Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 20. Epub 2017 Sep 20.

Department of Pediatrics Division of Neonatology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Aim: To determine the effect of music on sleep-wake cycle (SWC) patterns in late preterm neonates.

Methods: In a masked crossover study, infants between 32-36 6/7 weeks gestation were randomized to music exposure either during the first six or last six hours of a 12-hour observation period. SWC characteristics were determined by continuous amplitude integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) read by two coders masked to exposure sequence. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 19. Epub 2017 Sep 19.

Åstrand laboratory of work physiology, The Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.

Aim: This study assessed the validity and reliability of the Ekblom-Bak (EB) submaximal cycle test in adolescents and identified any sex or maturity-related factors for prediction errors.

Methods: We recruited 50 healthy subjects through a public announcement in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2016. The 27 boys and 23 girls were aged 10-15 years and in Tanner stages I-IV. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 19. Epub 2017 Sep 19.

Department of Economics and Business Studies, University of Genoa, Italy.

Aim: There are three dedicated and 41 on-call neonatal emergency transport services (NETS) in Italy and activity levels vary dramatically. We examined the cost-effectiveness of a hub-and-spoke NETS by looking at the costs and activity levels in the Liguria region and established the financial needs for improving NETS across Italy.

Methods: The cost of running NETS in the Liguria region from 2012-2015 was evaluated and analysed and three different models determined the transports needed each year to provide the best organisational model. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 19. Epub 2017 Sep 19.

Neonatal Unit, University Hospitals, Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

Aim: Evaluation of comfort and pain in neonates is important for management. Specific signs of persistent pain in neonates remain undefined; few validated clinical tools assess persistent pain. We sought to determine (i) difficulty perceived by staff and parents in assessing comfort/persistent pain in babies, (ii) strategies employed when no clinical tool is used (iii) variation between clinicians' assessments. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 19. Epub 2017 Sep 19.

Centre for Child Health Research Tampere University and University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.

Aim: The ten-year Finnish national allergy programme was launched in 2008 to lessen the disease and psychological burden of allergy. This study assessed the prevalence of parent-reported food allergies requiring avoidance diets at primary school in children aged six and seven years.

Methods: The cohort comprised 1,937 children (51% boys) who started primary school in Tampere, Finland in August 2016. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 17. Epub 2017 Sep 17.

Department of Paediatrics, University of Gothenburg, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 17. Epub 2017 Sep 17.

Newcastle Neonatal Service, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

Aim: We aimed to evaluate mortality and short-term neonatal morbidity of babies born ≤500 g cared for in the Northern Neonatal Network over a 15-year period.

Method: Using regional databases, we identified all live-born babies ≥22 weeks gestation and ≤500 g, in North East England and North Cumbria from 1998 to 2012. We quantified major neonatal morbidities and survival to one year. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 16. Epub 2017 Sep 16.

Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet and Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.

Aim: To compare anxiety symptoms in adolescents born extremely prematurely to term-born controls.

Methods: We had 96 preterm-born adolescents and 40 term-born controls from Denmark and their mothers score the adolescents on the Revised Children Anxiety and Depression scale. We analysed group differences, cross-informant correlations, and relative risks for elevated anxiety symptoms. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 16. Epub 2017 Sep 16.

Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.

Aim: This Lebanese study tested the hypothesis that differences would exist in the gut microbiota of preterm infants with and without necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), as reported in western countries.

Methods: This study compared 11 infants with NEC and 11 controls, all born at 27-35 weeks, in three neonatal intensive care units between January 2013 and March 2015. Faecal samples were collected at key time points and microbiota was analysed by culture, quantitative PCR (qPCR), and temperature temporal gel electrophoresis (TTGE). Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 16. Epub 2017 Sep 16.

Tergooi Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Blaricum, The Netherlands.

More than 12,000 children are seen in Dutch emergency departments with a mild traumatic head injury (MTHI) every year. In The Netherlands, the paediatric MTHI guidelines are primarily based on the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network study (1). The guidelines define several criteria, based on the patient's age, to help clinicians to decide whether they need to perform a computed tomography (CT) scan (2). Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 15. Epub 2017 Sep 15.

Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 15. Epub 2017 Sep 15.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Paediatrics, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 14. Epub 2017 Sep 14.

Children's Heart Centre, BC Children's Hospital, 1F Clinic-4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4.

We would like to thank Dr Thaxter Nesbeth (1) for her interest and insightful comments on our paper entitled, "Exercise and the multidisciplinary holistic approach to adolescent dysautonomia"(2). We agree that recurrent orthostatic intolerance is often best managed through lifestyle modification rather than pharmacologic intervention (at least as an initial step), and as such in the present study we evaluated the impact of our exercise programme incorporated in addition to our standard clinical multidisciplinary management approach. Currently, our approach incorporates advice to patients and their families regarding the importance of maintaining adequate hydration, salt supplementation, good sleep and nutrition habits, as well as our structured exercise program. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 13. Epub 2017 Sep 13.

Division of Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, MRC& Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, King's College London.

Aim: In 2004 wide variation in the investigation and management of gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) of infants on UK major neonatal units was demonstrated. Our aim was to re-survey neonatal practitioners to determine current practice and whether it was now evidence based.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all 207 UK neonatal units. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 13. Epub 2017 Sep 13.

University of Siena, Italy.

Mortazavi's comment (1) on our letter (2) on whether electromagnetic fields (EMF) in incubators are a risk factor for autism contains several points that need to be corrected. First, we did not base our observations just on our previous papers as Mortazavi maintains. In fact, our observations were also based on several more papers about EMF in incubators, including the paper by Calvente et al, which was published in 2017 (3). Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 13. Epub 2017 Sep 13.

Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Southampton Children's Hospital University Hospitals Southampton, Southampton, UK.

Aim: Paediatric Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with growth delay and poor nutritional status. Maintenance enteral nutrition (MEN) supplementation is a potential adjunct to improve growth/prolong remission.

Methods: Newly-diagnosed CD patients were identified. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 12. Epub 2017 Sep 12.

Department of Gastroenterology, Landspitali-University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101, Reykjavík, Iceland.

Aim: Childhood constipation is common. We evaluated children diagnosed with constipation, who were referred to an Icelandic paediatric emergency department, and determined the effect of lifestyle factors on its aetiology.

Methods: The parents of children who were diagnosed with constipation and participated in a phase IIB clinical trial on laxative suppositories answered an online questionnaire about their children's lifestyle and constipation in March-April 2013. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 12. Epub 2017 Sep 12.

ULB Erasme Hospital Brussels, Belgium.

Skin-to-skin (STS) contact is increasingly practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) (1), especially to dampen the detrimental impact of negative stress (2). These days high-risk infants are usually transferred in-utero to centralised tertiary level care units. Once these infants have been born, stabilised and are ready for convalescence, they are back transferred to less specialist neonatal units near their homes. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 12. Epub 2017 Sep 12.

Centre for Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö.

The use of oral anticoagulants is rarer in children than adults, but studies indicate that their paediatric use is increasing (1). Warfarin has been used in children, at the discretion of the treating physician, but both the number of children and the data on its use are limited (2). There is also a lack of experience on the use of new oral anticoagulants for children. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 12. Epub 2017 Sep 12.

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Aim: The metabolic changes that occur during the postnatal weaning period appear to be particularly important for future health and breast milk is considered to provide the optimal source of infant nutrition. This pilot study from September 2013 to May 2015 examined the effect of breastfeeding on prostaglandin metabolism in healthy term infants.

Methods: Urine samples were collected from 19 infants at one month of age in the Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 7. Epub 2017 Sep 7.

Child Health and Parenting (CHAP), Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Aim: Joint physical custody (JPC), where children spend about equal time in both parent's homes after parental separation, is increasing. The suitability of this practice for preschool children, with a need for predictability and continuity, has been questioned.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used data on 3656 Swedish children aged three to five years living in intact families, JPC, mostly with one parent or single care. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 7. Epub 2017 Sep 7.

Réanimation et Surveillance Continus Pédiatriques, CHU Amiens, Amiens, France.

Aim: Frequent nursing procedures can modify a newborn infant's thermal environment when their incubator is opened. This study evaluated the impact of relative humidity on preterm infants in closed incubators and calculated their heat loss and additional metabolic cost.

Methods: We studied 45 preterm infants born before 32+0 weeks, nursed at the neonatal intensive care unit at Amiens University Hospital, France from January 2009 to November 2011. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Oct;106(10):1550-1551

Section of Neonatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Oct;106(10):1552-1553

Neonatology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Oct;106(10):1546-1547

Acta Paediatrica, Stockholm, Sweden.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Oct;106(10):1554-1555

Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Oct;106(10):1548-1549

Centre for the Studies of Asphyxia and Resuscitation, Neonatal Research Unit, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 5. Epub 2017 Sep 5.

Section for Ophthalmology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Aim: This study evaluated poor weight gain as a risk factor for infants who required treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), by comparing those born before and after the implementation of higher oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) targets at the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Methods: We compared infants born at less than 31 weeks, who were screened and, or, treated for ROP: 127 in 2011-2012 when SpO2 targets were 88-92% and 142 in 2015-2016 when they were 91-95%. The subjects were reviewed for birth characteristics, weekly weight and ROP treatment. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 5. Epub 2017 Sep 5.

Children's Hospital Iceland, Landspitali - University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 4. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Department of Neonatology, The Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Aim: We compared neonatal deaths and end-of-life decisions in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in a Dutch tertiary children's hospital.

Subjects: All 235 full-term infants who died within 28 days of life between 2003-2013 in the NICU (n=199) and PICU (n=36) were retrospectively studied.

Results: The median length of stay was three days in the NICU and seven days in the PICU (p=0. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 4. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Newborn Research Centre and Neonatal Services, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Aim: To determine the rate of non-publication and discontinuation of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in newborns.

Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study of RCTs registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) between 2008 and 2012.

Results: Fifty trials were identified, of which 23 (46%) were retrospectively registered. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 4. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Division of Neonatology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Faculty Hospital and 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague.

Aim: Minimally aggressive and easily performed techniques that facilitate spontaneous respiratory stabilisation are required to reduce rescue intubation in extremely premature infants. This study evaluated the feasibility and safety of administering surfactant into the pharynx of infants born at less than 25 weeks immediately after birth.

Methods: This study of 19 infants was conducted from January 2013 to July 2014 in a tertiary perinatal centre in Prague. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 4. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Section of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Aim: Managing capacity at regional facilities caring for sick neonates is increasingly challenging. This study estimated the clinical and economic impact of the elective transfer of stable infants requiring nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) from level three to level two neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) within an established clinical network of five NICUs.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed the records of 99 stable infants transferred on NCPAP between two level three NICUs and three level two NICUs in Calgary, Canada, between June 2014 and May 2016. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 4. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Forensic Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

A systematic review of shaken baby syndrome by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services generated numerous reactions from professional organisations, even before the review was published. There was also a lively debate after a paper summarising its findings were published in Acta Paediatrica The various responses are worth debating further, as they raise several important issues with regard to research ethics, having an open debate and publishing scientific findings.

Conclusion: The responses to the SBS report indicate that scientific scrutiny risks being lost when researchers and organisations are not open to challenging established ideas. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 4. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Department of Clinical Medicine, K1University of Bergen, Norway.

Aim: There is no evidence on the effect of universal ultrasound screening on developmental dysplasia of the hip. We examined the impact of adding an ultrasound examination to a one examiner clinical screening strategy on treatment, follow-up rates and the number of cases detected late in a low-prevalence population.

Methods: All eligible babies born at Kongsberg Hospital, Norway, from 1998-2006 (n=4,245) underwent both clinical and ultrasound hip examinations within three days of life. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 4. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolism, Braun School of Public Health, Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 1. Epub 2017 Sep 1.

Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Aim: To assess the vitamin D status of gastrostomy-fed children.

Methods: Vitamin D status was measured in 32 children aged five to 16 years recruited from special schools in Manchester, UK (53° 48(') N). All children were receiving a nutritionally complete, commercially prepared enteral feed via gastrostomy, and had been established on this regimen for over 12 months. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Sep 1. Epub 2017 Sep 1.

Diagnostic Imaging Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA.

This letter is regarding the article by Bellieni and Buonocore entitled "Are electromagnetic fields in incubators a risk factor for autism?" published in Acta Paediatrica (1). The authors of this short article suggest that exposure of the infants to electromagnetic fields which are referred to as "high electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produced by the incubator's electric engine" can be linked to increased risk of autism. Despite its challenging topic, the paper authored by Bellieni and Buonocore has some shortcomings. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 30. Epub 2017 Aug 30.

Research Unit for Cerebral Development and Oximetry Research.

We read with interest the article by Hunter et al, titled "Cerebral oxygenation as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy in neonatal intensive care: correlation with arterial oxygenation". We agree that cerebral oxygenation only correlates poorly with the arterial oxygenation in preterm infants. We do not agree with the authors conclusions that this is a disadvantage of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and that "strong correlation between rScO2 and ABG parameters such as SaO2, SpO2 and PaCO2 would have provided more clinically meaningful implications. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 29. Epub 2017 Aug 29.

PROFITH "Promoting FITness and Health through physical activity" research group, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.

Aim: We explored the rates of children who actively commuted to school, both accompanied and unaccompanied, and identified their safety perceptions.

Methods: This cross-sectional study focused on 745 children, aged 6-12 years, from public schools in the Spanish Granada region. They completed a questionnaire, providing personal data, their school grade, safety perceptions, whether they were accompanied to school and how they travelled to school. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 29. Epub 2017 Aug 29.

Division of Neonatology, University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain.

Aim: Pulmonary interstitial emphysema is a severe complication of mechanical ventilation in preterm infants that leads to air leakage and, or, chronic lung disease. We determined the associated risk factors.

Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study from 2005 to 2014 at a regional referral centre in Valencia, Spain. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 29. Epub 2017 Aug 29.

Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, 630 West 168th St., New York, NY, 10032, USA.

Aim: Premature delivery and maternal separation during hospitalization increase infant neurodevelopmental risk. Previously, a randomized controlled trial of Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) in the neonatal intensive care unit demonstrated improvement across multiple mother and infant domains including increased electroencephalographic (EEG) power in the frontal polar region at term age. New aims were to quantify developmental changes in EEG power in all brain regions and frequencies and correlate developmental changes in EEG power among regions. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 25. Epub 2017 Aug 25.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Aim: In February 2016, Sweden upheld its ban on surrogacy following a Government enquiry. This survey investigated attitudes towards surrogacy among primary health professionals working with children and their experiences of working with families following surrogacy abroad.

Methods: From April to November 2016, nurses, physicians and psychologist working in primary child health care in four counties in Sweden were invited to participate in a cross-sectional online survey about surrogacy. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 24. Epub 2017 Aug 24.

Pediatric Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 18. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.

Aim: Epidemiological studies of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation in airway disease have largely been conducted using blood or buccal samples. However, given tissue specificity of DNA methylation, these surrogate tissues may not allow reliable inferences about methylation in the lung. We sought to compare the pattern of DNA methylation in blood, buccal and nasal epithelial cells to that in airway epithelial cells from children. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 22. Epub 2017 Aug 22.

Department of Neonatology, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Aim: To describe the neural breathing pattern before and after extubation in newborn infants.

Methods: Prospective, observational study. In infants deemed ready for extubation, the diaphragm electrical activity (EAdi) was continuously recorded from 30 minute before to two hours after extubation. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 22. Epub 2017 Aug 22.

BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 22. Epub 2017 Aug 22.

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.

Acta Paediatr 2017 Aug 22. Epub 2017 Aug 22.

Division of Computer Engineering, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India.