BACKGROUND Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating neonatal gastrointestinal disease that primarily affects premature infants. It is characterized by bowel inflammation and necrosis. In spite of extensive research, there has been little progress in decreasing the incidence or mortality of NEC over the past three decades. The exact etiology of NEC has not been identified. However, it is...

BACKGROUND Intestinal bile salts (BSs) may be implicated in NEC development. We hypothesized that fecal BS levels are higher in preterm infants at risk for NEC. METHODS We compared the composition and concentration of fecal BSs in ten preterm infants who developed NEC (Bell's Stage ≥ II) with twenty matched control infants without NEC. Conjugated and unconjugated fecal BSs were measured after...

BACKGROUND Despite the clinical relevance of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), it remains difficult to predict which preterm infants are more likely to develop NEC. Contrary to the neonatal risk factors for the development of NEC, little information is available regarding maternal (prenatal) risk factors. We aimed to identify maternal risk factors associated with the subsequent development of NE...

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that red blood cell (RBC) transfusions increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants, we investigated whether the risk of "transfusion-associated" NEC is higher in infants with lower hematocrits and advanced postnatal age. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective comparison of NEC patients and control patients born at < 34 weeks gestation. RESU...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common intestinal disease of premature infants. Although increased mucosal permeability and altered epithelial structure have been associated with many intestinal disorders, the role of intestinal barrier function in NEC pathogenesis is currently unknown. We investigated the structural and functional changes of the intestinal barrier in a rat model of...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating intestinal disease of premature infants. Although end-stage NEC is characterized histopathologically as extensive necrosis, apoptosis may account for the initial loss of epithelium before full development of disease. We have previously shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) reduces the incidence of NEC in a rat model. Although EGF has been show...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency of premature infants. Previously, we showed that luminal bile acids (BAs) are increased and correlated with disease development and that the apical sodium-dependent BA transporter (ASBT), which transports BAs from the ileal lumen into enterocytes, is upregulated in rats with NEC. We hypothesized that intraenterocyte, ...

Several studies have described reduced plasma concentrations of arginine, the substrate for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). No information on the plasma concentrations of the endogenous NOS inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in patients with NEC is currently available. We investigated whether plasma concentrations of arginine, ADMA, and the...

BACKGROUND Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most devastating diseases in the neonatal population, with extremely low birth weight and extremely preterm infants at greatest risk. METHOD A systematic review of the best available evidence to answer a series of questions regarding nutrition support of neonates at risk of NEC was undertaken and evaluated using concepts adopted from th...