Objective This S2k guideline of the German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGGG) and the German Society of Perinatal Medicine (DGPM) contains consensus-based recommendations for the care and treatment of pregnant women, parturient women, women who have recently given birth, and breastfeeding women with SARS-CoV-2 infection and their newborn infants. The aim of the guideline is to provide recommendations for action in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic for professionals caring for the above-listed groups of people. Methods The PICO format was used to develop specific questions. A systematic targeted search of the literature was carried out using PubMed, and previously formulated statements and recommendations issued by the DGGG and the DGPM were used to summarize the evidence. This guideline also drew on research data from the CRONOS registry. As the data basis was insufficient for a purely evidence-based guideline, the guideline was compiled using an S2k-level consensus-based process. After summarizing and presenting the available data, the guideline authors drafted recommendations in response to the formulated PICO questions, which were then discussed and voted on. Recommendations Recommendations on hygiene measures, prevention measures and care during pregnancy, delivery, the puerperium and while breastfeeding were prepared. They also included aspects relating to the monitoring of mother and child during and after infection with COVID-19, indications for thrombosis prophylaxis, caring for women with COVID-19 while they are giving birth, the presence of birth companions, postnatal care, and testing and monitoring the neonate during rooming-in or on the pediatric ward.

This study investigated whether hospital factors, including patient volume, unit level, and neonatologist staffing, were associated with variations in standardized mortality ratios (SMR) adjusted for patient factors in very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs). A total of 15,766 VLBWIs born in 63 hospitals between 2013 and 2020 were analyzed using data from the Korean Neonatal Network cohort. SMRs were evaluated after adjusting for patient factors. High and low SMR groups were defined as hospitals outside the 95% confidence limits on the SMR funnel plot. The mortality rate of VLBWIs was 12.7%. The average case-mix SMR was 1.1; calculated by adjusting for six significant patient factors: antenatal steroid, gestational age, birth weight, sex, 5-min Apgar score, and congenital anomalies. Hospital factors of the low SMR group (N = 10) had higher unit levels, more annual volumes of VLBWIs, more number of neonatologists, and fewer neonatal intensive care beds per neonatologist than the high SMR group (N = 13). Multi-level risk adjustment revealed that only the number of neonatologists showed a significant fixed-effect on mortality besides fixed patient risk effect and a random hospital effect. Adjusting for the number of neonatologists decreased the variance partition coefficient and random-effects variance between hospitals by 11.36%. The number of neonatologists was independently associated with center-to-center differences in VLBWI mortality in Korea after adjustment for patient risks and hospital factors.

OBJECTIVE: To validate a hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) prediction algorithm to identify infants at risk of HIE immediately after birth using readily available clinical data.
METHODS: Secondary review of electronic health record data of term deliveries from January 2017 to December 2021.
METHODS: A tertiary maternity hospital.
METHODS: Infants >36 weeks\' gestation with the following clinical variables available: Apgar Score at 1 min and 5 min, postnatal pH, base deficit, and lactate values taken within 1 hour of birth INTERVENTIONS: Previously trained open-source logistic regression and random forest (RF) prediction algorithms were used to calculate a probability index (PI) for each infant for the occurrence of HIE.
RESULTS: Validation of a machine learning algorithm to identify infants at risk of HIE in the immediate postnatal period.
RESULTS: 1081 had a complete data set available within 1 hour of birth: 76 (6.95%) with HIE and 1005 non-HIE. Of the 76 infants with HIE, 37 were classified as mild, 29 moderate and 10 severe. The best overall accuracy was seen with the RF model. Median (IQR) PI in the HIE group was 0.70 (0.53-0.86) vs 0.05 (0.02-0.15), (p<0.001) in the non-HIE group. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for prediction of HIE=0.926 (0.893-0.959, p<0.001). Using a PI cut-off to optimise sensitivity of 0.30, 936 of the 1081 (86.5%) infants were correctly classified.
CONCLUSIONS: In a large unseen data set an open-source algorithm could identify infants at risk of HIE in the immediate postnatal period. This may aid focused clinical examination, transfer to tertiary care (if necessary) and timely intervention.

BACKGROUND: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is commonly used for the treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill neonates. This study investigated the effectiveness and feasibility of CRRT for AKI in neonates who weigh ≤3 kg.
METHODS: Data from 19 neonates with a weight ≤3 kg and AKI who underwent CRRT at two centres between January 2015 and October 2021 were collected retrospectively. Kidney function, circulatory function, complications and clinical outcomes were recorded. Repeated-measures analyses of variance, t-tests and non-parametric tests were conducted.
RESULTS: The median patient age at CRRT initiation was 3 days (IQR: 1-7 days). The median patient weight at CRRT initiation was 2.67 kg (IQR: 2.20-2.85 kg). The median CCRT duration was 46 hours (IQR: 32-72 hours). The serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels decreased significantly, and the mean arterial pressure increased significantly after 12 hours of CRRT and at the end of CRRT. The urinary output was significantly increased at the end of CRRT. 11 patients had thrombocytopaenia, 6 had electrolyte disorders and 3 had blocked tubes. Five patients were discharged, six died after their parents chose to discontinue treatment and eight died after active treatment. Weight at CRRT initiation and urinary output at the end of CRRT were significantly lower among patients who died than among patients who survived.
CONCLUSIONS: CRRT is feasible and effective for AKI in neonates who weigh ≤3 kg when accompanied by elaborate supportive care. Lower body weight and persistent oliguria may be correlated with an increased risk of poor clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: T-piece is recommended for respiratory support during neonatal stabilisation. Bench studies have shown a delay >30 s in achieving changes in fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) at the airway when using the T-piece. Using a face mask adds dead space (DS) to the patient airway. We hypothesised that adding face mask to T-piece systems adversely affects the time required for a change in FiO2 to reach the patient.
METHODS: Neopuff (Fisher and Paykel, Auckland, New Zealand) and rPAP (Inspiration Healthcare, Croydon, UK) were used to ventilate a test lung. DS equivalent to neonatal face masks was added between the T-piece and test lung. Additionally, rPAP was tested with nasal prongs. Time course for change in FiO2 to be achieved at the airway was measured for increase (0.3-0.6) and decrease (1.0-0.5) in FiO2. Primary outcome was time to reach FiO2+/-0.05 of the set target. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare mean time to reach the primary outcome between different DS volumes.
RESULTS: In all experiments, the mean time to reach the primary outcome was significantly shorter for rPAP with prongs compared with Neopuff and rPAP with face mask DS (p<0.001). The largest observed difference occurred when testing a decrease in FiO2 with 10 mL tidal volume (TV) without leakage (18.3 s for rPAP with prongs vs 153.4 s for Neopuff with face mask DS). The shortest observed time was 13.3 s when increasing FiO2 with 10 mL TV with prongs with leakage and the longest time was 172.7 s when decreasing FiO2 with 4 mL TV and added face mask DS without leak.
CONCLUSIONS: There was a delay in achieving changes in oxygen delivery at the airway during simulated ventilation attributable to the mask volume. This delay was greatly reduced when using nasal prongs as an interface. This should be examined in clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS) is a severe condition that affects newborns within the first three days of life, with high mortality rates, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Vietnam, the diagnosis and management of EOS are challenged by ambiguous clinical signs and limited access to blood culture testing facilities. Early identification of at-risk neonates using a predictive risk factor model is crucial for improving neonatal care and reducing mortality.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify maternal and neonatal risk factors associated with EOS and develop a predictive screening tool to facilitate the early detection of at-risk neonates in Vietnam.
METHODS: A nested case-control study was conducted on 225 neonates at the central neonatal unit in a principal tertiary hospital in southwestern Vietnam over a two-year period. Risk factors were identified using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. A predictive nomogram was developed and evaluated for discrimination, calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA).
RESULTS: The study identified eight significant risk factors for EOS, including maternal genital infections during the third trimester, urinary tract infections (UTIs) during pregnancy, hypertension during pregnancy, insufficient maternal weight gain, rupture of membranes (ROM) ≥18 hours, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, first-minute APGAR score <7, and preterm birth <34 weeks. The predictive model demonstrated excellent discrimination with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.913 (95% CI: 0.876-0.95, p<0.001) and good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test with χ²(df)=5.496 (5), p=0.358). The model-based nomogram showed high sensitivity (82.7%) and specificity (83.3%) at an optimal cutoff of 0.25. The DCA illustrates the model\'s good clinical utility, providing a higher net benefit across most threshold probability ranges (0.0-0.96).
CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a robust predictive model for the early identification of neonates at risk of EOS in Vietnam, based on key maternal and neonatal risk factors. The model, with demonstrated accuracy and reliability, holds significant potential for improving neonatal outcomes through timely interventions. Future research should aim at external validation and inclusion of broader clinical data to enhance the model\'s applicability and generalizability.

BACKGROUND: Placental histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) is recognised as a significant risk factor for various adverse neonatal outcomes. This study aims to explore if the inflammatory protein levels in neonates were associated with HCA.
METHODS: All women with singleton births from February 2020 to November 2022 were selected and divided into three groups based on maternal placental pathology results: the HCA-stage 1 group (n=24), the HCA-stage 2 group (n=16) and the control group (n=17). Olink Target 96 Inflammation Panel was used to detect the levels of 92 inflammation-related proteins in the plasma of newborns from all three groups within 24 hours after birth. We compared the protein profiles through differential protein expression analysis.
RESULTS: A total of six inflammation-related proteins exhibited significant differences between the HCA-stage 1 and the control group. Specifically, TRANCE and CST5 were significantly upregulated (p=0.006, p=0.025, respectively), whereas the expression of IFN-gamma, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CCL19 was significantly downregulated (p=0.040, p=0.046, p=0.007, p=0.006, respectively). HCA-stage 2 newborns had significantly elevated levels of CD5 and CD6 and decreased IFN-gamma, CXCL10 and CCL19 in comparison to controls. These differential proteins were significantly enriched in positive regulation of cytokine activity, leucocyte chemotaxis and positive regulation of T-cell activation pathway-related Gene Ontology terms. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed that viral protein interaction with cytokine and cytokine receptor, interleukin-17/NF-kappa B/toll-like receptor/chemokine signalling pathway, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction exhibited significant differences. Spearman analysis demonstrated a significant positive connection between the levels of CD6 and CD5 proteins, not only in neonatal leucocytes but also in maternal leucocytes. Additionally, CD6 was found to be associated with neonatal birth weight.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, placental histological changes associated with chorioamnionitis appear to influence the expression of inflammatory proteins in offspring. Notably, CD6 and CD5 proteins may potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of HCA-related neonatal diseases.

OBJECTIVE: Intravenous epinephrine administration is preferred during neonatal resuscitation, but may not always be rapidly administered due to lack of equipment or trained staff. We aimed to compare the time to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and post-ROSC haemodynamics between intravenous, endotracheal (ET) and intranasal (IN) epinephrine in severely asphyxic, bradycardic newborn lambs.
METHODS: After instrumentation, severe asphyxia (heart rate <60 bpm, blood pressure ~10 mm Hg) was induced by clamping the cord in near-term lambs. Resuscitation was initiated with ventilation followed by chest compressions. Lambs were randomly assigned to receive intravenous (0.02 mg/kg), ET (0.1 mg/kg) or IN (0.1 mg/kg) epinephrine. If ROSC was not achieved after three allocated treatment doses, rescue intravenous epinephrine was administered. After ROSC, lambs were ventilated for 60 min.
RESULTS: ROSC in response to allocated treatment occurred in 8/8 (100%) intravenous lambs, 4/7 (57%) ET lambs and 5/7 (71%) IN lambs. Mean (SD) time to ROSC was 173 (32) seconds in the intravenous group, 360 (211) seconds in the ET group and 401 (175) seconds in the IN group (p<0.05 intravenous vs IN). Blood pressure and cerebral oxygen delivery were highest in the intravenous group immediately post-ROSC (p<0.05), whereas the ET group sustained the highest blood pressure over the 60-min observation (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports neonatal resuscitation guidelines, highlighting intravenous administration as the most effective route for epinephrine. ET and IN epinephrine should only be considered when intravenous access is delayed or not feasible.

Congenital aplasia cutis (CAC) is a rare neonatal condition characterized by the absence of skin at birth, often associated with diverse underlying conditions. We report the case of a newborn male admitted on the second day of life with a skin defect on the anterior abdominal wall and a lesion on the left thigh. The mother was treated with carbimazole for hyperthyroidism. Notably, there were no similar cases in the family history. The patient showed favorable progress and normal development following a successful dermo-epidermal allograft. Particular attention was given to managing the risk of infection and ensuring optimal healing through tailored wound care protocols. This case underscores the complexity of CAC, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis, multidisciplinary care, and ongoing research to understand better and effectively treat this rare condition.

UNASSIGNED: Down syndrome (DS) negatively impacts the well-being of affected individuals. This study aimed to summarise the evidence on quality of life (QOL) of children and young adults with DS using quantitative measures from caregivers\' perspective and identify factors that affected their QOL.
UNASSIGNED: Database search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and CINAHL on 24 April 2024. Meta-analysis using random effects model was conducted where feasible. All studies underwent qualitative synthesis. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023413532).
UNASSIGNED: Seventeen studies involving 3038 children with DS using various QOL measures were included: Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) (8 studies), KIDSCREEN (4 studies), KidsLife (2 studies), The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research Academic Medical Center Children\'s QOL (2 studies) and Personal Outcome Scale (1 study). Meta-analysis on PedsQL studies compared scores between children with DS and typically developing (TD) children. Total scale score was lower in children with DS (mean 70.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 64.31-76.24) compared to TD children (mean 88.17, 95% CI 80.50-95.83). All subdomains of PedsQL were also lower in children with DS. Within the domain of psychosocial health, children with DS had statistically significant lower social functioning (standardised mean difference -1.40, 95% CI -2.27 to -0.53) and school functioning (standardised mean difference -1.09, 95% CI -1.55 to -0.62) scores, but similar emotional functioning scores. Qualitative synthesis revealed poorer subdomain QOL compared to TD children, especially in social functioning and cognitive functioning. QOL worsened during adolescent years. Family variables (parental education and occupation) did not affect parental perception of children\'s QOL. Children with DS who had higher intelligent quotient had better QOL.
UNASSIGNED: Children with DS have lower caregiver-reported QOL than TD children, especially in social functioning and school functioning subdomains.