This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The main objective of this project is to determine if the concentration of S100B, a low molecular weight calcium bindng neuroprotein, is affected by gestational age and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) during the first days of life in very preterm infants. S100B, a neuroprotein, is located predominantly in the astroglial cells of the central nervous system. In nanomolar concentration, S100B stimulates neuron growth, development, and regeneration and protects neurons against degeneration. S100B concentration has been shown to be elevated in serum of preterm infants who were less than 28 weeks gestation and who had no evidence of brain injury. It is interesting to speculate that markedly elevated S100B concentration released from damaged neurons after trauma may propagate adjacent cell death due to its neurotoxic properties. The objectives of this project involving infants born at 28 weeks or less are to establish: 1) if urine S100B concentration is a reliable reflection of serum S100B concentration; 2) the relationship between gestational age (23-28 weeks gestation) and concentration of S100B; 3) the impact of IVH on S100 concentration in the first days of life and; 4) if S100B protein is a reliable early marker (within the first days after birth) for IVH prior to ultrasound evidence of hemorrhage.
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