This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a condition that is associated with ischemia and necrosis of the bowel wall in preterm infants. It is one of the most common long-term morbidities affecting premature infants. The incidence of NEC is 7% in 1000 g infants. The etiology of the disease is multifactorial; bowel wall ischemia, bacterial colonization of the intestine and presence of feedings are usually present prior to the onset of the condition. Our current understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of NEC is limited. The goal of this study is use proteomics and bioinformatic technologies to: 1) identify serum low molecular weight protein biomarkers that predispose an infant to NEC, and 2) to identify low molecular weight proteins that participate in the inflammatory cascade in NEC. Blood will be collected from mothers in preterm labor and cord blood from preterm infants at 3 and 7 days-of-age, prior to initiation of feeds, at onset of NEC-like symptoms and 24 hrs after onset of NEC. Samples will be stored at -70C and analyzed simultaneously using surface enhanced, laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectroscopy (SELDI-TOF-MS). The discriminating pattern formed by a small subset of proteins or peptides among the thousands of proteins present in the sample will be analyzed to establish a signature pattern that is most likely to be associated with NEC. Results from this study will be applied to masked samples as a part of a larger multicenter trial.
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