Global research production in neonatal abstinence syndrome: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND Recently,neonatal abstinence syndrome(NAS)emerged as a significant global concern with a dramatic increase in healthcare expenditures.The incidence of the NAS has increased notably in the past decade and emergence as a global public health problem.AIM To evaluate the development and trend of global NAS research from 1958 to 2019 by bibliometric analysis.METHODS Analyzed aspects included publication output per year,language,document types,journals,countries/territories,h-index,authors,and top research priorities.The VOSviewer was used to determine the top research priorities,and trends,and to present bibliometric networks concerning various dimensions,such as coauthorship,authors,and countries.RESULTS A total of 1738 articles were retrieved in the Scopus database from 1958 to 2019.It was found that the great majority of the total NAS documents(n=1295)were original articles followed by reviews(n=268)and letters(n=48).The most productive countries in the NAS field were the United States(n=833),Canada(n=112),the United Kingdom(n=111),and Germany(n=77).Treatment and hospital outcomes in NAS,evidence-based nurse-driven interventions for the care of newborns with NAS,and a systematic reviews and network meta-analysis for therapeutic approaches of NAS were found in recent years(after 2010),compared with terms such as pathophysiology,mechanisms of NAS,and signs and symptoms in the early years.CONCLUSION Treatment and pediatric outcomes and the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment may be frontiers in the NAS field,and continued efforts from researchers are needed in those topics.

Evaluation of Perinatal and Developmental Outcomes in Neonates with Abstinence Syndrome Admitted to NICU

Drug abuse by pregnant women is one of the significant problems for mothers and their neonates.This study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal substance use disorder during pregnancy on neonatal developmental criteria.In a case-control study,clinical records of 90 neonates diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome who were admitted to NICU in one of four hospitals affiliated with Shahid-Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran,Iran between 2017 and 2020 were compared to 90 neonates without neonatal abstinence syndrome(control group).Demographic information and data for neonatal developmental characteristics and complications were extracted from the clinical records of this convenience sample.Data for the type and method of maternal substance use during pregnancy were collected through a telephone call with mothers.Our data showed that the prevalence of drug addiction was 1.8%among pregnant women,and the most common drugs used by mothers were opium(n=45%,50%),amphetamine(n=30%,33%),and methadone(n=14%,16%).Neonates with abstinence syndrome had a higher prevalence of transient tachypnea of the newborn(TTN)(P=0.004),and a prevalence of being admitted to NICU(P=0.05)and for a longer duration(P<0.001).Their mothers had a higher prevalence of having pre-eclampsia(P=0.010).Using morphine vs.amphetamine showed no difference based on their effects on mothers and neonates.Substance use during pregnancy increased the prevalence of pregnancy complications(pre-eclampsia)and neonatal complications(TTN and prevalence and duration of hospitalization).Therefore,planning for the development of health policies to raise awareness among women and more broadly,all members of the community,is important to prevent the tendency to engage in this potentially high-risk behavior.

Using Umbilical Cord Tissue to Identify Prenatal Exposure to Fentanyl and Other Commonly Abused Drugs

Background: Prenatal exposure to fentanyl may lead to Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a constellation of symptoms observed when newborns begin withdrawing from addictive substances such as opioids. The use of umbilical cord tissue segments (UC) for newborn toxicology has been increasing due to its apparent long detection window, sensitivity, and ease of collection. However, very little has been reported in the literature concerning the prevalence of in utero exposure to fentanyl and co-exposure with other commonly abused substances. Specific aim: The specific aims of this retrospective study are twofold. We will report prevalence of neonatal exposure to fentanyl for a nationwide high-risk population using UC submitted to a national reference laboratory for routine forensic toxicology analysis and the co-exposure patterns observed for these fentanyl-exposed neonates. Methods: A secondary analysis was performed using historical data for UC received between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 for routine forensic toxicology analysis. Results: During the study period, our laboratory received 23,104 UC for analysis and 9667 (41.8%) of those UC were positive for at least one drug. The prevalence of fentanyl detection was 1.9% (n = 429). Of these 429 specimens there were 407 UC where both fentanyl and norfentanyl were detected. There were 14 UC where only fentanyl was detected and 8 UC where only norfentanyl was detected. When detected, the median concentrations of fentanyl and norfentanyl were 4029 pg/g (IQR: 1696, 9230 pg/g) and 10,756 pg/mg (IQR: 3925, 25,288 pg/g), respectively. Of the 429 positive fentanyl and/or norfentanyl UC, 33 (7.7%) were only positive for fentanyl and/or norfentanyl. Of the 396 polypositive UC, morphine was the highest co-exposure with 243 UC (56.6%) being positive for both fentanyls and morphine. The second most prevalent co-exposure observed was methamphetamine/amphetamine (n = 173;40.3%) followed by cannabinoids (n = 113;26.3%) and benzoylecgonine (cocaine metabolite;n = 106;24.7%). Conclusions: Nonmedical use of fentanyl is an alarming trend in this country including this maternal demographic reported here. Fentanyl was typically found with other commonly abused substances.