Oxidative stress and sleep apnoea in clinically healthy infants in the first year of life

Summary Question of the study   Respiratory instability as well as tissue damage by free radicals (oxidative stress) have been hypothesized to play a role in cases of sudden and unexpected infant death in the first year of life. The ratio of the oxidized/reduced form of redox compounds in the circulation could be used as a marker of oxidative stress. Therefore, the sleep apnoea rate and redox status of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) (percentage of the oxidized form in total CoQ10) were measured in a population of clinically healthy infants in their first year of life in order to study whether a physiological parameter of respiratory instability is related to a biochemical parameter of oxidative stress. Patients and methods   Between May and December 1999, 323 infants in the first year of life were referred to a paediatric sleep laboratory. Sleep apnoea rate, periodic breathing and parameters of oxygenation (SaO₂ and TcPO₂) were calculated based on polysomnographic recordings. The CoQ10 redox status was calculated based on high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis. Results   Statistical analysis showed an age-dependent decrease in apnoea rate ( r = – 0.38) and CoQ10 redox status ( r = – 0.40). An increased CoQ10 redox status (median: 16.6 %; range: 7.3 – 29.7 %) was found in infants with high apnoea rates above the 90^th percentile of a reference group in comparison with infants with apnoea rates below the 90^th percentile of a reference group (median: 10.4 %; range: 5.1 – 20.4 %; P = 0.031). Conclusions   These findings may indicate that high apnoea rates are accompanied by increased formation of free radicals in clinically healthy infants in the first year of life.     

Regulation and chance in the ontogeny of B and T cell antigen receptor repertoires

The adaptive immune system has to economically generate a large array of T and B cell antigen receptors (T cell receptors [TCRs], B cell receptors [BCRs]) that eliminate both longstanding and novel antigens from the host while preventing the production of deleterious (e.g., autoreactive) antigen receptors. Our studies focus on the mechanisms that shape the development of these antigen receptor repertoies during human ontogeny. The key to BCR and TCR diversity is the third complementarity determining region (CDR3) of the variable domain, which in the immunoglobulin heavy chain and TCR β chain, is created by the junction between the variable, diversity, and joining gene segments. The CDR3 diversity is constrained by overrepresentation of gene segments and lack of N regions during the first trimester of gestation and then increases exponentially during ontogeny until it reaches adult levels months after birth. This process parallels, and may contribute to, the stepwise acquisition of the ability to respond to specific antigens. Recent studies indicate that maturation of the CDR 3 repertoire is not accelerated by premature exposition to extrauterine antigen and thus appears to follow a strictly developmentally regulated program whose pacemaker(s) is still unknown.     

Confirmation of the association between high levels of immunoglobulin E food sensitization and eczema in infancy: an international study

Background Studies of Australian infants have reported that more than 80% of those with moderate atopic eczema (AE) have high levels of IgE food sensitization (IgE‐FS) that are commonly associated with IgE food allergy. Objectives To explore the relationship between high levels of IgE‐FS and AE in a large cohort of young children with eczema participating in a multi‐centre, international study. Methods Two thousand one hundred and eighty‐four subjects (mean age 17.6 months, range 11.8–25.4; 1246 males) with active eczema from atopic families from 94 centres in 12 countries were studied. Clinical history, Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index as a measure of eczema severity and CAP‐FEIA measurements for total IgE and IgE antibody levels to cow milk, egg and peanut were entered into a database. If CAP‐FEIA levels exceeded previously reported age‐specific cut‐off levels for 95% positive predictive values (PPVs) for food allergy, subjects were defined as having high‐risk IgE‐FS (HR‐IgE‐FS). Results Serum was available from 2048 patients; 55.5% were atopic. The frequency of HR‐IgE‐FS to milk, egg and/or peanut was the greatest in patients whose eczema developed in the first 3 months of life and the least in those whose eczema developed after 12 months (P<0.0001). In a regression analysis to allow for potential confounding factors, children with HR‐IgE‐FS had the most severe eczema and the youngest age of onset (P<0.001); 64% of infants with severe eczema of onset‐age <3 months had HR‐IgE‐FS. Conclusion Early‐onset severe eczema in infancy was associated with HR‐IgE‐FS. Clinical implications Food allergies should be routinely assessed in infants with moderate or severe eczema. Capsule summary In eczematous infants, the earlier the age of onset, and the greater the severity of eczema, the greater the frequency of associated high levels of IgE‐FS.     

Thrombocytosis in preterm infants: a possible involvement of thrombopoietin receptor gene expression

Transient thrombocytosis is commonly observed in preterm infants after birth, but its physiological mechanism is still unknown. To understand the mechanism of the transient thrombocytosis in preterm infants we firstly evaluated a correlation between platelet counts and thrombopoietin (TPO) levels in preterm infants and next c-mpl mRNA levels on platelets in healthy preterm infants longitudinally during a half-year of life. The mean platelet counts in 45 very low birth weight infants (mean gestational age 27.4±1.8 weeks, mean birth weight 1047±249 g) was 230±71×10⁹/l just after birth and thereafter gradually increased to 579±178×10⁹/l by 5 weeks of age. The platelet counts continued this level for about next 8 weeks. Serum TPO levels soon after birth and at 1 month of age were significantly higher than those at the age of 2–6 months. There was a significant negative correlation between platelet counts and serum TPO values. The c-mpl expression levels on platelets at birth and at 1 month of age tended to be lower than those on platelets from adults, and the c-mpl levels gradually increased through 6 months of age, although they were still lower than those of adults. Our results suggest that low expression of TPO receptor on platelets until 1 month after birth cause a decreased TPO clearance and keep a high level of free TPO in blood, thereby promoting platelet production from megakaryocytes or their progenitors in bone marrow, resulting in the subsequent thrombocytosis in preterm infants.     

胎龄小于34周早产儿分娩时挤压脐带断脐方式的研究

目的 分析胎龄＜34周早产儿不同断脐方式下血红蛋白、胆红素及相关并发症差异,为早产分娩行挤压脐带断脐法(UCM)提供临床依据。方法 回顾性分析115例经阴道分娩的胎龄＜34周的早产儿,根据断脐方式分为UCM组(n=59)和立即断脐(ICC)组(n=56),比较两组早产儿娩出后血红蛋白变化趋势和输血量、住院期间经皮胆红素值及光疗时间以及颅内出血、早产儿视网膜病变、支气管肺发育不良和坏死性小肠结肠炎的发生率。结果 UCM组出生后1 h内、出生后1周左右和出院前血红蛋白显著高于ICC组(t=2.246、2.123、1.886,P＜0.05),住院期间ICC组早产儿输血次数及每人次输血量显著多于UCM组(χ²=2.145,t=2.160,P＜0.05)。两组经皮胆红素达峰时间均为3～6 d,UCM组经皮胆红素值显著高于ICC组(t=2.231、2.654、2.686、2.038,P＜0.05),两组光疗时长差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05)。早产儿住院期间发生颅内出血、视网膜病变、支气管肺发育不良及坏死性小肠结肠炎等并发症两组间差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05)。结论 与正常断脐相比,挤压脐带可增加胎龄＜34周早产儿的血容量和血红蛋白量,减少住院期间输血次数及输血量,且不增加患儿病理性黄疸和并发症的风险,可作为胎龄＜34周早产儿首选的断脐方法。     

中晚期早产儿不良神经发育结局的研究进展

近年来,随着医疗水平的不断提高,早产儿存活率得以大幅提升,但由于胎龄不足,早产儿相比足月儿不良神经发育结局发生的风险比例增高,神经发育问题逐渐成为早产儿早期发展面临的突出问题。中晚期早产儿约占早产儿总人数的80％,但目前极早产和超早产与神经发育障碍相关性的研究较多,中晚期早产与神经发育障碍相关性的研究较少。本文对中晚期早产儿神经发育结局进行综述,为临床早期评估中晚期早产儿神经发育状态提供依据。通过胎盘-脑轴生物标志物预测中晚期早产儿神经发育结局,对开展早期干预具有重要意义。     

Optimal Household Water Access Fosters the Attainment of Minimum Dietary Diversity among Children Aged 6–23 Months in Malawi

Along with sanitation and hygiene, water is a well-known driver of child undernutrition. However, a more direct role of household (HH) water access in shaping dietary diversity remains unexplored. We assessed the association between HH water access and achievement of minimum dietary diversity (MDD) among young children. We utilized nationally-representative cross-sectional data from the 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, which included 4727 mother–child dyads, respectively, (26.8 ± 6.8 years, range 15–49 years) and (13.9 ± 4.9 months, range 6–23 months). HH water access was categorized as (1) basic or no access, (2) intermediate, or (3) optimal. MDD was defined as feeding a child, during the previous day, at least four of the food groups defined by the World Health Organization. Only 27.7% of the children achieved MDD standards; most of the children who achieved MDD were from HHs with optimal water access (58.4%, p < 0.001). However, only 5.9% of the mother–child dyads were from HHs with optimal water access. After adjusting for covariates, children from HHs with optimal water access had higher odds of achieving MDD than those from HHs with basic or no water access (aOR = 1.74, CI = 1.24–2.46). Our results highlight the need to incorporate water-based strategies into national nutritional policies to increase dietary diversity among Malawian infants and young children.     

Regional Differences in the Prevalence of Anaemia and Associated Risk Factors among Infants Aged 0–23 Months in China: China Nutrition and Health Surveillance

Infantile anaemia has been a severe public health problem in China for decades. However, it is unclear whether there are regional differences in the prevalence of anaemia. In this study, we used data from the China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (CNHS) to assess the prevalence of anaemia and the risk factors associated with its prevalence in different regions. We included 9596 infants aged 0–23 months from the CNHS 2013 database. An infant was diagnosed with anaemia if he/she had a haemoglobin concentration of <110 g/L. We used multivariate logistic regression to investigate the potential risk factors associated with the development of anaemia. We found that anaemia was present in 2126 (22.15%) of the infants assessed. Approximately 95% of these cases were classified as mild anaemia. Based on the guidelines laid out by the World Health Organization, 5.5% and 43.6% of the surveillance sites were categorized as having severe and moderate epidemic levels of anaemia, respectively. The prevalence of infantile anaemia in Eastern, Central and Western China was 16.67%, 22.25% and 27.44%, respectively. Premature birth, low birth weight, breastfeeding and residence in Western China were significantly associated with higher odds of developing anaemia. Female sex and having mothers with high levels of education and maternal birth age >25 years were associated with lower odds of developing anaemia. In conclusion, we observed significant regional disparities in the prevalence of infantile anaemia in China. Western China had the highest prevalence of infantile anaemia, and rural regions showed a higher prevalence of anaemia than urban regions.     

Vitamin D Status and Factors Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency during the First Year of Life in Preterm Infants

We aimed to investigate the changes in vitamin D levels and factors associated with vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during the first year of life in Korean preterm infants. We enrolled 333 preterm infants who were born at Kyungpook National University Children’s Hospital between March 2013 and December 2019. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels and medical records were collected at birth, 6 months, and 12 months of age. The mean gestational age was 33.4 ± 2.3 weeks and mean 25-OHD levels at birth were 18.2 ± 13.5 ng/mL. The incidence of VDD was 82.8%, 30.6%, and 27.0% at birth, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively. The incidence of severe VDD (25-OHD < 10 ng/mL) was 31.5%, 1.5%, and 0%, at birth, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively. Among infants with severe VDD, the deficiency persisted in 49.6% at 6 months, and 35.3% at 12 months. The strongest predictor of VDD during follow-up was 25-OHD concentration at birth. Vitamin D supplementation at 400 IU/day did not affect vitamin D levels during the first year of life. Therefore, it is important to prevent neonatal VDD through maternal vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy. Further research is needed to determine the optimal vitamin D supplementation dose for Korean preterm infants.     

呼吸机持续气道正压通气联合枸橼酸咖啡因治疗早产儿呼吸暂停给药时间与临床疗效的关系

目的:观察呼吸机持续气道正压通气支持下的不同枸橼酸咖啡因给药时间对早产儿呼吸暂停(AOP)疗效的影响。方法:选取91例出生胎龄<32周的原发性呼吸暂停患儿,按照枸橼酸咖啡因给药时间的不同将患儿分为早期组(51例,出生24 h内在呼吸机持续气道正压通气下完成枸橼酸咖啡因给药)和常规组(40例,72 h内在呼吸机持续气道正压通气下给予枸橼酸咖啡因治疗)。比较两组患儿的呼吸机应用时间、给药时间、吸氧天数以及呼吸暂停改善情况,记录呼吸指标变化和不良反应发生情况。结果:早期组呼吸机使用时间、给药时间、吸氧天数、3 d后呼吸暂停次数及住院时间均明显低于常规组,差异有统计学意义(t=5.561,t=2.901,t=2.821,t=3.180,t=2.987;P<0.05)。经枸橼酸咖啡因治疗3 d后,两组患儿β-内啡肽水平及二氧化碳分压较治疗前均有显著降低,且早期组较常规组下降更为明显(t=0.408,t=3.294;P<0.05);氧分压及血氧饱和度均较治疗前有显著回升,早期组较常规组升高更显著(t=6.4758,t=2.121,t=2.409;P<0.05)。早期组的治疗有效率为86.2%(44/51),常规组为72.5%(29/40),两组比较差异具有统计学意义(Z=-2.149,P<0.05)。早期组不良反应事件发生率为13.7%(7/51),常规组为15.0%(6/40),两组比较差异无统计学意义。结论:呼吸机持续气道正压通气可以改善患儿呼吸功能,有助于患儿更好的渡过呼吸暂停危险期,早期给予枸橼酸咖啡因可促进患儿更快的恢复,显著缩短治疗时间,但不会增加不良事件的发生。