To explore the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on premature birth rates in Denmark, a nationwide register-based prevalence proportion study was conducted on all 31 180 live singleton infants born in Denmark between 12 March and 14 April during 2015–2020. The distribution of gestational ages (GAs) was significantly different (p=0.004) during the lockdown period compared with the previous 5 years and was driven by a significantly lower rate of extremely premature children during the lockdown compared with the corresponding mean rate for the same dates in the previous years (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.40, p<0.001). No significant difference between the lockdown and previous years was found for other GA categories. The reasons for this decrease are unclear. However, the lockdown has provided a unique opportunity to examine possible factors related to prematurity. Identification of possible causal mechanisms might stimulate changes in clinical practice.

Dyslipidemia is reported in 27 − 43% of children and adolescents with overweight/obesity and tracks into adulthood, increasing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity. Cut-off values for fasting plasma lipid concentrations are typically set at fixed levels throughout childhood. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to generate fasting plasma lipid references for a Danish/North-European White population-based cohort of children and adolescents, and investigate the prevalence of dyslipidemia in this cohort as well as in a cohort with overweight/obesity. A population-based cohort of 2141 (1275 girls) children and adolescents aged 6 − 19 (median 11.5) years was recruited from 11 municipalities in Denmark. Additionally, a cohort of children and adolescents of 1421 (774 girls) with overweight/obesity aged 6 − 19 years (median 11.8) was recruited for the study. Height, weight, and fasting plasma lipid concentrations were measured on all participants. Smoothed reference curves and percentiles were generated using the Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape package in the statistical software R. In the population-based cohort, plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (TC) (P < 0.05), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (P < 0.005), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (P < 0.005) were higher in the youngest compared to the oldest tertile. Fasting plasma levels of triglycerides (TG) (P < 0.005) increased with age in both sexes. In boys, non-HDL was lower in the oldest compared to the youngest tertile (P < 0.0005). Concentrations of TC, LDL, non-HDL, and TG were higher (P < 0.05), and HDL lower (P < 0.05) in the cohort with overweight/obesity in both sexes and for all ages except for TC in the youngest girls. The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was 6.4% in the population-based cohort and 28.0% in the cohort with overweight/obesity. The odds ratio for exhibiting dyslipidemia in the cohort with overweight/obesity compared with the population-based cohort was 6.2 (95% CI: 4.9 − 8.1, P < 2*10−16). Fasting plasma lipid concentrations change during childhood and adolescence and differ with sex and age. Children and adolescents with obesity have increased concentrations of circulating lipids and exhibit an increased prevalence of dyslipidemia. The study is part of The Danish Childhood Obesity Biobank; ClinicalTrials.gov ID-no.: NCT00928473 retrospectively registered on June 25th 2009.

T(12;21)(p13;q22)[ETV6-RUNX1] is the most common chromosomal translocation in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and it can often be backtracked to Guthrie cards supporting prenatal initiation and high levels of circulating t(12;21)-positive cells at birth. To explore the prevalence of ETV6-RUNX1–positive cells in healthy neonates, mononuclear cells from 1417 umbilical cord blood samples were isolated within 24 hours from birth and subsequently screened for ETV6-RUNX1 transcripts using a highly sensitive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. In first-run polymerase chain reaction, 14 samples were positive at levels below 10⁻⁵, of which specific hybridization reflecting the relevant genetic region was positive in 9 cases. Repeated analyses using stored mRNA and flowcytometric sorting of a CD19⁺, CD8⁺, and CD19⁻/CD8⁻ subpopulations from cryopreserved mononuclear cells from the same cord blood samples (mean sorted: 18 × 10⁶ cells) revealed no positive findings, which demonstrates that the level and/or frequency of ETV6-RUNX1–positive cells is markedly lower than suggested in previous studies.

The correct choice of intra vascular access in critically ill neonates should be individualized depending on the type and duration of therapy, gestational and chronological age, weight and/or size, diagnosis, clinical status, and venous system patency. Accordingly, there is an ongoing demand for optimization of catheterization. Recently, the use of ultrasound-guided cannulation of the subclavian vein (SCV) has been described in children and neonates. This article gives an overview of the current use of ultrasound for achieving central venous catheter placement in the SCV or the brachio-cephalic vein (BCV) in neonates. More than 1250 catheters have been reported inserted in children and neonates for a cumulated success rate of 98.4% and the complication rate is reported to be low. The technical aspects of various approaches are discussed and we offer our recommendation of an ultrasound-guided technique for SCV and BCV cannulation based on our experience in a large NICU setting. Although the cannulation the SCV or BCV does not substitute the use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) or umbilical venous central catheters (UVCC) in neonates, it is a feasible route, even in very small children who are in need of a large caliber central venous access.

This study investigates the role of inflammation in intrauterine growth retardation by exploring the levels of inflammatory markers in umbilical cord blood from neonates who were born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and comparing them to neonates who were born appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA). Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured by standard methods in term or near-term (gestational age >36 weeks) neonates born SGA (n = 45) and a matched group of neonates born AGA (n = 45). Infants exposed to maternal chronic diseases, diabetes or pre-eclampsia were excluded. SGA was defined as two standard derivations below the expected for term and gender. In multivariate regression analyses significant elevation in cord blood concentration of IL-6 was demonstrated in the SGA group (mean 4.56 vs. 2.38, p = 0.002). The results indicate the presence of elevated inflammatory markers in the cord blood from SGA infants compared to AGA infants, and consequently the results suggest an inflammatory component in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).