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Background: Continuation of kangaroo mother care (KMC) at home is vital for improved infant survival and development. Hence, it is essential to understand potential enablers and barriers to home KMC provision. Methodology: This observational study was conducted in rural Gujarat. KMC was initiated for all low-birth-weight (LBW) neonates during the hospital stay and were advised to continue home KMC on discharge. The mothers of these LBW neonates were interviewed using a structured questionnaire during follow-up visits or via telephone. Results: A total of 100 mothers were interviewed, and 98 practiced home KMC. Mothers’ mean age was 24.41 (±3.1) years, and infants’ mean age was 3.48 (±1.81) months. The mean weight of neonates at discharge was 1.85 (±0.28) kg. Out of the 104 neonates (96 singleton pregnancies and four twins), 76 (73.07%) were pre-term. 31% mothers provided 4–6 hours of daily KMC. 60% provided KMC for less than 1 hour during each session, while 36% of mothers provided each KMC session for 1–3 hours. 74% of mothers received family support, and 62% faced difficulties in home KMC provision. 88% of mothers were homemakers, and 53% had other children to care for. 51% mothers pre-maturely discontinued KMC provision. 83% of the mothers reported fatigue or pain during KMC provision. Conclusion: Lack of family support, other household responsibilities, and other children to care for were major barriers leading to pre-mature discontinuation of home KMC.

Background: Continuation of kangaroo mother care (KMC) at home is vital for improved infant survival and development. Hence, it is essential to understand potential enablers and barriers to home KMC provision. Methodology: This observational study was conducted in rural Gujarat. KMC was initiated for all low-birth-weight (LBW) neonates during the hospital stay and were advised to continue home KMC on discharge. The mothers of these LBW neonates were interviewed using a structured questionnaire during follow-up visits or via telephone. Results: A total of 100 mothers were interviewed, and 98 practiced home KMC. Mothers' mean age was 24.41 (±3.1) years, and infants' mean age was 3.48 (±1.81) months. The mean weight of neonates at discharge was 1.85 (±0.28) kg. Out of the 104 neonates (96 singleton pregnancies and four twins), 76 (73.07%) were pre-term. 31% mothers provided 4-6 hours of daily KMC. 60% provided KMC for less than 1 hour during each session, while 36% of mothers provided each KMC session for 1-3 hours. 74% of mothers received family support, and 62% faced difficulties in home KMC provision. 88% of mothers were homemakers, and 53% had other children to care for. 51% mothers pre-maturely discontinued KMC provision. 83% of the mothers reported fatigue or pain during KMC provision. Conclusion: Lack of family support, other household responsibilities, and other children to care for were major barriers leading to pre-mature discontinuation of home KMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to evaluate safety and success rates of lumbar puncture (LP) and to identify factors associated with adverse events or failure of LP in infants.Methods: This two-center prospective observational study investigated infants younger than 90 days of age who underwent LP. Need for resuscitation oxygen desaturation (SpO2 < 90%), bradycardia and intraventricular hemorrhage were considered adverse events. LP failed if cerebrospinal spinal fluid was not collected or had traces of blood. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate whether corrected gestational age (GA), body weight at LP, position, and any respiratory support during LP affected SpO2 desaturation or failure of LP.Results: Among 204 LPs, 134 were performed in full-term and 70 in pre-term born infants. SpO2 desaturations occurred during 45 (22.4%) LPs. At multivariate analysis, lower GA at LP (p < 0.001), non-invasive respiratory support (p 0.007) and mechanical ventilation (p 0.004) were associated with SpO2 desaturations. Transient, self-resolving bradycardia occurred in 7 (3.4%) infants. Two infants had intraventricular hemorrhage detected within 72 h of LP. No further adverse events were registered. Failure of LP occurred in 38.2% of cases and was not associated with any of the factors evaluated.Conclusions: LP was safe in most infants. Body weight or GA at LP did not affect LP failure. These data are useful to clinicians, providing information on the safety of the procedure.

Impaired neurodevelopment is increasingly recognized as a major health issue in children born prematurely. Creative music therapy (CMT) intends to prevent and or reduce neurobehavioral deficits in pre-term infants using musical stimulation and socio-emotional co-regulation. We conducted a randomized, clinical pilot CMT trial to test feasibility and to examine long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in pre-term infants (NCT02434224: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02434224). Eighty-two pre-term infants were randomized either to CMT or standard care. A specially trained music therapist provided family-integrating CMT via infant-directed singing during hospitalization. Fifty-six infants underwent follow-up at 2 years of corrected age. No significant beneficial nor adverse effects of CMT were identified in routine clinical neurodevelopmental measures (Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and the standardized neurological examination). Longer term follow-up (5 years) and larger future studies are recommended to elucidate possible long-term effects of music in relation to more sensitive outcomes including executive function, detailed language processing and social-emotional development.

Objective: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is characterized by peripheral cell abnormalities, yet few studies have analyzed the complete blood count (CBC) specifically by gestational age (GA). Our objective was to describe GA-specific immune abnormalities in NEC through a comprehensive analysis of the CBC differential.Methods: Using a cohort of 246 infants (177 cases, 69 controls) admitted to neonatal intensive care units at a single institution, we retrospectively analyzed CBCs around illness onset in NEC cases compared with controls. Cases included surgical NEC (S-NEC, 34.5%) and medical NEC (M-NEC, 65.5%). Infants were divided into those born at GA

Introduction: A history of pre-maturity may be a risk factor for complications in patients under 24 months of age hospitalized for viral respiratory infections (VRIs).Objective: To identify the impact of a history of pre-maturity on in-hospital complications and mortality in patients under 24 months of age who were hospitalized for VRIs over a period of 5 years.Material and Methods: This was a propensity score-matched study. The database was compiled by physicians, electronically validated by engineers, and analyzed by statisticians. Patients diagnosed with VRIs (based on International Classification of Diseases [ICD-10]) codes B974, J12, J120–J129X, J168, J17, J171, J178, J20, J203–J209, J21, J210, J211, J218, J219, J22X, and J189) from 2013 to 2017 were enrolled in the study. The subjects were classified into two groups according to the absence or presence of a history of pre-maturity (P070, P072, P073). Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) (Q20–Q26) were excluded. Length of hospital stay, in-hospital complications, surgical procedures, and mortality were analyzed.Statistical Analysis: Patients were matched according to age. For comparisons between groups, Student's t-tests and chi2 tests were applied. A logistic regression model was constructed to identify factors related to in-hospital complications and mortality.Results: In total, 5,880 patients were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. The average patient age was 14.25 weeks. The presence of pre-maturity (coefficient = 1.16), male sex, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), in-hospital infectious complications (coefficient = 11.31), and invasive medical procedures (coefficient = 18.4) increased the number of days of hospitalization. Invasive medical procedures (OR = 6.13), a history of pre-maturity (OR = 2.54), and male sex (OR = 1.78) increased the risk for in-hospital complications. In-hospital infectious complications (OR = 84.2) and invasive medical procedures (OR = 58.4) were risk factors for mortality.Conclusions: A history of pre-maturity increased the length of hospital stay and the rate of in-hospital complications but did not increase mortality in patients under 24 months of age hospitalized for VRIs.

Introduction: Mortality of children is the prime indicator of a country's health status and its development. Understanding child mortality among different age groups is one of the valuable public health insights. Therefore, studies regarding child mortality patterns are essential for re-evaluating existing health services. Objective: The objective of this study is to describe the pattern of paediatric mortality in our hospital. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was done with the medical records of Pediatric patients (up to 12 years) who died in the Pediatrics department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1st Jan 2018 to 31st Dec 2018. Results: A total of 15,500 children were admitted to the Paediatric department from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2018. A total of 1738 deaths were recorded. The overall mortality of 11.3% was noted in the cases admitted to the Paediatric Department. Conclusion: Septicemia, Acute respiratory infection(ARI)/Pneumonia, Birth asphyxia, and low birth weight (LBW)/prematurity were the major causes of paediatrics mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: There is extensive literature to support eliminating race-based risk stratification. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) calculator, used to predict risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), includes race as a variable. We sought to investigate how utilizing race in determination of risk for BPD may lead to inequitable care., Methods: The study included a retrospective cohort of infants born <30 weeks gestation between January 2016 and February 2022. The primary outcome was the difference in predictive risk of BPD for non-Hispanic Black compared to non-Hispanic White infants. The secondary outcome was the disparity in theoretical administration of post-natal corticosteroids when the calculator was applied to the cohort. Analysis included paired T -tests and Chi-Square., Results: Of the 273 infants studied, 154 were non-Hispanic Black (56%). There was no difference between the groups in gestation or respiratory support on day of life (DOL) 14 or 28. The predicted risk of moderate or severe BPD in non-Hispanic White babies was greater than non-Hispanic Black babies on both DOL 14 and 28 ( p <0.01). When applied retrospectively to the cohort, the calculator resulted in differences in corticosteroid administration (risk >40%-non-Hispanic White 51.3% vs. non-Hispanic Black 35.7%, p =0.010; risk >50%-non-Hispanic White 42.9% vs. non-Hispanic Black 29.9%, p =0.026)., Conclusion: When applied to our study cohort, the calculator resulted in a reduction in the predicted risk of BPD in non-Hispanic Black infants. If utilized to guide treatment, the calculator can potentially lead to disparities in care for non-Hispanic Black infants., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (© Priyanka Patel et al., 2023; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

This study contemplates prevailing BIM (Building Information Management) development practices at the pre-maturity. BIM stimuli set by developers have zero attention towards integrating qualitative features and induce pessimistic/optimistic information processing. Also, an archival analysis showed that the survey-based methodology, which is predominantly used to assess industry readiness, does not pay adequate attention towards externalities (procurement, policy, technical and organizational contexts) and hence is not comprehensive enough to lead BIM development towards viable strategies. The ‘contextual-reflection’ is used to describe the effect of externalities and their governing effect towards practitioners’ attitudes and state-level BIM strategies. A preliminary study done in South Africa substantiated these arguments. Integrating the findings with the Technology Adoption Model and BIM's Levels of Development, a conceptual framework is suggested to evaluate industry readiness in a holistic manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been substantial research on low birthweight (LBW) as a predictor of adverse educational and cognitive outcomes. LBW infants perform worse on cognitive battery tests compared to children born at normal birthweight; however, children exposed to similar risks to not all share the same experiences. The complex, interrelated factors responsible for poor cognitive and achievement performance vary for different populations, but researchers hypothesize that the home environment may influence the infants' long-term health outcomes. Purpose: Examine the home environment as a moderator in the causal pathway from neonatal brain injury to school performance in a secondary analysis of a prospectively studied, geographically defined cohort from the Neonatal Brain Hemorrhage Study. Method: The secondary analysis sample included 543 infants with birthweights of 501 to 2,000 g who were born consecutively in three community hospitals in New Jersey between 1984 and 1986. School performance at age 9 was measured by the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement. The home environment variables were tested and analyzed using multistep hierarchical regression modeling. Results: A moderating effect between the variable neighborhood observations and brain injury was demonstrated for the outcome math score. The moderating relationship was found in the category of children without brain injury (β = 1.76, p = .005). Conclusion: There were statistically significant and potentially clinical meaningful models when looking at the home environmental variables as the relate to reading and math scores. The findings suggest that at least one variable within a LBW child's socio-environmental milieu can moderate the effects of perinatal brain injury on school performance outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To test the hypothesis that the timing of twin births is correlated to that of their singleton siblings. Methods. Using the Missouri Department of Health's birth certificate database we performed a retrospective population-based cohort study of 2222 women who had at least one singleton and one twin birth (1989-1997). Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship in gestational age between singleton and twin births occuring in the same mother. Results. Among 2222 mothers who had both a singleton and twin pregnancy during the study period, the mean difference in birth timing between singleton and twin siblings was 3.05 weeks (±2.9 weeks). The correlation between singleton and twin birth timing was statistically significant (r = 0.28, p < 0.001), and remained significant even after controlling for potential confounders (β = 0.459, p < 0.001). Conclusions. We identified a significant correlation in the timing of birth between singleton and twin pregnancies in the same mother, which could be due to shared genetic, environmental, medical, social and other influences. This finding could be useful to help predict birth timing in mothers at especially high risk of preterm birth, those with a twin gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Apnea of pre-maturity is common, occurring in 85% of infants born less than 34 week gestation. Oral caffeine is the most frequent form of therapy, often in conjunction with the use of intubation and intermittent ventilation. Morphine is used to reduce the pain believed to be associated with the latter. Little information is available on the effects of caffeine, morphine or their combination, on the developing brain. We determined the effect of caffeine and morphine alone and in combination of cell death on the developing brain of the rat. Cell death, measured by Fluoro-jade B and activated caspase-3, was significantly increased at 12 and 24 hour post-caffeine injection (P < 0.05) in the cortex, caudate, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, hippocampus and superior colliculus. No alterations were seen following morphine injection alone. However, in the thalamus, the combination of caffeine and morphine did increase cell death to a significantly greater extent than caffeine alone. Further research is required to determine the long-term pathologic and functional effects of caffeine and the combination of caffeine and morphine on the developing immature brain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim: To investigate the association between chronic periodontitis (CP) and pre-maturity in a group of Brazilian pregnant women from the State of São Paulo. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty-four women were investigated consecutively in a cross-sectional study, between December 2003 and May 2005. Sixty-eight women had pre-term labour (PTL) and 56 had term labour. A periodontal examination was carried out to identify the presence of CP. Statistical analysis used the Fisher's exact test or χ2 for the discrete variables and the Mann–Whitney test for the non-parametric variables. Odds ratio (OR) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval (CI), to evaluate the relation between CP and pre-maturity. Results: Periodontal indicators, such as clinical attachment loss ( p<0.0001) and bleeding on probing ( p=0.012), were observed more in the PTL group. The presence of CP increased the risk for PTL (OR: 4.7, 95% CI: 1.9–11.9), pre-term birth (PTB; OR: 4.9, 95% CI: 1.9–12.8) and low birth weight (<2500 g; OR: 4.2, 95% CI: 1.3–13.3). The pregnant women with PTL presented low levels of schooling ( p=0.029) and the lowest number of pre-natal appointments ( p=0.0001) when compared with those with term labour. Conclusion: CP is strongly associated with PTL, PTB and low birth weight in a group of Brazilian pregnant women. These data point to the necessity of regularly investigating CP during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1998 and 1999 the UK winter wheat variety Rialto produced unexpected low Hagberg falling numbers that could not be directly linked to sprouting. It was proposed that these reductions in quality could be due to pre-maturity α-amylase activity (PMAA). The problem was not identified during the selection and commercial development stages. Our study tested the hypothesis that the variety Rialto is PMAA-susceptible. Analysis was done on 13 year-location combinations of field grown Rialto. Together, visual and chemical assessments of sprouting and iso-electric focusing of α-amylase isozymes identified several samples with significant α-amylase activity in the apparent absence of sprouting. In addition, tests with α-amylase sensitive Phadebas gel revealed distinctive PMAA discoloration patterns in 10–44% of the grain from the 13 samples, leading to the conclusion that Rialto is PMAA-susceptible. Diurnal temperature range accumulated for an 11 day period during a warm spell in early simulated grain development displayed a significant but negative correlation with the number of grains showing clear PMAA discoloration patterns on Phadebas gel. The number of clear PMAA grains correlated positively with rainfall accumulated over 11 days. These results suggest that PMAA can increase under conditions similar to those conducive to pre-harvest sprouting. It is however also possible that in some instances both PMAA and incipient sprouting could have produced similar patterns of α-amylase activity. In addition to tests with Rialto, Phadebas gel tests were therefore also done with the known high Hagberg varieties Option and Malacca, sprouted in a controlled environment. Results from the additional gel tests suggest that visual and chemical assessments of sprouting in the grain combined with Phadebas gel analysis could identify PMAA more reliably in grain sub-samples than Phadebas gel analysis alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impaired neurodevelopment is increasingly recognized as a major health issue in children born prematurely. Creative music therapy (CMT) intends to prevent and or reduce neurobehavioral deficits in pre-term infants using musical stimulation and socio-emotional co-regulation. We conducted a randomized, clinical pilot CMT trial to test feasibility and to examine long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in pre-term infants (NCT02434224: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02434224). Eighty-two pre-term infants were randomized either to CMT or standard care. A specially trained music therapist provided family-integrating CMT via infant-directed singing during hospitalization. Fifty-six infants underwent follow-up at 2 years of corrected age. No significant beneficial nor adverse effects of CMT were identified in routine clinical neurodevelopmental measures (Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and the standardized neurological examination). Longer term follow-up (5 years) and larger future studies are recommended to elucidate possible long-term effects of music in relation to more sensitive outcomes including executive function, detailed language processing and social-emotional development., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Haslbeck, Bucher, Bassler, Hagmann and Natalucci.)

Objective: This study aims to evaluate safety and success rates of lumbar puncture (LP) and to identify factors associated with adverse events or failure of LP in infants. Methods: This two-center prospective observational study investigated infants younger than 90 days of age who underwent LP. Need for resuscitation oxygen desaturation (SpO 2 < 90%), bradycardia and intraventricular hemorrhage were considered adverse events. LP failed if cerebrospinal spinal fluid was not collected or had traces of blood. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate whether corrected gestational age (GA), body weight at LP, position, and any respiratory support during LP affected SpO 2 desaturation or failure of LP. Results: Among 204 LPs, 134 were performed in full-term and 70 in pre-term born infants. SpO 2 desaturations occurred during 45 (22.4%) LPs. At multivariate analysis, lower GA at LP ( p < 0.001), non-invasive respiratory support ( p 0.007) and mechanical ventilation ( p 0.004) were associated with SpO 2 desaturations. Transient, self-resolving bradycardia occurred in 7 (3.4%) infants. Two infants had intraventricular hemorrhage detected within 72 h of LP. No further adverse events were registered. Failure of LP occurred in 38.2% of cases and was not associated with any of the factors evaluated. Conclusions: LP was safe in most infants. Body weight or GA at LP did not affect LP failure. These data are useful to clinicians, providing information on the safety of the procedure., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Bedetti, Lugli, Marrozzini, Baraldi, Leone, Baroni, Lucaccioni, Rossi, Roversi, D'Amico, Iughetti and Berardi.)

Objective: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is characterized by peripheral cell abnormalities, yet few studies have analyzed the complete blood count (CBC) specifically by gestational age (GA). Our objective was to describe GA-specific immune abnormalities in NEC through a comprehensive analysis of the CBC differential. Methods: Using a cohort of 246 infants (177 cases, 69 controls) admitted to neonatal intensive care units at a single institution, we retrospectively analyzed CBCs around illness onset in NEC cases compared with controls. Cases included surgical NEC (S-NEC, 34.5%) and medical NEC (M-NEC, 65.5%). Infants were divided into those born at GA <33 and ≥33 weeks. Differences in CBC values were described as absolute and percent changes at NEC onset from baseline and at antibiotic completion after NEC. We used machine learning algorithms based on the CBC at NEC to generate predictive models for diagnosis. Results: At NEC onset, there was an acute drop in monocytes and lymphocytes along with a rise in bands in S-NEC infants born <33 weeks compared with M-NEC. In comparison, both M-NEC and S-NEC ≥33 weeks had a percent drop in neutrophils at diagnosis compared with controls. At antibiotic completion, monocytes in S-NEC <33 weeks significantly rose compared with M-NEC, yet for S-NEC ≥33 weeks, bands significantly dropped compared with M-NEC. Predictive modeling was able to accurately predict S-NEC from M-NEC and controls. Conclusion: There are discrete leukocyte patterns in NEC based on GA. The CBC at diagnosis may be useful in identifying patients who will require surgery., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Pantalone, Liu, Olaloye, Prochaska, Yanowitz, Riley, Buland, Brozanski, Good and Konnikova.)

Introduction: A history of pre-maturity may be a risk factor for complications in patients under 24 months of age hospitalized for viral respiratory infections (VRIs). Objective: To identify the impact of a history of pre-maturity on in-hospital complications and mortality in patients under 24 months of age who were hospitalized for VRIs over a period of 5 years. Material and Methods: This was a propensity score-matched study. The database was compiled by physicians, electronically validated by engineers, and analyzed by statisticians. Patients diagnosed with VRIs (based on International Classification of Diseases [ICD-10]) codes B974, J12, J120-J129X, J168, J17, J171, J178, J20, J203-J209, J21, J210, J211, J218, J219, J22X, and J189) from 2013 to 2017 were enrolled in the study. The subjects were classified into two groups according to the absence or presence of a history of pre-maturity (P070, P072, P073). Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) (Q20-Q26) were excluded. Length of hospital stay, in-hospital complications, surgical procedures, and mortality were analyzed. Statistical Analysis: Patients were matched according to age. For comparisons between groups, Student's t -tests and chi 2 tests were applied. A logistic regression model was constructed to identify factors related to in-hospital complications and mortality. Results: In total, 5,880 patients were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. The average patient age was 14.25 weeks. The presence of pre-maturity (coefficient = 1.16), male sex, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), in-hospital infectious complications (coefficient = 11.31), and invasive medical procedures (coefficient = 18.4) increased the number of days of hospitalization. Invasive medical procedures (OR = 6.13), a history of pre-maturity (OR = 2.54), and male sex (OR = 1.78) increased the risk for in-hospital complications. In-hospital infectious complications (OR = 84.2) and invasive medical procedures (OR = 58.4) were risk factors for mortality. Conclusions: A history of pre-maturity increased the length of hospital stay and the rate of in-hospital complications but did not increase mortality in patients under 24 months of age hospitalized for VRIs., (Copyright © 2020 Zurita-Cruz, Gutierrez-Gonzalez, Manuel-Apolinar, Fernández-Gárate, Arellano-Flores, Correa Gonzalez, Vázquez-Rosales, Pérez Vieyra, Sanchez-Armas and Cisneros-González.)

Background: Pre-mature birth impacts left ventricular development, predisposing this population to long-term cardiovascular risk. The aims of this study were to investigate maturational changes in rotational properties from the neonatal period through 1 year of age and to discern the impact of cardiopulmonary complications of pre-maturity on these measures., Methods: Pre-term infants (<29 weeks at birth, n = 117) were prospectively enrolled and followed to 1-year corrected age. Left ventricular basal and apical rotation, twist, and torsion were measured by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography and analysed at 32 and 36 weeks post-menstrual age and 1-year corrected age. A mixed random effects model with repeated measures analysis was used to compare rotational mechanics over time. Torsion was compared in infants with and without complications of cardiopulmonary diseases of pre-maturity, specifically bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pulmonary hypertension, and patent ductus arteriosus., Results: Torsion decreased from 32 weeks post-menstrual age to 1-year corrected age in all pre-term infants (p < 0.001). The decline from 32 to 36 weeks post-menstrual age was more pronounced in infants with cardiopulmonary complications, but was similar to healthy pre-term infants from 36 weeks post-menstrual age to 1-year corrected age. The decline was due to directional and magnitude changes in apical rotation over time (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: This study tracks maturational patterns of rotational mechanics in pre-term infants and reveals torsion declines from the neonatal period through 1 year. Cardiopulmonary diseases of pre-maturity may negatively impact rotational mechanics during the neonatal period, but the myocardium recovers by 1-year corrected age.