Ee Kyung Kim

OBJECTIVE: To determine the immunologic effects of oropharyngeal colostrum administration in extremely premature infants. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 48 preterm infants born before 28 weeks' gestation. Subjects received 0.2 mL of their mother's colostrum or sterile water via oropharyngeal route every 3 hours for 3 days beginning at 48 to 96 hours of life. To measure concentrations of secretory immunoglobulin A, lactoferrin, and several imm

BACKGROUND: Despite the potential importance of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), little is known about the risk factors for PAH. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for PAH in preterm infants with BPD. METHODS: Infants diagnosed with BPD were assigned to the PAH group or non-PAH group except for infants with mild BPD who had no PAH. PAH was diagnosed on the basis of echocardiograms demonstrating elevated right ventricle pressur

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that adverse neurodevelopment could be induced by systemic inflammation in preterm infants. We aimed to investigate whether preterm infants with systemic inflammation would have impaired neurodevelopment and which biomarkers and neurophysiologic studies during inflammation are associated with poor neurodevelopment. METHODS: This prospective cohort study enrolled infants born before 30 weeks of gestation or with birth weight < 1250 g. Infants were groupe

BACKGROUND: Systemic inflammation is an important risk factor for neurodevelopmental impairments in preterm infants. Premyelinating oligodendrocytes are main building blocks of white matter in preterm infants and vulnerable to oxidative stress and excitotoxic stress. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plays important roles in systemic inflammation and local inflammation leading to apoptosis of premyelinating oligodendrocytes and white matter injury (WMI) in brain tissue. This study was conducted t

Head growth trajectory during neonatal intensive care unit stay is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm SGA infants. If head growth catch-up is achieved by four months CA and length and weight catch-up by nine months CA, preterm SGA infants are predicted to have optimal neurodevelopment at 18 months CA.

Importance: Postnatal growth may be associated with longitudinal brain development in children born preterm. Objective: To compare brain microstructure and functional connectivity strength with cognitive outcomes in association with postnatal growth among early school-aged children born preterm with extremely low birth weight. Design, Setting, and Participants: This single-center cohort study prospectively enrolled 38 children 6 to 8 years of age born preterm with extremely low birth weight: 21

Increased survival in the very preterm population results in a higher risk of developing neurodevelopmental and behavioral disabilities among survivors. We examined the outcomes of very preterm infants and parents after a preventive intervention program of four home visits by a specialized nurse, 5 days, 2 weeks, and 1 month after discharge, respectively, and at CA 2 months, followed by up to 12 times of group sessions between CA 3 and 6 months. Our multicenter randomized controlled trial assess

Spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) and surgical necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) are intestinal conditions requiring surgical intervention in preterm infants. We aimed to compare the head growth and neurodevelopment of preterm infants with SIP and surgical NEC. A retrospective single-center study was performed in preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation and who had undergone surgery for NEC or SIP. Data from the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development 3rd Edition (Bay

Predicting developmental outcomes with growth measurement would be beneficial for primary healthcare or in developing countries with low medical resources. This study aimed to identify physical growth measures that indicate neurodevelopment in very preterm infants. Preterm infants, born at <32 weeks' gestation or weighing <1500 g, were included. We calculated the changes in z-score of weight, length, and head circumference (HC) at different time points: birth, postmenstrual age (PMA) 35 weeks, a

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate whether mucous fistula refeeding (MFR) is safe and beneficial for the growth and intestinal adaptation of preterm infants with enterostomies. METHODS: This exploratory randomized controlled trial enrolled infants born before 35 weeks' gestation with enterostomy. If the stomal output was ≥ 40 mL/kg/day, infants were assigned to the high-output MFR group and received MFR. If the stoma output was < 40 mL/kg/day, infants were randomized to the normal-output M

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of direct swallowing training (DST) alone and combined with oral sensorimotor stimulation (OSMS) on oral feeding ability in very preterm infants. DESIGN: Blinded, parallel group, randomised controlled trial (1:1:1). SETTING: Neonatal intensive care unit of a South Korean tertiary hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Preterm infants born at <32 weeks of gestation who achieved full tube feeding. INTERVENTIONS: Two sessions per day were provided according to the randomly assig

BACKGROUND: Increased pro-inflammatory cytokines are suggested in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The transcription factor, nuclear factor-ĸB (NF-ĸB), is a central regulator of inflammatory and immune responses, and recent rodent NEC models have shown that NF-ĸB may have a critical role in the disease processes that underlie NEC. Heat shock proteins have important functions in response to stress-related events in a variety of systems, including digestive organs. OBJECTIVES: