Neonatal eyelid conditioning during sleep.

Using an eyelid conditioning paradigm modeled after that developed by Little, Lipsitt, and Rovee-Collier (1984), Fifer et al. (2010) demonstrated that newborn infants learn during sleep. This study examined the role of sleep state in neonatal learning. We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG), respiratory, and cardiovascular activity from sleeping full term newborn infants during delay eyelid conditioning. In the experimental group (n = 21), a tone was paired with an air puff to the eye. Consistent with Fifer et al. (2010), newborn infants reliably learned during sleep. The experimental group more than doubled EMR rates to a tone alone, while a control group (n = 17) presented with unpaired tones and puffs maintained low EMR rates. Infant learners were more likely to produce a conditioned EMR during quiet sleep compared to active sleep. Understanding the influence of sleep state on conditioned responses will inform the potential use of eyelid conditioning for early screening.

Comparison of fluconazole and nystatin oral suspensions for prophylaxis of systemic fungal infection in very low birthweight infants.

We compared the efficacy and safety of fluconazole and nystatin oral suspensions for the prevention of systemic fungal infection (SFI) in very low birthweight infants. A prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted over a 15-month period, from May 1997 through September 1998, in 80 preterm infants with birthweights <1500 g. The infants were randomly assigned to receive oral fluconazole or nystatin, beginning within the first week of life. Prophylaxis was continued until full oral feedings were attained. Blood and urine cultures were obtained at enrollment and then weekly thereafter. Thirty-eight infants were randomly assigned to receive oral fluconazole (group I), and 42 infants were assigned to receive nystatin (group II). Birthweight, gestational age, and risk factors for fungal colonization and SFI at the time of randomization and during the hospital course were similar in both groups. SFI developed in two infants (5.3%) in group I and six infants (14.3%) in group II. The difference between these two rates was not statistically significant (relative risk, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.08 to 1.72). There were no deaths in group I and six deaths in group II (P = 0.03). Two infants died of neonatal sepsis, and four deaths were related to necrotizing enterocolitis and/or spontaneous intestinal perforation. No deaths were due to SFI. Enrollment was halted before completion and the study did not attain adequate power to detect a hypothesized drop in SFI rate from 15 to 5%. Although the results cannot justify any conclusion about the relative efficacy of fluconazole versus nystatin in prevention of SFI, the significantly higher mortality rate in the nystatin group raises questions about the relative safety of this medication.

Absence of an increase in cardiorespiratory events after diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis immunization in preterm infants: a randomized, multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends immunization of preterm infants at 2 months' chronological age with diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine, regardless of birth weight and gestational age. Several investigators have reported an increased incidence of cardiorespiratory events in preterm infants after immunization. Consequently, many primary care providers do not adhere to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. The purpose of this study was to reexamine the relationship between diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis and cardiorespiratory events in preterm infants by using a random control study design and an objective assessment of cardiorespiratory events. METHODS: Ten hospitals enrolled 191 infants who were born at <37 weeks' gestational age at 56 to 60 days' chronological age. Infants were randomly assigned to a group that received diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis immunization (n = 93) or a control group that did not (n = 98). Recording monitors were used continuously during the next 48 hours to document prolonged apnea and prolonged bradycardia. The presence and number of episodes during the 48-hour period were compared between groups by using chi(2) and t tests. RESULTS: In the diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis group, 16.1% experienced at least 1 episode of prolonged apnea compared with 20.4% of control infants. One or more prolonged bradycardia events occurred in 58.1% of immunized infants and 56.1% of the control infants. The frequency of episodes was not significantly different between groups. The immunization group and the control group each had an average of 0.5 episodes of prolonged apnea. The mean number of prolonged bradycardia episodes was 2.6 in the immunization group and 2.7 in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Preterm infants who received diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis at 2 months after birth were no more likely to experience prolonged apnea and bradycardia than were control infants. This study supports the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation regarding diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis immunization at 2 months of age for preterm infants.