Low Rate of Spontaneous Closure in Premature Infants Discharged with a Patent Ductus Arteriosus: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Objectives: To assess the rate of spontaneous closure and the incidence of adverse events in infants discharged home with a patent ductus arteriosus.

Study Design: In a prospective multicenter study, we enrolled 201 premature infants (gestational age of 23-32 weeks at birth) discharged home with a persistently patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and followed their PDA status at 6-month intervals through 18 months of age. The primary study outcome was the rate and timing of spontaneous ductal closure.

Observational study of cytomegalovirus from breast milk and necrotising enterocolitis.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between cytomegalovirus (CMV) exposure from breast milk and risk of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC).

Design: Secondary analysis of a multicentre, observational cohort study. Maternal breast milk and infant serum or urine were serially evaluated by nucleic acid testing at scheduled intervals for CMV.

Enteral iron supplementation, red blood cell transfusion, and risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very-low-birth-weight infants.

Background: Enteral iron supplementation and RBC transfusions are routinely administered to very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, although the potential risks of these exposures have not been adequately quantified. This study evaluated the association between the cumulative dose of enteral iron supplementation, total volume of RBCs transfused, and risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in VLBW infants.

Study Design And Methods: Retrospective, multicenter observational cohort study in Atlanta, Georgia.

Association of Red Blood Cell Transfusion, Anemia, and Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants.

Importance: Data regarding the contribution of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and anemia to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) are conflicting. These associations have not been prospectively evaluated, accounting for repeated, time-varying exposures.

Objective: To determine the relationship between RBC transfusion, severe anemia, and NEC.

Blood transfusion and breast milk transmission of cytomegalovirus in very low-birth-weight infants: a prospective cohort study.

Importance: Postnatal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can cause serious morbidity and mortality in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. The primary sources of postnatal CMV infection in this population are breast milk and blood transfusion. The current risks attributable to these vectors, as well as the efficacy of approaches to prevent CMV transmission, are poorly characterized.

Defects in keratinocyte activation during wound healing in the syndecan-1-deficient mouse.

Mice lacking syndecan-1 are viable, fertile and have morphologically normal skin, hair and ocular surface epithelia. While studying the response of these mice to corneal epithelial and skin wounding, we identified defects in epithelial cell proliferation and regulation of integrin expression. mRNA profiling of corneal epithelial tissues obtained from wild-type and syndecan-1(-/-) mice suggest that these defects result from differences in overall gene transcription.

Role of syndecan-1 in leukocyte-endothelial interactions in the ocular vasculature.

Purpose: Leukocyte endothelial interactions are a key feature of ocular angiogenesis but also play a role in nonproliferative vascular alterations as are found in early diabetes or uveitis. The adhesion of leukocytes to endothelial cells during inflammation is a multistep process that involves leukocyte rolling, adhesion, and extravasation mediated by selectins, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), integrins, and chemokines. Heparan sulfate (HS) is known to bind to and modify the function of these molecules under physiological conditions.