title: Antecedents of inflammation biomarkers in preterm newborns on days 21 and 28.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most studies of systemic inflammation in very preterm newborns focus on assessments made during the first two weeks. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the antecedents of systemic inflammation evident during postnatal weeks three and four.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured the protein concentrations in blood spots collected on postnatal days 21 (N = 176) and 28 (N = 157) from infants born before the 28th week of gestation and sought correlates of measurements in the top quartile. Odds ratios of elevated concentrations were calculated for the most obvious correlates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Infants born for maternal and foetal indications were more likely than their peers to have top quartile concentrations of IL-beta, IL-8, TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 on both days 21 and 28. Similarly, infants whose birthweight Z-score was <-2 or between -1 and -2 were also more likely than their peers to have elevated concentrations of these proteins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Markers of systemic inflammation in the very preterm newborn during the third and fourth postnatal weeks are most strongly associated with maternal and foetal indications for (very preterm) delivery and their common correlate/consequence, foetal growth restriction.
authors.affiliation: Neuroepidemiology Unit, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leviton
authors.affiliation: Neuroepidemiology Unit, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Allred
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genital Tract Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Raina N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Fichorova
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center and Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Karl C K
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Kuban
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: T Michael
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: O'Shea
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.|Perinatal Neuropidemiology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dammann
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Fetal growth retardation; Infant; Inflammation; Pathology; Pregnancy; Premature