Research Publications
- Increase in Necrotizing Enterocolitis with Cessation of Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies. infantis Administration in Very Low Birthweight Infants: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study
CONCLUSIONS: NEC incidence was higher before and lower during EVC001 administration and rose then after its discontinuation in this single center retrospective study. There is a need for multicenter trials evaluating B. infantis for NEC prevention.
- Inpatient morbidities and medical technology use at 2 years among extremely preterm infants
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort of extremely preterm infants, BPD, SBI and sNEC were most associated with medical technology use at toddler-age. These findings provide information for counseling of families and support during discharge planning.
- Intraperitoneal rescue stem cell therapy in experimental NEC mitigates intestinal, pulmonary, and neuroinflammatory injury in mice
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that intraperitoneal USC administration after NEC onset improves clinical outcomes and reduces intestinal, pulmonary, and neuronal injury-highlighting its potential as a therapy after onset of experimental NEC.
- Improving and Sustaining VLBW Infant Growth Through a Quality Collaborative in California
CONCLUSION: Quality improvement collaborative NICUs improved nutrition processes and VLBW growth. Improvement was sustained for 24 months after the collaborative. Nonparticipant NICUs did not show similar improvement. Implementing NICU nutrition processes may lead to sustained improvements in VLBW […]
- A Neonatal Mouse Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Lamina Propria Isolation for Immune Cell Profiling
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe inflammatory disease of the neonatal intestine, primarily affecting preterm infants. NEC is characterized by epithelial injury, microbial dysbiosis, and a dysregulated immune response, often resulting in intestinal necrosis and systemic inflammation. […]
- Maternal Coronavirus Disease 2019 Test Positivity and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Outcomes for Infants Born Extremely Preterm
CONCLUSIONS: Among infants <29 weeks' gestation, vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was infrequent. Maternal SARS-CoV-2 positivity was associated with NEC but not with other infant outcomes or mortality.
- Metronidazole exposure-response and safety in infants
The nitroimidazole antibiotic, metronidazole, is frequently prescribed to infants with serious intra-abdominal infections, and multiple dosing recommendations exist. We sought to evaluate the extent to which metronidazole doses and associated exposures achieved desired efficacy and safety in […]
- Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy Restores Intestinal Integrity and Attentuates Inflammation in a Preterm Piglet Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate therapeutic benefit of MSCs in a preterm piglet NEC model, supporting their potential use in translational NEC therapies.
- Risk factors associated with the development of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants on an exclusive human milk diet: a single-center case-control study
CONCLUSION: Despite the use of EHMD, NEC remains a concern, underlining its multifactorial nature. Results highlight the potential role of maternal inflammation and early neonatal hemodynamic instability in NEC development. Findings could inform future research aimed at identifying high-risk […]
- Biofilm state Limosilactobacillus reuteri modulates aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity and suppresses experimental necrotizing enterocolitis
CONCLUSION: Biofilm-state Lr has increased persistence in the gut and protects against NEC. This protection is associated with increased AHR activation in the intestine. Through improved understanding of the interactions of Lr and AHR signaling, we may be able to further enhance Lr efficacy against […]
- Association of socioeconomic status with development and severity of necrotizing enterocolitis
CONCLUSION: Lower SES is an important risk factor for developing NEC. This association is beyond that which is simply mediated by prematurity. Targeted interventions supporting low-SES families may reduce NEC disease burden.
- Modeling pathogen-driven neonatal late-onset sepsis: a modification to the murine cecal slurry
INTRODUCTION: Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Reliable animal models are essential to our understanding of late-onset sepsis, but notable limitations exist in the current standard murine cecal slurry model. We sought to refine the existing model by using an […]
- Reducing growth impairment in infants undergoing intestinal surgery: A quality improvement initiative
CONCLUSION: Despite no change in growth impairment, multiple centers implemented strategies to optimize nutrition in infants who underwent surgery. Additional data on nutrient delivery, other anthropometrics, and nonnutrition factors should be considered in future studies.
- Dysbiotic Microbiota in Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Insights into Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an inflammatory intestinal disease occurring primarily in infants born prematurely. The etiology is multifactorial and the clinical presentation is nonspecific. Due to the heterogeneity of disease and complexity of the physiology of preterm infants, decades of […]
- Donor human milk pasteurization methods and the effect on milk components as they relate to Necrotizing enterocolitis
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an intestinal disease that predominantly occurs in preterm infants. While there are no definitive treatment options for NEC, the administration of human milk is protective against the development of NEC in preterm infants. However, human milk composition is highly […]