Predicting long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes for children born very preterm: a systematic review.

Context: Children born very preterm (<32 weeks' gestation) have increased risk of neurodevelopmental difficulties compared with those born at term. While various neonatal exposures have been linked with later developmental challenges, identifying those at risk of difficulties later in childhood remains a challenge but is essential for targeting early intervention and counselling families.

Objective: To systematically review and synthesise the evidence regarding early medical and environmental factors for neurodevelopmental impairment, cognitive, motor and behavioural outcomes for children born very preterm.

Early high risk of cerebral palsy classification is predictive of cerebral palsy at 2 years: an implementation cohort study.

Objective: To determine the predictive accuracy of an early high risk of cerebral palsy (CP) classification for CP diagnosed by 2 years' corrected age within an implementation study of international clinical CP guidelines.

Design: Implementation cohort study.

Setting: Eleven Australian neonatal intensive care units.

Association between neonatal brain volume and school-age executive function in children born moderate-to-late preterm.

Background: Larger brain volumes in the neonatal period are associated with better 2-year cognitive development in children born moderate-to-late preterm (MLP). Whether these associations persist into school age for executive function (EF) is unknown.

Methods: Children born MLP underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term-equivalent age (n = 168) and EF assessment at 9 years (n = 159).

The effects of processing speed and cognitive load demands on working memory performance in young adults born very preterm.

Objective: To examine working memory performance in young adults born very preterm (VP) and full-term (FT) in the context of information processing.

Methods: A cohort of 118 young adults born VP (mean age 20.1 years) and 48 young adults born at term (mean age 19.

Selective attention and working memory in young adults born very preterm.

Introduction: Research has consistently reported that individuals born very preterm (VP; < 32 weeks' gestation) are at increased risk for reduced working memory (WM) performance compared with their term born peers. However, performance on working memory tasks are reliant on several cognitive skills, including selective attention, and the underlying mechanism for poorer working memory following VP birth remains unclear. The current study aimed to assess the impact of selective attention on working memory performance in young adults born VP compared with those born at term, using an experimental task (i.

Descriptive epidemiology of orofacial clefts in South Australia.

Objective: There is wide variability in the prevalence of orofacial clefts at birth across geographic locations. The study aimed to quantify the prevalence of orofacial clefts and provide demographic details of the individuals identified with an orofacial cleft in South Australia.

Design: The South Australian Birth Defects Register (SABDR) data was used to identify individuals born in South Australia with any orofacial cleft including cleft lip (CL), cleft lip and palate (CL + P), cleft palate (CP), cleft uvula (CU) and facial clefts (FC) between 1986 and 2019.

A heterogeneity analysis of health-related quality of life in early adults born very preterm or very low birthweight across the sociodemographic spectrum.

Preterm birth and very low birthweight (VP/VLBW) are associated with poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes extending into adulthood, yet it remains unclear how these effects differ across sociodemographic subgroups. This study aimed to identify heterogeneity in the association of VP/VLBW on HRQoL in early adulthood, specifically examining maternal age, education, and ethnicity. Individual-level data from three longitudinal cohorts within the Research on European Children and Adults Born Preterm Consortium were analysed, including adults born VP (< 32 weeks' gestation) or VLBW (< 1500g), compared to term-born or normal birthweight controls.

Risk Factor Effects on Neurodevelopment at 2 Years in Very Preterm Children: A Systematic Review.

Context: Various medical and social factors are associated with adverse neurodevelopment in children born very preterm. Analyses accounting for confounders involving representative samples are essential to quantify the effects of different factors.

Objective: We aimed to systematically review the effects of various risk factors on neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18 to 36 months of age in children born before 32 weeks' gestation.

Executive Function Outcomes at School Age in Children Born Moderate-to-Late Preterm.

Objective: To compare executive function (EF) outcomes at school age between children born moderate-to-late preterm (MLP; 32-36 weeks' gestation) and term (≥37 weeks' gestation) across subdomains of attentional control, cognitive flexibility, goal setting, and everyday executive behaviors.

Study Design: Two hundred one children born MLP and 201 born at term were recruited from the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Children completed EF measures at 9 years of corrected age.

Socioeconomic outcomes in very preterm/very low birth weight adults: individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks) or very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) birth is associated with socioeconomic disadvantages in adulthood; however, the predictors of these outcomes remain underexplored. This study examined socioeconomic disparities and identified neonatal and sociodemographic risk factors among VPT/VLBW individuals.

Methods: A one-stage individual participant data meta-analysis was conducted using 11 birth cohorts from eight countries, comprising 1695 VPT/VLBW and 1620 term-born adults aged 18-30 years.

Computed tomographic assessment of orbital and maxillary dysmorphology in craniofacial microsomia.

Introduction: Mandibular dysmorphology is well-documented in craniofacial microsomia (CFM), but data on midface abnormalities remain limited. This study aimed to compare orbital and maxillary dimensions between the affected and unaffected sides in patients with CFM.

Methods: The retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in South Australia comprised 31 patients with CFM and 31 age- and sex-matched control patients (median age 13.

The association between gestation at birth and maternal sensitivity: An individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis.

Background And Aim: Studies have documented differences in dyadic sensitivity between mothers of preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) and term born children, but findings are inconsistent and studies often include small and heterogeneous samples. It is not known to what extent variations in maternal sensitivity are associated with preterm birth across the full spectrum of gestational age.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis assessing variations in observed dyadic maternal sensitivity according to child gestational age at birth, while adjusting for known confounders correlated with maternal sensitivity.

Low to Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Facial Shape of Children at Age 6 to 8 Years.

Importance: In addition to confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure and severe neurodevelopmental deficits, three cardinal facial features are included in the diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. It is not understood whether subtle facial characteristics occur in children without a diagnosis but who were exposed to a range of common pregnancy drinking patterns and, if so, whether these persist throughout childhood.

Objective: To determine whether subtle changes in facial shape with prenatal alcohol exposure found in 12-month-old children were evident at age 6 to 8 years using extended phenotyping methods and, if so, whether facial characteristics were similar to those seen in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Harmonizing flows: Leveraging normalizing flows for unsupervised and source-free MRI harmonization.

Lack of standardization and various intrinsic parameters for magnetic resonance (MR) image acquisition results in heterogeneous images across different sites and devices, which adversely affects the generalization of deep neural networks. To alleviate this issue, this work proposes a novel unsupervised harmonization framework that leverages normalizing flows to align MR images, thereby emulating the distribution of a source domain. The proposed strategy comprises three key steps.

Elevated scaled scores when using the digital version of the WISC-V coding subtest.

This study investigated the digital version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) Coding subtest in a large Australian clinical and non-clinical sample of 6-11 year old children ( = 794). Data was retrospectively pooled from several studies. Results showed the digital Coding scaled score was significantly elevated compared with all other subtests ( difference = 2.

Protocol for a multisite randomised controlled trial assessing the effect of the Telehealth for Early Developmental Intervention in babies born very preterm (TEDI-Prem) programme on neurodevelopmental outcomes and parent well-being.

Introduction: Infants born very preterm (VPT, <32 weeks' gestation) are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental impairments including motor, cognitive and behavioural delay. Parents of infants born VPT also have poorer mental health outcomes compared with parents of infants born at term.We have developed an intervention programme called TEDI-Prem (Telehealth for Early Developmental Intervention in babies born very preterm) based on previous research.

Executive Function in Children Born Moderate-to-Late Preterm: A Meta-Analysis.

Context: The risk of early neurodevelopmental delay is increasingly recognized in children born moderate-to-late preterm (MLP; 32-36 weeks' gestation), but school-aged cognitive outcomes are unclear, particularly for domains such as executive function (EF).

Objective: To evaluate EF outcomes (attentional control, cognitive flexibility, and goal setting) in school-aged children born MLP compared with children born at term.

Data Sources: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, and Scopus.

Neurodevelopment at Age 9 Years Among Children Born at 32 to 36 Weeks' Gestation.

Importance: Although children born moderate to late preterm (MLP; 32-36 weeks' gestation) have more neurodevelopmental problems compared with children born early term or later (≥37 weeks' gestation), detailed understanding of affected domains at school age is lacking. Little is known of risk factors for poorer development.

Objective: To examine whether being born MLP compared with being born early term or later is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 9 years and to describe factors associated with poorer neurodevelopment in children born MLP.

Structural brain network organization in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Introduction: There is growing evidence suggesting that children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) struggle with cognitively demanding tasks, such as learning, attention, and language. Complex structural network analyses can provide insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of these functions, as they may be sensitive for characterizing the effects of PAE on the brain. However, investigations on how PAE affects brain networks are limited.

Executive function is associated with the development of math performance in children born at <30 weeks' gestation or <1250 g birthweight.

Objective: To describe associations between executive function (EF) domains (attentional control, information processing, cognitive flexibility, and goal setting) and concurrent math computation performance at age 7 and 13 years in children born <30 weeks' gestation or weighing <1,250 g, and second, to examine the impact of 7-year EF on math performance at 13 years.

Method: In a prospective, longitudinal cohort of children born <30 weeks' gestation or with a birthweight <1,250 g, assessment of EF and math performance was undertaken at 7 (n = 187) and 13 years (n = 174). Linear regression models were used to describe associations between EF domains with math performance at both time points, as well as to examine the impact of EF at 7 years on math performance at 13 years.

Does working memory training in children need to be adaptive? A randomized controlled trial.

Most cognitive training programs are adaptive, despite limited direct evidence that this maximizes children's outcomes. This randomized controlled trial evaluated working memory training with difficulty of activities presented using adaptive, self-select, or stepwise compared with an active control. At baseline, immediately, and 6-months post-intervention, 201 Australian primary school children (101 males, 7-11 years) completed working memory tests (near and intermediate transfer) and the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, and caregivers completed the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-Rating Scale-5 (far transfer).

Trajectories of social outcomes in individuals born very preterm from childhood to adolescence.

Aim: To compare trajectories of social functioning in peer problems and prosocial behavior from 5 to 13 years between individuals born very preterm (VPT) and full-term (FT).

Methods: Participants were from the Victorian Infant Brain Study (VIBeS) longitudinal cohort, consisting of 224 individuals born VPT and 77 born FT recruited at birth. Social functioning was measured using the parent-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) peer problems and prosocial behavior subscales at 5, 7, and 13 years' corrected age.

Romantic and sexual relationships of young adults born very preterm: An individual participant data meta-analysis.

Aim: To compare romantic and sexual relationships between adults born very preterm (VP; <32 weeks of gestation) or with very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) and at term, and to evaluate potential biological and environmental explanatory factors among VP/VLBW participants.

Methods: This individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis included longitudinal studies assessing romantic and sexual relationships in adults (mean sample age ≥ 18 years) born VP/VLBW compared with term-born controls. Following PRISMA-IPD guidelines, 11 of the 13 identified cohorts provided IPD from 1606 VP/VLBW adults and 1659 term-born controls.

Twenty four-hour blood pressure and cognitive outcomes in adolescents born extremely preterm and at term.

Aim: To explore the impact of blood pressure on cognitive outcomes at 18 years of age in individuals born extremely preterm (<28 weeks' gestation) and at term (≥37 weeks' gestation).

Methods: Prospective longitudinal cohort comprising 136 young adults born extremely preterm and 120 matched term controls born in Victoria, Australia in 1991 and 1992. Using linear regression, we analysed the relationships between 24-h mean ambulatory blood pressure, systolic and diastolic hypertension with cognitive outcomes.