The Consequences of Progress: An editorial by James Greenberg, MD, and Jeffrey Whitsett, MD, Co-directors, Perinatal Institute

Despite advances in neonatal and perinatal medicine, certain aspects of pregnancy and parturition continue to perplex physicians and researchers. [more]

 Who's in Charge? - A new study explores whether infant or mother calls the shots before birth

In a genomic-age version of the chicken-or-egg question, neonatologist and researcher Jeffrey Whitsett, MD, is pondering what leads to premature birth and influences the readiness for survival of the preterm infant. Whitsett is exploring the genes that trigger a baby’s too-early birth, how genes signals readiness for birth and who’s in control – baby or mother. [more]

Milking It: A New Line of Defense Could be as Close as Mother’s Milk

Scientists are getting closer to coming up with an immune-boosting substance that could prevent people from getting sick by studying something long known for its healing powers: breast milk. [more]

A New Way of Predicting Preemies at Risk

A premature baby’s saliva could hold enough clues to predict whether that infant is at risk for death, infectious diseases and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), the most common gastrointestinal emergency in the neonatal intensive care unit. [more]

The Facts of Life: Regional information sharing gives needed insights into prematurity

Despite advances in caring for premature infants, doctors still know relatively little about what causes prematurity in the first place. Neonatologists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center are working with obstetricians and clinical staff at hospitals throughout Greater Cincinnati to share information that should help with that understanding. [more]

Womb With a (New) View: The ultimate source of comfort might not be what we thought

The womb has long been thought of as the ultimate safe harbor – a nurturing incubator from which we’re thrust into the harsh environs of the outside world. [more]

Fetal Immune Response: A Delicate Balance

Animal models, particularly mouse models, cannot replicate the development of the human immune system, says Claire Chougnet, PhD. The best method available for studying human immunity in its earliest stages is cord blood taken just after delivery, but that presents its own set of problems. [more]