Neonatology
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Inherited disorders of pulmonary surfactant-associated proteins are rare but provide important insights into unique mechanisms of surfactant dysfunction. Recessive loss-of-function mutations in the surfactant protein-B and the ATP-binding cassette family member A3 (ABCA3) genes present as lethal surfactant deficiency in the newborn, whereas other recessive mutations in ABCA3 and dominant mutations in the surfactant protein-C gene result in interstitial lung disease in older infants and children. The molecular basis and the genetic and tissue-based approaches to the evaluation of children suspected of having one of these disorders are discussed.
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Preterm infants are repeatedly exposed to painful experiences as part of their care in the neonatal intensive care unit. There is evidence from both animal and human studies that exposure to pain during the neonatal period may have persisting consequences for development. ⋯ Healthy preterm infants sensitize to heelstick-induced pain, as measured by their heart rate responses. These data suggest that greater attention to the effects of repeated pain for the neonate is needed.
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To evaluate the relation between cerebral tissue oxygenation index (TOI), measured with spatially resolved spectroscopy (SRS), and the different oxygenation parameters. To evaluate the relation between a new parameter named fractional tissue oxygen extraction (FTOE) and the cerebral fractional oxygen extraction (FOE). ⋯ The measurement of TOI and FTOE by SRS correlated well with the cerebral venous saturation and FOE, respectively.