Anemia of prematurity is a common pathology in premature infants. The prevalence of anemia of prematurity is inversely proportional to the gestational age and body weight at birth. The pathogenetic importance of impaired erythropoietin (EPO) production in anemia of prematurity provides the rationale for therapy with erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) including recombinant EPO. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of different regimens of recombinant human erythropoietin in extremely and very low birth weight infants (ELBW and VLBW) was studied. Research has been set as a prospective analysis of 133 VLBW and ELBW infants (in the period from December 2017 to February 2019). Gestational age (GA) of the children ranged from 26 to 33 weeks, of these, GA of 75 children (56%) was 30 weeks or less. Depending on the treatment of anemia of prematurity all infants were divided into 5 groups: group 1 (n = 26) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 3 day of life 200 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 2 (n = 21) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 3 day of life 400 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 3 (n = 37) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 8 day of life 200 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 4 (n = 18) – premature babies who were prescribed ESAs since 8 day of life 400 IU/kg 3 times per week subcutaneously; group 5 (n = 31) premature infants who did not receive treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (control group). Subgroups of children of gestational age ≤ 30 weeks were identified in each group. The groups and subgroups did not differ significantly in gestational age, weight, birth length, and Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes of life, p > 0.05. Also, there were no statistically significant differences in the age of the 1st transfusion, the frequency and total volume of transfusions, the duration of respiratory therapy, the duration of hospitalization, including treatment in NICU, body weight and age at discharge. The frequency of retinopathy of prematurity stage ≥ 3, periventricular leukomalacia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia of moderate and severe severity, intraventricular hemorrhages of varying severity, necrotizing enterocolitis was not statistically significant in the study groups and subgroups. Statistically significant differences in the concentration of hemoglobin in the peripheral blood of premature infants were revealed at discharge. In the control group, children had a lower level of hemoglobin at discharge (94 g/l) compared with the groups with early appointment of ESAs (109 g/l and 107 g/l in groups 1 and 2, respectively, P0-1 = 0.048 and P0-2 = 0.047) due to newborn GA ≤ 30 weeks. It is preferable to use of the drug ESAs at a dose of 200 IU/kg 3 p/week p/, starting from the 3rd day of life. The effectiveness of erythropoietin therapy, the time of its start and various treatment regimens remain controversial issues that require further study. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee of the National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov.

The respiratory syncytial viral (RSV) infection is the leading cause of lower respiratory infections (bronchiolitis, pneumonia) in young children. Premature children and children with an inherent heart defect experience a heavy course of the infection, they require treatment in the resuscitation department, oxygen therapy and ALV. This article summarizes the first experience in Russia of executing a regional program on immunoprophylaxis of the RSV infection using monoclonal RDV-antibodies prepared with palivizumab among the following categories of children: premature children, children with a bronchopulmonary dysplasia and an inherent heart defect. The inclusion of palivizumab into the rehabilitation program of these categories of patients allowed to decrease the frequency of lower respiratory infections and corresponding hospitalizations by 4.6 and 4.8 times respectively. Not a single patient out of the 5 hospitalized with a lower respiratory infection, immunized with palivizumab, had his treatment connected with RSV. A high level of the drug's safety was also determined-none of the children experienced any sort of unwanted effects.

The neonatal hyperammonemia is the pathological condition that occurs during the neonatal period; it is characterized by the increased content of the free ammonium ions in the blood, and it causes the severe neurological disorders. The hyperammonemia in the newborns is one of the manifestations of a wide range of both primary (hereditary) and secondary metabolic disorders. Depending on the specific cause, the hyperammonemia in the neonatal period can be of the persistent or transient nature. As a rule, the clinical signs of this condition are nonspecific. The neurological disorders of the varying severity are noted, as follows: CNS (central nervous system) excitement or depression syndrome, episodes of apnea, diffuse muscular hypotonia, convulsive disorder and coma. The hyperammonemia can be accompanied by the respiratory disorders, and it can cause the development of the multiple organ failure that resembles the clinical symptom complex of the sepsis. The severity of brain damage correlates with the degree of increase in the ammonia concentration and hyperammonemia duration. Early diagnosis of the hyperammonemia allows to save the child’s life, to prevent the severe neurological consequences and to reduce the risk of disability. Moreover, the identification of the hereditary metabolic diseases accompanied by the hyperammonemia determines the necessity to carry out the genetic counselling of the family, as well as the prenatal and preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in pediatrics is a polygenic multifactorial condition with extremely adverse prognosis. Selection of optimal management is a severe task. In absence of treatment the mean life duration in children is not higher one year. Last two decades, revolution in approaches to treatment improved the survival of this patients group. Recently, pediatricians and pediatric cardiologists have three drugs groups that act on the main pathogenetic chains of PH: endothelin pathway, nitric oxide pathway and prostacyclin pathway. At the moment, approaches to pediatric PH are based on the data obtained in the trials on adult patients. However, not long ago there were first randomized trials on children performed. The group of authors of current article presents a modern view on the problem of PH in children, and expert recommendations on children management. Class of recommendations and evidence level were set by the data obtained in pediatric population or on adult population with at least 10% of children included. To the strategy, developed by the Russian clinicians, laid the analysis of experience of the pathology treatment in Russian Federation, as the current practics and clinical guidelines on pediatric PH in Europe, and the recent trials published.