• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.89-93
• /
• 2019

Preterm infants have higher possibility of undergoing endotracheal intubation after birth than normal children due to medical conditions. Developmental disturbances of primary incisors following intubation can occur as crown malformation, enamel defects, delayed eruption, displacement of dental follicle in crypt, groove formation of palate or alveolar ridge, acquired cleft palate, and dental arch distortion. This clinical report presents the effect of intubation on primary dentition of preterm infants. A 2-year-old girl with cerebral palsy and premature birth history visited our clinic with chief complaint of unerupted primary upper incisor. A 1-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, status epilepticus and premature birth history visited our clinic due to crown malformation. Developmental disturbances of primary incisors in these cases were not related to the patients' systemic disease, and there were no history of dental trauma. A long term endotracheal intubation prior to tooth eruption might have caused local trauma on alveolar ridge. It is very important to monitor dental problems of preterm infants who had experienced endotracheal intubation during neonatal period. Due to influences on both primary and permanent teeth, periodic re-evaluation of affected areas and establishment of comprehensive treatment plans are necessary.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.34-38
• /
• 2021

Background: We aimed to determine whether routine second trimester complete blood cell (CBC) count parameters, including neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), could predict obstetric outcomes. Methods: We included singleton pregnancies for which the 50-g oral glucose tolerance test and CBC were routinely performed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation in our outpatient clinic from January 2015 to December 2017. The subjects were divided into three groups according to their pregnancy outcomes as follows: group 1, spontaneous preterm births, including preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of membranes; group 2, indicated preterm birth due to maternal, fetal, or placental causes (hypertensive disorder, fetal growth restriction, or placental abruption); and group 3, term deliveries, regardless of the indication of delivery. We compared the CBC parameters using a bivariate correlation test. Results: The study included 356 pregnancies. Twenty-eight subjects were in group 1, 20 in group 2, and 308 in group 3. There were no significant differences between the three groups in neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte, and platelet counts. Although there was no significant difference in NLR, LMR, and PLR between the three groups, LMR showed a negative correlation with gestational age at delivery (r =-0.126, p =0.016). Conclusion: We found that a higher LMR in the second trimester was associated with decreased gestational age at delivery. CBC parameters in the second trimester of pregnancy could be used to predict adverse obstetric outcomes.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.106-114
• /
• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of abdominal breathing on relieving anxiety in women diagnosed with preterm labor. Method: This was a pilot study, which was based on a repeated pre-post experiment design without a control group. Seven patients with preterm labor who were admitted to Y university medical center, Seoul, Korea, participated in the experiment. They were under receiving ritodrine hydrochloride(Yutopa) as tocolytic therapy and did not have any other complications. The patients were taught abdominal breathing, which is a modified version of Mason's breathing technique. The experimental treatments were done 33 times from February 18 to June 19 in 2005. Result: After abdominal breathing, the average psychological anxiety level decreased significantly. The physical anxiety levels of preterm labor patients were measured by blood pressure, pulse, and skin temperature. After abdominal breathing, the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased from 117.3mmHg to 107.6 mmHg (z=-3.85, p<.001) and from 67.3mmHg to 62.7 mmHg (z=-3.14, p<.005), respectively. The average pulse rate also decreased from 97.2/min to 89.8/mim (z=-4.76, p<.001). The average skin temperature increased from 94.0 to 94.9(z=-4.80. p<.001). Conclusion: Abdominal breathing is effective for relieving anxiety of women diagnosed with preterm labor. This study, however, has been limited to short-term effects, and therefore further studies are required in order to examine the long-term effects of abdominal breathing.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.303-309
• /
• 2009

Purpose : To identify the short-term clinical outcomes of late preterm infants and to test the hypothesis that late preterm infants have more clinical problems during the early postnatal period than term infants. Methods : One hundred late preterm infants [gestational age (GA) $34^{+0}$-$36^{+6}$ weeks] and the same number of term infants (GA $37^{+0}$-$41^{+6}$ weeks) were randomly selected from 289 late preterm infants and 825 term infants born in the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between January 2007 and December 2007, and their electronic medical records were reviewed and analyzed. Results : Compared to term infants, late preterm infants had significantly more medical problems such as temperature instability (odds ratio [OR] 8.7), hypoglycemia (OR 17.5), intravenous fluid infusion (OR 10.2), evaluation for sepsis (OR 9.4), respiratory problems (OR 7.5), apnea and bradycardia (OR 8.6), phototherapy for jaundice (OR 3.6), and feeding intolerance (OR 10.0). Hospital stay was also significantly longer in late preterm infants. Conclusion : Late preterm infants had significantly more medical problems and increased length of hospital stay compared to term infants. More attention should be given to caring for these late preterm infants in newborn nursery during the early postnatal period.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.155-163
• /
• 2016

The purpose of the review article is to investigate the influence of periodontal diseases on preterm birth(PTB) and low birth weight(LBW). PTB and LBW are the main risk factors of infant mortality and a major public health problem. PTB is defined as delivery at less than 37 weeks and LBW is less than 2,500 grams. Over Approximately 60 percent of perinatal mortality results from PTB or LBW. Although the causes of PTB and LBW are not fully understood, infection is the leading cause of PTB and LBW. Periodontal diseases are serious disease burdens because they are caused by bacterial endotoxin, inflammatory reaction, and cytokine. The periodontal diseases are the predisposing factors of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis. Over the past 15 years, previous studies revealed that periodontitis had adverse outcomes including PTB and LBW in pregnancy.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.115-119
• /
• 2018

The 16p11.2 microdeletion has been reported in patients with developmental delays and intellectual disability. The distal 220- kb deletion in 16p11.2 is associated with developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, and obesity at a young age. We have reported a case of distal 16p11.2 deletion syndrome in a preterm infant with unusual facial morphology and congenital heart disease. We suggest using chromosome microarray analysis to detect chromosomal abnormalities in newborns, especially preterm infants with unusual morphologies.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.247-258
• /
• 2022

Purpose: This study investigated the parenting experiences of mothers of young children born moderate-to-late preterm (MLPT) in South Korea. Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 10 mothers of MLPT children from infancy to preschool age. The interviews were video-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Four categories resulted from the analysis of parenting experiences of mothers with young MLPT children, as follows: "becoming a mother of an early-born child", "difficulties as the primary caregiver for a high-risk child", "helpful social support, but still a lack of professional support for parenting a high-risk child", and "mothers and children growing together". Conclusion: Mothers of young MLPT children experienced difficulties due to concerns about their child's health, growth and development, and insufficient child-rearing support. Therefore, social support systems should be strengthened and more aggressive nursing strategies should be adopted for mothers of young MLPT children.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.48 no.11
• /
• pp.1225-1231
• /
• 2005

Purpose : This study compares the first epileptic seizures between preterm and term-born children with periventricular leukomalacia and epilepsy. Methods : From 108 cases having lesions of high signal intensity around the ventricles in T2 weighted imaging of a brain magnetic resonance study, we selected 37 cases that showed epileptic seizures two times or more and divided them into the group of preterm-born(27 cases) and term-born children(10 cases). A retrospective study was made by comparing the two groups with regard to age, type of the first epileptic seizures, EEG findings and responsiveness to anticonvulsants. Results : The age of the first epileptic seizure was $22.2{\pm}18.3$ months in the preterm-born group and $26.9{\pm}21.1$ months in the term-born group(P=0.505). As for the first epileptic seizure, 11 out of the 27 cases in the preterm-born group had infantile spasms. Out of the 10 cases in the term-born group, 7 had complex partial seizures. In the preterm group, hypsarrhythmias were found in 11 cases, focal epileptiform discharges in 6 cases. In term-born group, focal epileptiform discharges were found in 5 cases but no epileptiform discharge was found in 3 cases. Intractable epilepsies were diagnosed in 6 cases and all of them belonged to the preterm-born group. Conclusion : More severe epilepsies such as infantile spasm and intractable epilepsies seem to be more common in preterm-born epileptic children with PVL as well as more severely abnormal EEG finding compared to term-born epileptic children.

• Neonatal Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.280-287
• /
• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine the association of positive Ureaplasma urealyticum in gastric fluid with clinical features and outcomes in preterm infants. Methods: Gastric fluid from the preterm infants was first aspirated within 30 minutes and cultured within 24 hours after birth to check for U. urealyticum. Infants were divided into two groups on the basis of the presence/absence of U. urealyticum. Results: U. urealyticum in gastric fluid was identified in 17 of 91 (19%) preterm infants. Compared with the negative U. urealyticum group, there were significantly higher percentage of infants with gestational age ${\leq}$30 weeks (P=0.020), higher Apgar score at 1 minute and 5 minutes (P=0.017 and P=0.048, respectively), and higher rate of vaginal delivery (P=0.000) in the positive U. urealyticum group. Although the incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia between the two groups was not different, the frequency of bronchopulmonary dysplasia without previous respiratory distress syndrome was significantly higher in the positive group (11%) than that in the negative group (1%) (P=0.030). Conclusion: The detection of U. urealyticum in gastric fluid is more frequent in infants with gestational age ${\leq}$30 weeks. It can be helpful to predict the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia without previous respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.29-37
• /
• 2012

Purpose: To examine the prevalence of $Clostridium$ $difficile$ ($C.$ $difficile$) colonization (CDC) and potential neonatal determinants of CDC in hospitalized preterm infants. Methods: Fecal samples were serially collected within 72 h after birth and at 1, 2, and 4-6 weeks of age from preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of two different university hospitals. Total bacterial DNA was extracted from each fecal sample from 49 infants, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with primers for the 16S gene of $C.$ $difficile$ and the toxin A and toxin B genes. The correlation between the results of $C.$ $difficile$ PCR assays and the clinical characteristics of the infants was analyzed. Results: The prevalence rates of CDC were 34.7, 37.2, 41.3, and 53.1% within 72 h after birth and at 1, 2, and 4.6 weeks of age, respectively. The toxin positivity rate was significantly higher in the infants with persistent CDC than in those with transient CDC (8/12 [66.7%] vs. 6/25 [24.5%] ($p$=0.001). Among the various neonatal factors, only the feeding method during the first week after birth was significantly associated with persistent CDC. Exclusive breast-milk feeding (EBMF) significantly decreased the risk of persistent CDC compared to formula or mixed feeding (adjusted odds ratio: 0.133, 95% confidence interval: 0.02-0.898, $p$=0.038). Conclusion: The prevalence of CDC increased with the duration of hospitalization in preterm infants in the NICU. EBMF during the first week after birth in hospitalized preterm infants may protect against persistent CDC.