Necrotizing Enterocolitis News and Research

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Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening condition that manifests as inflammation of the intestines. This devastating disease affects mostly premature babies, who account for up to 8 out of every 10 cases. In NEC, bacteria invade the intestinal wall. The resulting local infection and inflammation lead to the destruction of the intestinal lining, even through its entire thickness.

Neonatal outcomes of preterm infants born during COVID lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia

A team of researchers from Australian institutes examined the consequences of community-wide lockdowns on neonatal outcomes of preterm infants, with a secondary focus on the underlying rates of systemic inflammation in infants and mothers around the time of birth.

5 Oct 2021

Scientists reveal the biological process leading to dangerous inflammatory disease in preemies

In a study with mice reported today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a Johns Hopkins Medicine research team has provided what may be the most definitive view to date of the biological process leading to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a dangerous inflammatory disease that can destroy a premature infant's intestinal lining and causes death in up to a third of the cases.

23 Sep 2021

'Good cholesterol' protects the liver from inflammation and injury, study shows

The body's so-called good cholesterol may be even better than we realize. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that one type of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) has a previously unknown role in protecting the liver from injury.

22 Jul 2021

Protein found in mice’s immune system could protect babies from necrotizing enterocolitis

The intestinal disease necrotizing enterocolitis is a leading cause of death among premature infants born in the U.S. and across the globe.

18 Jun 2021

Placental-derived stem cell therapy shows promise to heal intestinal disease in premature babies

An intestinal bowel disease that affects up to 10 percent of premature infants at a very vulnerable and developmentally crucial time can lead to serious infection and death.

27 Apr 2021

Probiotic L. acidophilus can effectively treat intestinal inflammation, research shows

Intestinal epithelial tight junctions (TJs) act as a functional and structural barrier against harmful antigens that promote intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory conditions of the gut.

20 Apr 2021

Maternal diet may enhance immune systems of premature infants, study shows

Medical researchers have long understood that a pregnant mother's diet has a profound impact on her developing fetus's immune system and that babies -- especially those born prematurely -- who are fed breast milk have a more robust ability to fight disease, suggesting that even after childbirth, a mother's diet matters.

25 Feb 2021

Pre-term infants fed with B. Infantis experienced lower level of intestinal inflammation

Researchers publishing in the peer-review journal Frontiers in Pediatrics report that pre-term infants fed Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (activated B. infantis EVC001) experienced significantly lower level of intestinal inflammation, 62% less diaper rash, and required 62% fewer antibiotics- all of which are critical health indicators in neonatal care.

17 Feb 2021

Researchers identify the missing link between intestinal disease and brain injury in premature infants

Physicians have long known that necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a potentially lethal inflammatory condition that destroys a premature infant's intestinal lining, is often connected to the development of severe brain injury in those infants who survive.

6 Jan 2021

Mother's diet while breastfeeding can shape the profile of human milk oligosaccharides

Research has shown that human milk is the optimal nutrition source for neonates and infants. It confers protection against both immediately life-threatening infant diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, as well as later onset diseases in adults, like obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

16 Dec 2020

New technology to diagnose fatal disease in preemies granted FDA's Breakthrough Device Designation

A technology to diagnose a potentially fatal disease in premature infants invented by Sunyoung Kim, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has been granted a Breakthrough Device Designation by the Food and Drug Administration.

16 Nov 2020

Specific genes of infant gut bacterium determine its symbiotic function in the infant's gut

While an infant's genes distinguish her from other newborns, a new peer-reviewed study reports that specific genes of a particular infant gut bacterium determine its symbiotic function in the infant's gut.

28 Oct 2020

Expanded screening method can help detect life-threatening complications in preterm babies

Expanding routine newborn screening to include a metabolic vulnerability profile could lead to earlier detection of life-threatening complications in babies born preterm, according to a study by UC San Francisco researchers.

7 Oct 2020

Study: Antibiotics have prolonged effects on breast milk microbiota in mothers of preterm infants

A team led by researchers at the University of Toronto and The Hospital for Sick Children has found that mothers of preterm babies have highly individual breast milk microbiomes, and that even short courses of antibiotics have prolonged effects on the diversity and abundance of microbes in their milk.

3 Sep 2020

Choosing the best milk fortifiers can lead to improved health outcomes in premature babies

More than 380,000 babies are born prematurely in the United States each year, according to the March of Dimes.

13 Aug 2020

Researchers develop machine learning tool to predict necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening intestinal disease of prematurity. Characterized by sudden and progressive intestinal inflammation and tissue death, it affects up to 11,000 premature infants in the United States annually, and 15-30% of affected babies die from NEC.

11 Aug 2020

Antenatal treatment can improve outcomes in preterm children

Extremely preterm children have very low birth weights, underdeveloped organs, and risks of long-term problems or disabilities.

14 Jul 2020

Probiotics are not recommended for most digestive conditions

It is estimated that more than 3.9 million American adults have taken some form of probiotics, with many patients looking to probiotics to improve their gastrointestinal health.

9 Jun 2020

New preclinical study shows promise for treating necrotizing enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a rare inflammatory bowel disease, primarily affects premature infants and is a leading cause of death in the smallest and sickest of these patients.

6 May 2020

Immune systems of preemies can catch up

According to a new study published in March 2020 in the journal Nature Communications, babies born prematurely up to 32 weeks of pregnancy can quickly catch up on their immune system function after birth, bringing them to a state comparable to term infants.

9 Mar 2020