title: Setting the trajectory: racial disparities in newborn telomere length.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore racial differences in newborn telomere length (TL) and the effect moderation of the sex of the infant while establishing the methodology for the use of newborn blood spots for TL analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant mothers were recruited from the Greater New Orleans area. TL was determined via monochrome multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction on DNA extracted from infant blood spots. Demographic data and other covariates were obtained via maternal report before the infant's birth. Birth outcome data were obtained from medical records and maternal report.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Black infants weighed significantly less than white infants at birth and had significantly longer TL than white infants (P=.0134), with the strongest effect observed in black female infants. No significant differences in gestational age were present.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant racial differences in TL were present at birth in this sample, even after we controlled for a range of birth outcomes and demographic factors. Because longer initial TL is predictive of more rapid TL attrition across the life course, these findings provide evidence that, even at birth, biological vulnerability to early life stress may differ by race and sex.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA. Electronic address: sdrury@tulane.edu.
authors: Stacy S
authors: SS
authors: Drury
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors: Kyle
authors: K
authors: Esteves
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors: Virginia
authors: V
authors: Hatch
authors: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors: Margaret
authors: M
authors: Woodbury
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors: Sophie
authors: S
authors: Borne
authors: Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors: Alys
authors: A
authors: Adamski
authors: Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors: Katherine P
authors: KP
authors: Theall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D044383:Black People; D059788:Dried Blood Spot Testing / Q000379:methods*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D055820:New Orleans; D011247:Pregnancy; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012737:Sex Factors; D016615:Telomere / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D044465:White People