title: Antecedents and correlates of blood concentrations of neurotrophic growth factors in very preterm newborns.
abstract: To identify the antecedents and very early correlates of low concentrations of neurotrophic growth factors in the blood of extremely preterm newborns during the first postnatal month.
  
  
  
  Using an immunobead assay, we measured the concentrations of neurotrophin 4 (NT4), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in blood spots collected on postnatal days 1 (N=1062), 7 (N=1087), 14 (N=989), 21 (N=940) and 28 (N=880) from infants born before the 28th week of gestation. We then sought the correlates of measurements in the top and bottom quartiles for gestational age and day the specimen was collected.
  
  
  
  The concentrations of 2 neurotrophic proteins, NT4 and BDNF, were low among children delivered for medical (maternal or fetal) indications, and among those who were growth restricted. Children who had top quartile concentrations of NT4, BDNF, and bFGF tended to have elevated concentrations of inflammation-related proteins that day. This pattern persisted for much of the first postnatal month.
  
  
  
  Delivery for medical indications and fetal growth restriction are associated with a relative paucity of NT4 and BDNF concentrations during the first 24 h after very preterm birth. Elevated blood concentrations of NT4, BDNF, and bFGF tended to co-occur with indicators of systemic inflammation on the same day.
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: alan.leviton@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leviton
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Elizabeth N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Allred
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Raina N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Fichorova
authors.affiliation: Boston Medical Center and Boston University, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuban
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
authors.forename: T Michael
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: O'Shea
authors.affiliation: Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States; Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dammann
mesh_terms: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D016207:Cytokines; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; C579455:BDNF protein, human; C073922:neurotrophin 4
keywords: Angiogenesis; Cytokines; Infant, newborn; Infant, premature/blood; Inflammation; Neurotrophic factors