preterm birth

December 6, 2023

Pasteurization reduces bioactive component of breast milk

Pasteurization of breast milk affects the concentration of osteopontin, a bioactive protein with roles in intestinal, immunological and brain development — suggesting that osteopontin supplementation should be considered when donor milk is provided to preterm infants.

By Leigh MacMillan
In this 3D projected still image from a precision cut lung slice, alveolar epithelial cells are labeled green. All other cells are seen in purple.
July 5, 2023

Vanderbilt researchers envision the potential to grow new lungs

Using a four-dimensional microscope that allows them to watch a tissue putting itself together, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have achieved a rare feat in science — they have shattered a long-standing dogma about how the lung develops.

By Bill Snyder
From left, Nicholas Negretti, PhD, Jonathan Kropski, MD, John Benjamin, MD, MPH, Jennifer Sucre, MD, and Erin Plosa, MD, led the research team that created a single-cell “atlas” of lung development. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
December 20, 2021

“Atlas” of lung development may aid efforts to heal premature lungs

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have constructed a single-cell “atlas” of lung development that tracks multiple cell types over time.

By Bill Snyder
September 30, 2021

Fibroids and preterm birth

In a large, prospective study, Vanderbilt researchers found no association between fibroids and any clinical subtype of preterm birth, supporting a reconsideration of the impression that fibroids increase preterm birth risk.

By Emily Stembridge
July 22, 2021

Change in respiratory care strategies benefits preterm infants

A decade’s worth of data shows that neonatologists are shifting the type of respiratory support they utilize for preterm infants, a move that could lead to improved health outcomes.

By Christina Echegaray
April 22, 2021

Study seeks to increase volume-targeted ventilation use

For more than two decades, evidence has accrued that the use of volume-targeted ventilation (VTV) results in better outcomes in neonates who require mechanical ventilation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

By Jessica Pasley
March 15, 2021

Preterm births in Tennessee decreased during pandemic

Statewide stay-at-home orders put in place as Tennessee fought to control the spread of coronavirus last March were associated with a 14% lower rate of preterm birth, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Pediatrics.
By Craig Boerner
May 6, 2020

Unplanned extubations in preterm infants studied

Unplanned extubations (UEs) in adult and pediatric populations have long been associated with poor clinical outcomes and increased costs to health care systems.
By Jessica Pasley
March 5, 2020

Clues to lung injury in preterm babies

Jennifer Sucre and colleagues have discovered a factor that contributes to the pathological changes of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the most common complication of preterm birth.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 23, 2019

Tailoring treatment for heart defect

By defining the clinical and genetic factors that predict treatment response, Vanderbilt investigators aim to personalize therapy for a common heart complication in preterm infants.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 26, 2018

Fetal membranes and microbial threats

Understanding how cells communicate in the membranes surrounding the developing fetus could suggest new strategies for preventing infections, premature birth and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 24, 2017

My Southern Health: The benefit of skin-to-skin contact for infants

Ventral skin-to-skin contact has been shown to improve premature infants’ health, both short- and long-term. The baby is undressed or unwrapped and placed against the mother’s bare skin, nestled against her chest. A cozier name for this method of holding a new baby is “kangaroo care.”
By VUMC News and Communications
February 23, 2017

A target to heal tiny lungs

The protein beta-catenin may be a good target for therapies to treat lung disease that is a common complication of preterm birth.
By Leigh MacMillan
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