Marcus P Mosley, Arden Marin, Antoinette Jones, Sandhya S Brachio, Xuxin Chen
{"title":"Insurance and early racial disparities in skin-to-skin care during NICU hospitalization.","authors":"Marcus P Mosley, Arden Marin, Antoinette Jones, Sandhya S Brachio, Xuxin Chen","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02857-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02857-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate sociodemographic disparities in parent engagement behaviors during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 656 infants admitted to a Level IV NICU. Weekly parent engagement behaviors, including skin-to-skin care (SCC), were obtained from nursing flowsheet data and linked to clinical and sociodemographic data. Mixed-effects negative binomial models evaluated associations with weekly engagement counts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Public insurance was associated with fewer weekly engagement events across most domains, including SSC (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.39), holding (aIRR 0.62), participation in cares (aIRR 0.47) and bedside presence (aIRR 0.61) (all p < 0.001). Although race was not associated with SSC across hospitalization, Black infants received fewer SSC sessions during Weeks 1-2, compared to White infants.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Insurance-related disparities in engagement persist throughout hospitalization, whereas racial disparities in SSC were concentrated early, suggesting early hospitalization as a critical window for equity-focused interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Serum hyaluronic acid as an early indicator of disease severity in transient abnormal myelopoiesis associated with Down syndrome.","authors":"Eriko Eto, Masanori Inoue, Hironori Goto, Naoki Hirano, Tomoki Maeda, Kenji Ihara","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02877-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02877-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sheria Wilson, Elizabeth Gregory, Stephanie Kukora, Sandhya Subramanian, Elliott Mark Weiss
{"title":"Informed nondissent: an underutilized tool for the NICU context.","authors":"Sheria Wilson, Elizabeth Gregory, Stephanie Kukora, Sandhya Subramanian, Elliott Mark Weiss","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02853-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02853-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Informed nondissent is a form of shared decision-making in which clinicians provide a medically appropriate recommendation while observing for explicit objection, rather than requiring affirmative agreement. This approach emphasizes transparency, clinician responsibility, and the opportunity for dissent. Clinicians and parents in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are frequently tasked with values-based, emotionally charged goals-of-care decisions for critically ill newborns with poor prognoses. When NICU parents indirectly express readiness to change goals of care without explicitly verbalizing it, prudent use of informed nondissent can improve alignment between parental values and goals and clinical care, prevent decisional conflict, and decrease moral distress. In this paper, we critically examine the benefits of informed nondissent and offer practical guidance for its effective application within NICU shared decision-making. We address its potential pitfalls, emphasizing that informed nondissent must be applied carefully to preserve parental authority and maintain parental ability to participate in decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pierre Desaunay, Camille Blouet, Mélanie Alexandre, Fabian Guénolé
{"title":"Antidepressants and breastfeeding behaviors: a systematic review.","authors":"Pierre Desaunay, Camille Blouet, Mélanie Alexandre, Fabian Guénolé","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02867-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02867-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess whether antidepressant exposure during pregnancy or postpartum is associated with changes in breastfeeding behaviors STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of interventional and observational studies; outcomes grouped as initiation/status at discharge, preterm/NICU contexts, duration, and nighttime feeding.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Late-pregnancy exposure was consistently associated with lower initiation and reduced breastfeeding at discharge. In settings with intensive lactation support - such as among mothers of preterm infants or in NICUs-differences between exposed and unexposed dyads were small or nonsignificant. Effects on duration were context-dependent: in countries with high baseline breastfeeding, antenatal exposure was not linked to shorter duration and sometimes coincided with less early cessation; where baseline rates were lower, exposure was associated with earlier cessation. Evidence on nighttime feeding was sparse.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>When antidepressant treatment is indicated, optimizing breastfeeding requires integrated perinatal care combining psychiatric monitoring, individualized medication counseling, and proactive lactation support. Prospective studies disentangling pharmacological from contextual effects are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nutritional confounding and reporting limitations in the JASMINE Trial.","authors":"Brian C King, Atul Malhotra","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02863-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02863-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Morris Cohen, David R Brown, Bellipady Rai, Alla Kushnir, Benjamin Planer, Deepak Jain, Michael M Myers
{"title":"Growth disparities among NICUs: insights from the New Jersey statewide neonatal collaborative.","authors":"Morris Cohen, David R Brown, Bellipady Rai, Alla Kushnir, Benjamin Planer, Deepak Jain, Michael M Myers","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02871-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02871-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To determine how much of the variability in growth of preterm infants is related to differences among NICUs.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>The contribution of NICU of care and infant characteristics to variability in growth (weight Z-scores changes, birth to discharge) were quantified for 4459 infants (23<sup>0</sup>-29<sup>6</sup> weeks) in the New Jersey NICU Collaborative from 2014 to 2023.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Despite increases in growth of preterm infants over years, substantial variability in growth persists. The largest contributor to this variability was the NICU of care. Adjusting for GA at birth and birth weight, race, ethnicity, and major morbidities, the effect of NICU of care remained highly significant (p < 0.001) and accounted for over 13% of the variance in growth.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There is substantial variation in growth, with NICU of care being the largest source of identified variability. Different feeding strategies and actual nutrient delivery need to be further investigated to reduce these disparities.</p>","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Important considerations in interpreting neonatal blood culture time-to-positivity.","authors":"Hannah N Rodriguez, Rana F Hamdy","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02872-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02872-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicolas P Goldstein Novick, Scott A Lorch, Joshua K Radack, Molly Passarella, Timothy D Nelin, Elizabeth G Salazar, Sara C Handley
{"title":"Level III neonatal intensive care unit heterogeneity in patients, services, and outcomes.","authors":"Nicolas P Goldstein Novick, Scott A Lorch, Joshua K Radack, Molly Passarella, Timothy D Nelin, Elizabeth G Salazar, Sara C Handley","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02846-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41372-026-02846-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Level III NICUs share one AAP level of care designation. We characterized variation, identified sub-classes, and compared sub-class outcomes.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>This retrospective cohort analysis of level III NICUs in Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina used linked hospital discharge-vital statistics data (2010-2020). Included hospitals had ≥10 births annually and infants had gestational age <32 weeks and/or birth weight <1500 g. We characterized NICU-level heterogeneity; used latent class analysis (LCA) to obtain sub-classes; and compared risk-adjusted outcomes with multivariable Poisson regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 163 NICUs (1518 hospital-years) there was significant variation. LCA identified five sub-classes (3a-e). Preterm volume and procedural intensity rose with acuity (3a lowest, 3d/3e highest). Higher acuity was associated with lower mortality but higher morbidity (3d vs. 3a: death: IRR 0.59 [95% CI 0.54-0.65]; morbidity: 2.84 [2.43-3.31]).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Level III NICUs are heterogeneous and comprise five sub-classes with divergent outcomes. Sub-classification may facilitate risk-appropriate care.</p>","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kalsang Dolma, Fabien Eyal, Diksha Shrestha, Bianca Vamesu, Mary Bernadette Munn, Manimaran Ramani, Michael Zayek
{"title":"Outcomes at 21 weeks' gestation: a case series with neurodevelopmental follow-up.","authors":"Kalsang Dolma, Fabien Eyal, Diksha Shrestha, Bianca Vamesu, Mary Bernadette Munn, Manimaran Ramani, Michael Zayek","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02866-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-026-02866-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To describe survival, short- and long-term outcomes of infants born at 21 weeks' gestation who received neonatal resuscitation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Single-center retrospective case series of infants born at 21 + 0/7 to 21 + 6/7 weeks resuscitated from 2004-2024. Resuscitation was offered to selected infants with early physiological stability and, preferably, birth weight > 400 g. Outcomes were compared between 2004-2012 and 2013-2024.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among resuscitated infants, survival was 5/19 (26%) in period 1 and 6/16 (37%) in period 2. Lung morbidity and severe retinopathy of prematurity were higher in the later period. Of 11 survivors, 8 (73%) had 2- year follow-up; 3/8 (38%) had severe neurodevelopmental impairment (2/5 vs 1/3). Four survivors attended mainstream schools.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Survival at 21 weeks' gestation is limited to highly selected cases. These data add to the limited evidence base and may inform individualized counseling at this gestational age, where the role of routine neonatal resuscitation is not established.</p>","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148761406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clarification on the legal and training status of Neonatology in Spain.","authors":"Belen Fernandez-Colomer, Segundo Rite-Gracia","doi":"10.1038/s41372-026-02860-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41372-026-02860-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16690,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Perinatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148723473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}