Microbiome and Gestational Diabetes: Interactions with Pregnancy Outcome and Long-Term Infant Health.

Microbiota composition is progressively being connected to different physiologic effects, such as glucose metabolism, and also to different pathologies, such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM is a public health concern that affects an important percentage of pregnancies and is correlated with many adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. An increasing number of studies are showing some connections between specific microbial composition of the gut microbiota and development of GDM and adverse outcomes in mothers and neonates. The aim of this review is to analyze the available data on microbial changes that characterize healthy pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by GDM and to understand the correlation of these changes with adverse maternal outcomes; this review will also discuss the consequences of these maternal gut microbiome alterations on neonatal microbiota composition and neonatal long-term outcomes.

Delivery room interventions to improve the stabilization of extremely-low-birth-weight infants.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively verify whether the positioning of the umbilical venous catheter (UVC) in the delivery room (DR) and the early start of the preheated infusion of 10% glucose solution conditioned temperature and glycemia values of ELBW neonates in the first hours of life. METHODS: Neonates (N = 137) were divided into two groups on the basis of timing of positioning of the UVC. In Group I the UVC was placed in DR, while in Group II after Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission. Data were assessed in different times: body temperature at neonatal admission to NICU (T1); after 2 hours (T2); then, every 2 hours until normothermia; glycemia value at NICU admission, every 1-2 hours in the first 12 hours, every 4 hours from 12 to 24 hours, and every 6-12 hours until normalization. Time slot childbirth was also detected since only in the morning shift there was a dedicated resuscitation team always present in DR, while during the afternoon and night it was available on-call. Preventive measures to limit heat dispersion were adopted in both Groups. RESULTS: In Group I respect to Group II, both at T1 and T2: (a) the rate of normothermic neonates was higher and (b) the rate of neonates with moderate hypothermia was lower. The hourly temperature increase was similar between the groups and the time needed to reach normothermia was significantly lower in Group I than in Group II. Glycemic values at T1 were lower in Group II. In Group II, after UVC positioning and glucose solution administration, the 42.2% of infants immediately brought glycemia back to normal, while the 57.8% needed specific treatment. The majority of newborns of Group I was born during the morning shift. CONCLUSIONS: The early UVC placement by a dedicated interdisciplinary team is a relevant intervention to carry out during the "Golden minutes" to improve the ELBW stabilization soon after birth.