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.

SPIN program to help mothers produce sufficient breast milk for their premature infants

Approximately 50,000 premature babies weighing less than three pounds are born in the United States each year. These fragile newborns need the highest quality nutrition, which is why UC San Diego Health System developed the Supporting Premature Infant Nutrition program to help mothers produce sufficient breast milk for their premature infants.

24 Feb 2011

Scientist identifies polymorphism that raises risk of poor outcomes in preterm infants

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have identified biomarkers of poor outcomes in preterm infants that may help identify new approaches to prevention.

28 Jan 2011

Cataloguing microbes in gut could lead to cause of necrotizing enterocolitis

Scientists have for the first time sequenced and reconstructed the genomes of most of the microbes in the gut of a premature newborn and documented how the microbe populations changed over time.

14 Jan 2011

Scientists create functioning human intestinal tissue from pluripotent stem cells

For the first time, scientists have created functioning human intestinal tissue in the laboratory from pluripotent stem cells.

13 Dec 2010

Even most vulnerable infants can transition to breast-feeding: Study

Pediatric researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia describe a successful program in which nurses helped mothers attain high rates of breast-feeding in very sick babies--newborns with complex birth defects requiring surgery and intensive care.

28 Oct 2010

Protein IL-37 could help treat inflammatory diseases in adults and children

A husband and wife research team from Melbourne, Australia, have identified a protein that may be a key therapy for many inflammatory diseases, including those affecting premature babies.

21 Oct 2010

NIH announces award to improve human microbiome research

The National Institutes of Health today announced it has awarded approximately $42 million to expand the scope of eight demonstration projects designed to link changes in the human microbiome to health and disease.

8 Sep 2010

UMDNJ identifies direct link between phthalates in plastics and inflammation in newborns

Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) have identified a direct link between phthalates, the substances that make plastics more pliable and durable, and inflammation in newborns - and are encouraging more limited use of the plasticizers. Their paper, "Inflammatory Effects of Phthalates in Neonatal Neutrophils," appears in the August 2010 edition of the journal Pediatric Research.

21 Jul 2010

Infants born with complex congenital heart disease also at risk for life-threatening gastrointestinal diseases

Infants born with complex congenital heart disease are not only at risk for serious heart-related complications, but also for developing a deadly bowel disease, regardless of the type of surgical intervention they receive for their heart. These are the findings from a study by Nationwide Children's Hospital, and appearing in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine published online May 6 ahead of print.

27 May 2010

Tracking genes in infant's intestine helps compare early development of breast-fed and formula-fed babies

Is breast milk so different from infant formula? The ability to track which genes are operating in an infant's intestine has allowed University of Illinois scientists to compare the early development of breast-fed and formula-fed babies. They say the difference is very real.

13 May 2010

NIH awards PLx Pharma multiple grants for development of GI safer NSAIDs

PLx Pharma, a pharmaceutical company developing safer formulations of proven non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), today announced that it has been awarded multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling approximately $2,000,000. This funding has been awarded to support further advancement of a range of products currently under development by PLx.

12 May 2010

Probiotic supplementation helps ELBW infants gain weight: Study

Extremely low birthweight infants who received feedings supplemented with probiotics had better weight gain than infants who were not given the supplements, according to a randomized, controlled, double-blind study to be presented Saturday, May 1 at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

3 May 2010

Tamiflu and two other drugs used to treat influenza appear safe for pregnant women and babies: Study

Tamiflu and two other drugs used to treat influenza appear safe for pregnant women and their babies, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a retrospective study of 239 cases of women who received the medications during pregnancy.

28 Apr 2010

Somanetics first-quarter 2010 net revenues up 18%

Somanetics Corporation reported net revenues of $13.1 million for the first quarter ended February 28, 2010, an 18 percent increase from $11.2 million in the same period of 2009.

17 Mar 2010

Medical test for aging adults could be helpful in determining infants’ intestinal conditions

A medical test initially researched for aging adults also could be helpful for premature babies, according to scientists with Texas AgriLife Research.

23 Feb 2010

Fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2009 results announced by Somanetics

Somanetics Corporation today reported financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter and year ended November 30, 2009.

21 Jan 2010

Human-milk diet nourishes very low-birth-weight preterm infants in NICU

Prolacta Bioscience, the first and only company to offer human milk fortifier (HMF) made from 100% human breast milk for premature and critically ill infants, has announced the results of a groundbreaking study that will have long-term benefits for the nutritional care of very low-birth-weight preterm infants (less than 2 pounds, 12 ounces or 1250 grams) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

20 Jan 2010

Genetic Analysis introduces GA-map microarray test for screening of infant gut microbiota

Genetic Analysis AS, the molecular diagnostics company, has launched its GA-map™ microarray test for high throughput screening of infant gut microbiota. At the recent Sackler Colloquium on Microbes and Health in the US, the company presented data from evaluation screens that show its potential as a tool for probing the mechanisms of disease in conditions associated with the gut flora.

1 Dec 2009

Duke Abdominal Assessment Scale can help predict NEC disease in newborns

Radiologists at Duke University Medical Center have developed a scale called the Duke Abdominal Assessment Scale (DAAS) to assist clinicians in determining the severity of disease and the need for surgery in infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), according to a study in the November issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

21 Oct 2009

Research sheds new light on causes of sepsis

New research from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine is helping physicians unravel the cause of a deadly and mysterious bowel disease that strikes medically fragile newborn babies.

27 Apr 2009