Microbiological safety of expressed breast milk for preterm admitted to neonatal unit in China

Objective To determine the degrees and types of bacterial contamination in home-expressed mother's milk for preterm admitted to neonatal unit in China. Methods The present paper was a descriptive study enrolled a total of 75 human breast milk samples from February 2nd to March 1st 2015. The primary outcome was microbiological features of breast milk samples collected at home. A sample of more than 104 colony-forming units/mL is considered as the significantly bacterial contaminated breast milk. Results Among the milk samples obtained from the mothers of 75 neonatal babies,69. 3% had substantial bacterial growth. This high contamination rate could be due to the Chinese tradition of avoiding bathing for one month after childbirth.Conclusion Un-processed breast milk expressed by mothers in home was not safe for high risk preterm babies. Health care needs to pay attention to the risk of that in China. Good hygienic practice and strict process control for breast expression,including collection,transportation and storage should be developed for Chinese mothers of hospitalized preterm infants.

Clinical characteristics of postoperative necrotizing enterocolitis in patients with congenital jejunoileal atresia and its risk factors

Objective To review postoperative necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC)in patients with jejunoileal atresia(JIA)and to explore the potential risk factors related to the concurrence ofNEC.Methods Patients diagnosed with JIA who received surgical treatment from January 2016 to June 2021 were enrolled.Demographics,viral infection of the fetus,transfusion within 48 hours before NEC,sepsis before JIA repair,pathological and anatomical classification of JIA,combined malformation,occurrence time of NEC after the operation,treatment,and prognosis of patients were analyzed.Patients were divided into NEC group and non-NEC group,and all patients were followed up for 3-6 months to observe for complications.Results A total of 180 patients with JIA were included,of whom 12 were diagnosed with NEC after surgery and 1 patient with NEC died during follow-up.The average age,birth weight,gestational age,proportion of premature infants,proportion of preoperative infections,and pathological classification of JIA did not significantly differ between the two groups.The probability of patients with proximal jejunal atresia(PJA)in the NEC group(58.3%)was higher than that in the non-NEC group(22.6%)(p=0.011),and patients with PJA had longer parenteral nutrition time than patients without PJA(26.64±9.21 days vs 15.11±6.58 days,p<0.001).Conclusion PJA was more likely to be associated with concurrent NEC after surgery,which is a highly NEC-related risk factor inherent in JIA.

Clinical experiences in the management of critically ill patients with COVID‑19 in a designated children’s hospital in China

Omicron variant has been the dominant epidemic variant of novel coronavirus in the world since 2021.Studies have shown that the incidence of severe or critical cases with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is much lower than that of the previous novel coronavirus variants[1,2];however,it is still a major challenge to treat critical pediatric patients with COVID-19,especially for those with underlying diseases.