Micronucleus, cell-free DNA, and plasma glycan composition in the newborns of healthy and diabetic mothers.

Diabetes is associated with certain environmental exposures, heritable factors, and metabolic conditions of intrauterine development due to diabetes in the mother. We evaluated genomic damage, cell-free DNA, N-glycosylation of umbilical cord plasma proteins (PG), and nuclear division index (NDI) as possible prognostic biomarkers of health risk in the newborns of mothers with treated pregestational diabetes (NBDM; 22 mothers), compared these parameters with those from newborns of healthy mothers (NBHM; 89 mothers), and associated the results with the mothers' lifestyle in both groups, based on a detailed questionnaire. Genomic damage was estimated by the in vitro micronucleus (MN) assay. NDI was detected on MN slides. Glycans were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography that separates the plasma N-glycome into 46 glycan peaks. Cell-free DNA was analyzed by real-time PCR. For the association between biomarkers and individual characteristics, generalized linear/nonlinear analysis was performed. No significant difference was found between NBHM and NBDM for cell-free DNA levels. There was no association between cell-free DNA levels and lifestyle. MN frequency was significantly higher in NBDM than in NBHM (median, 0.6 vs. 0.3%, p<0.001). MN frequency and NDI were significantly associated with residence (urban vs. rural). PG differed significantly between NBHM and NBDM (p<0.001). A significant association was found between PG and increase of MN frequency (p<0.001). As both MN frequency and altered N-glycosylation are associated with cancer risk, our study indicates need for further investigations.

Effect of chorioamnionitis on mortality, early onset neonatal sepsis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm neonates with birth weight of < 1,500 grams.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of chorioamnionitis on mortality and early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm neonates with birth weight < or = 1,500 g. The study included 395 preterm infants born at the Zagreb Clinical Hospital Center, from January 2001 to December 2005. All the placentas from preterm deliveries were sent for pathological examination. The patients were categorized into two groups: one including patients with chorioamnionitis at placental histology (47%) and the other control group without chorioamnionitis (53%). Neonates were distributed into 3 groups according to gestational age: the first group with 132 (33%) infants born at < or = 28 weeks of gestation, the second with 202 (52%) infant born from 29 to 32 weeks of gestation and the third with 61 (15%) infants born at > or = 33 weeks gestation. Chorioamnionitis was diagnosed significantly more often in the first gestational age group (91/132-69% of infants, chi2 = 51.307, p < 0.05). The outcome was lethal in 67/395 (17%) patients; 55% of them had chorioamnionitis (chi2 = 2.421, p > 0.05). Lethal outcome ensued in 54/132 (41%) infants from the first gestational age group; 30/54 (55%) were born from pregnancies complicated by chorioamnionitis. In comparison with the control group, mortality was significantly higher in the group of premature infants with gestation < or = 28 weeks whose placentas showed chorioamnionitis (chi2 = 7.645, p < 0.01). EONS was probable or confirmed in 100/395 (25%) infants; in 66/100 (66%) infants pregnancy was complicated by chorioamnionitis (chi2 = 22.396, p < 0.01). BPD developed in 25/395 (6%) infants; in 12/25 (48%) infants placentas showed chorioamnionitis (chi2 = 0.022, p > 0.05). In conclusion, premature neonates from pregnancies complicated by chorioamnionitis are more often born at < or = 28 weeks of gestation. Chorioamnionitis in neonates whose gestation is < or = 28 weeks leads to a significantly higher rate of mortality than in neonates with a longer gestation period. A greater incidence of EONS was proven in the group of infants with chorioamnionitis. The difference between the incidence of BPD in preterm infants born from pregnancies complicated by chorioamnionitis and the control group was not significant.

Clinical and molecular characterization of a parechovirus type 1 outbreak in neonates in Croatia.

During July 2009 an outbreak in neonates represented with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms was observed at the Neonatal Postintensive Care Unit, Clinical Hospital Center, Zagreb. Human parechovirus type 1 (HPeV1) was isolated from seven patients, one of whom was asymptomatic. All but one were premature neonates with serious underlying conditions, and all recovered fully after several days. In order to characterize the HPeV1s, sequencing of the VP1/2A region was conducted on six isolates from the outbreak and four isolates detected in Croatia in 2008 and 2007. The analysis of sequence similarity showed that the nucleotide identity between the prototype strain (Harris) and HPeV1 isolated in Croatia was 76.5-77.5%. Croatian strains from 2007 and 2009 clustered together with strains from the Netherlands and Germany detected in 2003 and 2006, respectively, while strains from 2008 clustered with the strain from Finland detected in 2000. Change of the dominant strains each year may suggest antigenic variation as a result of viral response to specific immunity of the target population.