10 patients), all patients had preeclampsia and IUGR. CONCLUSION: Therefore, Doppler study may be used for the prediction of preeclampsia and IUGR to reduce the maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the temperature of the inhaled gas for ventilated asphyxiated newborns on therapeutic hypothermia. They say that providing the inhaled gas at 37° Celsius (C) may cause water condensation, while providing the inhaled gas at 35°C may cause a decrease in humidity of the inspired gases and may lead to increase in mortality. They mention the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn's recommendations on therapeutic hypothermia.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the occurrence of hypoxic hepatitis in full-term neonates after perinatal asphyxia and to correlate between the rise in enzymes and severity of asphyxia with Apgar score and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) grading of the neonates. METHOD AND MATERIAL: This prospective case-controlled study was conducted in a tertiary-level hospital in India for a period of 12 months. The study group A comprised 70 newborns suffering from birth asphyxia, while 30 healthy neonates were included in group B (control). All biochemical parameters of liver function, ie, serum alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein, serum albumin, bilirubin (total and direct), and international normalized ratio (INR), were measured on postnatal days 1, 3, and 10 in both study and control groups. RESULTS: In group A, 22.8% newborns had severe (Apgar score 0-3), 47.1% had moderate (Apgar score 4-5), and 30% had mild (Apgar score 6-7) birth asphyxia at five minutes. In all, 14.28% babies were in HIE stage I, 25.73% babies were in HIE stage II, and 11.42% babies were in HIE stage III. The rest of the newborns, 48.57%, were normal. The prevalence of liver function impairment was seen in 42.85% of asphyxiated neonates. On day 1, ALT, AST, ALP, LDH, PT, and INR were significantly higher, and total protein and serum albumin were significantly lower in group A than in group B. However, ALT and AST correlated well with increasing severity of HIE score. On day 3, there was a rising trend observed in the concentration of mean LDH as HIE staging of neonates progressed from stage 0 to stage III, and among various HIE stages, the difference in LDH was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: We concluded that AST, ALT at 24 hours, and LDH at 72 hours of animation can be a utilitarian diagnostic tool to differentiate asphyxiated neonates from non-asphyxiated neonates and to discover the severity of perinatal asphyxia because of easy accessibility and feasibility of tests. The outcomes of this survey would be useful for physicians who receive neonates for whom birth details are not easily documented as most of the time the referred newborn infants lack asphyxia history either because the attendants do not know clearly the whole birth history or it was an unattended delivery, or the referring healthcare professional has not been observant because of legal threats. The neurological assessment also becomes difficult and inconclusive as ventilator treatment, sedative drugs, and anticonvulsant therapy would produce an evaluation of severity of hypoxic ischemic brain disease and neurological insult difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) as a primary respiratory therapy in meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) has not been studied extensively. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure, when applied in newborns with MAS, may resolve atelectasis by sufficiently expanding partially obstructed small airways and stabilizing the collapsing terminal airways to enhance oxygen exchange., Objective: To compare NCPAP vs standard care in neonates with moderate to severe respiratory failure due to MAS in reducing the need for invasive ventilation., Design, Settings, and Participants: This multicenter open-label, parallel-group (1:1 ratio) randomized clinical trial was conducted from August 5, 2014, to May 26, 2016. Data were collected from 3 tertiary care neonatal intensive care units. All infants admitted with respiratory distress, defined as Downe score greater than 4 and peripheral capillary oxygen saturation less than 90%, were assessed for study eligibility if the chest radiograph was suggestive of MAS and they met the other inclusion criteria: gestation longer than 35 weeks, a birth weight greater than 2000 g, and born through meconium-stained amniotic fluid., Interventions: Infants were randomly assigned to either NCPAP or standard care (5-10 L/min hood oxygen)., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the need for mechanical ventilation in the first 7 days of life., Results: After excluding 14 infants, 67 infants were randomized to bubble NCPAP and 68 infants to standard care. Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. Infants randomized to the bubble NCPAP group needed mechanical ventilation less frequently in the first 7 days of life compared with standard care (2 [3.0%] vs 17 [25.0%]); odds ratio, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02-0.43; P = .002). The need for surfactant (3 [4.5%] vs 11 [16.2%]; odds ratio, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.05-0.87) and culture-positive sepsis (4 [6.0%] vs 13 [19.0%]; odds ratio, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.09-0.93) were higher in the standard care group. There was an increased duration of oxygen therapy (median [interquartile range], 45.5 [28.0-78.3] vs 26 [20.0-48.0] hours; P = .001) in the standard care group. In the NCPAP group vs standard care group, incidence of persistent pulmonary hypertension (9 [13%] vs 19 [28%]; odds ratio, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.17-1.01) and duration of hospital stay (median [interquartile range], 5.0 [4.0-8.8] vs 4.0 [4.0-6.0] days; P = .14) were similar., Conclusions and Relevance: Bubble NCPAP in comparison with standard care for infants with MAS reduces the need for mechanical ventilation in the first 7 days of life., Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registry, India Identifier: CTRI/2015/03/005631.