Do Prenatal Corticosteroids Affect Brain Maturation of the Premature Infant? An Electroencephalography Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether prenatal treatment with betamethasone has a significant influence on cerebral maturation indices as measured by electroencephalographic (EEG) indices. STUDY DESIGN: Infants born less than 35 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) were prospectively enrolled if their mother received a full course of bethametasone prior to delivery (study group) or not (control group); infants with major intracranial abnormalities were excluded as well as those who were sedated or needed assisted ventilation. EEG was recorded during the first 10 days of life. Interburst intervals and maximal amplitudes of theta and delta bandwidths were calculated by a signal processing software. A multivariate general linear model was used to analyze the relationship between the 2 groups and the different electrophysiologic parameters, adjusting for PMA and mode of delivery. RESULTS: Thirty-eight infants were included in the study group and 36 in the control group. Univariate analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between PMA at test and EEG indices (interburst interval and delta and theta frequencies). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a less robust correlation of PMA and EEG indices and a positive correlation of prenatal betamethasone treatment with Theta frequencies. Repeating the data analysis separately for each study group, the above results remained significant mainly in the study group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a possible stabilization effect of corticosteroids on the central nervous system and a possible delay of the maturation of cerebral activity related to prenatal corticosteroids use. These findings may relate to a better neurodevelopmental outcome of infants treated prenatally with corticosteroids.

Description and evaluation of a clerkship in International Health and Medicine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In 1998 Ben-Gurion University, in collaboration with Columbia University, inaugurated the first medical school with the express purpose of training students in International Health and Medicine (IHM). The highlight of the program is the two-month clerkship in IHM. The purpose of this paper is to describe the IHM clerkship and report the preliminary results of an evaluation. METHODS: To evaluate the impact of the clerkship on the students' attitudes and knowledge of IHM, the students were asked to complete a previously validated self-assessment questionnaire before and after the clerkship. RESULTS: Ninety-six students participated in the IHM clerkship in the first 3 years. The mean age of the students was 29.4 +/- 4 and 53% were female. Comparison of the student's answers before their departure and after their return showed a significant difference in 5 of 64 items on the questionnaire. There was also a significant increase in the overall scores of the female students but no change in the scores of the male students pre- and post-clerkship. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that students who completed the clerkship modestly increased their knowledge of some aspects of IHM as measured by the survey. Further studies on the long-term impact of IHM experiences are needed in parallel with efforts to increase medical students' exposure to IHM.

Predictive value of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography pattern and voltage in asphyxiated term infants.

The aim of this study was to correlate amplitude-integrated electroencephalography soon after birth with neurodevelopmental outcome in children who suffered from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Near term infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and amplitude-integrated electroencephalography recording before 6 hours of age were included. Neurologic and cognitive outcome were assessed at 30 months of age and over. Outcome was correlated with either the pattern or voltage of the tracing. Thirty-nine infants were included. Eight died in the immediate neonatal period. At the age of 3 and 6 hours, sensitivity of low voltage to poor outcome was 33% and 42% respectively and of burst suppression pattern to poor outcome was 83% and 75% respectively. Association of voltage to outcome was significant only at 6 hours of age (P = 0.025). Association of pattern to outcome was significant both at 3 and 6 hours of age (P = 0.003, 0.008). These data on amplitude-integrated electroencephalography predictive value early in life were similar to previous studies. Burst suppression pattern, as early as 3 hours of age, is associated with poor outcome. At the age of 6 hours, both low voltage and burst suppression are associated with poor outcome. Pattern seems more sensitive than voltage.

Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography: a tool for monitoring silent seizures in neonates.

The clinical use of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography in the diagnosis of seizures in high-risk newborn infants with suspected central nervous system insult is evaluated with emphasis on silent seizures. Recordings from 93 infants with suspected central nervous system insults over a period of 7 years were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of electrical seizures and for their correlation with clinical events. Thirty infants (32%) had overt clinical seizures; 29 (97%) of these manifested clear seizure patterns in their tracings, and the remaining one infant had a suspected tracing. Eleven infants (12%) had subtle clinical seizures; of these 7 (59%) had clear electrical seizures, 3 (31%) had suspected tracing, and one had a normal tracing. Fifty-two infants (56%) had no clinical events indicative of seizures; of these 8 (15%) had clear electrical seizures, 17 (33%) had suspected tracings, and 27 (52%) had normal tracings. Electroencephalographic seizures are common in sick newborn infants. Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography can provide important information concerning their neurologic status and help to confirm or refute the presence of seizures in clinically suspected cases and detect infants with silent seizures.

Infective endocarditis successfully treated in extremely low birth weight infants with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.

Increased survival of extremely low birth weight infants depends on the use of indwelling catheters. These catheters expose the infant to the risk of thrombus formation and line infection. When intracardiac thromboses become infected, the entity is indistinguishable from infective endocarditis and exposes the infant to prolonged sepsis and risk of disseminated infected emboli. Despite prolonged antiinfective therapy and removal of the infected line, resolution of the sepsis and dissolution of the vegetations is frequently not achieved. We describe 2 cases of infective endocarditis in extremely low birth weight infants successfully treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in addition to prolonged antiinfective therapy. Blood cultures became sterile and vegetations disappeared within days of commencing treatment, and there were no systemic complications. A literature search detailed in the article confirms the poor outcome associated with infectious endocarditis in preterm infants. Tissue plasminogen activator may play an important role when standard care has failed.