Comparison of Human Neonatal and Adult Blood Leukocyte Subset Composition Phenotypes

The human peripheral leukocyte subset composition depends on genotype variation and pre-natal and post-natal environmental influence diversity. We quantified this composition in adults and neonates, and compared the median values and dispersal ranges of various subsets in them. We confirmed higher frequencies of monocytes and regulatory T cells (Tregs), similar frequencies of neutrophils, and lower frequencies of CD8 T cells, NKT cells, B1 B cells and gamma-delta T cells in neonatal umbilical cord blood. Unlike previous reports, we found higher frequencies of eosinophils and B cells, higher CD4:CD8 ratios, lower frequencies of T cells and iNKT cells, and similar frequencies of CD4 T cells and NK cells in neonates. We characterized monocyte subsets and dendritic cell (DC) subsets in far greater detail than previously reported, using recently described surface markers and gating strategies and observed that neonates had lower frequencies of patrolling monocytes and lower myeloid dendritic cell (mDC):plasmacytoid DC (pDC) ratios. Our data contribute to South Asian reference values for these parameters. We found that dispersal ranges differ between different leukocyte subsets, suggesting differential determination of variation. Further, some subsets were more dispersed in adults than in neonates suggesting influences of postnatal sources of variation, while some show the opposite pattern suggesting influences of developmental process variation. Together, these data and analyses provide interesting biological possibilities for future exploration.

Evaluation of Effectiveness of Neonatal Resuscitation Programme (NRP) Course Among Paediatric Residents of BPKIHS

Introduction: Neonatal resuscitation is an essential skill for neonatal care providers, especially for junior doctors who are often the first persons to attend to a newborn in need of resuscitation. The Neonatal Resuscitation Programme (NRP) training course offers a comprehensive and systematic training programme that has been adopted in 130 countries worldwide. Reports from different countries attributed the improvements in neonatal mortality and morbidity over the past two decades partly to the implementation of a systematic neonatal resuscitation training programme. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Neonatal Resuscitation Programme (NRP) in improving the knowledge of the paediatric resident doctors after completion of the course.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional interventional study. The resident doctors who attended the NRP course were enrolled. The knowledge was evaluated by written 30-item questionnaire pre- and post- course score. Statistical analysis was done by descriptive statistics and paired t-test. p- value of <0.05 was taken as significant.Results: Data of 18 paediatric residents who attended the course were analyzed. There were four female and 14 male residents. Out of 18 residents, eight were from first year, seven were from second year and three were from third year. Their mean scores (out of 30) were 13.84 (SD 2.57) (pre-course) and 16.68 [(SD 3.15) (post-course) (p=0.001)].Conclusions: NRP course produced a modest gain in residents’ knowledge on neonatal resuscitation at the end of their course. NRP training has the potential to substantially improve knowledge of neonatal resuscitation.J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2015;35(1):18-23