The clinical characteristics and neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants with persistent PVE were not different from those of infants with normal findings. Our study supports the concept that persistent PVE without cystic change may be a benign finding.

Background: Meconium peritonitis is defined as aseptic chemical inflammation caused by intrauterine bowel perforation. The underlying causes of bowel perforation include intestinal atresia, midgut volvulus, intussusception, congenital bands, and meconium ileus. Case presentation: Siblings with prenatally diagnosed meconium peritonitis of different etiologies were found. The elder sister was born at 36 + 6 weeks gestation with a birth weight of 3110 g. She was diagnosed with meconium peritonitis caused by ileal atresia. Two years later, the younger brother was born at 34 + 3 weeks gestation with a birth weight of 2850 g. He was diagnosed with meconium peritonitis caused by midgut volvulus. Conclusions: Among the previously reported cases of meconium peritonitis, familial occurance of meconium peritonitis is extremely rare. We present a case of prenatally diagnosed meconium peritonitis in siblings to promote further understanding of its etiology and clinical course.

Vitamin D deficiency is common and increases the likelihood of neonatal morbidities in preterm infants. This study assessed vitamin D levels at 1 month of age after 4 weeks of vitamin D supplementation and determined the association between vitamin D levels and neonatal morbidities. This retrospective study included preterm infants with birth weight <1500 g or gestational age <32 weeks born in our hospital between January 2018 and December 2019. They were administered 400 IU of oral vitamin D supplementation after birth according to our policy. The infants were then divided into sufficient (≥20 ng/mL) and deficient (<20 ng/mL) groups according to their serum vitamin D levels at 1 month of age. The vitamin D deficient and sufficient groups included 49 and 41 patients, respectively. The mean gestational age and birth weight. GHT in the vitamin D deficient group were 29.1 ± 2.1 weeks and 1216.1 ± 308.1 g, respectively, and 30.0 ± 1.7 weeks and 1387.6 ± 350.8 g, respectively, in the sufficient group. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in demographic and clinical outcomes except for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which occurred significantly more often in the vitamin D-deficient group (odds ratio 2.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.85–2.78; P = .02). The results of our study suggest that vitamin D deficiency at 1 month of age is associated with BPD in preterm infants.

Characteristic patterns in amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) develop with gestational age (GA), and so can be used to evaluate brain maturation in premature infants. Reference aEEG values in normal preterm infants have not been identified and data are scarce. We aimed to validate a currently available aEEG scoring system. We also investigated the development of aEEG activity during the first week after birth, determining reference values in preterm infants with no abnormal cranial ultrasound findings. We prospectively studied aEEG and cranial ultrasounds in infants with a GA of < 35 weeks. We conducted aEEG at 12-14 hours, 46-48 hours, 70-72 hours, and 1 week after birth. The aEEG recordings were evaluated using Burdjalov criteria, scored by two independent neonatologists. Thirty-four infants were enrolled and completed the 1-week evaluation. GA ranged from 24 to 35 weeks and birth weights varied between 570 and 2,100 g. We analyzed 134 aEEG tracings, with a mean difference between raters of -0.05. Total scores, summed from scores for each assessed variable, increased gradually with advancing gestational and postnatal age. However, highest scores were not attained until 35 weeks' gestational age. There was high inter-rater agreement for aEEG scoring, and we could ascertain some approximate reference values for aEEG development in preterm infants at varying GA. To establish standardized aEEG reference criteria, further studies in larger cohorts of premature infants should be performed over longer periods.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common pathogen, that causes a broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from minor skin infections to severe encephalitis and widespread infections. Acute retinal necrosis (ARN), one of the most serious manifestations of HSV infection, is defined as a rapidly progressing necrotizing retinopathy that pre sents discrete areas of circumferential retinal necrosis, along with signs of uveitis, vitreitis, and retinal vasculitis. We encountered a case of a female infant, born at 33 weeks of gestation with a body weight at birth of 2,080 g, who had ARN and encepha lomalacia due to HSV infection. ARN associated with HSV infection should be sus pected when nonspecific retinal exudates are observed in neonates, especially preterm infants.