Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Tsukasa Takahashi, Alan H. Jobe, Erin L. Fee, John P. Newnham, Augusto F. Schmidt, Haruo Usuda, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: Antenatal steroid therapy is standard care for women at risk of preterm delivery. However, the efficacy of this therapy varies, and some fetuses do not respond sufficiently to derive benefit. This review highlights the variability of antenatal steroid therapy response and proposes approaches to improve its overall benefit.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Elise O. R. Kearsey, Jasper Been, Vivienne L. Souter, Sarah J. Stock
Summary: This study examined the impact of the publication of the Antenatal Late Preterm Steroids study on the rates of antenatal corticosteroid therapy administration in late preterm births in the United States. The results showed a significant increase in the rates of antenatal corticosteroid therapy administration in late preterm births and full-term births following the online publication of the study. However, this also resulted in an unnecessary increase in the number of full-term infants receiving antenatal corticosteroid therapy.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Ashley N. Battarbee, Yuanfan Ye, Jeff M. Szychowski, Brian M. Casey, Alan T. Tita, Kim A. Boggess
Summary: Maternal glycemic control after late preterm steroid administration does not improve fetal metabolic status or decrease the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY MFM
(2022)
Review
Pediatrics
Emily B. Sarid, Michelle L. Stoopler, Anne-Maude Morency, Jarred Garfinkle
Summary: This study aims to summarize the association between antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) exposure for the risk of preterm birth and brain development in infants born late preterm and at term. The majority of studies suggest that ACS exposure is associated with adverse brain development outcomes in late preterm and term infants, including reduced neonatal head circumference, cortical differences on MRI, increased prevalence of psychiatric problems, and neurodevelopmental delays.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mark A. Clapp, Alexander Melamed, Taylor S. Freret, Kaitlyn E. James, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Anjali J. Kaimal
Summary: This study found that the dissemination of the ALPS trial led to changes in the administration of antenatal corticosteroids and a reduction in morbidity among late-preterm neonates.
Article
Physiology
Erin L. Fee, Tsukasa Takahashi, Yuki Takahashi, Sean W. D. Carter, Michael W. Clarke, Mark A. Milad, Haruo Usuda, Hideyuki Ikeda, Yusaku Kumagai, Yuya Saito, Demelza J. Ireland, John P. Newnham, Masatoshi Saito, Alan H. Jobe, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: This study aimed to determine the lowest fetal plasma betamethasone concentration sufficient to achieve functional preterm lung maturation and found that treatment efficacy was progressively lost at plasma betamethasone concentrations lower than 2 ng/mL.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Correction
Medicine, General & Internal
C. Gyamfi-Bannerman
Summary: Antenatal betamethasone does not have a significant treatment effect on women at risk for late preterm delivery, and it is impossible to predict the severity of respiratory complications before glucocorticoid treatment.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Natalia Saldana-Garcia, Maria Gracia Espinosa-Fernandez, Jose David Martinez-Pajares, Elias Tapia-Moreno, Maria Moreno-Samos, Celia Cuenca-Marin, Francisca Rius-Diaz, Tomas Sanchez-Tamayo
Summary: This retrospective cohort study compared the effects of administering two doses of betamethasone 12 hours apart to the traditional regimen in preterm infants. The results showed that the shorter interval between doses did not increase the incidence of morbidity and had similar outcomes in terms of mortality and severe morbidities. There were no adverse effects on neurodevelopment at 24 months of corrected age.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Johannes van der Merwe, Lennart van der Veeken, Annalisa Inversetti, Angela Galgano, Ignacio Valenzuela, Thomas Salaets, Sebastiano Ferraris, Tom Vercauteren, Jaan Toelen, Jan Deprest
Summary: This study investigated the short- and long-term neurodevelopmental effects of a single course of betamethasone in late preterm birth. The results showed that although this treatment improved neonatal lung function, it compromised long-term growth and neurocognition.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Erin L. Fee, Tsukasa Takahashi, Yuki Takahashi, Sean Carter, Lucy Furfaro, Michael W. Clarke, Mark A. Milad, Haruo Usuda, John P. Newnham, Masatoshi Saito, Alan H. Jobe, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: Antenatal steroids play an important role in promoting functional maturation of the fetal lung. Current dosing regimens may pose potential risks, but this study found that direct fetal administration of a low dose of betamethasone phosphate can achieve the same lung maturation without maternal steroid administration.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Correction
Medicine, General & Internal
C. Gyamfi-Bannerman
Summary: According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2016, the use of antenatal betamethasone in women at risk for late preterm delivery can effectively reduce the risk of severe respiratory complications in newborns (relative risk 0.66, P<0.001).
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jennifer A. Hutcheon, Jessica Liauw
Summary: This study estimated the real-world absolute risk reduction and number-needed-to-treat (NNT) for antenatal corticosteroids at late preterm ages, taking into account the differences in gestational age between the trial participants and the real-world population. The results showed a lower absolute risk reduction and NNT in the real-world setting compared to the trial data, and also highlighted the differences in benefits between using corticosteroids at 34 weeks and 36 weeks.
PAEDIATRIC AND PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jennifer A. Hutcheon, Erin C. Strumpf, Jessica Liauw, M. Amanda Skoll, Peter Socha, Myriam Srour, Joseph Y. Ting, Sam Harper
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the impact of fetal exposure to antenatal corticosteroids on the prescription rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication in childhood. By using a quasiexperimental design and analyzing the data, it was found that there was no significant correlation between fetal exposure to antenatal corticosteroids and the prescription rate of ADHD medication.
CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Thomas Schmitz, Muriel Doret-Dion, Loic Sentilhes, Olivier Parant, Olivier Claris, Laurent Renesme, Julie Abbal, Aude Girault, Heloise Torchin, Marie Houllier, Nolwenn Le Sache, Alexandre J. Vivanti, Daniele De Luca, Norbert Winer, Cyril Flamant, Claire Thuillier, Pascal Boileau, Julie Blanc, Veronique Brevaut, Pierre-Emmanuel Bouet, Geraldine Gascoin, Gael Beucher, Valerie Datin-Dorriere, Stephane Bounan, Pascal Bolot, Christophe Poncelet, Corinne Alberti, Moreno Ursino, Camille Aupiais, Olivier Baud
Summary: Comparison between a full dose and a half dose of antenatal betamethasone for preterm delivery showed that the half dose was not non-inferior to the full dose in terms of preventing respiratory distress syndrome. Therefore, reducing the dose of antenatal betamethasone is not recommended.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kenzo Sakurai, Yuko Takeba, Yosuke Osada, Masanori Mizuno, Yoshimitsu Tsuzuki, Kentaro Aso, Keisuke Kida, Yuki Ohta, Masanori Ootaki, Taroh Iiri, Isamu Hokuto, Naoki Shimizu, Naoki Matsumoto
Summary: Although the rate of preterm birth has increased, improvements in perinatal and neonatal care have contributed to the survival of some preterm infants. Antenatal glucocorticoid therapy plays a significant role in lung maturation but its effects on other organs remain controversial. This review focuses on the effects of antenatal glucocorticoids on the fetal heart and highlights the potential for using knowledge from experimental animal models in regenerative medicine.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Stephen A. Wise, Johanna E. Camara, Carolyn Q. Burdette, Grace Hahm, Federica Nalin, Adam J. Kuszak, Joyce Merkel, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, Emma L. Williams, Andrew N. Hoofnagle, Fiona Ivison, Ralf Fischer, Jody M. W. van den Ouweland, Chung S. Ho, Emmett W. K. Law, Jean-Nicolas Simard, Renaud Gonthier, Brett Holmquist, Sarah Meadows, Lorna Cox, Kimberly Robyak, Michael H. Creer, Robert Fitzgerald, Michael W. Clarke, Norma Breen, Pierre Lukas, Etienne Cavalier, Christopher T. Sempos
Summary: The Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) conducted an interlaboratory comparison study to evaluate the performance of liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays for determining serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Results showed that only 53% of the assays met the VDSP criterion, with four assays having significant performance issues due to the lack of separation between 3-epi-25(OH)D-3 and 25(OH)D-3.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Christopher T. Sempos, Emma L. Williams, Graham D. Carter, Julia Jones, Johanna E. Camara, Carolyn Q. Burdette, Grace Hahm, Federica Nalin, David L. Duewer, Adam J. Kuszak, Joyce Merkel, Andrew N. Hoofnagle, Pierre Lukas, Etienne Cavalier, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, Peter M. Crump, Christian Popp, Christian Beckert, Jan Schultess, Glen Van Slooten, Carole Tourneur, Camille Pease, Ravi Kaul, Alfredo Villarreal, Fiona Ivison, Ralf Fischer, Jody M. W. van den Ouweland, Chung S. Ho, Emmett W. K. Law, Jean-Nicolas Simard, Renaud Gonthier, Brett Holmquist, Marcelo Cidade Batista, Sarah Meadows, Lorna Cox, Eugene Jansen, Dilshad Ahmed Khan, Kimberly Robyak, Michael H. Creer, Mark Kilbane, Patrick J. Twomey, James Freeman, Neil Parker, Jinyun Yuan, Robert Fitzgerald, Sohail Mushtaq, Michael W. Clarke, Norma Breen, Christine Simpson, Stephen A. Wise
Summary: This study compared the results of DEQAS human serum samples shipped under frozen and ambient conditions, finding significant differences in certain 25(OH)D assays depending on the handling/transport conditions. The LC-MS/MS methods showed stability during shipment at ambient conditions, whereas some ligand binding assays exhibited discrepancies.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Erin L. Fee, Tsukasa Takahashi, Yuki Takahashi, Sean Carter, Lucy Furfaro, Michael W. Clarke, Mark A. Milad, Haruo Usuda, John P. Newnham, Masatoshi Saito, Alan H. Jobe, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: Antenatal steroids play an important role in promoting functional maturation of the fetal lung. Current dosing regimens may pose potential risks, but this study found that direct fetal administration of a low dose of betamethasone phosphate can achieve the same lung maturation without maternal steroid administration.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Tatiana Ninkov, Elizabeth A. Nathan, Cathryn N. Belcher, Scott W. White, John P. Newnham
Summary: Serial measurement of cervical length at 16 and 19 weeks improves the ability to predict preterm birth in high-risk women prescribed vaginal progesterone therapy.
AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Developmental Biology
H. Usuda, S. Watanabe, T. Hanita, M. Saito, S. Sato, H. Ikeda, Y. Kumagai, M. C. Choolani, M. W. Kemp
Summary: The artificial placenta is an experimental life support platform for extremely preterm infants. It provides oxygenation to the fetus and keeps the lung fluid-filled. With advancements in neonatal and obstetric care, the threshold for adopting this therapy has changed. The paper reviews the developmental history of the artificial placenta and provides an assessment of the field. Misrepresentations regarding its potential application are addressed.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Augusto F. Schmidt, Daniel J. Schnell, Kenneth P. Eaton, Kashish Chetal, Paranthaman S. Kannan, Lisa A. Miller, Claire A. Chougnet, Daniel T. Swarr, Alan H. Jobe, Nathan Salomonis, Beena D. Kamath-Rayne
Summary: Accurate estimation of fetal maturity can provide personalized guidance for complicated pregnancies. In this study, transcriptomic profiling of lung and brain in rhesus macaque fetuses identified potential new and previously associated gestational age differences. Furthermore, the use of antenatal corticosteroids had off-target effects on brain development. Cell-free RNA in amniotic fluid may serve as global fetal maturation markers for personalized management of at-risk pregnancies.
Article
Physiology
Erin L. Fee, Tsukasa Takahashi, Yuki Takahashi, Sean W. D. Carter, Michael W. Clarke, Mark A. Milad, Haruo Usuda, Hideyuki Ikeda, Yusaku Kumagai, Yuya Saito, Demelza J. Ireland, John P. Newnham, Masatoshi Saito, Alan H. Jobe, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: This study aimed to determine the lowest fetal plasma betamethasone concentration sufficient to achieve functional preterm lung maturation and found that treatment efficacy was progressively lost at plasma betamethasone concentrations lower than 2 ng/mL.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Developmental Biology
Tsukasa Takahashi, Erin L. Fee, Yuki Takahashi, Haruo Usuda, Sean W. D. Carter, Hideyuki Ikeda, Masatoshi Saito, Yusaku Kumagai, James P. Bridges, Alan H. Jobe, Mahesh A. Choolani, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: In a study using a sheep model, it was found that the expression of LPCAT1 gene in the fetal lung was correlated with the durability of glucocorticoid effects on fetal lung maturation. However, the expression of LPCAT1 gene in the placenta, fetal plasma, and maternal plasma was irrelevant to fetal lung maturation.
Article
Physiology
Haruo Usuda, Hideyuki Ikeda, Shimpei Watanabe, Shinichi Sato, Erin L. Fee, Sean W. D. Carter, Yusaku Kumagai, Yuya Saito, Tsukasa Takahashi, Yuki Takahashi, Shinichi Kawamura, Takushi Hanita, Masatoshi Saito, Atsuo Kikuchi, Mahesh A. Choolani, Nobuo Yaegashi, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: This study reports the longest use of APT to maintain extremely preterm fetuses to date. While fetal systemic circulation was maintained without infection, abnormal growth was observed. This suggests the need to address the optimization of fetal growth and organ development before the clinical translation of this technology.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Shinichi Sato, Shimpei Watanabe, Yuya Saito, Aika Takanashi, Hideyuki Ikeda, Yoshie Sakurai, Shouta Koshinami, Yusaku Kumagai, Haruo Usuda, Takushi Hanita, Atsuo Kikuchi, Masatoshi Saito
Summary: Intrauterine inflammation can alter the HPA axis reactivity and increase cortisol production in preterm fetuses. This study used endotoxin-induced intrauterine inflammation in sheep fetuses and found that the HPA axis responsiveness increased, accompanied by increased expression of enzymes involved in cortisol synthesis.
JOURNAL OF THE ENDOCRINE SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Yuki Takahashi, Tsukasa Takahashi, Haruo Usuda, Sean Carter, Erin L. Fee, Lucy Furfaro, Sylvain Chemtob, David M. Olson, Jeffrey A. Keelan, Suhas Kallapur, Matthew W. Kemp
Summary: The study demonstrates that intraamniotic administration of rytvela and anakinra can significantly inhibit inflammation induced by intraamniotic lipopolysaccharide in preterm fetal sheep, protecting the fetal brain.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY MFM
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Yuki Takahashi, Tsukasa Takahashi, Erin Fee, Lucy Furfaro, Haruo Usuda, Matthew Kemp
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Haruo Usuda, Shimpei Watanabe, Masatoshi Saito, Matthew Kemp
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Haruo Usuda, Erin Fee, Tsukasa Takahashi, Yuki Takahashi, Alan Jobe, Matthew Kemp
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2022)