title: Clinical significance of glucocorticoid receptor expression in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous studies have shown the relationship between lung development and glucocorticoids, but no studies have been conducted to investigate if a relationship exists between respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression in preterm babies. We intended to investigate whether low GR expression is a risk factor for RDS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one preterm babies, 24-35 weeks of gestation, were included in the study following informed consent from the parents. The relative gene expression of GRalpha and GRbeta was measured in the peripheral mononuclear cells form cord blood samples. The demographic characteristics of the babies and the diagnosis of RDS were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RDS was more frequent in the group with low GRalpha expression: 12 (60%) in the GRalpha-I group and 6 (28%) in the GRalpha-II group (p = 0.043). Oxygen use with a hood, time to reach full enteral feeds and the duration of neonatal intensive care unit stay was shorter, and nosocomial sepsis episodes and number of erythrocyte transfusions were less in the GRbeta-I group. Higher hospital costs were found in the GRbeta-II group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Less RDS development, and better clinical follow-up was observed in premature babies with higher GR expression.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pediatrics and.
authors.forename: Fevzi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ataseven
authors.affiliation: b Department of Medical Biochemistry , Ondokuz Mayis University , Samsun , Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Salis
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pediatrics and.
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aygun
authors.affiliation: b Department of Medical Biochemistry , Ondokuz Mayis University , Samsun , Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdulkerim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bedir
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pediatrics and.
authors.forename: Sukru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kucukoduk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D015870:Gene Expression; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid
keywords: Glucocorticoid receptor; premature; respiratory distress syndrome