Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0029713 (immaturity)
 4,335 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Renal function in the newborn is both qualitatively and quantitatively different from older infants, children and adults. Moreover, gestational age is of great importance in the interpretation of renal functional differences. These differences in renal function should not be viewed as solely immaturity per se but rather as functional adaptations to the needs of growth and development in many instances. Although the neonatal kidney is operating at a level appropriate for a given age, the decreased functional reserve makes it more vulnerable to stressful conditions. However, the low GFR and some of the decreased transport properties may actually be of benefit to the neonate. With respect to medications, one benefit of these neonatal differences appears to be less nephrotoxicity for certain drugs in the newborn compared with the adult.
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PMID:Postnatal development of renal function. 248 47

Renal function in the newborn infant varies with conceptual age and should be evaluated in this context. Very preterm infants less than 34 weeks' conceptual age have reduced GFR and tubular immaturity in the handling of filtered solutes when compared to term infants. Premature infants between 34 and 37 weeks' conceptual age undergo rapid maturation of renal function similar to term infants, with establishment of glomerulotubular balance early in the postnatal period. ARF in neonates differs from that seen in older children and adults in that ischemic (e.g., hypoxic) insults and congenital malformations constitute the major pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for clinically observed oliguria and azotemia. Principles of conservative management are similar to those used in older children except for the greatly increased insensible water loss requirements of the very preterm and premature infant. Technical advances have added peritoneal dialysis and CAVH to the therapeutic regimen for persistent ARF or life-threatening complications of reduced renal function.
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PMID:Renal function and renal failure in the newborn. 265 61

Patency of the ductus arteriosus (PDA), a common complication of preterm birth, has been associated to increased risk for intraventricular cerebral hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and death. Consequently, prophylactic or curative treatment has been advocated before the critical left-to-right shunting occurs. A host of studies has shown that both pharmacological agents and surgical closure are effective in closing the ductus arteriosus in premature infants. Indomethacin has long been the drug of choice. However, renal and cerebral haemodynamic side effects have been frequently reported. Strategies to minimise adverse effects of indomethacin, such as the association with frusemide, dopamine or the use of low-dose prolonged treatment with indomethacin have failed or shown partial benefit. Other NSAIDs have been investigated. But either the profile of adverse effects was unfavourable, as in the case of mefenamic acid, or their efficacy was less than that of indomethacin for PDA closure. More recently, ibuprofen has been proposed for the treatment of PDA as it was shown to induce less adverse effects on cerebral blood flow, intestinal and renal hemodynamics, while retaining similar efficacy to indomethacin. However, since renal perfusion, GFR and diuresis in early neonatal life strongly depend on the vasodilator effects of PGs on the afferent glomerular arterioles, ibuprofen, as other COX-inhibitors may not be exempt of some renal undesirable effects. While numerous studies have shown that PDA is a risk factor associated with immaturity and with increased incidence of complications of preterm birth, including broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis and death, there is little evidence that such association is causative. Moreover, still little evidence exists from even recent randomized controlled trials that the pharmacological closure of PDA benefits to premature infants in terms of clinically significant short-term or medium-term outcomes, beyond a positive effect on DA patency. The use of COX-inhibitors for the prophylaxis or closure of PDA during the first hours or days of life should thus be cautious and based on an individual evaluation of benefit and risk. There is need of a randomized, placebo-controlled trials designed to assess the benefits in terms of mortality and morbidity outcomes of an early, or even very early pharmacological closure of PDA in extremely low gestational age infants.
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PMID:Therapeutic closure of the ductus arteriosus: benefits and limitations. 1992 58