Impact of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit oral feeding on neuropsychomotor outcomes at 9 months of corrected age in Chinese low-birthweight preterm infants: A retrospective study

A Role for Data Science in Precision Nutrition and Early Brain Development

Multimodal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide biomarkers of early influences on neurodevelopment such as nutrition, environmental and genetic factors. As the exposure to early influences can be separated from neurodevelopmental outcomes by many months or years, MRI markers can serve as an important intermediate outcome in multivariate analyses of neurodevelopmental determinants. Key to the success of such work are recent advances in data science as well as the growth of relevant data resources. Multimodal MRI assessment of neurodevelopment can be supplemented with other biomarkers of neurodevelopment such as electroencephalograms, magnetoencephalogram, and non-imaging biomarkers. This review focuses on how maternal nutrition impacts infant brain development, with three purposes: (1) to summarize the current knowledge about how nutrition in stages of pregnancy and breastfeeding impact infant brain development; (2) to discuss multimodal MRI and other measures of early neurodevelopment; and (3) to discuss potential opportunities for data science and artificial intelligence to advance precision nutrition. We hope this review can facilitate the collaborative march toward precision nutrition during pregnancy and the first year of life.

Oropharyngeal Administration of Mother's Milk Prior to Gavage Feeding in Preterm Infants: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial

BACKGROUND

Oropharyngeal administration of mother's colostrum in early days has an immunoprotective effect in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVES

Our aim was to study the effect of oropharyngeal administration of mother's milk (OPAMM) on decreasing the incidence of nosocomial sepsis.

METHODS

In a pilot prospective randomized study on preterm (<32 weeks gestation and 1500 g weight) infants, we compared OPAMM practice (applying 0.2 mL of mother's colostrum or milk prior to gavage feeding until full oral feeding is reached) with regular gavage feeding. The primary outcome was incidence of culture-proven nosocomial sepsis. Secondary outcomes included bacterial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract, feeding intolerance, time to reach full feeding, incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis, ventilator-associated pneumonia, duration of respiratory support, incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), length of hospital stay, and neonatal mortality.

RESULTS

The outcomes of 200 neonates (100 in each group) were analyzed. OPAMM practice did not significantly reduce the incidence of culture proven nosocomial sepsis (8% vs 13%, P = 0.35). Infants in the OPAMM group had a significantly lower growth of Klebsiella species in the oropharyngeal pouch, borderline lower incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, shorter duration of oxygen therapy, less episodes of feeding intolerance, reached full feeding earlier, and had a shorter length of hospital stay. OPAMM practice did not affect the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis, BPD, or neonatal mortality.

CONCLUSION

OPAMM prior to gavage feeding does not reduce the incidence of nosocomial sepsis but had beneficial effects on early achievement of feeding, and early hospital discharge in preterm very low-birth-weight infants.