Don Sharkey
@donsharkey.bsky.social
Prof of Neonatal Medicine & Technologies @Uni Nottingham. Views my own. Neonatal technologies & transport research.
www.bapm.org/events/bapm-... only 2 weeks to go to the 50th anniversary annual conference of @bapmofficial.bsky.social . Super excited as being held in our very own @uniofnottingham.bsky.social . Our group will be presenting some exciting research we believe will shape practice....
BAPM Annual Conference 2026
Working Together to Shape the Future of Perinatal Care.
bapm.org
This signal suggests larger adequately powered (90%) studies are required especially in low resource settings where treatment is harder and burden of visual impairment greater. Safety data will be crucial inc. eye infections.
JAMA Pediatrics@jamapediatrics.com · 2mo agoIn severe #RetinopathyOfPrematurity, #Dexamethasone eye drops showed no clinically significant differences in adverse events vs placebo and may offer a noninvasive alternative to reduce invasive treatment. ja.ma/4waJsrj
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Interesting preclinical study. Perhaps has implications for term HIE & preterm brain injury repair? One for newborn brain researchers to consider? @jamespboardman.bsky.social @atulmalhotra.bsky.social @ela-chakk.bsky.social @braintherapies.bsky.social @science.org
Adenosine 2A receptor drives microglial efferocytosis to accelerate white matter repair and functional recovery after stroke
Stimulating the efferocytosis of cellular and myelin debris by microglia after stroke promotes remyelination.
science.org
Interesting how the two studies (www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....) @nejm.org were very similar but powered very differently. Hopefully an planned IPMA will come next but I'd say the writing is on the wall for EPO. Where next, melatonin? @ebneo.bsky.social
Trial of Erythropoietin for Hypoxic–Ischemic Encephalopathy in Newborns | NEJM
Neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy is an important cause of death as well as long-term disability in survivors. Erythropoietin has been hypothesized to have neuroprotective effects in infants...
nejm.org
Evidence-based Neonatology@ebneo.bsky.social · 2mo agoSimilar to the HEAL trial, the PAEAN trial in @jamapediatrics.com found no difference in EPO + TH vs TH alone in the reduction of death or disability in newborns with HIE. jamanetwork.com/journals/jamap… #EBNEOalerts #neoEBM #neoSky
Small but crucial gains, we suspected this but great to see in RCT. Also fabulous to see @jama.com publishing trials in these populations.
JAMA@jama.com · 2mo agoAmong term infants born #SmallForGestationalAge, an integrated intervention improved weight and weight-for-age z score at 12 months vs usual care and was associated with less underweight, stunting, wasting, and anemia. ja.ma/4baYztc
Only 2 of 38 EU health research calls explicitly include children. It’s time to change that. Read the joint white paper from EAP, ESPR, AEPC, ESPE and ESPGHAN and help make child health a research priority. 🔗 www.eurospe.org/wp-content/u...
Factor in pregnancy and this becomes even harder to understand for babies exposed (or not)....
NEJM.org@nejm.org · 3mo agoIn a new Voices blog post, Paul Sax, MD, takes us on a guided tour through EIAs, RPRs, false negatives, false positives, and the strange endurance of a test from 1906. Read the latest: https://nej.md/4wGhQLo
Thanks. May not have spotted this one without excellent @ebneo.bsky.social summary. Will now hunt it out....
Evidence-based Neonatology@ebneo.bsky.social · 3mo agoFaust et al. conducted a cluster-randomized crossover trial comparing Standard Hand Hygiene with Extended Barrier Precautions in NICU infants colonized with third-generation cephalosporins–resistant GN bacteria (3GCR-GNB). buff.ly/blxB0kw #EBNeoAlerts #NeoEBM #NeoSky @jamanetworkopen.com
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... what an inspiring story, if we had more Harchie's we'd be turning our use of technologies for the good and less about profit and destruction.
Lab named after teenager who helped improve tech for disabled
Harchie Sagoo, who had cerebral palsy, was a key product tester for Bristol-based Smartbox.
bbc.co.uk
Don Sharkey@donsharkey.bsky.social · 4mo agoFinally awarded the neonatal transport grant I've been building for 5yrs. 🙏 @ukri.org for funding our team £1.5 million ($2M) to finally make interhospital transfer safer for all babies and provide the research community with next generation research tools to accelerate Neonatal Transport care.
Finally awarded the neonatal transport grant I've been building for 5yrs. 🙏 @ukri.org for funding our team £1.5 million ($2M) to finally make interhospital transfer safer for all babies and provide the research community with next generation research tools to accelerate Neonatal Transport care.
The interactive scientific programme of our 2026 international meeting @cepascongress.bsky.social together with EAP & in collab. with GFCNI is live. Explore session details, confirmed talks & speakers! Kindly supported by @99nicu.bsky.social & @ebneo.bsky.social. More: www.cepas.org/scientific-p...
This Analysis for The BMJ Commission on the Future of Academic Medicine proposes reforms to rebuild the clinical academic pipeline www.bmj.com/content/393/...
www.nature.com/articles/s41... Wow, eco friendly house in rural Africa massively reduces malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections and improves pre-school children height. Fabulous work, pharma has its place but this is outstanding. Perhaps an approach to consider aid differently rather than cuts.
A sustainable house design to improve child health in rural Africa: a cluster-randomized controlled trial - Nature Medicine
A cluster-randomized trial in rural Tanzania showed that a sustainable housing design reduced incidences of malaria, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections and stunting in children under 5 years of ag...
nature.com
Fascinating, would be good to understand the implications for preterm birth, nutrition of the preterm infant and impact on outcomes. One for you @jamespboardman.bsky.social
Science Magazine@science.org · 5mo agoNew #ScienceAdvances analyses of baby teeth reveal when the infant brain is especially susceptible to neuroactive metal exposure. https://scim.ag/4sLloJT
Data used to justify the expansion of controversial software in the NHS is flawed, experts say, and the pilot trust’s innovation adviser worked directly for Palantir https://bit.ly/4stVolW
Palantir: NHS pilot’s “success” is questioned as second figure at major trust is linked to the tech giant
bmj.com
"Every 1% increase in military spending drives a 0·62% reduction in public health spending." On the cover, a new letter examines the relationship between military spending and public health expenditure during conflicts. Find out more in our latest issue: spkl.io/63325ANG6W
Dr James Carpenter will present our new multi-parameter, wireless, vital sign monitoring for newborns to an audience of 90+ investors, strategics, clinicians, and industry leaders helping shape the future of medtech. #MedTechInnovator #MTIRadarForum
Join us at the 17th Dresden Symposium on Feto-Neonatal Health & ESN Spring School under the leadership of ESPR Senior Member Prof Mario Rüdiger!📍 Dresden, 12-14 March.📅 Thu–Fri: cutting-edge talks; 🛠 Sat: hands-on workshops, incl. ESN NPE training. See the full programme here: tinyurl.com/3rhz4cuy
The next NeoTRIPs Lunch & Learn! 🧬 Clinical Genetics in Neonatal Medicine 🗓️ Friday 23rd January 12-2pm 🎟️ Register with your work email here: neotrips.org/event/neotri...
Don Sharkey@donsharkey.bsky.social · 10mo agojournals.plos.org/digitalhealt... New paper out today from @tngchang.bsky.social from University of Nottingham with many collaborators (thanks). Excellent OA online extreme preterm mortality prediction tool with neat explainable element. Great for all perinatal teams.
journals.plos.org/digitalhealt... New paper out today from @tngchang.bsky.social from University of Nottingham with many collaborators (thanks). Excellent OA online extreme preterm mortality prediction tool with neat explainable element. Great for all perinatal teams.
Developing and validating an explainable digital mortality prediction tool for extremely preterm infants
Author summary Increasingly, more premature babies are being born even earlier and surviving. Each premature baby is unique, with different combinations of factors affecting their chances of survival....
journals.plos.org
🚀Calling all neonatal & paediatric researchers! Submit your abstract for #CEPAS2026 in Lyon (28–31 Oct) by 1 Apr 2026. Share your innovations, gain skills, and connect globally to shape the future of child health! www.cepas.org/abstracts?ut...
Our BiB trial manuscript now published in JAMA...Early Intratracheal Budesonide for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia url: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Early Intratracheal Budesonide for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
This randomized clinical trial conducted at centers of the United States Neonatal Research Network assesses whether early intratracheal administration of a combination of budesonide mixed with surfact...
jamanetwork.com
Our September newsletter is now available! Read this month's issue here for news, upcoming events, funding opportunities and recent publications in child health 👉 mailchi.mp/d56096f82afc...
Editor-in-Chief Eric Rubin asks why, under an administration that says it is focused on making America healthy again, we are denigrating and discarding our single most cost-effective public health tools — vaccines. Read the full editorial: nej.md/4mtH8Xm #MedSky #PublicHealth
Sad to see this come to fruition. @stefanjohansson.nicuverse.org.ap.brid.gy your analysis gets a mention but despite the strengths it is dismissed...😔
Dr. Jonathan N. Stea@jonathanstea.bsky.social · last yr.MAHA gold-standard science. By @glaucomflecken.bsky.social
Very thorough review and highlights early challenges FGR infants need to overcome. As highlighted, tricky to identify who truly is FGR vs constitutionally small.
Beth Allison@bethjallison.bsky.social · last yr.NEW PAPER Compromised cardiopulmonary transition in fetal growth restricted and small for gestational age neonates Suboptimal fetal growth → altered cardiac structure/function → higher risk of impaired adaptation at birth, respiratory morbidity, and long-term CV risk. doi.org/10.1113/JP28...
Early days but a promising approach. Likely to be more challenging in my population of newborn infants but would be great to explore....
Science Magazine@science.org · last yr.A soft, robotic device can autonomously navigate the trachea to support rapid and self-guided intubation outside of hospitals and could expand and democratize intubation for emergency responders and resource-limited environments. #ScienceTranslationalMedicine https://scim.ag/4n0bxxt
I've listened to almost all of these and they are great. Chatting about neonatal research and care. Well worth a listen for all involved in the care of newborns. Good work Mario and @espr-esn.bsky.social
European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR)@espr-esn.bsky.social · last yr.🚀 Now live! Listen to Prof Dr Barbara Schmidt on #NeonatologyNow. Today's topic: Apnoea of prematurity and the use of caffeine for #preterm infants below 30 weeks of gestation. Tune in to hear Dr Schmidt's suggestions for preterms with a diagnosis of #apnea. 🎧 #NeonatalHealth #Neonatology #Podcast
