Anthropometric Measurements of Singleton Live Full-Term Newborns in Comparison to Who Standard at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialised Hospital, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Anthropometry is a universally applicable, non-expensive, rapid and noninvasive technique used to evaluate and reflect the nutritional status of an individual. Anthropometric measurements of newborns reflect their general health, nutritional status and future survival by tracking trends in growth and development over time. It has also considerable significance in terms of determining the risk of death and extra uterine complications. Most previously conducted studies assessing newborn anthropometry had used birth weight as the sole parameter. But it is apparent that other anthropometric measurements, such as length and head circumference, are also important in predicting short-term and long-term outcomes. So this study assesses anthropometric measurements of singleton live full-term newborns at University of Gondar comprehensive specialised hospital, Ethiopia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 333 newborn from 5 June to 11 July 2022, in the maternity and neonatal ward of University of Gondar comprehensive specialised hospital. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. The Kobo toolbox software platform was used for data collection, and STATA software version 16 was used for analysis.

RESULTS

The mean birth weight, length and head circumference of the newborns in the current study were 2977 grams (95% CI: 2935.7, 3018.3), 47.05 centimeters (95% CI: 46.72-47.37) and 34.7 centimeters (95% CI: 34.6, 34.88), respectively. The prevalence of SGA (< 10th percentile) and LGA (> 90th percentile) was 20.12% and 6.01%, respectively. Independent samples t-test was done to see the association of newborn sex with anthropometric indices, and the result showed that the difference was statistically insignificant in all of anthropometric parameters.

CONCLUSION

This study of normal reference values will provide basic step for future standardisation of Ethiopian term newborns anthropometric parameters to be used for accurate assessment of newborns.

Etiology analysis for term newborns with severe hyperbilirubinemia in eastern Guangdong of China

BACKGROUND

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is one of the common diseases of newborns that typically presents with yellow staining of skin, resulting in sequelaes such as hearing loss, motor and intellectual development disorders, and even death. The pathogenic factors of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia are complex. Different cases of hyperbilirubinemia may have a single or mixed etiology.

AIM

To explore the etiological characteristics of severe hyperbilirubinemia in term newborns of eastern Guangdong of China.

METHODS

Term newborns with severe hyperbilirubinemia in one hospital from January 2012 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The etiology was determined according to the laboratory results and clinical manifestations.

RESULTS

Among 1602 term newborns with hyperbilirubinemia in eastern Guangdong of China, 32.20% (580/1602) was severe hyperbilirubinemia. Among the causes of severe hyperbilirubinemia, neonatal hemolysis accounted for 15.17%, breast milk jaundice accounted for 12.09%, infection accounted for 10.17%, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency accounted for 9.14%, and the coexistence of multiple etiologies accounted for 6.55%, unknown etiology accounted for 41.72%. ABO hemolysis and G6PD deficiency were the most common causes in the 20 cases with bilirubin encephalopathy. 94 severe hyperbilirubinemia newborns were tested for uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1)*6 variant (rs4148323, c.211G>A, p.Arg71Gly), 9 cases were 211 G to A homozygous variant, 37 cases were 211 G to A heterozygous variant, and 48 cases were wild genotypes.

CONCLUSION

The main cause for severe hyperbilirubinemia and bilirubin encephalopathy in eastern Guangdong of China were the hemolytic disease of the newborns, G6PD deficiency and infection. UGT1A1 gene variant was also a high-risk factor for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Targeted prevention and treatment according to the etiology may reduce the occurrence of bilirubin encephalopathy and kernicterus.

Mesenchymal stem cells from preterm to term newborns undergo a significant switch from anaerobic glycolysis to the oxidative phosphorylation

We evaluated the energy metabolism of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) isolated from umbilical cord (UC) of preterm (< 37 weeks of gestational age) and term (≥ 37 weeks of gestational age) newborns, using MSC from adult bone marrow as control. A metabolic switch has been observed around the 34th week of gestational age from a prevalently anaerobic glycolysis to the oxidative phosphorylation. This metabolic change is associated with the organization of mitochondria reticulum: preterm MSCs presented a scarcely organized mitochondrial reticulum and low expression of proteins involved in the mitochondrial fission/fusion, compared to term MSCs. These changes seem governed by the expression of CLUH, a cytosolic messenger RNA-binding protein involved in the mitochondria biogenesis and distribution inside the cell; in fact, CLUH silencing in term MSC determined a metabolic fingerprint similar to that of preterm MSC. Our study discloses novel information on the production of energy and mitochondrial organization and function, during the passage from fetal to adult life, providing useful information for the management of preterm birth.

Heterogeneity of respiratory distress syndrome: risk factors and morbidity associated with early and late gestation disease

BACKGROUND

Although respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is considered a disease of prematurity, there is evidence to suggest heterogeneity between early and late gestation RDS. We examined the epidemiologic features of RDS occurring at early and late gestation.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study including live births in the United States in 2005-06, with information obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. Early (<32 weeks) and late gestation RDS (≥39 weeks) were contrasted in terms of risk factors and associations with pregnancy complications, obstetric intervention and co-morbidity. Logistic regression was used to quantify the effects of risk factors, while other associations were quantified descriptively.

RESULTS

There were 27,971 RDS cases, yielding an incidence of 6.4 per 1000 live births. Early and late gestation RDS differed in terms of risk factors, with factors such as multi-fetal gestation more strongly associated with early (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 11.6, 95 % confidence interval 11.0-12.2) compared with late gestation RDS (aOR 3.66, 95 % confidence interval 2.68-4.98). The morbidity correlates of early and late gestation RDS also differed substantially; neonatal seizures were less strongly associated with early (OR 5.90, 95 % confidence interval 3.67-9.47) compared with late gestation RDS (OR 33.1, 95 % confidence interval 27.2-40.2), while meconium aspiration syndrome was not significantly associated with early gestation RDS (OR 1.87, 95 % confidence interval 0.94-3.72) and very strongly associated with late gestation RDS (OR 39.8, 95 % confidence interval 34.7-45.6).

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in risk factors and morbidity correlates of early and late gestation RDS suggest that these entities represent two distinct diseases.