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Research

Living with lung disease: experimental models to assess the long-term effects of prematurity

Laboratory models provide an important tool in helping to understand the cellular and molecular drivers of respiratory disease. Many animal models exist that model the neonatal outcomes of preterm birth.

Research

Neonatal Docosahexaenoic Acid in Preterm Infants and Intelligence at 5 Years

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a component of neural tissue. Because its accretion into the brain is greatest during the final trimester of pregnancy, infants born before 29 weeks' gestation do not receive the normal supply of DHA. The effect of this deficiency on subsequent cognitive development is not well understood.

Research

The ventilatory response to hypoxia is blunted in some preterm infants during the second year of life

Preterm birth and subsequent neonatal ventilatory treatment disrupts development of the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR). An attenuated HVR has been identified in preterm neonates, however it is unknown whether the attenuation persists into the second year of life.

Research

Early mortality among aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women who had a preterm birth in Western Australia: A population-based cohort study

Having a preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) birth may increase a woman's risk of early mortality. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have higher preterm birth and mortality rates compared with other Australian women.

Research

Development of prognostic model for preterm birth using machine learning in a population-based cohort of Western Australia births between 1980 and 2015

Preterm birth is a global public health problem with a significant burden on the individuals affected. The study aimed to extend current research on preterm birth prognostic model development by developing and internally validating models using machine learning classification algorithms and population-based routinely collected data in Western Australia.

Research

Effect of Enteral Vitamin A on Fecal Calprotectin in Extremely Preterm Infants: A Nested Prospective Observational Study

Vitamin A has anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties. We aimed to assess whether enteral water-soluble vitamin A supplementation in extremely preterm infants decreases fecal calprotectin, a marker of intestinal inflammation.

Research

Vitamin A supplementation in very-preterm or very-low-birth-weight infants to prevent morbidity and mortality: A systematic review and meta-Analysis of randomized trials

A previous systematic review showed that intramuscular vitamin A supplementation reduced the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. However, more recent studies have questioned this finding.

Research

Young adult reflections on life experiences following preterm birth: a cross-sectional descriptive study

Increasingly, preterm-born children are entering adulthood as survival at earlier gestational ages improves. However, there is little understanding of the lived experience in preterm-born adults.

Helping our smallest babies live their biggest lives

A new study is helping to identify treatment options to improve the lung function of premature babies, after it was determined survivors of preterm birth were at risk of declining lung health.