Research Publications
- Availability, utilization, and barriers to bowel ultrasound for necrotizing enterocolitis: a national multidisciplinary survey
CONCLUSION: BUS is increasingly available in level IV NICUs but less so in level III NICUs. Even when available, clinical integration is inconsistent due to gaps in standardization, training, and supporting evidence.
- Rethinking probiotic delivery: new hope for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis
INTRODUCTION: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease of the gastrointestinal tract that mainly affects premature newborns, with mortality rates exceeding 50% in the most severe cases. Despite decades of research the disease persists, there is no known cure, and treatment consists […]
- 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.
- Live biotherapeutic product IBP-9414 (L. reuteri) in very low birth weight infants: the Connection Study
CONCLUSIONS: IBP-9414 treatment was safe and reduced mortality compared with placebo in vulnerable VLBW infants.
- Rapid Detection of Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins in Neonatal Sepsis and Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins (IAIP) are serine protease inhibitors and a reliable inflammatory biomarker. We have demonstrated that IAIP levels decrease during sepsis in humans and animal models. Currently, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the standard procedure to measure IAIP […]
- Osmolality of fortified human milk with contemporary human milk fortifiers
CONCLUSION: Contemporary HMFs increase the osmolality of human milk to variable degrees, with some temporal effects observed, although clinical significance of these findings is unclear.
- Quantitative assessment of neonatal health using dried blood spot metabolite profiles and deep learning
Neonatal prematurity leads to considerable morbidity and mortality, partly because of acquired conditions such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Standard gestational age and […]
- Food and Drug Administration Expert Panel on Infant Formula "Operation Stork Speed" June 2025: Part 3, Marketing of Infant Formulas, Breastfeeding Support, Hypoallergenic Formulas, and Nutrition for Preterm Infants
The United States formula industry uses aggressive marketing strategies that exploit parental anxieties, undermine breastfeeding, and violate ethical international standards, all of which contribute to early formula introduction and disparities in breastfeeding. In addition, misleading or complex […]
- Increase in Necrotizing Enterocolitis with Cessation of Bifidobacteriumlongum ssp. infantis Administration in Very Low Birthweight Infants: A Single Center Retrospective Cohort Study
CONCLUSIONS: NEC rates were higher before, lower during and rose after discontinuation of EVC001 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 […]