Publications

Inflammation-related proteins in the blood of extremely low gestational age newborns. The contribution of inflammation to the appearance of developmental regulation

Alan Leviton, Raina Fichorova, Yoshika Yamamoto, Elizabeth N Allred, Olaf Dammann, Jonathan Hecht, Karl Kuban, Thomas McElrath, T Michael O'Shea, Nigel Paneth

Cytokine. 2011;53:66-73

PubMed Link

Some blood protein concentrations increase with ↑ GA. More commonly, the inflammation-related proteins decrease with ↑ GA. We observed this pattern regardless of whether or not the placenta is inflamed.

Relationship Between Neonatal Blood Protein Concentrations and Placenta Histologic Characteristics in ELGANs

Jonathan L Hecht, Raina N Fichorova, Vanessa F Tang, Elizabeth N Allred, Thomas F McElrath, Alan Leviton, Elgan Study Investigators

Pediatr Res. 2011;69:68-73

PubMed Link

Placental inflammation had (p< 0.01) ↑ blood cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α), chemokines (IL-8, MIP-1β, RANTES, and I-TAC), adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, ICAM-3, and E-selectin), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1 and MMP-9), VEGF and its receptor VEGF-R2, and SAA and CRP in first 3 d.

Does BPD contribute to the occurrence of CP among infants born before 28 weeks of gestation?

Linda J Van Marter, Karl C K Kuban, Elizabeth Allred, Carl Bose, Olaf Dammann, Michael O'Shea, Matthew Laughon, Richard A Ehrenkranz, Michael D Schreiber, Padmani Karna, Alan Leviton, ELGAN Study Investigators

Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2011;96:F20-9

PubMed Link

The 536 infants with BPD were at increased risk of all CP phenotypes. Receipt of oxygen without MV at 36 weeks PMA (BPD) was not associated with increased risk of CP. In contrast, BPD accompanied by MV at 36 weeks PMA was associated with a nearly six-fold increased risk of QP and a fourfold increased risk of DP.

Presumed and definite bacteremia in extremely low gestational age newborns

Sonal Patel, Olaf Dammann, Camilia R Martin, Elizabeth N Allred, Alan Leviton, ELGAN Study Investigators

Acta Paediatr. 2011;100:36-41

PubMed Link

Risk patterns did not differ much for presumed and definite bacteremia in first month. While maternal and pregnancy characteristics were associated with early bacteremia, neonatal comorbidities, especially NEC, were the main antecedents/correlates of late bacteremia. Definite and presumed late bacteremias have rather similar risk patterns, while those of early and late bacteremia differ appreciably.

The clustering of disorders in infants born before the 28th week of gestation

Alan Leviton, Olaf Dammann, Stephen Engelke, Elizabeth Allred, Karl C K Kuban, T Michael O'Shea, Nigel Paneth, ELGAN study investigators

Acta Paediatr. 2010;99:1795-800

PubMed Link

Adjusted for GA, children with severe NEC (Bell stage IIIb) were at ↑ risk of cerebral WMD, severe ROP (stage 3+), and severe BPD. Children who had early bacteremia were at increased risk of late bacteremia and severe ROP. Those who had severe ROP were at increased risk of severe BPD and both early and late bacteremia.

Neurodevelopment of extremely preterm infants who had necrotizing enterocolitis with or without late bacteremia

Camilia R Martin, Olaf Dammann, Elizabeth N Allred, Sonal Patel, T Michael O'Shea, Karl C K Kuban, Alan Leviton

J Pediatr. 2010;157:751-6

PubMed Link

Children with surgical NEC w/o late bacteremia were at increased risk of PDI <70 (OR = 2.7 [1.2, 6.4]), and children with both surgical NEC and late bacteremia were at increased risk of DP CP (OR = 8.4 [1.9, 39]) and MC (OR = 9.3 [2.2, 40]). In contrast, all children with medical NEC were not at increased risk of developmental dysfunction.

Early blood gas abnormalities and the preterm brain

Alan Leviton, Elizabeth Allred, Karl C K Kuban, Olaf Dammann, T Michael O'Shea, Deborah Hirtz, Michael D Schreiber, Nigel Paneth, ELGAN Study Investigators

Am J Epidemiol. 2010;172:907-16

PubMed Link

Hypoxemia, hyperoxemia, hypocapnia, hypercapnia, and acidosis were associated with multiple indicators of brain damage. The associations were seen with 1 or with 2 or more days’ exposure. Findings suggest individual blood gas derangements do not increase brain damage risk. Rather, the multiple derangements associated with indicators of brain damage might represent immaturity/vulnerability and illness severity.

Reader variability in use of diagnostic terms to describe WM lesions seen on HUS: the ELGAN study

Sjirk Westra, Ira Adler, Daniel Batton, Bradford Betz, Steven Bezinque, Sara Durfee, Kirsten Ecklund, Kate Feinstein, Lynn Fordham, Joseph Junewick, Robert Lorenzo, Roy McCauley, Cindy Miller, Joanna Seibert, Karl Kuban, Elizabeth Allred, Alan Leviton

J Clin Ultrasound. 2010;38:409-19

PubMed Link

Experienced sonologists differ considerably in their tendency to apply diagnostic labels for white matter lesions. This is due to lack of universally agreed-upon definitions.

Antenatal antecedents of a small head circumference at age 24-months post-term equivalent in a sample of infants born before the 28th post-menstrual week

Alan Leviton, Karl Kuban, Elizabeth N Allred, Jonathan L Hecht, Andrew Onderdonk, T Michael O'Shea, Thomas McElrath, Nigel Paneth, ELGAN Study Investigators

Early Hum Dev. 2010;86:515-21

PubMed Link

Risk of MC decreased monotonically with increasing GA. After adjusting, the risk of MC at 2 years included MC at birth [odds ratio: 8.8 ((95% confidence interval: 3.7, 21)], alpha hemolytic Streptococci from placenta [2.9 (1.2, 6.9)], males [2.8 (1.6, 4.9)], and the child’s mother un married [2.5 (1.5, 4.3)].

Factors associated with small head circumference at birth among infants born before the 28th week

Thomas F McElrath, Elizabeth N Allred, Karl Kuban, Jonathan L Hecht, Andrew Onderdonk, T Michael O'Shea, Nigel Paneth, Alan Leviton, ELGAN Study Investigators

Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010;203:138.e1-8

PubMed Link

Almost 10% of newborns (n = 138), rather than the expected 2.2%, had MC. In MV models, MC was associated with nonwhite race, severe IUGR, preeclampsia, placental infarction, and being female.

ELGAN