Abstract
Background:
Tandem mass spectrometry has been proposed as a method of diagnosing or predicting the development of common complex neonatal diseases. Our objective was to identify metabolites associated with common complications of prematurity.
Methods:
We performed a retrospective analysis of medical data and metabolite measurements from routine neonatal screening on 689 preterm (<37 wk of gestational age) neonates.
Results:
We observed higher levels of phenylalanine (PHE) in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS; P = 1.7 × 10−5), the only association that was significant after correction for multiple testing. We found suggestive significance (P < 0.001) of higher essential amino acids in infants with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Functionality of these findings was explored in the ductus arteriosus (DA) isolated from term and preterm mouse pups. None of the amino acids had a direct vasodilatory effect on the isolated DA.
Conclusion:
We found that newborns with RDS had higher levels of PHE that may be a result of impaired PHE hydroxylase activity. We also detected marginally higher levels of all measured essential amino acids in infants with PDA. We did not find dilation of the mouse ductus for these metabolites, indicating that instead of potentially causing PDA, they are probably serving as markers of catabolism.
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Acknowledgements
We express our gratitude to the coordinating medical and research staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa, including a special thanks to research coordinators Laura Knosp and Susan Berends. We thank the Congenital and Inherited Disorders Advisory Committee, particularly Kim Piper for her enthusiastic support and management. We thank Sara Copeland at the Health Resources Services Administration for her guidance and support on this project. We thank Franklin Delin and Dariush Shirazi from the State Hygienic Laboratory for their assistance in the acquisition of the newborn screening data. We also thank Susie McConnell, Nancy Davin, and Erin Brothers-Smith for administrative support.
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.
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Ryckman, K., Dagle, J., Shchelochkov, O. et al. Association of amino acids with common complications of prematurity. Pediatr Res 73, 700–705 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2013.43
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2013.43
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