Antenatal magnesium individual participant data international collaboration: assessing the benefits for babies using the best level of evidence (AMICABLE)

The Antenatal Magnesium Individual Participant Data (IPD) International Collaboration: assessing the benefits for babies using the best level of evidence (AMICABLE) Group will perform an IPD meta-analysis to answer these important clinical questions.The AMICABLE Group was formed in 2009 with data collection commencing late 2010.Five trials involving a total 6,145 babies are eligible for inclusion in the IPD meta-analysis.For the infants/children: Death or cerebral palsy. For the women: Any severe maternal outcome potentially related to treatment (death, respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest).Results are expected to be publicly available in 2012.Babies born preterm compared with those born at term have a higher chance of dying in the first few weeks of life. Babies who survive have a greater risk of neurologic impairment, such as cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, or cognitive dysfunction (either intellectual impairment or developmental delay), and a greater risk of substantial disability as a result of these neurologic impairments [1,2]. Moreover, as the rate of preterm birth in many countries has been rising, now up to 13% in the United States [3] and 8% in Australia [4], more babies are at risk of death and adverse neurological outcomes. Cerebral palsy and cognitive dysfunction are the most frequent neurologic impairments, and any therapy that can reduce their prevalence would have a substantial effect on reducing overall neurologic impairments and disabilities in surviving preterm infants.Cerebral palsy is a term which includes a number of different diseases or conditions that can arise at any time during brain development. Cerebral palsy involves a disorder of movement or posture, or both, and a disorder of motor function which is permanent but may change over time [5]. The cerebral palsies remain the most frequent cause of severe motor disability in childhood with a background prevalence of two per thousand live births [5]. Over 90% of affected children with c