View clinical trials related to Premature Birth.
Filter by:The aim of this study is to try and find links between the microscopic organisms (such as bacteria, yeasts and viruses) in the vagina, and twin pregnancies that deliver too early (preterm birth). Being born earlier than expected (preterm birth) happens in over half of twin pregnancies with 1 in 10 sets of twins delivering before 32 weeks gestation. Sometimes, when birth happens very early, babies can be at risk of serious harm including damage to the brain, lungs and bowel - all of which can result in life changing disabilities. How severe these problems are is related to how early they are born. Unfortunately, tests used to find women at risk of preterm birth have only been proven to work when the woman is carrying one baby, not twins, and at present no treatment has been shown to be effective in stopping a twin pregnancy from delivering early. Preventing twins from being born too early is therefore a target for research by the NHS and patient groups including the James Lind Alliance. It is normal for every woman to have microscopic organisms (such as bacteria, yeasts and viruses) in the vagina. New interest has been shown at looking closely at these organisms during pregnancy. These organisms can change and may be related to the number of weeks a woman will go into labour, however to date all research on this has been conducted in pregnancies with only one baby. We want to explore these organisms in twin pregnancies; taking swabs from the vagina at 16- and 28-weeks of your pregnancy, along with at the time of birth. Information will be gathered on the organisms present in the vagina (both of women that deliver too early and those that deliver on time), hoping this information will help us understand why preterm birth happens and help predict the chances of preterm labour in twin pregnancies. By identifying specific organisms linked with preterm birth, we also hope to be able to guide new targets for treatments to prevent preterm birth in twins in future. Due to the small number of twin pregnancies, measurements of how 'stiff' the neck of the womb (cervix) are along with blood samples will be taken. Research has shown that there may be links with how stiff the neck of the womb is and premature birth as well as markers within the blood that may help us predict preterm birth that are yet to be discovered. This will provide the foundations for a future research study.
The purpose of this research study is to use serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to define the timing and factors associated with brain injury as well as the pattern of brain growth of very preterm infants during hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In addition, the goal is to utilize early MRI to risk-stratify preterm infants and tailor rehabilitative interventions according to risk in order to explore associations between NICU rehabilitative intervention and short- and long-term outcomes of preterm infants.
The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effect of twice-daily saline enema (SE) in the treatment obstruction of prematurity (MOP) in infants with the birth weight ≤1.25kg. The main questions, the trial aims to answer are 1. To validate the finding of our pilot study which had shown that twice-daily SE reduces the time to reach full enteral feeds in premature infant as compared to premature infant treated with Glycerine Suppository (GS), in a larger cohort. Infant with MOP fails to pass meconium in the first 48 hours of life and develop symptoms and signs like abdominal distension and feed intolerance. 2. The other aims of this study are to test whether the intervention is 1. Effective treatment for MOP 2. Reduce the duration of ICU stay 3. Reduce the rate of necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) days and number of intravenous catheter days 3. The study also wants to explore the impact of this intervention on the gut microbiome, gut-brain interaction and immune response of the new-born.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of oral motor intervention (PIOMI) applied to preterm babies along with the smell and taste of breast milk on feeding parameters and the transition time to oral feeding. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Does affect nutritional parameters PIOMI with the smell of breast milk? - Does affect nutritional parameters PIOMI with breast milk taste? Participants will consist of breast milk-scented PIOMI, breast milk-tasting PIOMI and control groups. Researchers will compare breast milk-scented PIOMI, breast milk-tasting PIOMI and control groups to see if early feeding skills.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a widely known retinal vascular disorder in preterm infants and a leading cause of visual disability or blindness in children. Advances in antenatal care have resulted in an increase in the survival rate of infants with extremely low birth weight (BW). Approximately 90% of infants who develop ROP do so by a postmenstrual age of 46.3 weeks. In certain patients with or without treatment, the retina may fail to fully vascularize or may develop vascular abnormalities, thus demonstrating persistent avascular retina (PAR) or anomalous vessel findings at the periphery. Because of the advent of technologies such as ultrawide-field fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) persistent vascular abnormalities can be detected more readily and investigated.
The study aims to develop a prediction model of premature treatment termination in psychosomatic hospitals using a machine learning approach.
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether cervical cerclage reduces the risk of preterm birth in patients with a short transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) cervical length (CL) ≤25mm between 24 0/7-26 6/7 weeks.
Extreme prematurity is constantly increasing according to the World Health Organization. However, methods to train premature infants at risk of disability is sorely lacking. The goal of this project is to overcome this problem. In previous studies, the investigators discovered that promoting the crawling of typical newborns on a mini skateboard, the Crawliskate (a new tool that the investigators designed and patented EP2974624A1), is an excellent way to stimulate infants' motor and locomotor development. This method is a promising way to provide early interventions in infants at heightened risk for developmental delay, such as premature infants. The specific objective of this study is to determine if early training in crawling on this mini skateboard will accelerate motor (particularly locomotor) and/or neuropsychological development in very premature infants identified as high risk for developmental delay. Methodology: The investigators will study and follow two groups of very premature infants born between 24 and 26 weeks of gestational age or born between 26 and 32 with major brain lesions. These infants will be recruited before their hospital discharge at the NICU. After their discharge from the hospital, one group of infants will be trained at home by their parents under the supervision of physiotherapists to crawl on the Crawliskate every day for 2 months (Crawli group), and one group of infants will receive regular medical care (Control group). All infants will be tested for: 1)their crawling proficiency on the Crawliskate at term-equivalent age (just before training for the trained groups) and at 2 and 6 months corrected age (CA, i.e., age determined from the date on which they should have been born), 2) their motor proficiency between 2 and 12 months CA (2D and 3D recording of head control, sitting, crawling, stepping, walking) and 3) their neurodevelopmental, motor and neuropsychological development between 0 and 28 months CA: BSID III edition, ASQ-3, Amiel-Tison's Neurological Assessment, Prechtl Assessment of general movements. One more ASQ-3 questionnaire will be provided at five years. Expected results: The first research hypothesis is that premature infants trained daily to crawl (for two months after discharge from the NICU) will acquire proficient crawling patterns and develop earlier and more effective motor and neuropsychological development than premature infants who receive no training.
AIMS: The primary aim is to investigate the impact of enhancing father/partner engagement in FICare of preterm infants on their mental health (MH) up to 6 weeks post discharge. Secondary aims are to investigate the impact on maternal MH. METHOD and ANALYSIS: This is a two-phase study: Phase-1 to gather baseline information and Phase-2 to assess the impact of improved father/partner engagement in FICare involving two NUs (a tertiary and level 2). 20 families of infants born at <33 weeks will be studied in each phase (40 fathers, 40 mothers, 40 babies). Father/partner MH will be assessed using validated questionnaires: Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Parental Stressor Scale: NICU (PSS:NICU), and by semi-structured qualitative interviews. Similarly, mothers will be assessed by the same questionnaires and focus groups. The Neonatal DadPad materials will be updated using information from phase 1 study, systematic review of Fathers experiences of FICare and advice from parent advisory group. Father's engagement in FICare will be enhanced using Neonatal DadPad information booklet and app, father-specific peer support and bitesize teaching on caring for NU babies (Phase 2). Thematic analysis of the qualitative data will be performed. Phase 1 and Phase 2 study findings will be compared by performing appropriate statistical analysis.
Despite recreational cannabis now being legal in 23 states, where more than 100 million Americans reside, studies on the actual health effects are limited. This study is a randomized trial, where each participant will be instructed to consume or avoid cannabis on randomly assigned days during a 14-day monitoring period. The goal of this study is to answer the question: "Does cannabis use increase the frequency of 'early' and abnormal heart beats?" During the 14-day period, participants will wear an external heart monitor, a glucose monitor, and a fitness tracker to track heart rhythm, glucose levels, step counts, and sleep health. Participants will use a mobile app or a text messaging service for daily instructions/reminders on cannabis use, and short surveys. The investigators ask that participants smoke or vape cannabis at least once on days they are instructed to consume cannabis. Compelling evidence of heart and other health effects would be important to the clinical care of our patients.