TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PPB MAJOR MILESTONES AND ADVANCES: 2000-2004 .................................................I
 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1
 

RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS AND CONTRACTS ......................................................... 3
 

MATERNAL RESEARCH ................................................................................................................ 3 

FETAL RESEARCH ........................................................................................................................ 6 

PLACENTAL RESEARCH................................................................................................................ 7 

LABOR AND DELIVERY RESEARCH .............................................................................................. 9 

NEONATAL RESEARCH............................................................................................................... 12 

SIDS RESEARCH........................................................................................................................ 15 

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS ........................................................................................... 21
 

NEONATAL RESEARCH NETWORK (NRN).................................................................................. 22 

MATERNAL LIFESTYLES STUDY (MLS) ..................................................................................... 23 

MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE UNITS (MFMU) NETWORK........................................................ 24 

THE COLLABORATIVE HOME INFANT MONITORING AND EVALUATION (CHIME) STUDY......... 28 

NEW PPB-SUPPORTED NETWORKS ............................................................................................ 29 

Maternal Fetal Surgery Network.......................................................................................... 29
 

Community Child Health Research Network (CCHN) ......................................................... 30
 

Prenatal Alcohol in SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network .................................................... 30
 

Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (SCRN) ............................................................. 30
 

TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.............................................. 32
 

OTHER BRANCH ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................. 32
 

NATIONAL CHILDREN’S STUDY ................................................................................................. 32 

BEST PHARMACEUTICALS FOR CHILDREN ACT (BPCA) ............................................................ 33 

DHHS INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON LBW AND PRETERM BIRTH AND 

DISPARITIES SUBCOMMITTEE..................................................................................................... 33 

WEB SITE: COMMITTEE EXPERTISE IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY................................... 34 

FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE PPB ................................................................................ 34
 

FIGURES AND TABLES ...............................................................FIGURES AND TABLES-1
 

APPENDIX A: PPB-SUPPORTED CONFERENCES AND 

 WORKSHOPS, 2000-2004.................................................................................................. A-1
 

APPENDIX B: BRANCH SOLICITATIONS, 2000-2004 ................................................... A-2
 

APPENDIX C: PUBLICATIONS FROM PPB STAFF AND PPB-SUPPORTED

 NETWORKS, 1999-2004..................................................................................................... A-3
 

APPENDIX D: PPB PERSONNEL...................................................................................... A-18
 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
PPB MAJOR MILESTONES AND ADVANCES: 2000-2004 

(+ denotes highlighted manuscript) 

2000 

♦ 2000 (March) Consensus Development Conference: Antenatal Corticosteroids Revisited: Repeat Courses 

♦ 2000 (June) From Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia to Chronic Lung Disease Workshop 

♦ 2000 (July) Maternal-Fetal Surgery Conference 

♦ 2000 (September) Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy Workshop 

♦ 2000 (November) SIDS Pathogenesis in the New Millennium 

♦ 2000 Elevated mid-trimester vaginal fetal FFN levels predict spontaneous preterm birth; AJOG 183:469,2000+ 

♦ 2000 Treatment of asymptomatic trichomoniasis increases risk of preterm birth; NEJM 345:487, 2001+ 

♦ 2000 Thrombin initiates uterine contractions in pregnancies complicated by hemorrhage; AJOG 183: 674-81 and 

183: 799-804+ 

2001 ♦ 2001 (March) Setting a Research Agenda for Stillbirth Workshop 

♦ 2001 (May) Role of Genetics in the Health Disparity of Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight Workshop 

♦ 2001 (August) Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Risk for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and SIDS Workshop 

♦ 2001 A novel X chromosome-linked genetic cause of recurrent miscarriage; AJOG 185:563-68 + 

♦ 2001 Maternal protein restriction in pregnancy programs subsequent adult hypertension; Pediatr Res 49:1-8+ 

♦ 2001 Mid-trimester sonographic cervical length predicts preterm birth; JAMA 286:1340-1348+ 

2002 ♦ 2002 (February) Seminars in Perinatology: Stillbirth > 20 Weeks’ Gestation 

♦ 2002 (June) Defining the Content of Follow Up Care Workshop 

♦ 2002 (December) Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch Planning Workshop 

♦ 2002 (December) Fetal and Neonatal Growth and Development Workshop 

♦ 2002 Temporal response of fetal erythropoietin to hemorrhage; J Soc Gynecol Invest 9:75-79+ 

♦ 2002 Home uterine activity monitors not useful for predicting preterm birth; NEJM 346:250-255+ 

♦ 2002 Adaptation of ovine pancreatic insulin secretion to chronic hypoglycemia—implications for adult onset 

diabetes; J Physiol 15:95-105+ 

♦ 2002 Prenatal cocaine exposure affects behavior at one month of age and fetal growth deceleration; Pediatrics 

110:1182-92; and Obstet Gynecol 100: 916-24+ 

♦ 2002 Varicella in pregnancy increases risk of pneumonia; J Inf Dis 185:422-427+ 

♦ 2002 Risk factors for SIDS among Northern Plains Indians; JAMA 288:2717-2723+ 

♦ 2002 Changes in pathogens causing early onset sepsis in very low birth weight infants; NEJM 347:240-7+ 

♦ 2002 Causes of late onset sepsis in very low birth weight neonates; Pediatrics 110:285-91+ 

♦ 2002 Mechanisms of how estrogen protects from arteriosclerosis; Endocr Rev 21: 655-686+ 

2003 ♦ 2003 (April) Investigation of Fetal Origins of Adult Health in Twin Cohorts Workshop 

♦ 2003 (May) Role of Genomic Imprinting, Confined Placental Mosaicism, and Uniparental Disomy in Fetal 

Growth and Beyond Workshop 

♦ 2003 (June) First Steering Committee Meeting of the Community Child Health Research Network 

♦ 2003 (June) Seminars in Perinatology: Highlights from the NICHD’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network 

♦ 2003 (July) From Bench to Bedside: Preventing Bilirubin-Induced Brain Injury (BIBI) in the Newborn and 

Kernicterus in the 21st Century Workshop 

♦ 2003 Progesterone prevents recurrent preterm birth; NEJM 348:2379-85+ 

♦ 2003 Mechanism of pulmonary hypertension in newborns; Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 285:H204-211+ 

♦ 2003 Maternal autoantibodies linked to preeclampsia; J Soc Gynecol Invest 10:82-3+ 

♦ 2003 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee Opinion 291: Progesterone and 

Preterm Birth; Obstet Gynecol 102:1115-6+ 

♦ 2003 Antibiotics not useful to prevent preterm birth in FFN-positive women; Obstet Gynecol 101:847-855+ 

♦ 2003 Asthma severity predicts morbidity in pregnancy; J All Clin Immunol 112: 283-288+ 

♦ 2003 (November) First Steering Committee Meeting of the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network 

♦ 2003 (December) First Steering Committee Meeting of the Prenatal Alcohol in SIDS and Stillbirth Network 

2004 ♦ 2004 Optimal treatment of moderate asthma in pregnancy; AJOG in press + 

♦ 2004 (January) NICHD-American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Research and Training in Neonatology 

Workshop 

♦ 2004 (January) NICHD-USAID Periconceptual Nutrition and Pregnancy Outcome Workshop 

♦ 2004 (January) PPB Strategic Plan distributed to NACHHD Council 

♦ 2004 (January) Fetal growth restriction RFA presented to Council+ 

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The mission of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch (PPB), within the Center for 

Developmental Biology and Perinatal Medicine (CDBPN), National Institute of Child Health and 

Human Development (NICHD), is to improve the health of mothers and children with a focus on 

maternal health, pregnancy, fetal well being, labor and delivery, and the developing child. The 

Branch seeks to acquire scientific information that supports the mission through basic and clinical 

research, including: determining basic mechanisms that underlie normal and disease processes; 

identifying new treatments, methodologies, and preventive strategies that arise from translational 

and evidence-based research; assessing the dissemination and impact of therapeutic and preventive 

interventions; and increasing scientific resources through recruitment and training of investigators. 

Since its last report to the National Advisory Child health and Human Development (NACHHD) 

Council, Branch funding in current dollars has increased from $70 million to $93.4 million. The 

PPB utilizes many existing National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding mechanisms to support its 

activities, which extend from basic research to clinical trials (see Figure 1). 

Over the past four years, the Branch has expanded significantly, making considerable strides in 

incorporating the obstetrical, neonatal, and basic science fields. The Branch’s long-term 

Networks, the Neonatal Research Network (NRN) and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) 

Network, continue to be very successful. Each year, the Networks have each given more than 20 

national presentations. In addition, through the success of a number of initiatives, the Branch has 

expanded its portfolio to incorporate fetal surgery, stillbirth, perinatal alcohol exposure, health 

disparity of preterm birth, and perinatal genetics. 

In fiscal year 2002, the PPB launched a Maternal-Fetal Surgery Network, involving three sites and 

a data center, to perform a randomized trial on in utero versus postnatal repair of spina bifida, a 

devastating neurological condition that results from failure of the fetal spine to close. 

In fiscal year 2003, the PPB established three collaborative networks: 

• 	 The Branch, in collaboration with the NICHD’s Center for Population Research (CPR), 

initiated a Community Child Health Network (CCHN) to support community-research 

institution partnerships that study how community, family, and individual level influences 

interact with biological influences and result in health disparities in pregnancy outcome and 

infant and early childhood mortality and morbidity. 

• 	 The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (SCRN), with five clinical research sites and a 

data center, was established to develop and implement common research protocols to study 

stillbirths (defined as fetal death at 20 weeks’ gestation or later) in the United States. 

• 	 The PPB, in collaboration with National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 

started the Prenatal Alcohol in SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network to develop communitylinked studies that investigate the role prenatal alcohol exposure in high-risk populations plays 

in the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such 

as stillbirth and fetal alcohol syndrome, and how they may be interrelated. 

In fiscal year 2004, the Branch funded a new portfolio on mechanisms of fetal growth restriction. 

In addition, many members of the Branch are involved in planning the National Children’s Study, 

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a longitudinal study of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 

100,000 children across the United States. 

PPB Areas of Interest 

Branch activities are organized around five maternalfetal emphasis area, which complement each other and 

build a comprehensive approach to research during the 

pre-, peri-, and postnatal periods: 

High-Risk Pregnancy is concerned with those factors, 

both normal and abnormal, that influence the course 

and outcome of pregnancy, including maternal 

physiology, environmental variables, conditions, and 

treatments that occur during pregnancy, all of which 

contribute to adverse outcomes (e.g., low birth 

weight). Studies in this area include (but are not 

limited to): elucidating the mechanisms involved in 

the pathophysiological states of pregnancy; the health 

impact of pregnancy-related disorders on mother and 

infant; pathogenesis of symptomatic and 

asymptomatic maternal infections and their effects on 

fetal development, with the aim of improving 

treatment and prevention; the effect of maternal 

medications and mother’s use and abuse of drugs on 

fetal development; and adolescent pregnancy. 

Fetal Pathophysiology includes studies of the 

physiologic, metabolic, endocrine, and pharmacologic 

events related to abnormal development of the fetus, 

such as the morphology, function, and metabolism of 

the placenta and uterine blood flow. Studies in this 

area are encouraged to improve existing 

methodologies for antenatal diagnosis regarding fetal 

status, growth, position, maturity, and well being. 

Premature Labor and Birth promotes studies of the 

factors that affect the initiation and completion of 

labor, as well as the physiology, endocrinology, and 

pharmacology of parturition. Of special concern are 

causes and prevention of premature labor, threatened 

and habitual pregnancy loss (miscarriage), prolonged 

and dysfunctional labor, and dystocia. 

Disorders of the Newborn includes basic and clinical 

studies concerned with the etiology, pathophysiology, 

therapy, and follow-up of conditions associated with 

the perinatal and neonatal period, such as adaptation 

to extrauterine life, hyperbilirubinemia, and sequelae 

of prematurity (i.e., asphyxia, respiratory distress, 

bronchopulmonary dysplasia, hypoglycemia, anemia, 

and infection). 

SIDS encompasses studies to elucidate underlying 

mechanisms of SIDS and its probable cause(s). 

Additional research strives to identify infants at risk 

for SIDS and to develop preventive approaches. 

In addition to its work with the CPR and the NIAAA, 

the Branch has also had significant interaction and 

partnership with other Institutes and agencies, 

including (but not limited to): 

• 	 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

(DHHS)—the Interagency Coordinating Council 

on Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth 

• 	 DHHS and the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC)—the Healthy Motherhood 

Initiative 

• 	 DHHS, U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA), and the NIH Office or Research on 

Women’s Health (ORWH)—the Best 

Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, the obstetrical 

and neonatal pharmacology initiative, and the 

breastfeeding survey 

• 	 FDA (in collaboration with the MFMU Network 

and NRN)—the development and testing of 

equipment and investigational drugs. 

• 	 National Institute of Mental health (NIMH)—cosponsoring the program announcement (PA) on 

Women’s Mental Health in Pregnancy and the 

Postpartum Period 

• 	 National Institute on Neurological Disorders and 

Stroke (NINDS), National Heart, Lung, and 

Blood Institute (NHLBI), and ORWH—cosponsoring MFMU Network studies 

The Branch members also serve as liaisons to major 

societies in their respective fields, including the 

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the 

Committee on Fetus and Newborn, the Society for 

Maternal Fetal Medicine, the American College of 

Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the 

Liaison Committee for Obstetricians and 

Gynecologists. 

Findings from Branch initiatives and studies have 

also resulted in policy and practice changes. For 

instance, in 2000, the PPB convened an NIH 

Consensus Development Conference on repeat courses of antenatal corticosteroids in pregnancy 

and their effectiveness and safety in enhancing fetal maturation. After reviewing the research 

evidence, the panel concluded that, although a single course was beneficial and safe, the data were 

inadequate to support using repeated courses outside of ongoing clinical trials. As a result, 

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providers now administer only a single dose (for more information on this finding, go to 

http://consensus.nih.gov/cons/112/112_intro.htm). 

Similarly, a recently completed study from the MFMU Network identified, for the first time, a 

treatment for recurrent preterm birth that has changed obstetric practice. This trial was highlighted 

in the national news, including CNN and the front page of the New York Times (for more 

information on this finding, go to page 24). 

The PPB is convinced that investing efforts and funds in basic and clinical research for mothers’ 

and infants’ health problems will result in significant savings of later expenses for the care of 

patients who develop preventable disabilities and/or diseases. Most importantly, these investments 

will help promote the birth of healthy infants, able to achieve their full potential for healthy and 

productive lives. 

BRANCH ACTIVITIES: RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS AND CONTRACTS 

The Branch classifies grants and contracts in five categories: Maternal, Fetal, Newborn, Placental, 

and SIDS; each has basic and clinical components. The following section highlights a few of the 

advances in each category; due to space limitations, all the advances could not be included in this 

report. Highlights from a number of clinical studies are summarized in the Cooperative 

Agreements section. 

MATERNAL RESEARCH 

This portfolio includes basic, translational, and clinical research studies that address a myriad of 

issues in pregnancy to understand normal and abnormal physiological events and the effects of 

maternal, acute, or chronic diseases on pregnancy and fetal development. 

Birth Weight and Cardiovascular Disease 

It is well recognized that the causes of adult diseases involve a combination of a “lifestyle” 

(environmental) component and a genetic component. Accumulating research over the last decade 

has provided evidence of a third component: in utero environment. Barker and colleagues 

reported on the role of the in utero environment by demonstrating an inverse relationship between 

birth weight and death from cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Subsequently, a number of 

epidemiological studies have suggested that maternal malnutrition impacts the fetus and results in 

the onset of other major adult diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular 

disease, a theory known as the “fetal origins of adult disease” or the Barker hypothesis. Although 

this hypothesis remains controversial, accumulating research has provided increasingly strong 

support for this theory. This research indicates that factors in the perinatal environment, probably 

related to maternal nutrition, can program the fetus for increased disease risk in later life. 

The precise physiologic and molecular mechanisms by which this programming occurs are 

unknown. One PPB-supported researcher has demonstrated that moderate protein restriction to 

pregnant rats results in pups born with reduced weight and decreased renal development that 

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persist into adulthood. The resulting decrease in renal function and increased arterial pressure 

leads to hypertension and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This investigator also 

demonstrated the mechanism by which this occurs: suppression of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin 

system (RAS) during fetal life. This hormonal system is known to be important in regulating 

blood pressure and volume in adults. Based on these findings, it is likely that the RAS plays other 

critical roles during fetal development, such as setting the total nephron endowment of the kidney 

and programming the set point for adult blood pressure. These findings support a possible 

mechanism by which the fetal environment could “program” an individual for hypertension, and 

for increased cardiovascular risk in adulthood (Pediatr Res 2001; 49:1-8). 

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) 

The adverse maternal and fetal effects of GDM have long been an important research area for the 

PPB. The maternal hormonal and metabolic alterations associated with GDM profoundly modify 

the in utero environment, which can lead to an abnormal pattern of fetal growth. Impaired fetal 

development has severe metabolic consequences, including increased risk of developing glucose 

intolerance and obesity in adolescence and adulthood. The molecular basis for the imbalance that 

leads to fetal, neonatal, and adult metabolic compromises has not been well understood. An 

NICHD grantee’s study has provided the first explanation of the molecular basis of this imbalance. 

This work linked GDM to changes in expression of specific placental genes, including interleukin 

1 (IL-1), leptin, and tumor necrosis-alpha (TNF-α). These changes result in adverse fetal 

programming, which leads to an increased risk of glucose intolerance and obesity in adolescence 

and adulthood (Diabetes 2003; 52:2951-58). 

Preeclampsia 

Preeclampsia is a major and potentially serious disorder of pregnancy. This hypertensive disease 

affects approximately 7 percent of first pregnancies and 3 percent of all pregnancies. Preeclampsia 

contributes significantly to premature deliveries in the United States and, in its severest form, 

eclampsia, is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. 

Although its exact mechanism is unknown, preeclampsia is widely believed to result from poor 

vascular development between the placenta and the uterus. In a normal pregnancy, trophoblastic 

cells, the main cell type of the placenta, invade deep within the uterus and remodel the small 

uterine arteries into large diameter vessels. In preeclampsia, the trophoblastic cells fail to invade 

the uterus adequately, which prevents the normal remodeling process of the uterine vessels. In 

turn, the poorly perfused placenta releases factors into the maternal circulation that result in the 

systemic symptoms of the disease. 

In pursuit of one of these placental factors, one PPB-supported grantee compared plasma from 

women with severe preeclampsia to plasma of normal women, specifically looking at interleukin-6 

(IL-6). This research demonstrated that severe preeclampsia results in the production of 

endothelial cell IL-6. The administration of vitamin E inhibits the production of IL-6. These 

findings provide a potential cellular mechanism for preeclampsia and suggest beneficial effects of 

antioxidant therapy for the condition (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003; 188:740-4). 

Other pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in preeclampsia and potential targets for prevention 

and therapy are under active pursuit by PPB-funded investigators. Earlier work indicated that a 

majority of preeclamptic women experience an abnormal immune response, called autoimmunity, 

in which they produce antibodies against one of their own proteins; these antibodies are called 

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autoantibodies. Autoantibodies target a receptor, designated AT-1, which is involved in mediating 

the effects of angiotensin II, a potent protein hormone involved in the contraction of blood vessels. 

In contrast to most antibodies that neutralize their target, autoantibodies actually activate the AT-1 

receptor. Researchers speculate that these autoantibodies are responsible for the hypertension 

associated with preeclampsia because of their ability to contract blood vessels. 

Because trophoblastic cells also express AT-1 receptors, efforts are under way to understand how 

these cells are affected by the presence of autoantibodies. One PPB-funded investigator has shown 

that the autoantibodies can inhibit the invasiveness of trophoblastic cells through increased 

production of PAI-1, a regulatory protein that inhibits the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, a 

key enzyme important in cellular invasion and involved in blood clot degradation. These results 

are consistent with those of other investigators that show elevated blood levels of PAI-1 and 

increased clot formation in preeclamptic women. Autoantibodies to the AT-1 receptor appear to 

be linked to many of the symptoms associated with preeclampsia, suggesting that they may be the 

cause of the disease. If causality can be substantiated, it may be possible to develop effective 

therapeutic interventions for preeclampsia (J Soc Gynecol Investig 2003; 10:82-83). 

Other Maternal Research Topics 

Regular physical activity during pregnancy and its potential to reduce the redistribution of blood 

flow away from the viscera is another area of study for PPB-funded investigators. One research 

group compared the infants of women who were randomly assigned to a high volume of physical 

activity (defined as moderate-intensity, weight-bearing exercise in mid- and late pregnancy) with 

infants of women who were randomly assigned to reduce their exercise volume after the 20th 

week. They found that infants in the first group were significantly lighter and thinner than their 

counterparts (3.39 kg versus 3.81 kg, and 8.3 percent fat versus 12.1 percent fat, respectively). 

These data suggest that a high volume of moderate-intensity, weight-bearing exercise during midand late pregnancy symmetrically reduces fetoplacental growth, whereas reduction in exercise 

enhances fetoplacental growth with a proportionally greater increase in fat mass than in lean body 

mass (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002; 186:142-7). This group of investigators also demonstrated that 

portal vein flow rises significantly during pregnancy, and that exercise training reduces the normal 

flow redistribution away from the splanchnic and uterine circulations in response to severe 

hemodynamic stress in mid- and late pregnancy. Regular exercise during pregnancy confers 

maternal and fetal protective effects by allowing maintenance of adequate uterine blood flow 

during times of severe hemodynamic stress (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000; 183:167-72). 

During pregnancy, a decrease in the motility of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) can result in 

significant discomfort because of esophageal reflux, bloating, and constipation. Release of nitric 

oxide (NO) by neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) found in nonadrenerergic, noncholinergic (NANC) 

neurons in the GIT has been shown to be responsible for reducing GIT mobility. Little is known, 

however, about the factors responsible for regulating NO release by NANC neurons during 

pregnancy. A PPB-supported researcher investigated the role of the prominent sex steroids, 

estradiol and progesterone, produced during pregnancy, as likely candidates involved in this 

regulation. Using a rat model, the researcher demonstrated that estradiol, but not progesterone, 

was involved in decreasing GIT mobility. Estradiol enhanced NO levels via an increase in nNOS 

that was mediated by an increase of nNOS mRNA. This finding has broader implications in that it 

suggests that sex steroids may be involved in the regulation of the NO component of NANC 

nerves in other systems, including the central nervous system, urogenital system, and other organs 

innervated by the NANC (Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2001; 280:R1546-54). 

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Medication use during pregnancy is another understudied research area. A team of researchers 

jointly funded by the NICHD, NIMH, and the National Center for Research Resources is studying 

birth outcomes after maternal use of antidepressant medication during pregnancy. They found that 

prenatal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications was not associated with an 

increase in neonatal complications or in congenital anomalies above that for the general 

population. However, maternal use of high doses of fluoxetine throughout pregnancy was 

associated with an increase rate of low birth weight (LBW) infants (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003; 

188:812-5). 

Recurrent miscarriage affects one out of 100 couples who attempt to have children. Numerous 

reasons for this malady have been identified, including anatomic, immunologic, infectious, 

endocrine, and genetic causes; however, approximately half of all recurrent miscarriages are 

unexplained. A team of researchers supported by the PPB has identified a novel genetic cause that 

accounts for 25 percent of previously unexplained cases of recurrent miscarriages (Am J Obstet 

Gynecol 2001; 185:563-68). This research showed that the genetic flaw resides in one of the 

mother’s two X chromosomes, only affects male fetuses, and results in miscarriage. Because male 

fetuses receive only one copy of the mothers’ X chromosome, the chances of receiving the 

abnormal chromosome are 50 percent. Female fetuses, who receive an additional normal 

X chromosome from their fathers, preferentially use the paternal chromosome over the flawed 

maternal X chromosome (normal female fetuses randomly use one or the other of the parental 

X chromosomes). However, females with one flawed X chromosome are at high risk for future 

recurrent miscarriages, with a probability of 25 percent of all their conceptions resulting in 

miscarriage. The identification of this genetic defect may allow researchers to develop a blood test 

to assess the risk of miscarriage due to this defect in future pregnancies, as well as to provide an 

explanation and hope to the women who are carriers of this malady. 

FETAL RESEARCH 

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a major cause of perinatal morbidity, death, and longterm complications, such as diabetes and hypertension in adulthood. IUGR is associated with a 

reduced rate of net protein accretion. One PPB-funded research group is focused on increasing the 

rate of fetal growth by altering maternal amino-acid concentrations. This group already 

demonstrated that, in normal human pregnancies, maternal infusion of a commercial amino-acid 

solution elevates maternal amino-acid concentrations, which leads to significantly higher umbilical 

uptake of most amino acids. Their current research project has demonstrated that, in pregnancies 

complicated by IUGR, increasing the maternal concentration of amino acids leads to an increased 

fetal uptake of some amino acids. PPB researchers are continuing their studies of the development 

of IUGR (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002; 187:741-6). 

Locally expressed, vascular mediators that are of a paracrine nature regulate the uteroplacental 

vasculature. By studying these mediators, diseases related to inadequate uteroplacental perfusion, 

including IUGR and preeclampsia, can be better understood. One PPB-funded researcher has 

concentrated on endothelins, a family of potent, long-acting vasoconstrictors, and their role in 

perfusion. Specifically, this work explores endothelin-1 (ET-1), the most physiologically 

significant isoform in mammals that is produced by the vascular endothelium. This research has 

studied the role of ET-1 in the pathophysiology of hypoxia-induced IUGR in the rat model. By 

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administering an endothelin-A receptor agonist to prevent hypoxia-induced IUGR, the grantee has 

elucidated the primary role of ET-1 in the development of growth restriction. An ET-1-mediated 

increase in vascular resistance in the uteroplacental vascular bed leads to decreased placental 

perfusion, which then leads to hypoxia and IUGR. A better understanding of the mechanisms that 

regulate placental perfusion and function may allow for treatment strategies in pregnancies 

complicated by IUGR or preeclampsia at early gestational ages when delivery is not an option 

(J Soc Gynecol Investig 2004; 11:16-21). 

Another PPB-funded investigator has studied the complications associated with nuchal cord, in 

which the umbilical cord loops around the fetal neck. This common condition is observed in 

16 percent to 35 percent of neonates at birth. The researcher found that antenatal nuchal cords 

usually occur randomly, with increased frequency in late gestation, and appear to be a normal part 

of intrauterine life that does not significantly increase the risk of acute- or labor-associated fetal 

hypoxia. 

Investigators have also been exploring why neonates born to mothers who smoke have altered lung 

mechanics. In one study, rhesus monkeys exposed to nicotine in early and mid-gestation had 

increased thickness and increased collagen gene expression in their airway walls. The collagen 

production occurred in cells containing nicotine and acetylcholine, which suggests that nicotine 

can cross the placenta and directly affect lung development. 

PLACENTAL RESEARCH 

The placenta is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy. The prominent function of the 

placenta is in the transfer of nutrients, gases, and waste products between the mother and fetus; it is 

effectively the lung, gut, and kidney of the fetus. The placenta is also involved in the production 

of hormones that are involved in the maintenance of pregnancy and the initiation of labor. Another 

important function of the placenta is to act as a selective immunological barrier, so that the 

mother’s immune system does not attack the fetal allograft. Thus, perturbations in one of its many 

functions can have dire consequences for the fetus, ranging from IUGR to fetal death. This section 

highlights some findings from PPB-supported grants in placental research over the last five years 

and illustrates the multifaceted nature of this research. 

Trophoblast cells are essential components of the placenta. Early in pregnancy, one type of 

trophoblast, cytotrophoblast cells, are involved in uterine invasion, grafting the embryo onto the 

mother and establishing a blood supply. During placental development, these cells differentiate 

into syncytiotrophoblast cells, which form the continuous surface of the placental villous that 

bathes in the maternal blood. The syncytiotrophoblast cells are primarily involved in nutrient, gas, 

and waste product exchange transport between the maternal and fetal circulation. Because of the 

essential roles both these cell types play in the maintenance of pregnancy, it is essential to 

understand the mechanisms involved in trophoblast lineage determination. One PPB-supported 

investigator, taking advantage of powerful RNA-expression microarray technology, characterized 

the process of cell differentiation using a cell culture model system (Recent Prog Horm Res 2003; 

58:263-81). After analyzing approximately 7,000 genes for RNA expression levels, the researcher 

found a total of 397 genes that changed during the differentiation process; 141 genes were upregulated, while 256 were down-regulated. These genes were grouped into functional categories 

that were either strongly induced or repressed during the differentiation process and were found to 

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be tightly coupled to key morphological changes. Thus, trophoblast differentiation comprises a 

highly dynamic process that affects the expression of classes of genes based on their functionality. 

As mentioned earlier, preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. It is 

widely speculated that factors emanating from the placenta are responsible for the disease by 

damaging the vascular endothelium. One group of investigators has been studying the possible 

role of oxidative stress in the etiology of preeclampsia (Am J Pathol 2000; 156:321-31). These 

researchers believed that post-ischemic reperfusion of the placenta results in excess levels of 

reactive oxygen species and their metabolites, which, in turn, cause these factors to enter the 

maternal circulation and result in systemic vascular endothelial damage. To learn more, the 

researchers explored whether xanthine oxidase, a key enzyme involved in the production of 

reactive oxygen species, mediates oxidative stress in placentas from women with preeclampsia. 

They found that a subpopulation of cytotrophoblasts in preeclamptic women had increased 

xanthine oxidase levels. In addition, the expression level of superoxide dismutase, another enzyme 

involved in degrading reactive oxygen species that is generated by xanthine oxidase, was reduced 

in the same cells. Furthermore, immunostaining for nitrotyrosine, an indicator of oxidative 

damage, showed a high level of damage in these cells and in the villous vessels. These results 

indicate that placental cells have an increased capacity to generate reactive oxygen species in 

preeclampsia, supporting a role for oxidative stress in the disorder. 

Placenta growth factors (PlGFs), a family of proteins produced in the placenta by trophoblast cells, 

are primarily involved in regulating placental angiogenesis in the placenta, and trophoblast 

function and survival. PlGFs can act either in a paracrine fashion to influence vascularity, or in an 

autocrine fashion to influence trophoblast function. Recent studies have demonstrated that PlGFs 

may have divergent functions. For example, angiogenesis may be promoted or inhibited 

depending on the particular PlGF isoform under study. Until recently, there had been only three 

known PlGF isoforms (PlGFl-3). A PPB-funded investigator discovered a fourth isoform, called 

PlGF4 (J Reprod Immunol 2003; 60:53-60). Like PlGF2, PlGF4 contains a heparin-binding 

domain, which suggests that it remains bound to the plasma membrane and probably acts in an 

autocrine manner. Further functional studies of the PlGF4 protein isoform and its expression 

during gestation will help to clarify its role in mediating placental vascularity and trophoblast 

function. 

As a result of trophoblast differentiation, the syncytiotrophoblast produces pregnancy-specific 

peptides, such as chorionic somatomammotropin (CS), also known as placental lactogen. CS is a 

member of the growth hormone family and has significant effects on both mother and fetus. It 

plays a role in regulating fetal growth, mammary development, and lactogenesis, and in maternal 

intermediary metabolism. The regulation of placental CS production, however, is not well 

understood. Using the baboon as a nonhuman primate model, a team of PPB-supported 

investigators previously showed that estrogen accelerated the morphological differentiation of 

cytotrophoblast during the first half of pregnancy, and stimulated the functional maturation of the 

syncytiotrophoblast in the second half of pregnancy with regard to steroidogenesis. This team is 

now investigating whether estrogen also regulates CS production by the syncytiotrophoblast 

(J Clin Endocr Metab 2003; 88:4316-4323). This research found that estrogen suppressed CS 

production during the first trimester, but had no effect on key steroidogenic enzymes. Together, 

these results indicate that estrogen has very different and specific actions on steroid and peptide 

hormone biosynthesis within the placental trophoblast. This differential effect may be important in 

regulating placental function and promoting fetal-placental during the course of pregnancy. 

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Natural killer (NK) cells are the predominant immune cells present in rodent and human placental 

implantation sites. Phenotypically, uterine NK cells undergo a gestational-dependent 

transformation during the course of pregnancy. NK cells expand in number and differentiate, but 

do not acquire a classic activation of cell killing. In the rodent, trophoblast cells produce a large 

number of protein hormones that belong to the prolactin family, one of which, called PLP-A, has 

been shown to specifically interact with rodent uterine-NK cells within the uteroplacental 

compartment, inhibiting NK-cell killing activity. A PPB-funded investigator studied the role of 

PLP-A as a potential modulator of NK cells at the maternal-fetal interface (Mol Cell Endocrinol 

2003; 204:65-74). He found that PLP-A interactions with NK cells are not mediated by receptors 

known to be utilized by modulators of NK activity, such as IL-2, IL-7, IL-12, or IL-15. In 

contrast, PLP-A suppresses the ability of NK cells to produce interferon-gamma, a key mediator of 

NK-cell function. This latter finding may be especially important because it has been reported that 

interferon-gamma also inhibits trophoblast cell outgrowth. Consequently, the inhibition of 

interferon-gamma production by PLP-A in NK cells may be important in permitting continued 

placental development. 

The Branch also supports efforts in other areas of placental research as they relate to both normal 

and disease processes, including: 

• 	 The role of vasodilators, vasoconstrictors, and factors that are produced by the placenta in 

relation to preeclampsia and IUGR 

• 	 Hormonal interactions between the fetus and placenta 

• 	 The autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine roles of PlGFs and cytokines, including studies to 

determine the effects of these proteins on placental growth, differentiation, and function 

• 	 Signal transduction mechanisms at the cellular level 

Additional studies are currently supported by the Branch in the following areas: angiogenesis, 

infectious agents, gene regulation, metabolism, growth and differentiation, morphology, growth 

factors and cytokines, nutrients, hormone production and regulation, transport, immunology, and 

vascular function. Undoubtedly, new areas of research will arise in the future and the emphasis in 

particular areas will shift, depending on future discoveries and developing technologies. 

LABOR AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 

Labor is a complex and interwoven physiological process involving fetal, placental, and maternal 

signals. A number of stimulatory and inhibitory mechanisms have been identified that play a role 

in uterine contractility, fetal membrane integrity, and cervical maturation. The Branch promotes 

studies of the physiology, endocrinology, and management of preterm, term, and post-term 

deliveries. 

An understanding of the normal physiological and biochemical events that occur during parturition 

is essential for the successful intervention and prevention of preterm labor. Preterm births are 

increasing in the United States and occur in more than 10 percent of all births, accounting for more 

than 75 percent of all perinatal morbidity and mortality. The PPB and the NICHD have made a 

significant research investment in understanding the causes and mechanisms that underlie preterm 

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labor and delivery. The brief descriptions below highlight some findings from PPB-funded efforts 

related to labor and delivery, including preterm labor and delivery. 

In most mammalian species, a drop in the blood level of progesterone, a hormone produced in 

large quantities by the placenta during pregnancy and necessary for maintaining the uterus in a 

quiescent state. Withdrawal of this hormone results in uterine contractions and labor. In contrast 

to other mammalian species, neither human nor nonhuman primates exhibit a detectable drop in 

progesterone prior to the onset of labor; the initiating signal for primates remains unknown. An 

NICHD-supported investigator has identified a possible mechanism that may rectify this apparent 

conundrum between mammalian species (J Soc Gynecol Invest 2002; 9:125-36). Because the 

effect of progesterone is mediated by the hormone binding to receptors in target tissues, the 

researcher hypothesized that there may be changes at the progesterone receptor level, rather than in 

the hormone itself that may be responsible for initiating labor. 

Prior research indicated that there were two types of progesterone receptors (A and B); type A 

antagonized the effects of type B, which mediated the relaxation effects progesterone had on the 

uterus. Investigators measured the levels of these receptors in the myometrium and fetal 

membranes of the nonhuman primate uterus during the course of pregnancy. Consistent with their 

hypothesis, at term, there was a shift in progesterone receptors from type B to type A in the 

myometrium and a loss of both receptors in the fetal membranes. These data provide evidence for 

a functional progesterone withdrawal mechanism in nonhuman primates, similar to that seen in 

other species. If substantiated in the human, this finding would not only have important 

implications in understanding normal labor, but would also be highly relevant to understanding the 

possible mechanism(s) involved in preterm labor. 

Normally, pregnancy is accompanied by increased fetal growth and a concomitant increase in 

uterine growth to accommodate the fetus; near the end of pregnancy, uterine growth subsides and 

the uterus becomes appreciably distended. Pregnancies in which uterine distention is abnormally 

increased, such as in multi-fetal pregnancies or in situations of abnormal intrauterine fluid volume 

(polyhydramnios), have an increased incidence of preterm labor; however, little is known about the 

effect of uterine distention or stretch in pregnancy. One PPB-funded investigator has made 

significant progress in understanding the biochemical events associated with uterine stretch and its 

role in the initiation of labor (Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2002; 283:1530-9). Using a rat model, he 

has shown that mechanical stretch of the uterus can lead to biochemical changes, which cause the 

activation of proteins critically involved in stimulating uterine contractions and labor. These data 

indicate that mechanical distention of the uterus plays a role in labor, in addition to the known role 

of the endocrine or hormonal pathway in the process. These findings may help develop strategies 

to prevent preterm labor due to abnormal uterine distention. 

The neuropeptide corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) plays a central role in regulating the 

physiological response to stress. Although normally produced in the brain, CRH is also produced 

in the placenta. During the course of pregnancy, the developing placenta produces increasing 

amounts of the hormone, which can be measured in the blood; the placental-derived CRH is 

believed to play a role in regulating the length of pregnancy. For example, abnormally high blood 

levels of CRH are associated with preterm delivery, while abnormally low levels are associated 

with post-term delivery. A Branch-supported investigator has provided further support for this socalled “placental clock” and has identified an additional role for placental CRH in fetal growth 

(Am J Obstet Gynecol, In press). The research showed that women with elevated CRH levels at 33 

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weeks of pregnancy were approximately three times more likely to deliver preterm than women 

whose CRH levels were normal at the same point in pregnancy. Notably, the investigator also 

showed that women with elevated CRH levels were also approximately four times more likely to 

deliver an IUGR infant. In fact, the highest CRH levels were associated with both IUGR and 

preterm delivery. These findings support the notion that placental CRH is involved in the timing 

of birth (the “placental clock”) and expands on the role of placental CRH in fetal growth. It also 

suggests that CRH blood measurements may be diagnostic in predicting an adverse birth outcomes 

and may allow for the development of interventions. 

Placental abruption, or abruptio placentae, is the premature separation of the placenta from the 

uterus, initiated by intrauterine hemorrhage. This life-threatening complication for mother and 

fetus occurs in one in 75 to 90 pregnancies. Although maternal mortality is rare, the perinatal 

mortality rate is approximately 35 percent, and the condition accounts for 15 percent of all thirdtrimester stillbirths. Moreover, 15 percent of infants born live after placental abruption suffer a 

significant rate of neurological impairment. Typically, women with an abruption progress through 

labor and deliver rapidly due to potent uterine contractions; the mechanism by which the 

contractions occur is unknown. In research supported by the Branch, the investigator discovered 

that the blood-derived protein thrombin may initiate these potent uterine contractions (Am J Obstet 

Gynecol 2000; 183:674-81 and 799-804). The research showed that thrombin itself can stimulate 

potent uterine muscle contractions. Furthermore, an investigator showed that the molecular 

mechanism by which this stimulation occurs is similar to known, classical, physiological mediators 

of uterine contractions. Thus, thrombin appears to be the physiological component responsible for 

the stimulation of uterine contractions in the presence of intrauterine hemorrhage. These findings 

also indicate the likely possibility that thrombin-stimulated uterine contractions may be part of the 

pathophysiological process leading to the hyperstimulated uterine contractions observed with 

placental abruption. Thrombin may also play an important role in other complications of 

pregnancy associated with uterine bleeding, such as first-trimester miscarriages and preterm 

deliveries in the third trimester. This work may provide important insight into these complications 

of pregnancy that would allow researchers to develop various preventive therapeutic strategies 

targeting thrombin. 

Currently, obstetrical care providers monitor cervical changes by manual, visual, or 

ultrasonographic inspection, but these tests have high false-positive results. A more accurate 

method would be valuable for the diagnosis of preterm cervical ripening, and for the determination 

of cervical status before induction of labor. One Branch-funded investigator has developed a novel 

diagnosis method based on the breakdown of cross-linked collagen that occurs during cervical 

ripening (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003; 188:537-41). This method employs an instrument placed in 

the vagina that measures the light-induced fluorescence (LIF) of cross-linked cervical collagen. 

Preliminary studies showed that LIF correlated inversely with gestational age, positively with the 

time-to-deliver, and was predictive of delivery within 24 hours. Further refinement of this method 

may provide an accurate and quantitative measure of cervical ripening that can aid clinicians in 

determining the status of the cervix in relation to delivery. 

In addition, the Branch is currently funding a diverse portfolio of projects that use physiological, 

biochemical, and molecular approaches to elucidating the various mechanisms involved in 

parturition, including: the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in both preterm and term 

labor; the involvement of hormones such as CRH, adrenocorticotrophic hormone, cortisol, and 

androgens in parturition; mechanisms involved in the premature rupture of fetal membranes, such 

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as infection, cytokine production, and extracellular matrix biology; and uterine relaxation and 

contraction factors, such as NO, oxytocin, relaxin, steroids, and prostaglandins, and their 

mechanisms of action. This research will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms 

responsible for parturition to help promote successful deliveries. 

NEONATAL RESEARCH 

The Branch supports basic and clinical studies concerned with the etiology, pathophysiology, 

therapy, and follow-up of conditions associated with the perinatal and neonatal period, including 

adaptation to extrauterine life, hyperbilirubinemia, and sequelae of prematurity, such as asphyxia, 

respiratory distress, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, hypoglycemia, anemia, and infection. In 

addition to the PPB, other NICHD Branches and NIH Institutes support neonatal research. Funded 

projects share the common aim of clarifying neonatal physiology and pathology to permit further 

developments in the care of these infants. 

Cochrane Neonatal Review Group (CNRG) 

The NICHD has funded the contract with CNRG since 1995, to provide 

systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials in neonatal medicine. 

The reviews are posted on the NICHD Web site 

(http://www.nichd.nih.gov/cochrane/cochrane.htm). The latest Cochrane 

Library Volume (V1, 2004) contains 169 completed reviews, the same 

number as in the main Cochrane Library. All reviews are performed by 

experts who are identified by four international editors at no cost to the 

NICHD. The CNRG ranks second in the total number of reviews produced 

for the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration. The Neonatal Cochrane 

Reviews have played an important role in developing policies of professional academic societies. 

It is a popular site for health care professionals; in fact, it is one of the most frequently visited 

pages on the NICHD Web site. 

Bilirubin, Jaundice, and Brain Injury 

Many pathological states in the fetus and newborn lead to jaundice, a condition often seen even in 

healthy infants because of transient developmental immaturity of liver. Branch-supported studies 

have helped to understand the basic biochemistry and photobiology of bilirubin, decipher the 

mechanism of cell injury with elevated bilirubin, and explore the value of new and evolving 

treatments for jaundice, such as heme oxygenase inhibitors. Among the latter, PPB-supported 

studies have shown that tin-mesoporphyrin is safe and effective in reducing bilirubin load in 

experimental animals and human infants. This avenue of therapy is currently being explored in 

large-scale clinical studies (J Perinatol 2003; 23:123-7; and J Mol Med 2002; 80:655-64). 

Hypoxia and the Fetus 

Blood vessels in the developing fetal brain respond to hypoxia (low oxygen levels) differently than 

do adult blood vessels. Defining the pathological mechanisms of hypoxia is crucial to 

understanding certain conditions in the fetus and the infant, such as intracranial hemorrhage seen 

in hypoxia and other brain injuries. NICHD-supported investigators have developed a unique 

model system of fetal hypoxia that relies on high altitude to test its effects on the development of 

fetal brain and cardiovascular systems. 

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By using the innovative “patch-clamping” technique, in which electric current changes in singleionic channels of biologic membranes can be studied under experimental conditions, researchers 

showed that blood vessels in different parts of the body respond differently to the same levels of 

hypoxia. Furthermore, the research indicated that a variety of nutritional factors, extracellular 

chemical signals, and molecular signals control and modulate hypoxic responses. By 

understanding the underlying mechanisms of certain disease conditions in newborns, researchers 

may be able to mediate their effects and determine how they impact the developmental origin of 

adult diseases. 

Neonatal Pain and Pain Control 

The Branch funded a large, multicenter, controlled trial of prophylactic, preemptive analgesia to 

reduce or control pain in high-risk newborn infants (24 to 32 weeks’ gestation) who were receiving 

mechanical ventilation support. The findings of this study show that preemptive analgesia 

markedly reduced pain experience, but also increased the incidence of adverse side effects (Lancet 

2004, 363:1673-1682). Researchers found a strong correlation between the need for any analgesic 

support and poor outcome. The study also concluded that continuous infusion of opioid analgesic 

was associated with more systemic side effects than intermittent use of the same, as clinically 

needed. These findings will have a significant impact on clinical practice. 

Fetal Erythropoeisis 

Many pathological conditions, including fetal anemia and hypoxia (low oxygen concentrations), 

may lead to low oxygen levels or anemia in the developing fetus; in response, both the fetus and 

placenta produce erythropoietin (EPO) to restore fetal red blood cells. To understand the 

mechanisms of these physiological adjustments, a group of researchers supported by the PPB 

examined how and to what extent the genes producing EPO were expressed in the fetal tissue of 

sheep. Their work showed that, during hypoxia, the fetal kidneys increased the secretion of EPO 

by seven-fold and the placenta by 15-fold; at the same time, both the amnion and chorion actively 

participated in producing EPO, but this response was not sustained if the hypoxia was prolonged. 

In addition to augmenting knowledge of the mechanisms of homeostatic adjustments and fetal and 

placental regulation of overall well-being, these studies have implications for potential treatment of 

anemic fetuses (J Soc Investig 2002; 9:75-79; and Am J Obstet Gynecol, In press). 

Fetal Insulin Adaptation Responses 

Accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that adult-onset coronary artery disease, diabetes, 

and hypertension may have developmental origins. For instance, it is known that when the fetal 

supply of glucose and other nutrients is deficient, the fetus does not grow adequately. Thus, 

abnormal fetal metabolism of glucose may be related not just to poor fetal growth, but also to adult 

onset of diabetes. A number of Branch-supported investigators are studying fetal endocrine 

functions and their relationships to glucose homeostasis, specifically those related to fetal insulin 

production, the size of the pancreatic islet cells, and factors affecting fetal growth. One group of 

researchers studying how pancreatic cells respond to changing blood glucose levels in fetal sheep 

found that exposure to hypoglycemia for 14 days, with subsequent recovery to normal blood 

glucose levels, led to a weaker insulin response in subsequent challenges or hypoglycemia as 

compared to adult controls. The sheep fetuses subjected to chronic starvation were not able to 

respond to glucose infusion by producing insulin. This lack of insulin response may underlie the 

origin of diabetes in later life. These findings strongly indicate that programming of pancreatic 

insulin-secretion responsiveness can occur in fetal life, predisposing to type 2 diabetes in adult life. 

(Placenta 2004; 25:70-7; and J Physiol 2003; 15:95-105). 

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Normal and Abnormal Development of Brain Blood Vessels in the Fetus and Newborn 

It is known that the cerebral arteries receive a large fraction of cardiac output because of high brain 

metabolism; however, the mechanisms that control metabolic rate and blood flow are not well 

understood. Many chemical messengers are involved in mediating such responses. Using a 

variety of developmental animal models, PPB-supported researchers have shown that endotheliumdependent relaxation is depressed in immature cerebral arteries. Such depression, they found, 

involved attenuation of endothelial sensitivity to shear-stress (the force of blood circulating in 

arteries) in the neonate, resulting from a decrease in the specific activity of endothelial NO 

synthase (eNOS) in fetal arteries, a situation not present in adult arteries (Arch Physiol Biochem 

2003; 111:36-44; J Physiol 2003; 549:625-33; High Alt Med Biol 2003; 4:203-13; and J App 

Physiol 2003; 94:724-32). 

These results suggest that maturation has a dramatic influence on the relative balance of different 

components of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator pathway. Understanding the molecular 

mechanisms through which postnatal maturation of blood vessels occurs is crucial to deciphering 

the complexities of growth and maturation. Further, elucidation of the key roles played by 

hormones and growth factors are critical to understanding the fundamental biology of growth and 

development. This line of work provides a glimpse into how such regulations evolve and offers an 

avenue to test new strategies for clinical management of neonatal vascular pathologies. Such 

knowledge will also enhance understanding of fetal origins of adult cardiovascular disorders 

(High Alt Med Biol 2003; 4:203-213). 

Blood Vessels in the Lungs of Newborn Infants 

Normal functioning of the blood vessels in the lungs of newborn infants is critical for healthy 

transition from the fetal to neonatal period and beyond. Infants who have persistent pulmonary 

hypertension (PPHN) experience poor outcomes and are at risk for problems later in life. Research 

by NICHD-supported scientists is helping explain the mechanisms of PPHN in newborns as a way 

to improve the infants’ outcomes. The research showed that the increase in pulmonary blood flow 

normally occurring at birth is related to an increase in synthesis and release of adenosine 

triphosphate (ATP), which is made in response to increasing levels of oxygen in the blood of 

normal infants. ATP released into the plasma not only acts as a signal to increase the pulmonary 

blood flow, but also interacts with NO synthase (NOS) to stimulate NO release into the pulmonary 

circulation; researchers found that, in models of PPHN, this mechanism was altered. Instead of 

replying on NOS, in PPHN, other enzymes were involved in the release of superoxide, a 

vasoconstrictor. These findings may uncover possible therapeutic agents that can help correct the 

imbalance in NOS function that occurs in PPHN (Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2003; 

285:H204-11). 

Neonatal Lung Injury 

PPB-funded investigators are working to understand factors that enhance fetal and neonatal lung 

injury from inflammatory mediators in premature animals and to develop treatment strategies that 

will reduce the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disease seen in a large 

proportion of surviving, extremely premature infants. Researchers induced amniotic fluid 

inflammation in pregnant sheep using endotoxin and delivered the lambs on the 130th day of 

gestation (equivalent to 34 weeks of human pregnancy); the fetal lambs were delivered and were 

supported by various ventilatory strategies. The results showed that endotoxin-exposed lungs 

required higher ventilation pressures, although ventilation, per se, did not increase lung injury. 

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However, the trachea and lungs of the ventilated and antenatal endotoxin-exposed animals 

contained six-to-12 times more inflammatory cells, indicating that fetal lung inflammation had a 

very serious effect on the developing immature lungs (Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2004; 

286; 3:L573-9). 

The same group of investigators is trying to determine whether continuous positive airway 

pressure (CPAP) can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in preterm infants as a strategy to 

minimize lung injury. They studied premature lambs randomized to: no ventilation, conventional 

mechanical ventilation, or CPAP. The CPAP lambs breathed without distress and maintained 

normal blood carbon dioxide levels; their lungs also held more air compared to the ventilated 

lambs. Lung washing revealed about seven times more neutrophils (inflammatory cells) in 

ventilated lambs when compared to unventilated and CPAP lambs. These findings suggest that 

early CPAP may be a safe strategy to support infants with lung disease, rather than implementing 

early positive pressure ventilation (Pediatr Res 2002; 52; 3:387-92). 

SIDS RESEARCH 

In 1999, PPB staff initiated a planning process for the Institute’s third, 

five-year strategic plan on SIDS research. A working group composed 

of distinguished scientists and health care professionals from around 

the country, in collaboration with staff from the PPB and other 

NICHD Branches, identified research objectives and strategies 

designed to achieve these objectives. The group drew on previous and 

ongoing planning efforts, conferences, workshops, and research 

findings to develop Targeting Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): 

A Strategic Plan, a public health agenda that would guide the 

Institute’s research over the next five years. Like all NICHD strategic 

plans, the draft plan was placed on the NICHD Web site for public 

comment. The final plan was published in the summer of 2001, and is 

available on the NICHD Web site at: 

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/strategicplan/cells/SIDS_Syndrome.pdf. 

The plan is divided into four topics: Etiology and Pathogenesis, Prognostics and Diagnostics, 

Health Disparities, and Prevention/Intervention. Each topic contains a statement of the problem, 

background information, and specific recommendations designed to address gaps in the current 

knowledge and intervention activities and to correct deficiencies in basic scientific infrastructure. 

The following sections outline some of the Branch’s accomplishments within three of these topic 

areas since 1999. 

Etiology and Pathogenesis 

Understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of SIDS requires a multidisciplinary approach and 

involves the analysis of postmortem tissue and death recordings, as well as modeling potential 

environmental and physiological pathways in animals and infants. Over the past four years, 

research has significantly expanded knowledge about autonomic nervous system abnormalities in 

infants who succumb to SIDS. 

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In earlier work, researchers had observed decreased binding of acetylcholine and kainate to 

receptors in the arcuate nucleus of SIDS infants, suggesting that the number of these 

neurotransmitter receptors was decreased. The arcuate nucleus region, on the ventral brainstem, is 

believed to control chemoreception and cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular responses and is 

linked to other brain regions that control arousal from sleep. It has been hypothesized that SIDS 

infants lack the ability to respond to life-threatening hypercapnic, hypoxic, hyperthermic, and/or 

cardiovascular episodes that occur during sleep. Researchers have now observed deficiencies in 

the serotinergic receptors in the arcuate nucleus, as well as in the n. raphe obscurus, inferior olive, 

n. paragigantocellularis, and the n. gigantocellularis regions of the brain (J Neuropathol Expt 

Neurol 2000; 59:372-384). The deficits were not observed in brainstems of infants who died from 

other causes. These results suggest that the scope of the neurochemical abnormalities in SIDS 

infants is greater than previously expected and that these abnormalities involve several 

functionally related nuclei derived from the rhombic lip. These regions develop from the rhombic 

lip in early gestation. Further studies have shown that they are connected by a communicating 

neuronal pathway that is present by mid-gestation. A special tract-tracing dye was injected into 

one of the fetal brainstem regions in the rostral ventral medulla (RVM) and later appeared in all six 

areas that were observed to have deficits in serotonin receptors in the SIDS infants (Autonomic 

Neurosci 2001; 89:110-124). This information supports the theory that the development of a lifesustaining brainstem pathway may be altered during gestation in infants who later succumb to 

SIDS. 

Another PPB-supported program project has developed a piglet model to study the role of ventral 

brainstem regions in cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular responses to potentially life-threatening 

environmental stimuli that occur during sleep. The investigative team has been focusing on 

arcuate nucleus homologues in the RVM. Using muscimol to inhibit the RVM and stimulate 

gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors, researchers found that the breathing response to elevated 

carbon dioxide was inhibited while the animals were awake and asleep; the effect was greatest 

during sleep (JAP 2001; 90:971-980). These data provide evidence that the RVM contains 

neurons critical to the piglet’s response to elevated carbon dioxide. 

In addition, the investigators obtained the first evidence that the RVM contains neurons that are 

involved in the regulation of sleep architecture (Sleep 2001; 24:514-527). When the RVM was 

exposed to muscimol, sleep cycling was abolished in some experimental animals; in others, there 

was a decrease in low-frequency electroencephalogram (EEG) activity and delta power, reflecting 

a decrease in the depth of quiet sleep. Resting respiration, blood pressure, heart rate or ventilation, 

and their modulation by state were unaffected. These investigators have also developed a 

sensitive, automated method to score sleep arousals (Sleep 2001; 24:499-513) that is being applied 

to analyses of infant polysomnograms collected in the Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring 

Evaluation (CHIME) Study (see page 28 for more details on this study). 

Sleeping on the stomach increases the risk of SIDS, but the exact reason for this increase is 

unknown. One theory on the hazard of stomach sleep position relates to an inability to respond to 

elevated carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels during sleep. Laboratory studies show that infants 

who sleep on their stomachs bury their faces or heads in bedding, which causes them to re-breathe 

inspired air low in oxygen (JAP 2001; 91:2537-2545). Under these conditions, infants experience 

an increased frequency of oxygen desaturation in the blood. Some infant responses did not 

successfully get them fresh air; these infants experienced greater desaturations that required 

intervention (Pediatrics 2002; 111:e328-e332). 

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Studies of animals that were deprived of oxygen have shown that the low blood oxygen 

concentration results in a rapid decrease of oxidative metabolism in tissues, which leads to 

bradycardia, apnea, and hypoxic coma. To alleviate this decrease, the animals initiate a gasping 

(large breaths) response; if the gasp provides enough oxygen to the heart and lungs, the 

cardiovascular function rapidly improves, resulting in “autoresuscitation” and rapid recovery. 

Analyses of home monitor recordings from infants who died of SIDS and from other causes 

showed that hypoxic gasping takes place immediately before death; but, the infants who 

succumbed to SIDS were distinct in that they had more double and triple gasps. Most of the nonSIDS cases showed evidence of return of cardiovascular function and partial or complete 

autoresuscitation prior to death. Among the SIDS cases, only one infant showed a transient 

increase in heart rate following a gasp, and none of the infants had evidence of complete 

resuscitation. These results suggest that infants who die of SIDS may have a deficit in the 

circulatory or other components of the autoresuscitation mechanism (Pediatr Pulmon 2003; 

36:113-122). 

Another theory about the potential risk of the stomach sleep position relates to sleep state. Infants 

who sleep on their stomachs spend more time in quiet sleep (deep sleep characterized by fewer 

awakenings and an increased arousal threshold) and less time in active sleep compared with those 

who sleep on their backs. PPB-supported researchers at Columbia University have found that, 

after a feeding (the post-prandial period), infants enter a period of quiet sleep. In infants who sleep 

on their stomachs, the duration of this quiet sleep period increases with the level of carbohydrates 

in the diet (Pediatr Res 2002; 52:399-404); the growing infant expends a lot of energy to absorb 

these nutrients during the post-prandial period. The energy expenditure that results from 

absorption and from being in a stomach sleep position may put too much demand on 

thermoregulation and cardiovascular regulation, resulting in SIDS. 

Although the risk for SIDS does not appear to have a large genetic component, some deaths 

diagnosed as SIDS may have defined causes that are genetic in origin. For instance, genetic 

defects in fatty acid oxidation may account for 1 percent to 2 percent of SIDS cases. A recent 

finding also observed that 2 percent of a prospective population of SIDS cases had an identifiable 

genetic defect in the cardiac sodium-channel gene SCN5A that disturbed channel function. 

Follow-up studies supported by the PPB are investigating all sodium- and potassium-channel 

genes implicated in long Q-T syndrome, a set of abnormalities that predispose a person for heart 

arrhythmia, and their relationship to SIDS. Analysis of one mutation in SCN5A, detected in an 

infant with long Q-T syndrome who died suddenly, showed that the loss of sodium-channel 

function was due to a trafficking defect, which prevented the channel protein from reaching the 

plasma membrane within the cell. The investigators also identified polymorphisms within the 

gene that restore the loss of function due to the mutation (Physiol Genomics 2003; 12:187-193). 

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The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Prevention/Intervention 

In 1994, the NICHD formed a partnership with the AAP, the SIDS 

Alliance, the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs, the 

Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Health Resources and Services 

Administration, and other organizations to launch a public health 

education campaign that would educate caregivers about reducing the 

risks of SIDS—the Back to Sleep campaign. The campaign’s main 

message at the time was that healthy babies should be placed on their 

backs or sides to sleep to help reduce the risk of SIDS. In 1996, the AAP revised its sleep position 

statement to recommend the back sleep position as preferred over the side position. 

Epidemiological studies have shown that side sleeping confers about twice the risk for SIDS 

relative to back sleeping, in part because babies are likely to roll from their sides to their stomachs. 

The Back to Sleep campaign materials were revised to reflect this change. 

In order to evaluate changes in infant care practices in response to the AAP recommendation and 

the Back to Sleep campaign, the NICHD has supported two surveys. The first, the National Infant 

Sleep Position (NISP) Study, initiated in 1992, is annual telephone survey of nighttime caregivers 

in households with infants younger than eight months of age. Since the study began, NISP has 

documented a decline in the number of infants placed to sleep on their stomachs that correlates 

with the decline in SIDS rates. Furthermore, analyses of the nighttime caregiver surveys between 

1994 and 1998 (JAMA 2000; 283:2135-2142) showed that physician recommendation was the 

single strongest influence on caregiver choice of sleep position, independent of sociodemographic 

characteristics of the mother. However, the analyses also showed the strongest probability of back 

sleep position when the caregivers reported exposure to the recommendation from multiple 

sources, including the hospital nurse, the baby’s physician, magazines and newspapers, and radio 

and television. By the spring of 2000, 66 percent of nighttime caregivers surveyed placed babies 

on their backs to sleep, while 14 percent placed them on their stomachs to sleep. Correspondingly, 

the SIDS rate in the United States dropped from 1.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1992, to 0.6 

deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000. 

The NISP study is also providing important information about other infant care practices. For 

instance, if an infant sleeps on an adult bed alone or with anther person, the practice is hazardous 

because it can lead to entrapment, overlay, and suffocation. Bed sharing with other children is 

known to increase SIDS risk, but controversy remains regarding the risk associated with sharing a 

bed with a parent. On average, almost half of infants in the survey population spent at least some 

time at night on an adult bed within two weeks of being surveyed. Between 1993 and 2000, the 

proportion of infants usually sharing an adult bed at night increased from 5.5 percent to 12.8 

percent. Factors that independently increased the probability of usual bed sharing included young 

maternal age, maternal race reported as African American or as Asian/other, household income of 

less than $20,000 annually, and infant age younger than eight weeks. NISP data also showed that 

bed-sharing infants were almost twice as likely to be covered by a quilt or comforter than infants 

who did not share an adult bed; research shows that a quilt or comforter in the bed-sharing 

environment is a potential hazard for SIDS if the baby’s face or head gets covered (Arch Pediatr 

Adolesc Med 2003; 157:43-49). More research is needed to understand the range of bed-sharing 

practices, motivations, and potential benefits or hazards. 

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When the AAP recommendation about back and side sleeping was first issued in 1992, one of the 

concerns was that infants placed on their backs or sides to sleep may be at risk for adverse health 

effects other than SIDS, particularly those due to aspiration or choking. To investigate these risks, 

the NICHD initiated the second of its evaluation studies, the Infant Care Practices Study (ICPS), a 

longitudinal, prospective study of more than 15,000 mother-infant dyads enrolled at birth between 

1995 and 1998 in Massachusetts and Ohio. The ICPS has provided valuable information to allay 

concerns about choking. When infants were one month, three months, and six months of age, the 

researchers questioned their mothers about sleep position and whether they had symptoms such as 

fever, cough, wheezing, stuffy nose, trouble breathing, trouble sleeping, and/or vomiting. Mothers 

of 3,733 infants reported that their infants were always placed to sleep in the same position; among 

these infants, researchers found that those who slept on their backs were less likely to have fevers 

than were infants who slept on their stomachs at one month of age. At six months old, back 

sleepers were less likely to develop a stuffy nose than were stomach sleepers. At three and six 

months old, back sleepers needed to visit the doctor less often for ear infections than did stomach 

sleepers. Moreover, at six months, the mothers of back sleepers reported fewer instances of infant 

sleeping trouble than did the mothers of stomach sleepers. None of the infants in the study were 

reported to have choked on their vomit (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2003; 157:469-74). 

In countries that have experienced successful risk reduction campaigns, there is a change in the 

contribution of risk factors to SIDS between the pre- and post-intervention periods. Between May 

1997 and April 2000, the NICHD conducted a population-based, case-controlled study in 11 

counties in California to evaluate SIDS risk since the initiation of the Back to Sleep campaign. 

This study provided critical evidence to support the recommendation that “back is best” for all 

sleep periods, and that the position should be used consistently by all caregivers. The researchers 

found that infants who were last placed on their sides to sleep were twice as likely to die of SIDS 

as infants who were last placed on their backs to sleep. In addition, the risk of SIDS was 

significantly increased if the infants turned from their sides to their stomachs during sleep. While 

the reason isn’t clear, the researchers believe that the instability of the side position makes it more 

likely for babies to roll over onto their stomachs during sleep. When the researchers looked 

specifically at the position in which an infant was last placed to sleep, a pattern emerged when 

compared to the usual sleeping position; if an infant who was usually placed to sleep on the back 

was then placed to sleep on the stomach or side, his or her SIDS risk was seven to eight times 

greater than that of an infant who was always placed to sleep on his or her back (AJE 2003; 

157:446-455). 

Since the NICHD-led Back to Sleep campaign began, the rate of SIDS has declined steadily and 

significantly. According to preliminary figures from the National Center for Health Statistics, the 

SIDS rate for 2001 was about 0.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, a decline of more than 50 percent 

since the campaign began. 

Health Disparities 

Although SIDS rates have declined in all segments of the population, a significant disparity still 

exists between majority and minority populations. In particular, SIDS rates are two to three times 

higher among African Americans and American Indians compared with whites. The PPB has 

supported two case-controlled studies to specifically shed light on this racial disparity by 

examining the pattern of SIDS risk factors. 

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Northern Plain Indians have the highest rates of SIDS in the nation. To understand the reasons for 

this high SIDS rate, the PPB, in collaboration with Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairman’s Health 

Board, the Indian Health Service, and the CDC conducted the Aberdeen Area Infant Mortality 

Study (AAIMS). The AAIMS identified risk factors in this population that had not previously 

been reported. For instance, despite reports that mothers in the study reduced their alcohol 

consumption significantly by their second trimester, binge drinking during the mothers’ first 

trimester of pregnancy increased the risk for SIDS eight-fold. Any maternal alcohol use during the 

periconceptual period (three months before pregnancy or during the first trimester) was associated 

with a six-fold increase in the risk of SIDS. The study also found that infants were more likely to 

die of SIDS if they wore two or more layers of clothing during sleep. More positively, though, 

infants whose mothers were visited by public health nurses before and after giving birth were only 

one-fifth as likely to succumb to SIDS as those whose mothers were not visited. These data 

highlight the importance of health outreach to this population (JAMA 2002; 288:2717-2723). 

The AAIMS was the first study to link epidemiological findings with neurochemical deficits in the 

developing human brain. The binding abnormalities in serotinergic receptors of the medullary 

regions of AAIMS infants were similar to those observed in SIDS cases from other populations. In 

addition, the serotinergic abnormalities in the arcuate nucleus in these infants were associated with 

exposure to adverse prenatal exposures, such as cigarette smoking (p=0.011) and alcohol use 

(p=0.075), during the periconceptual period or throughout pregnancy. These results suggest that 

these prenatal exposures may contribute to abnormal development of the fetal medullary 

serotinergic system in infants who die from SIDS (J Neuropathol Expt Neurol 2003; 

62:1166-1177). 

From 1993 through 1996, the NICHD and the CDC supported a case-controlled study of infant 

deaths in Cook County that employed standardized death scene investigation and autopsy 

protocols to elucidate the unique factors of SIDS deaths. In this primarily African American, 

urban sample, prone sleeping was found to be a significant risk factor for SIDS, after adjusting for 

potential confounding variables and other sleep environment factors (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.8-8.8); 

approximately one-third of the SIDS deaths could be attributed to prone sleep position. Fewer 

case mothers of SIDS infants (46 percent) than control mothers of living infants (64 percent) 

reported being advised about sleep position in the hospital following delivery (P<0.001). Of those 

advised, a similar proportion of case mothers as control mothers were told to use the incorrect 

(stomach) position, but a higher proportion of African American mothers (cases and controls 

combined) were advised to use that position compared with non-black mothers (Pediatrics 2002; 

110:772-780). Further analysis showed that, in addition to prone sleep position, a soft sleep 

surface, pillow use, and bed sharing in combinations other than with parent(s) alone significantly 

increased SIDS risk. Pacifier use significantly decreased risk (Pediatrics 2003; 111:1207-1214). 

Pacifier use has been found to be protective for SIDS in several studies worldwide, but the 

mechanism is unknown. 

In 1999, the Institute’s Back to Sleep campaign began a partnership with several African American 

organizations to develop focused, community-centered information materials and outreach to help 

reduce the risk of SIDS in African American communities. The NICHD, in partnership with the 

National Black Child Development Institute, enlisted the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, 

the Women in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Alpha 

Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., to help design materials and develop an outreach plan. One of the 

focal events of this outreach was a series of national summit meetings hosted by each partner 

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organization and the NICHD, held in Tuskegee, Los Angeles, and Detroit, respectively. These 

summits focused the attention of the organizations’ members on ways to reduce the risk of SIDS 

and how to effectively get safe sleep messages into their communities. 

Building on the community-centered framework that was used for the African American outreach, 

the Back to Sleep campaign coordinators are designing a similar outreach component for American 

Indians/Alaska Natives. Planning for this outreach is still in the early phases. 

BRANCH ACTIVITIES: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS 

To respond to the need for well-designed clinical trials in maternal-fetal medicine and 

neonatology, the NICHD established two large-scale Networks—the NRN and the MFMU 

Network—as administrative frameworks in which to conduct multicenter, randomized clinical 

trials and other prospective clinical studies in obstetrics and neonatology. Each Network is guided 

by a Steering Committee, which consists of representatives from each clinical site, from the PPB, 

and from the data-coordinating center. These Networks allow for a timely response to urgent 

clinical questions in a cost-effective manner. Currently, the NRN has 16 sites, and the MFMU 

Network has 14 sites. Sites are selected every five years following an open competition. 

Typically each Network has two to three randomized controlled trials and two to three 

observational studies ongoing at any given time. Network investigators agree to use common 

protocols, definitions, and data forms and are linked by their common data centers and common 

data-entry computer systems. Investigators, together with the PPB and the data-center staff, 

develop protocols that are reviewed by Advisory Boards, external reviewers, and Data Safety and 

Monitoring Committees (DSMCs). The DSMCs, which are established for each Network, ensure 

that the trials are safe and scientifically significant. 

There are several advantages to doing clinical trials within the Networks. First, the Networks 

provide large populations with which to conduct studies, with adequate statistical power to resolve 

many research questions; inadequate sample size is a common limitation of many published 

clinical trials. Approximately 120,000 births occur per year in the MFMU Network, and 100,000 

infants are born per year in the NRN. Second, because the study population is diverse, a therapy or 

management strategy shown to be effective across an array of ethnic and socioeconomic 

backgrounds and health care settings is more likely to prove effective in real-world clinical 

practice. Third, the data-coordinating centers attached to the Networks have sufficient resources to 

assure excellent study management and data quality. Finally, the administrative systems of the 

Network are efficient and cost-effective. To ensure their cost-effectiveness, the Networks are 

funded through a combination of a minimum base budget and capitated funds for enrollment in 

specific protocols. New trials can be brought online relatively rapidly because the infrastructure is 

already in place. The Networks address the need for clinical trials in neonatology and obstetrics, 

especially those relating to the prevention of LBW infants (<1,500 grams) and their management. 

The Networks build upon contributions to the clinical trial field and are unique in that they rely, to 

a greater extent, on shared responsibility and commitment. The following section describes the 

PPB-supported Networks and other efforts funded through cooperative agreements. 

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NEONATAL RESEARCH NETWORK (NRN) 

In 1986, the NICHD convened the first NRN, 

consisting of seven sites; after four competitive 

recompetitions, the NRN currently includes 16 

sites. This scientific partnership between the PPB, the funded neonatal-perinatal divisions, and the 

data-coordinating center has become a strong force in neonatal research. NRN representatives 

present regularly at national and international scientific meetings. 

Randomized Controlled Trials 

Since 1999, the PPB-supported NRN has conducted a number of clinical trials. 

•	 In 1999, the NRN conducted an innovative, factorial-design trial to evaluate whether an early 

10-day period of permissive hypercapnia and/or an early 10-day stress dose of corticosteroid 

would reduce the incidence of death caused by chronic lung disease in extremely LBW 

(ELBW) infants (< 1,000 grams birth weight). The trial was halted because of safety concerns 

when 220 infants of the projected 1,200 required were enrolled. Early dexamethasone was 

found to have no effect on death or chronic lung disease and was associated with 

gastrointestinal perforation and decreased growth (N Engl J Med 2001; 344:95). Long-term 

outcome information is currently under review. 

• 	 The Network is conducting a trial of whole-body hypothermia for reducing death or disability 

in term infants with acute perinatal asphyxia at 18 months of age (n=208). Recruitment is 

complete, and long-term follow up of infants 18- to 22-months old is under way. Outcome 

information is anticipated in the next year. 

• 	 The Network recently completed a trial to evaluate the effect of parenteral glutamine 

supplementation on the risk of death or late-onset sepsis of ELBW infants (n=1433). Results 

indicate that such supplementation has no effect on death or sepsis (Pediatrics 2004; 113). 

Many secondary studies are now utilizing this important dataset to evaluate nutritional 

information for ELBW infants. Nutrition management remains a significant problem for this 

population. 

• 	 A cytokines study was conducted concurrently with the previous trial. Such measurements of 

cytokine values in ELBW infants may give insight into short- and long-term complications of 

prematurity. 

• 	 The NRN recently completed a CPAP delivery room pilot study in ELBW infants (n=103). 

The Network is planning a large-scale, factorial design CPAP and oxygen saturation level trial 

scheduled to begin later in 2004. 

• 	 The Network’s first benchmark protocol to increase survival of very LBW (VLBW) infants 

(<1,250 grams) is ongoing. 

• 	 The Network is currently evaluating data from a trial utilizing inhaled NO in sick, preterm 

infants. 

• A randomized trial of phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia in ELBW infants is ongoing. 

Observational Studies 

In addition to clinical trials, the Network has completed a number of observational studies. 

The NRN has a detailed registry, generic database, and follow-up program for infants born at 

ELBW. One of the most important Network efforts using these resources has been the 

development and implementation of a standardized follow-up protocol for evaluating outcomes of 

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ELBW infants at 18- to 22-month corrected age. The follow-up protocol provides the largest 

standardized follow-up assessment of ELBW infants to date. Highlights of published information 

from this study include: 

• 	 Changing pathogens from gram positive to more resistant gram negative organisms in sepsis in 

VLBW infants (Pediatrics 2002; 110:285; and N Engl J Med 2002; 347:240) 

• 	 Significant neurodevelopmental impairment in survivors despite significant strides in the care 

and management of these vulnerable infants 

The Network has recently completed an observational trial of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and 

results should be forthcoming. In addition, the NRN is about to embark on an observational trial 

of Candida and an observational trial of a pneumococcal vaccine conjugate. 

The NRN will undergo competitive review in 2006; information on the Network is available at 

http://neonatal.rti.org. 

MATERNAL LIFESTYLES STUDY (MLS) 

Prenatal substance abuse continues to be a major public health 

problem that affects millions of children and places both financial 

and social burdens on society. The most recent report from the 

National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimated that, in 1999, 

the rate of drug use among pregnant women was 3.4 percent for 

illicit drugs, 17.6 percent for tobacco, and 13.8 percent for alcohol. 

The MLS, another PPB-supported effort, began in the early 1990s as an interagency, longitudinal 

study against a backdrop of debate and controversy about the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure 

on child outcomes. Through the NRN, researchers could access a large, multisite population of 

newborn infants and their mothers, allowing an in-depth, prospective study of mothers and 

children in utero exposed to cocaine. The collaborative nature of the NRN provided access to a 

multicultural, multiethnic, socioeconomically and demographically varied population in which 

widespread use of drugs was previously demonstrated. 

Now in its eleventh year, the MLS is the largest clinical, prospective, longitudinal study of prenatal 

drug exposure and child outcomes to date. It is conducted at four NRN sites at the University of 

Miami, the University of Tennessee at Memphis, Wayne State University, and Brown University. 

The cohort includes 658 exposed and 730 comparison mother/child dyads. In addition to PPB 

support, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has consistently co-funded the MLS effort since it 

began. 

In Phase I of the MLS, 19,079 pregnant mothers were recruited just before or immediately after 

they gave birth. Of these, 16,988 (89 percent) met basic eligibility criteria, and 11,811 

(70 percent) of these agreed to participate in the study. Drug use was confirmed by an interview 

with the mother and by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy for cocaine/opiate metabolites in 

the meconium of the infant. Based on this information, 1,185 infants (10 percent) were exposed to 

either cocaine or opiates during pregnancy. A total of 7,442 infants (63 percent) were confirmed 

as not having been exposed to either cocaine or opiates; the exposure status of 3,184 infants 

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(27 percent) was not confirmed. The use of alcohol, tobacco, and/or marijuana by the mother 

occurred in all three of these groups. 

Phase II of the study tracked the development of infants who had been exposed to illicit drugs, 

comparing the results to infants whose mothers had not used illicit drugs. A total of 1,388 subjects 

were recruited for this phase of the MLS. Of these, 658 infants were exposed to cocaine, opiates, 

or both in utero, while 730 infants had been exposed to neither. All of these infants were initially 

assessed at one month of age; mothers or caretakers were encouraged to participate in visits at 

four, eight, 10, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age. During these visits, the children participated 

in a variety of assessments that noted both their medical and developmental outcomes over time. 

Researchers also asked mothers and caretakers questions about the infant and the environment. 

Mother/child dyads have continued their involvement in the MLS through subsequent phases. 

Phase III assessed children during visits that occurred when they were ages four through seven. 

Phase IV, which is now under way, includes children between the ages of eight and 11. 

MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE UNITS (MFMU) NETWORK 

In 1986, the NICHD convened the first MFMU Network, consisting of seven 

sites; after four competitive recompetitions, the Network currently funds 14 sites. 

Like the NRN, the scientific partnership between the PPB, the funded maternalfetal medicine divisions, and the data-coordinating center has also become a 

strong force in the obstetric research community; Network staff present regularly 

at national and international scientific meetings. 

Evaluations of Common Medical Practices 

The MFMU Network continues to rise to the challenge of designing programs and treatments for 

the prevention of preterm births using evidence-based medical practices. Based on the scientific 

literature and the rapidly growing practice in the obstetric community of using prophylactic 

antibiotics during pregnancy for the prevention of poor birth outcomes, the MFMU Network 

designed a randomized, double-blind clinical trial to evaluate this practice. The hypothesis for this 

study was derived from earlier randomized studies that showed a benefit to treating asymptomatic 

bacterial vaginosis in women with a history of prior preterm birth, as well as studies that correlated 

bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy with LBW babies. This study evaluated whether treatment of 

asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis in low-risk women reduced the risk of preterm delivery. Almost 

2,000 women in the Network were assigned to receive either an antibiotic or a placebo at 16 to 23 

weeks’ gestation, and again at 24 to 29 weeks’ gestation. The primary outcome was delivery 

before 37 weeks’ gestation. Surprisingly, there was no difference in the rate of preterm birth 

between the two groups; preterm delivery occurred in about 12 percent of pregnancies in each 

group (N Engl J Med 2000; 342:534-40). Although the results of the study were negative, the 

findings were important for the obstetric community in that mass screening for bacterial vaginosis 

in pregnancy could not be recommended. These findings also support the growing body of 

evidence that preterm birth is a multifactorial problem. 

A study of mid-trimester endovaginal sonography in women at high risk for spontaneous preterm 

delivery further examined this multifactorial basis by evaluating the contribution of cervical 

length, as measured by ultrasound in the second trimester, to preterm labor. The study concluded 

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that cervical length at 16 to 18 weeks’ gestation predicted spontaneous preterm delivery at less 

than 35 weeks’ gestation in women with a prior early spontaneous delivery (JAMA 2001; 

286:1340-1348). Thus, sonographic evaluation of the cervix identifies women at increased risk for 

preterm birth and may identify a subgroup of patients eligible for an intervention. 

The MFMU Network also builds upon information obtained from its own studies. For example, an 

MFMU Network study designed to identify predictive factors for spontaneous preterm birth found 

that fetal fibronectin (FFN) was a promising biological marker. To elucidate this relationship, 13 

Network sites conducted a randomized trial of antibiotic treatment in women who were FFNpositive (n=700) for reducing preterm births. Treatment of asymptomatic women with a positive 

cervical/vaginal FFN test between 21 and 25 weeks’ gestational age with metronidazole plus 

erythromycin did not decrease the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery (Am J Obstet Gynecol 

2000; 183:469-75). 

In part due to an ongoing trial in the MFMU Network that was evaluating repeat 

courses of antenatal corticosteroids, in March 2000, the NIH convened a consensus 

development conference Antenatal Corticosteroid Revisited: Repeat Courses. Its 

purpose was to review research on repeat courses of antenatal corticosteroid 

therapy. The panel concluded that the available data was inadequate to recommend 

the repeated use of antenatal corticosteroid therapy for women at risk of preterm 

birth (http://consensus.nih.gov/cons/112/112_intro.htm). This consensus 

conference changed the practice patterns of many obstetricians regarding the use of 

antenatal corticosteroids. Further, the conclusion supported the continuation of the 

Network’s ongoing, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of women at less than 32 

weeks’ gestation who were at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery (n=2,400) and remained 

pregnant more than one week following initial corticosteroid therapy. Following the 

recommendation of the DSMC, the NICHD halted the trial after enrollment of approximately 450 

patients due to safety concerns suggesting lower birth weight in the treatment group, slow 

recruitment, and no evidence of efficacy. The findings indicate that routine weekly repetition of 

antenatal steroids to women at high risk for preterm birth, in order to assure maximum exposure to 

all preterm neonates, cannot be justified. Furthermore, exposure to weekly courses of steroids 

decreased birth weight and increased the risk of small-for-gestational-age neonates. 

In addition, Network researchers recently released findings from a groundbreaking trial that 

identified a therapy for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. They studied 463 women who 

had a previous preterm delivery and were, therefore, considered at high risk for recurrent preterm 

delivery. This randomized, double-masked, clinical trial compared the effects of weekly treatment 

of 17 Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) versus placebo injections on preventing preterm 

birth in women at high risk for preterm birth. Importantly, the trial showed that showed that 17P 

treatment reduced preterm birth by 34 percent in this population. Women who received weekly 

17P injections starting at 16 to 20 weeks’ gestation had a significantly reduced risk of preterm 

delivery before 37, 35, or 32 weeks’ gestation when compared to women who received placebo 

injections. Further, among those who did deliver preterm, infants of women treated with 17P had 

significantly lower rates of severe complications. Treatment was equally effective in African 

American and non-African American subjects (an important consideration because the preterm 

birth rate is two-fold higher in African Americans) and showed benefit in preventing spontaneous 

and indicated preterm births. 17P is the first successful treatment demonstrated to reduce the risk 

of recurrent preterm delivery in a subset of high-risk women and to improve neonatal outcomes for 

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infants born to these women (N Engl J Med 2003; 348:2379-85). Further studies to determine 

whether this treatment can be used for other populations of pregnant women at high risk for 

preterm delivery, such as those with multiple gestations and women with short cervical length, are 

currently being planned. 

The rate of cesarean delivery has risen dramatically over the past two decades; in fact, cesarean 

delivery currently ranks as the most commonly performed surgical procedure. A substantial 

portion of women who undergo a cesarean delivery have a history of a previous cesarean delivery, 

but some women who have had a previous cesarean deliver their infants vaginally. Evidence about 

the risks and benefits of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) that would assist the obstetrician in 

counseling women with a history of a prior cesarean delivery is not current and is generally 

derived from small studies. The MFMU Network thus chose to use its large patient population to 

study the outcomes of VBAC, including information on complications, fetal injury, and 

contributing factors. The MFMU Cesarean Registry, completed in December 2002, includes 

observational data on more than 52,000 primary and repeat cesarean deliveries and more than 

18,000 VBAC deliveries. This landmark study provided the largest resource of information on 

cesarean deliveries collected in a standardized, prospective fashion by trained study personnel. 

The study found that women who attempted trial labor had significantly higher rates of maternal 

morbidity (i.e., uterine rupture, endometritis, and transfusion) and neonatal complications (i.e., 

hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy) compared with women undergoing an elective repeat cesarean 

delivery. 

In another study, the Fetal Pulse Oximetry (FOX) trial, the Network is studying the utility of fetal 

pulse oximeter during labor under an Investigational Device Exemption through the FDA. The 

goal of this randomized, controlled trial is to determine if fetal pulse oximetry during labor affects 

the overall cesarean delivery rate, or the rate of cesarean delivery for fetal distress, in women with 

a singleton gestation who experience labor at more than 36 weeks’ gestation. Current recruitment 

is approximately 3,000 patients; researchers anticipate that the sample size of 10,000 will be 

enrolled prior to the start of the next Network cycle (April 2006). 

To address the question of the benefit of screening and treatment for GDM, the MFMU Network is 

conducting a randomized clinical trial to test the hypothesis that daily self blood glucose 

monitoring and diet therapy reduces neonatal morbidity in women with mild GDM. The primary 

outcome composite includes hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperbilirubinemia, birth trauma, 

death, or stillbirth. 

A Spirit of Trans-NIH Collaboration 

As the PPB-supported MFMU Network has grown and developed, additional expertise and 

funding for large studies has come from other NIH Institutes. The first of these trans-NIH 

collaborations, with the NHLBI, set out to address the growing numbers of pregnant women with 

asthma and the lack of evidence-based information about how best to treat them. This 

observational study of 3,000 pregnant women with mild and moderate asthma was completed in 

March 2000. The study found that, except for an increased incidence of discharge diagnoses of 

neonatal sepsis, asthma and its contemporary management were not associated with adverse 

perinatal outcomes (Obstet Gynecol 2004; 103:5-12). 

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Nested within this observational study, the MFMU Network conducted a randomized trial of 

theophylline versus inhaled steroids to treat moderate asthma during pregnancy. The objective 

was to determine if prolonged anti-inflammatory therapy with inhaled corticosteroids would result 

in better control of moderate asthma during pregnancy. Despite its greater anti-inflammatory 

effects, beclomethasone treatment of persistent asthma resulted in similar rates of asthma 

exacerbations requiring intervention and similar pregnancy outcomes as treatment with 

theophylline (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004; 190:737-44). 

The NHBLI also provided funding to the MFMU Network to conduct the Combined Antioxidant 

and Preeclampsia Prediction Study (CAPPS) for the prediction and prevention of preeclampsia. 

This randomized, controlled trial is designed to determine if antioxidants (vitamins C and E) can 

prevent preeclampsia in low-risk women (n=10,000). In addition, the observational component of 

the trial is designed to identify markers that may predict preeclampsia. Initiated in 2003, CAPPS 

is just getting under way. 

The MFMU Network is collaborating with the NINDS on a randomized trial of the beneficial 

effects of antenatal exposure to magnesium sulfate for the prevention of cerebral palsy. This trial 

is based on case-control studies that identified magnesium sulfate as protective against the 

development of cerebral palsy. This double-blind, randomized trial involves more than 2,000 

women at high risk of delivering very preterm (less than 32 weeks of gestation, a major risk factor 

for cerebral palsy). All of the children will be followed for two years with the primary outcome of 

developmental tests at age two correlating with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Recruitment into 

the trial is expected to end in May 2004, with data expected by fall of 2006. 

The NIH ORWH has also supported the MFMU Network, specifically in funding studies of 

pharmacokinetics in recognition of the widespread use of medications during pregnancy that are 

not studied for such use. Pregnant women are often excluded from clinical trials, resulting in 

product labeling that does not address pregnancy dosage, safety, or efficacy; as a result, providers 

often prescribe drugs off-label. These funds were an attempt to address the common clinical 

practice of off-label drug administration. ORWH support was distributed to MFMU Network sites 

that submitted proposals for pharmacokinetic studies of certain drugs in pregnancy. 

In addition, the ORWH supported the MFMU Network’s Factor V Leiden study, conducted to 

determine the incidence of pregnancy-related thromboembolism in women carrying the Factor V 

Leiden mutation, a genetic factor that has been associated with an increased risk for 

thromboembolic events. Initially, this study was proposed as an interventional trial of heparin 

versus placebo in women with the Factor V Leiden mutation, but Network researchers felt that 

baseline data for the mutation’s effect on risk for a thromboembolic event in pregnancy was 

needed before an interventional trial was undertaken. In this prospective, observational, 

multicenter study, 5,188 low-risk nulliparous pregnant women were enrolled and tested for the 

mutation. The trial showed that the Factor V Leiden mutation did not increase risk of 

thromboembolic events or adverse pregnancy outcomes. The interventional trial was not 

undertaken, then, and this population of low-risk nulliparous women with the Factor V Leiden 

mutation does not require prophylactic treatment in pregnancy. 

27 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
The June 2003 issue (Volume 27) of Seminars in Perinatalogy was devoted exclusively to the 

MFMU Network, highlighting its history, trials, findings, and impact in the field in the following 

articles: 

• 	 Meis P, Spong C, and Thom EA (Eds). Introduction. (183-4) 

• 	 Goldenberg RL, Iams JD, Mercer BM, Meis, P, Moawad A, Das A, Copper R, and Johnson F 

for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned about the predictors of preterm birth. 

(185-193) 

• 	 Iams JD and Owen J for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned about cervical 

ultrasound. (194-203) 

• 	 Iams JD for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned about uterine contractions 

and preterm birth. The HUAM Prediction Study. (204-211) 

• 	 Carey JC and Klebanoff MD for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned about 

vaginal infections and preterm birth. (212-216) 

• 	 Mercer BM, Goldenberg RL, Das AF, Thurnau GR, Bendon RW, Miodovnik M, Ramsey RD, 

and Rabello YA for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned regarding antibiotic 

therapy for the reduction of infant morbidity after preterm premature rupture of the 

membranes. (217-230) 

• 	 Andrews WW and Goldenberg RL for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned 

from an antibiotic trial in fetal fibronectin positive women. (231-238) 

• 	 Sibai BM, Caritis S, and Hauth J for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned 

about preeclampsia. (239-246) 

• 	 Iams JD and Mercer BM for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned about 

antenatal prediction of neonatal morbidity and mortality. (247-252) 

• 	 Thom E and Rouse D for the NICHD MFMU Network. What we have learned about 

conducting randomized controlled trials in the NICHD MFMU Network. (253-260) 

The MFMU Network will be recompeted in 2006; more information on the MFMU Network is 

available at http://www.bsc.gwu.edu/mfmu/. 

THE COLLABORATIVE HOME INFANT MONITORING AND EVALUATION (CHIME) STUDY 

The CHIME Study, now complete, was a multicenter, cooperative study of 

home monitoring of high-risk infants. Almost 1,200 infants were enrolled in 

the following subject groups: healthy term infants; preterm infants weighing 

less than 1,750 grams; and siblings babies who died of SIDS or experienced 

an idiopathic apparent life-threatening event. The objectives of the study 

were to: 

• 	 Determine whether home apnea monitors that employed event recordings 

were effective in identifying episodes dangerous to infant health 

• 	 Determine the conditions that optimized the use of apnea monitors in 

high-risk infants 

• 	 Correlate physiological markers, health status, and behavior with the propensity for lifethreatening events 

• 	 Provide important information on the maturation of heart and respiratory functions in sleeping 

infants 

28 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
 

The PPB, CHIME investigators, and industry collaborated in the development of a new monitoring 

technology, which was being tested for its potential to detect and record life-threatening 

cardiorespiratory episodes. The technology incorporated new, advanced computer capabilities, 

inductance plethysmography, electrocardiogram (ECG), pulse oximetry, and an accelerometer to 

detect motion and infant position. In addition to event recording, which captured the physiology 

for a period before, during, and post-event, monitors were programmed to store continuous R-R 

intervals from the ECG, continuous breath-breath intervals, and normative three-minute epochs at 

hourly intervals. 

One analysis of these data showed that 80 percent of the apneas that the CHIME monitor identified 

as obstructed were supported by either nasal end-tidal carbon dioxide measurements, or nasal/oral 

thermistor measurements (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2000; 

162:471-480). Therefore, with the new home-monitoring technology to measure obstructed 

breaths, the longitudinal monitoring records collected during sleep periods in the CHIME study 

provide an opportunity to analyze physiological events not previously recorded in the home. 

A major analysis of CHIME data showed that cardiorespiratory events (i.e., apnea and 

bradycardia) that met conventional alarm thresholds were quite common, even in healthy term 

infants (JAMA 2001; 285:2199-2207). More severe events were common only in preterm infants, 

and their timing suggested that they were not likely immediate precursors to SIDS. In addition, the 

data suggested that conventional monitoring techniques would likely miss most of the 

cardiorespiratory events detected in the study subjects because the events had a high frequency of 

obstructed breathing. The AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn used this information in 

drafting its policy statement, Apnea, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and Home Monitoring 

(Pediatrics 2003; 111:914-917). In addition, analyses of the CHIME Study data have been used to 

develop scoring algorithms for cardiorespiratory recordings and polysomnograms. An Atlas of 

Infant Polysomnography was published by CHIME Study investigators and is a valuable resource 

for researchers and clinicians. 

The CHIME database, which includes all raw physiological records and study forms was recently 

transferred to CD-ROM; in January 2004, the entire database became accessible to researchers at 

http://dccwww.bumc.bu.edu/ChimeNisp/. 

NEW PPB-SUPPORTED NETWORKS 

In addition to the aforementioned Networks and studies, the PPB initiated four new networks since 

its last report to the NACHHD Council. These new projects are highlighted below. 

Maternal Fetal Surgery Network 

In 2001, the PPB created the Maternal Fetal Surgery Network to evaluate in 

utero surgery as a treatment for antenatally diagnosed spina bifida in a 

randomized clinical trial. The Management of Meningomyelocele Study 

(MOMS) trial includes three sites: the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 

the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the University of California at 

San Francisco. The PPB provides additional oversight and guidance, and the 

George Washington Biostatistics Center serves as the data center for the 

29 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Network. This collaborative, five-year, multicenter trial is comparing the safety and efficacy of 

fetal surgical repair and traditional postnatal repair of open neural tube defects. For more 

information on the MOMS trial or on the Network, visit 

http://www.spinabifidamoms.com/english/index.html. 

Community Child Health Research Network (CCHN) 

The CCHN represents Phase I of a community-linked research effort on maternal and child health. 

Through cooperative agreements, the community-linked Network will work over a three-year span 

to plan a multisite, multilevel study that examines how community, family, and individual-level 

influences interact with biological influences to result in health disparities in pregnancy outcomes 

and in infant and early childhood mortality and morbidity. The goal of the Phase I research 

program is to blend substantive theory, measurement regimes, and study designs found in the 

biomedical, social, and behavioral sciences into a study of infant mortality and child health. 

Findings garnered from this study will improve understanding of the complicated interplay of 

environmental and genetic factors that produces biological outcomes in high-risk minority 

populations. 

The current products of Phase I include a plan of action that describes the hypotheses, design, and 

content of a multisite, multilevel study, as well as preliminary work at each site that will provide a 

foundation upon which to build such a Network. The CCHN includes five collaborating sites, each 

one a partnership between an academic institution and community institutions, and staff from the 

PPB, from the NICHD Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch, and from the National 

Institute on Nursing Research. The CCHN has made progress toward its core hypotheses, methods 

development, and study design. One of the foci of the research enterprise will be to improve 

family heath in the interconceptional period as a means to improve the outcomes of future 

pregnancies. 

Prenatal Alcohol in SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network 

In 2003, the NICHD and NIAAA began funding four cooperative agreements to create a Network 

that would develop community-linked studies to investigate the role of prenatal alcohol exposure 

in the risk for SIDS and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth and fetal alcohol syndrome, 

and how they may be interrelated. The PASS Network is composed of two comprehensive clinical 

sites, a developmental biology and pathology center, and a data coordinating and analysis center. 

Investigators will work collaboratively with the PPB and the NIAAA over a three-year period to 

plan and pilot multidisciplinary investigations, using common protocols, within communities at 

high risk for prenatal maternal alcohol consumption. The comprehensive clinical sites will be 

working with Northern Plains Indian communities and with populations in the Western Cape of 

South Africa. In the long term, this initiative aims to decrease fetal and infant mortality and to 

improve child health in these communities. 

Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (SCRN) 

Stillbirth, defined as death at 20 weeks’ gestation or greater, 

account for a large proportion of perinatal mortality. 

According to annual national vital statistics, the number of 

fetal deaths at 20 weeks or more gestation, including 

stillbirths, is similar in magnitude to the total number of 

infant deaths in the United States. In 2001, there were 

27,568 infant deaths, and 26,373 fetal deaths. More than half of the fetal deaths occurred at 28 

30 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
 

weeks’ gestation or more, and 20 percent, or about 5,000 cases, were at term gestation. In 

addition, the cause of about half of all stillbirths is undetermined. 

On March 26, 2001, the PPB convened a workshop with experts in the field to set a national 

agenda for stillbirth research. Participants identified gaps in current knowledge that hamper 

progress in this field, as well as problems associated with current data on stillbirths in the United 

States, including: 

• 	 Fetal death reports are voluntary, and under-reporting of stillbirths may be as high as 

10 percent to 15 percent; 

• 	 Variability exists in the quality and completeness of fetal death certificates, including 

identification of the cause of death; 

• 	 No standard protocol is available for postmortem investigation of stillbirths, including 

serologic, toxicologic, and genetic tests; 

• 	 Although placental pathology is common, fetal autopsy rates are low; and 

• 	 Few geographic, population-based, detailed investigations of reproductive and fetal risks 

associated with stillbirth are available. 

To begin to address these gaps, the PPB issued Research on the Scope and Causes of Stillbirth in 

the United States (RFA-HD-02-025), to create a Network of clinical research sites with a central 

data collection and analysis resource for developing and implementing common research protocols 

to study stillbirth (defined as fetal death at 20 weeks’ gestation or more). The objectives of the 

initiative are to: 

• 	 Develop a standard stillbirth postmortem protocol that includes review of clinical history, 

protocols for autopsies, pathologic examinations of the fetus and placenta, and other 

postmortem tests to illuminate genetic, maternal, and other environmental influences. 

• 	 Obtain a geographic, population-based determination of the incidence of stillbirth, its causes, 

and risk factors via a geographic, population-based study of stillbirths enrolled at the time of 

demise and a sub-cohort, case-controlled study. 

The awards for the SCRN were made in September 2003, to the following clinical investigators 

and research sites: Dr. Marshall Carpenter, Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, 

Providence; Dr. Donald Dudley, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio; Dr. 

George Saade, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston; Dr. Robert Silver, University of 

Utah, Salt Lake City; Dr. Barbara Stoll, Emory University, Atlanta; and Dr. Corette Parker, 

Statistical Center at Research Triangle Institute, Raleigh. Investigators have made progress made 

toward the development of a standard postmortem protocol, as well as of protocols for surveillance 

and investigations into the associated risks and mechanisms of death. 

31 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
 

BRANCH ACTIVITIES: TRAINING
 

AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
 

The Branch supports research training and career development through various award 

mechanisms. The success rate for training and career awards has been very favorable, ranging 

from 40 percent to 70 percent. The number of applications received and awarded, and the 

corresponding success rate for each type of mechanism during fiscal years 2000 through 2003 is 

outlined in Table 2. In general, PPB training and career development awards for this period 

include: 

• 	 Four new National Research Service Award Predoctoral Fellowship for Minority Students and 

Students with Disabilities (F31) 

• 	 Six new and three continued National Research Service Award for Individual Postdoctoral 

Fellowship (F32) 

• 	 Eight new and four continued Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08) 

• 	 Seven new and one continued Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development 

Award (K23 

• 	 Five new and one continued Mid-Career Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research 

Award (K24) 

• 	 Seven new and one continued National Research Service Award Institutional Research 

Training Grants (T32); six of these programs have been active for 10 years, and five of these 

have been active for 20 years or more 

OTHER BRANCH ACTIVITIES 

NATIONAL CHILDREN’S STUDY 

The National Children’s Study is a large, long-term study of environmental influences on 

children’s health and development. For this effort, environment is broadly defined to include 

chemical, physical, social, and behavioral influences on children that will help researchers better 

understand the roles of these factors on health and disease. The study grew out of the President’s 

Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children and was authorized in the 

Children’s Health Act of 2000, which directed the NICHD to conduct the study with a consortium 

of federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the CDC, and the National 

Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. 

Researchers will follow about 100,000 U.S. children from conception, through birth and 

childhood, into adulthood. By examining participants over a span of 21 years, the study will allow 

the evaluation of exposure and outcome links in the context of life stages of development. 

Planning and organization of the study are well under way; working groups for the study are 

considering issues, such as hypotheses and study design, ethics, development and behavior, 

chemical and physical exposures, injuries, emerging technologies to measure exposures and 

outcomes, privacy, and community outreach/participation. 

32 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
The PPB is active in this planning process. For example, Drs. Marian Willinger and Cathy Spong 

are the federal co-chairs of the Pregnancy and the Infant Working Group, which was charged to 

focus on events, outcomes and measurements of pregnancy and infancy and to develop findings on 

information to be collected about pregnant women, fetuses, and infants in the context of this large, 

long-term study. The Working Group will also develop findings regarding potential core study 

hypotheses in those areas relevant to its expertise. Drs. Willinger and Spong have sponsored a 

number of workshops to help define issues relevant to the Working Group and have led in the 

development of overarching study hypotheses and pilot studies. 

BEST PHARMACEUTICALS FOR CHILDREN ACT (BPCA) 

The congressional mandates of the BPCA provide an opportunity to address the challenges of 

clinical trials of drugs in children, for the purpose of labeling drugs for use in pediatric 

populations. Branch staff, especially Drs. Tonse Raju and Rosemary Higgins, are actively 

involved in this important initiative, in collaboration with other NICHD and NIH staff. Drs. Raju 

and Higgins have also helped to organize an NICHD/FDA Newborn Drug Development Initiative 

to foster the development of safe and effective drug therapies for term and preterm infants. 

DHHS INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON LBW AND PRETERM BIRTH AND 

DISPARITIES SUBCOMMITTEE 

The purpose of this Interagency Coordinating Council is to galvanize multidisciplinary research, 

scientific exchange, policy initiatives, and collaboration among DHHS agencies, including the 

NIH, and to assist the Department in focusing efforts to achieve the greatest advances toward the 

national goal of reducing infant mortality. The challenges faced by the Council include assuring 

adequacy of data, uncovering new knowledge through research, and promoting the best possible 

delivery and financing of relevant health care. In particular, the DHHS Secretary asked the council 

to develop a Department-wide research agenda on combating LBW and its associated outcomes. 

On August 4, 2003, the Deputy Secretary of DHHS charged a subgroup of the council with 

developing an agenda focused on the disparity that exists in the rates of infant mortality among 

African American and American Indian/Alaska Native populations. Specifically, the Deputy 

Secretary asked the subcommittee to identify appropriate best practices from research outcomes 

and to develop a set of recommendations for DHHS on research, interventions, and policy actions 

that will help reduce infant mortality (especially LBW and SIDS) among African American and 

American Indian/Alaska Native infants. Dr. Higgins, Dr. Willinger, and other PPB staff are 

actively involved in the Council and the subcommittee. 

33 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
WEB SITE: COMMITTEE EXPERTISE IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 

To better provide study section and advisory groups with needed expertise, the PPB developed an 

internal, password-protected, NIH Web resource, http://extranet.nichd.nih.gov\comm\. The site 

provides a database of obstetric and gynecological expertise from scientists and physicians; those 

involved in the review process can use this expertise to inform their decisions about incoming 

applications. The database also increases the number of obstetrician/gynecologists involved in the 

review process. The Web site provides the experts’ contact information, curricula vitae, and 

keywords. Dr. Uma Reddy is actively working on and supporting this project. Additional experts’ 

names can be submitted electronically at NICHDObGynExpertise@exchange.nih.gov. 

FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE PPB 

On December 5-6 2002, the Branch convened a two-day workshop to develop a research agenda 

that would help guide activities and priorities for the years 2005 through 2010. Participants were 

experts in the field and included individuals nominated by professional societies/groups related to 

PPB constituents. These 14 eminent scientists identified scientific areas and issues that offered the 

greatest opportunities and needs of the community served by the Branch. 

The findings from this two-day workshop were used to develop the 

Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch Strategic Plan: 2005-2010. The 

plan outlines ongoing areas of PPB-supported research and outlined 

some steps for expanding these initiatives. In addition, the plan 

identifies new areas of emphasis that are crucial to the PPB mission. 

New areas of emphasis in the plan included research in: 

• 	 Prematurity 

• 	 Fetal development, including maturation of individual organ 

systems and the impact of interventions on long-term function 

• 	 Maternal morbidities 

• 	 Neonatology, specifically intensive care and long-term outcomes 

• 	 Fetal/neonatal brain development and damage, including prenatal, perinatal, neonatal, and 

infant periods 

• 	 Training of scientists and physician-scientists 

• 	 Defining and improving the link between fetal, obstetric, and neonatal interventions and 

infant/child outcomes 

Based on discussions from the workshop, PPB staff outlined action steps within each new area of 

emphasis that would help to achieve PPB goals for the next five years. The full report is available 

at: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/ppb/ppb_strategic_plan.htm. 

34 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
FIGURES AND TABLES 

TABLE 1: PPB PROJECTS BY PROGRAM AREA IN FISCAL YEAR 2000 AND FISCAL YEAR 2003 

Fiscal Year 2000 Fiscal Year 2003 

Projects Funds Projects Funds 

Maternal 

 Basic 13 $2,866,387 7 $1,638,891 

 Clinical 44 $17,069,455 33 $16,916,727 

Fetal 

 Basic 33 $7,392,339 28 $7,414,627 

 Clinical 4 $841,115 12 $4,592,060 

Placental 30 $5,833,037 38 $10,134,258 

Labor and Delivery 51 $13,264,197 53 $14,777,817 

Neonatal 

 Basic 12 $1,921,424 11 $2,354,008 

 Clinical 23 $9,927,268 40 $20,460,847 

SIDS 

 Basic 16 $3,839,299 18 $4,325,465 

 Clinical 15 $3,033,301 10 $3,300,173 

SUBTOTAL 241 $65,987,822 250 $85,914,873 

Training 

 F31 — — 4 $111,119 

 F32 3 $116,988 4 $198,150 

 T32 9 $1,254,514 11 $2,175,188 

 K (01,02,08,12,23,24,25) 11 $2,615,354 26 $5,042,460 

SUBTOTAL 23 $3,986,856 45 $7,526,917 

TOTAL 264 $69,974,678 295 $93,441,790 

Note: Cooperative Agreements are included under Maternal, Neonatal, and SIDS categories. 

TABLE 2: NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS PPB RECEIVED AND SUCCESS RATE OF EACH 

MECHANISM, FISCAL YEAR 2000 TO FISCAL YEAR 2003 

Mechanism Total No. Received No. Funded Success Rate (%) No. Supported 2000-2003 

F31 8 4 50.0 4 

F32 14 6 42.9 9 

K08 13 8 61.5 12 

K23 17 7 41.2 8 

K24 7 5 71.4 6 

T32 14 7 50.0 11 

F31 8 4 50.0 4 

Figures and Tables-1 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
FIGURE 1: PPB GRANTS/CONTRACTS IN CURRENT AND CONSTANT DOLLARS, 

FISCAL YEAR 1992 TO FISCAL YEAR 2003 

Amount (In Millions of U.S.$) 

$100 

$90 

$80 

$70 

$60 

$50 

$40 

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 

Fiscal Year 

(259) 

(249) 

(227) 

(222) (229) (226) (224) 

(218) (225) 

(241) 

(243) 

(251) 

Current Dollars Constant Dollars 

(Includes total grant and contract extramural funding; numbers in parentheses represent the number of projects.) 

Figures and Tables-2 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
$0 

$5 

$10 

$15 

$20 

$25 

$30 

$35 

Amount (In Millions of U.S.$) 

FIGURE 2: PPB FUNDS BY PROGRAM CATEGORY, SELECT FISCAL YEARS 

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
 

Fiscal Year
 

High Risk Pregnancy Fetal Pathophysiology 

Premature Labor, Birth Disorders of Newborn 

SIDS 

Figures and Tables-3 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
FIGURE 3: PPB-SUPPORTED RESEARCH BY DEPARTMENT, SELECT FISCAL YEARS Amount (In Millions of U.S.$)$35 

$30 

$25 

$20 

$15 

$10 

$5 

$0 

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 

Fiscal Year 

Ob/Gyn Pediatrics Other Clinical Non Clinical 

FIGURE 4: PPB-SUPPORTED RESEARCH BY INVESTIGATOR’S DEGREE, SELECT FISCAL YEARS Number of Investigators 125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

0 

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 

Fiscal Year 

M.D. Ph.D. M.D./Ph.D. Other 

FIGURE 5: PPB-SUPPORTED RESEARCH BY INVESTIGATOR GENDER, SELECT FISCAL YEARS 

200 

Number of Investigators 175 

150 

125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

0 

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 

Male Fiscal Year Female 

Figures and Tables-4 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
 

APPENDIX A: PPB-SUPPORTED CONFERENCES
 

AND WORKSHOPS, 2000-2004 

• 	 Long Term Follow-up of Prenatal Drug Exposure: Advances, Challenges, and Opportunities 

(sponsored by NIDA, NICHD, ORWH), March 23-24, 2004; Rockville, Maryland 

• 	 MLS Advisory Board Meeting, March 25, 2004; Rockville, Maryland 

• 	 Workshop on the Border of Viability, March 4-5, 2004; Rockville, Maryland 

• 	 NICHD-USAID Working Group to Plan the Stakeholders’ Meeting: Improving Maternal 

And Infant Nutrition: Development of a Research Plan, January 26-27, 2004; Rockville, 

Maryland 

• 	 NICHD-AAP Workshop on Research in Neonatology, January 15-16, 2004; Bethesda, 

Maryland 

• 	 The Role of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy on Pregnancy and Infant and Childhood 

Outcomes, November 12-13, 2003; Bethesda, Maryland 

• 	 Placental Measurements Workshop, November 3-4, 2003; Bethesda, Maryland 

• 	 From Bench to Bedside: Preventing Bilirubin-Induced Brain Injury (BIBI) in the Newborn 

and Kernicterus in the 21st Century, July 21-22, 2003; Bethesda, Maryland 

• 	 Role of Genomic Imprinting, Confined Placental Mosaicism, and Uniparental Disomy in 

Fetal Growth and Beyond, May 15-16, 2003; Potomac, Maryland 

• 	 Investigation of Fetal Origins of Adult Health in Twin Cohorts, April 14-15, 2003; Bethesda, 

Maryland 

• 	 MFMU Advisory Board Meeting, March 9, 2003; Rockville, Maryland 

• 	 Fetal and Neonatal Growth and Development, December 15-16, 2002; Baltimore, Maryland 

• 	 PPB Planning Workshop, December 5-6, 2002; Potomac, Maryland 

• 	 The NIH Workshop on Defining the Content of Follow Up Care, June 19-20, 2002; 

Bethesda, Maryland 

• 	 Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Risk for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and SIDS, 

August 6-7, 2001; Bethesda, Maryland 

• 	 The Role of Genetics in the Health Disparity of Premature Birth and LBW Infants, May 4, 

2001; Rockville, Maryland 

• 	 Setting a Research Agenda for Stillbirth, March 26, 2001; Rockville, Maryland 

• 	 SIDS Pathogenesis in the New Millennium, November 29-30, 2000; Rockville, Maryland 

• 	 Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy, September 20-21, 2000; Bethesda, Maryland 

• 	 Maternal-Fetal Surgery Conference, July 16-18, 2000; Bethesda, Maryland 

• 	 From Bronchopulmonary Disease (BPD) to Chronic Lung Disease (CLD): The Evolution of 

a New Disease, Chronic Lung Disease Workshop, May 31-June 2, 2000; Rockville, 

Maryland 

Appendix-1 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
APPENDIX B: BRANCH SOLICITATIONS, 2000-2004 

REQUESTS FOR APPLICATIONS 

• HD-03-018: Research into Mechanisms of Fetal Growth Restriction 

• HD-03-017: Obstetrical-Fetal Pharmacology Research Units 

• 	 HD-03-004: Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Among High-Risk Populations: Relationship 

to SIDS 

• HD-02-025: Research on the Scope and Causes of Stillbirth in the United States 

• HD-02-008: Development of Community Child Health Research 

• 	 HD-01-005: Health Disparity in Preterm Birth: The Role of Infectious and Inflammatory 

Processes 

• HD-00-010: Cooperative Multicenter NRN 

• HD-00-009: Cooperative Multicenter MFMU Network 

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS 

• 	 PA-02-102: The Role of Gene-Environmental Interactions Underlying the Health Disparity 

of Premature Birth (sponsored by the NICHD, NIEHS, and NINR); expiration 

date: January 1, 2005, unless reissued 

• 	 PA-03-135: Women’s Mental Health in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period (sponsored 

by the NIMH, NIDA, and NICHD); expiration date: May 2006, unless reissued 

• 	 PA-04-027: Reducing Preterm and LBW in Minority Families; expiration date: December 5, 

2006, unless reissued 

Appendix-2 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
APPENDIX C: PUBLICATIONS FROM PPB STAFF AND 

PPB-SUPPORTED NETWORKS, 1999-2004 

(PPB staff names appear in bold.) 

SELECTED PPB PORTFOLIO PUBLICATIONS 

Chambliss KL & Shaul PW. (2002). Estrogen modulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. 

Endocrine Reviews, 21:655-686. 

Xiao D, Huang X, Pearce WJ, Longo LD, & Zhang L. (2003). Effect of cortisol on 

norepinephrine-mediated contractions in ovine uterine arteries. American Journal of 

Physiology, 284:1142-H2252. 

Pearce WJ, Williams JM, Chang MM, & Gerthoffer WT. (2003). ERK inhibition attenuates 5-

HT-induced contractions in fetal and adult ovine carotid arteries. Archives and Physiology 

and Biochemistry, 111:36-44. 

Hunter CJ, Blood AB, White CR, Pearce WJ, & Power GG. (2003). Role of NO in hypoxic 

cerebral vasodilatation in the ovine fetus. Journal of Physiology (London), 549:625-33. 

Gilbert RD, Pearce WJ, & Longo LD. (2003). Fetal cardiac and cerebrovascular acclimatization 

responses to high-altitude, long-term hypoxia. High Alt Med Biol, 4:203-13. 

Lin M, Hessinger DA, Pearce WJ, & Longo LD. (2003). Developmental differences in Ca+ 

activated K+ channel activity in ovine basilar artery. Am J Physiol: Heart, Circulation, and 

Physiology, 298:H701-9. 

Mbaku EM, Zhang L, Pearce WJ, Duckles SP, & Buchholz J. (2003). Chronic hypoxia alters the 

function of NOS nerves in cerebral arteries of near-term fetal and adult sheep. J App Physiol, 

94:724-32. 

Limesand SW & Hay, Jr., WW. (2002). Adaptation of ovine fetal pancreatic insulin section to 

chronic hypoglycemia and euglycemic correction. Journal of Physiology, 026:831. 

Konduri GG, Ou J, Shi Y, & Pritchard KA. (2003). Decreased association of Hsp90 impairs 

endothelial NOS in fetal lambs with persistent pulmonary hypertension. Am J Physiol Heart 

Circ Physiol, 285:H204-H211. 

Kim S-J, Cheung CY, Wildness JA, & Brace RA. (2002). Temporal response of plasma 

erythropoietin to hemorrhage in the ovine fetus. J Soc Gynecol Invest, 9:75-79. 

Davis LE, Widness JA, & Brace RA. (In press). Renal and placental secretion of EPO during 

anemia or hypoxia in the ovine fetus. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 

Panigrahy A, Filiano J, Sleeper LA, et al. (2000). Decreased serotonergic receptor binding in 

rhombic lip-derived regions of the medulla oblongata in the SIDS. J Neuropathol Exp 

Neurol, 59:377-384. 

Zec N & Kinney HC. (2001). Anatomic relationships of the human nucleus paragigantocellularis 

lateralis: a DiI labeling study. Autonomic Neurosci, 89:110-24. 

Curran AK, Darnall RA, Filiano JJ, Li AH, & Nattie EE. (2001) Muscimol dialysis in the rostral 

ventral medulla reduced the CO2 response in awake and sleeping piglets. JAP, 90:971-980. 

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Darnall RA, Curran AK, Filiano JJ, Li AH, & Nattie EE. (2001). The effects of a GABA (A) 

agonist in the rostral ventral medulla on sleep and breathing in newborn piglets. Sleep, 

24:514-527. 

BuSha B, Leiter JC, Curran AK, Li AH, Nattie EE, & Darnall RA. (2001). Spontaneous arousals 

during quiet sleep in piglets: a visual and wavelet-based analysis. Sleep, 24:499-513. 

Patel AL, Harris KA, & Thach BT. (2001). Inspired CO2 and O2 in sleeping infants re-breathing 

from bedding: relevance for SIDS. JAP, 91:2537-2545. 

Patel AL, Paluszynska D, Harris KA, &Thach BT. (2003). Occurrence and mechanisms of 

sudden oxygen desaturation in infants who sleep face down. Pediatrics, 111:e328-e332. 

Sridhar R, Thach BT, Kelly DH, & Henselee JA. (2003). Characterization of successful and 

failed autoresuscitation in human infants, including those dying of SIDS. Pediatr Pulmon, 

36:113-122. 

Sahni R, Saluja D, Schulze KF, Kashyap S, Ohira-Kist K, Fifer WP, & Myers MM. (2002). 

Quality of diet, body position, and time after feeding influence behavioral states in LBW 

infants. Pediatr Res, 52:399-404. 

Ye B, Valdivia CR, Ackerman MJ, & Makielski JC. (2003). A common human SCN5A 

polymorphism modifies expression of an arrhythmia causing mutation. Physiol Genomics, 

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Yang X, Wen H, Bobst S, Day M, & Kellems R. (2003). Maternal autoantibodies from 

preeclamptic patients activate angiotensin receptors on human trophoblast cells. J Soc 

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Woods LL, Ingelfinger JR, Nyengaard JR, & Rasch R. (2001). Maternal protein restriction 

suppresses the newborn rennin-angiotensin system and programs adult hypertension in rats. 

Pediatr Res, 49:1-8. 

Woods LL. (2000). Fetal origins of adult hypertension: a renal mechanism? Curr Opin Nephrol 

Hypertension, 9:419-425. 

Handwerger S & Aronow B. (2003). Dynamic changes in gene expression during human 

trophoblast differentiation. Recent Prog Horm Res, 58:263-81. 

Many A, Hubel CA, Fisher SJ, Roberts JM, & Zhou Y. (2000). Invasive cytotrophoblasts 

manifest evidence of oxidative stress in preeclampsia. Am J Pathol, 156:321-31. 

Yang W, Ahn H, Hinrichs M, Torry RJ, & Torry DS. (2003). Evidence of a novel isoform of 

placenta growth factor (PlGF-4) expressed in human trophoblast and endothelial cells. J 

Reprod Immunol, 60:53-60. 

Musicki B, Pepe GJ, Albrecht ED. (2003). Functional differentiation of the placental 

syncytiotrophoblast effect of estrogen on chorionic somatomammotropin expression during 

early primate pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 88:4316-4323. 

Ain R, Tash JS, & Soares MJ. (2003). Prolactin-like protein-A is a functional modulator of NK 

cells at the maternal-fetal interface. Mol Cell Endocrinol, 204:65-74. 

Haluska GJ, Wells TR, Hirst JJ, Brenner RM, Sadowsky DW, & Novy MJ. (2002). Progesterone 

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Gynecol Investig, 9:125-36. 

Oldenhof AD, Shynlova OP, Liu M, Langille BL, & Lye SJ. (2002). Mitogen-activated protein 

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Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 283:C1530-9. 

Wadhwa PD, Garite, TJ, Porto M, Glynn L, Chicz-Demet, A, Dunkel-Schetter C, & Sandman C. 

(In press). Placental CRH, spontaneous preterm birth, and fetal growth restriction: a 

prospective investigation. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 

Elovitz MA, Ascher-Landsberg J, Saunders T, & Phillippe M. (2000). The mechanisms 

underlying the stimulatory effects of thrombin on myometrial smooth muscle. Am J Obstet 

Gynecol, 183:674-681. 

Elovitz MA, Saunders T, Ascher-Landsberg J, & Phillippe M. (2000). Effects of thrombin on 

myometrial contractions in vitro and in vivo. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 183:799-804. 

Maul H, Olson G, Fittkow CT, Saade GR, & Garfield RE. (2003). Cervical LIF in humans 

decreases throughout gestation and before delivery: preliminary observations. Am J Obstet 

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Shah S, Nathan L, Singh R, Fu YS, Chaudhuri G. (2001). E2 and not P4 increases NO release 

from NANC nerves of the gastrointestinal tract: implications in pregnancy. Am J Physiol 

Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 280:R1546-54. 

Lanasa MC, Hogge A, Kubik CJ, Ness RB, Harger J, Nagel T, Prosen T, Markovic N, & 

Hoffman E. (2001). A novel X chromosome-linked genetic cause of recurrent spontaneous 

abortion. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 185:563-68. 

Anand KJS, Hall RW, Desai N, et al. (In press). Effect of morphine analgesia in ventilated 

preterm neonates: primary outcome from the NEOPAIN trial. Lancet. 

Ronzoni S, Marconi A, Paolini C, Teng C, Pardi G, & Battaglia FC. (2002). The effect of a 

maternal infusion of amino acids on umbilical uptake in pregnancies complicated by IUGR. 

Am J Obstet Gynecol, 187:741-6. 

Thaete LG, Dewey ER, & Neerhof MG. (2004). Endothelin and the regulation of uterine and 

placental perfusion in hypoxia-induced fetal growth restriction. J Soc Gynecol Investig, 

11:16-21. 

Clapp, III, JF, Stepanchak W, Hashimoto K, Ehrenberg H, & Lopez B. (2003). The natural 

history of antenatal cords. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 189(2):488-93. 

Sekhon HS, Keller JA, Proskocil BJ, Martin EL, & Spindel ER. (2002). Maternal nicotine 

exposure up-regulates collagen gene expression in fetal monkey lung—association with 

alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Am J Resp Cell Mol Biol, 26:31-42. 

Seidman DS, Moise J, Ergaz Z, Laor A, Vreman HJ, Stevenson DK, & Gale R. (2003). A 

prospective randomized controlled study of phototherapy using blue and blue-green lightemitting devices, and conventional halogen-quartz phototherapy. J Perinatol, Mar;23(2):123-

7. 

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The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Zhang W, Contag PR, Hardy J, Zhao H, Vreman HJ, Hajdena-Dawson M, Wong RJ, Stevenson 

DK, & Contag CH. (2002). Selection of potential therapeutics based on in vivo 

spatiotemporal transcription patterns of heme oxygenase-1. J Mol Med, Oct;80(10):655-64. 

Limesand SW, Regnault TR, & Hay, Jr., WW. (2004). Characterization of glucose transporter 8 

(GLUT8) in the ovine placenta of normal and growth-restricted fetuses. Placenta, 

Jan;25(1):70-7. 

Limesand SW & Hay WW Jr. (2003). Adaptation of ovine fetal pancreatic insulin secretion to 

chronic hypoglycaemia and euglycaemic correction. J Physiol, Feb;15;547(Pt 1):95-105. 

Mulrooney N, Jobe AH, & Ikegami M. (2004). Lung inflammatory responses to intratracheal 

interleukin-1-alpha in ventilated preterm lambs. Pediatr Res, Apr;55(4):682-7. 

Ikegami M, Kallapur SG, & Jobe AH. (2004). Initial responses to ventilation of premature lambs 

exposed to intra-amniotic endotoxin four days before delivery. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol 

Physiol, Mar;286(3):L573-9. 

Jobe AH. (2003). Animal models of antenatal corticosteroids: clinical implications (Review). 

Clin Obstet Gynecol, Mar;46(1):174-89. 

Jobe AH. (2003). Antenatal factors and the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia 

(Review). Semin Neonatol, Feb;8(1):9-17. 

Kramer BW, Jobe AH, & Ikegami M. (2003). Monocyte function in preterm, term, and adult 

sheep. Pediatr Res, Jul;54(1):52-7. 

Jobe AH, Kramer BW, Moss TJ, Newnham JP, & Ikegami M. (2002). Decreased indicators of 

lung injury with continuous positive expiratory pressure in preterm lambs. Pediatr Res, 

Sep;52(3):387-92. 

Anand KJS, Hall RW, Desai NS, Shephard B, Bergqvist LL, Young TE, Boyle EM, Carbajal R, 

Bhutani VK, Moore MB, Kronsberg SS, & Barton BA for the NEOPAIN Trial Investigators 

Group. (2004). Effects of pre-emptive morphine analgesia in ventilated preterm neonates: 

Primary outcomes from the NEOPAIN trial. Lancet, 363:1673-1682. 

CHIME STUDY PUBLICATIONS 

Weese-Mayer DE, Corwin MJ, Peuker MR, DiFiore JM, Hufford DR, Tinsley LR, Neuman MR, 

Martin RJ, Brooks LJ, Ward SLD, Lister GL, Willinger M, & the CHIME Study Group. 

(2000). Comparison of identified apnea identified with respiratory inductance 

plethysmography with that detected by end-tidal CO2 and thermistor. Am J of Resp Crit Care 

Med, 162:471-480. 

Kulp TD, Corwin MJ, Brooks LB, Peucker M, Fabrikant G, Crowell DH, Hoppenbrouwers T, & 

the CHIME Study Group. (2000). The effect of epoch length and smoothing on infant sleep 

and waking state architecture for term infants at 42 to 46 weeks. Sleep, 23:893-899. 

Ramanathan R, Corwin MJ, Hunt CE, Lister G, Tinsley L, Baird L, Silvestri JM, Crowell DH, 

Hufford D, Martin RJ, Neuman M, Weese-Mayer DM, Cupples LA, Peucker M, Willinger 

M, Keens TG, & the CHIME Study Group. (2001). Cardiorespiratory events recorded on 

Appendix-6 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
home monitors: comparison of healthy infants with those at increased risk for SIDS. JAMA, 

285:2199-2207. 

Hunt CE, Durham J, Guess S, Kapuniai LE, Golub H, & the CHIME Study Group. (2001). 

Telephone subsidy is an effective incentive for successful participation in home memory 

monitor study. Archives Ped Adolesc Med, 155:954-959. 

Neuman MR, Watson HL, Mendenhall RS, Zoldak JT, DiFiore JM, Peucker M, Baird TM, 

Crowell DH, Hoppenbrouwers TT, Hufford D, Hunt CE, Corwin MJ, Tinsley LR, WeeseMayer DE, Sackner MA, & the CHIME Study Group. (2001). Cardiopulmonary monitoring 

at home: the CHIME monitor. Physiological Measurement, 22;267-286. 

Zoldak JT, Watson HL, Bolduc DB, DiFiore JM, Mendenhall RS, Peucker M, Neuman MR, & 

the CHIME Study Group. (2001). An electronic simulator for testing infant apnea monitors 

that use realistic physiologic data. Physiological Measurement, 22:N1-N12. 

Ratliff-Schaub K, Hunt CE, Schafer SC, Baird T, Crowell D, Palmer P, Smok-Pearsall S, Bak S, 

Cantey-Kiser J, & the CHIME Study Group. (2001). Relationship between infant sleep 

position and motor development in preterm infants. J Develop Behav Pediatr, 22:293-299. 

Crowell DH, Kulp TD, Kapuniai LE, Hunt CE, Hoppenbrouwers T, Brooks L, Silvestri J, 

Davidson Ward S, Corwin M, Tinsely LR, & the CHIME Study Group. (2002). Infant 

polysomnography: reliability and validity of infant arousal assessment. J Clin Neurophysiol, 

19:649-483. 

Crowell DH, Kapuniai LE, Hoppenbrouwers T, Brooks LJ, Neuman MR, Davidson Ward SL, 

Hunt CE, Weese-Mayer DE, Corwin MJ, Peucker MR, Lister G, Tinsley L, Silvestri JM, 

Willinger M, Pearce JW, & the CHIME Study Group. An Atlas of Infant Polysomnography. 

Parthenon Publishing/CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida: 2003. 

Crowell DH, Tinsley L, Kapuniai L, Wesse-Mayer DE, Silvestri J, DeFiore J, Davidson Ward S, 

Hunt CE, Corwin M, Willinger M, & the CHIME Study Group. (In press). Ontogeny of 

arousal. J Clin Neurophysiol. 

Silvestri JM, Lister G, Corwin MJ, Smok-Pearsall SM, Baird TM, Crowell DH, Cantey-Kiser J, 

Hunt CE, Tinsley L, Palmer PH, Mendenhall R, Hoppenbrouwers TT, Neuman MR, WeeseMayer DE, Willinger M, & the CHIME Study Group. (Revision under review). The 

Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring Evaluation: factors influencing use of a home 

cardiorespiratory monitor for infants. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 

Hunt CE, Baird T, Tinsley L, Palmer P, Ramanathan R, Crowell D, Schafer S, Martin R, Hufford 

DR, Corwin M, Peucker M, Bak S, Weese Mayer DE, Silvestri J, Neuman M, & the CHIME 

Study Group. (Revision under review ). The effect of cardiorespiratory events detected by 

home cardiorespiratory monitoring during infancy on neurodevelopmental outcome at one 

year of age. J Pediatr. 

Appendix-7 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
NISP STUDY PUBLICATIONS 

Willinger M, Ko C-W, Hoffman HJ, Kessler RC, & Corwin MJ. (2000). Factors associated with 

caregivers’ choice of infant sleep position, 1994-1998: the NISP Study. JAMA, 283:2135-

2142. 

Willinger M, Ko C-W, Hoffman HJ, Kessler RC, & Corwin MJ. (2003). Trends in infant bed 

sharing in the United States, 1993-2000. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 157:43-49. 

ICPS PUBLICATIONS 

Corwin MJ, Lesko SM, Heeren T, Vezina RM, Hunt CE, Mandell F, McClain M, & Mitchell 

AA. (2003). Secular changes in sleep position during infancy: 1995-1998. Pediatrics, 

111:52-60. 

Vernacchio L, Corwin MJ, Lesko SM, Vezina RM, Hunt CE, Hoffman HJ, Willinger M, & 

Mitchell AA. (2003). Sleep position of LBW infants. Pediatrics, 111:633-640. 

Hunt CE, Lesko SM, Vezina RM, McCoy RM, Corwin MJ, Mandell F, Willinger M, Hoffman 

HJ, & Mitchell AA. (2003). Effect of infant sleep position on health outcomes. Arch Pediatr 

Adolesc Med, 157:469-474. 

McCoy RC, Hunt CE, Lesko SM, Vezina R, Corwin MJ, Willinger M, & Hoffman HJ. (In 

press). Frequency of bed sharing and its relationship to breastfeeding. J Develop and Behav 

Ped. 

AAIMS PUBLICATIONS 

Randall LL, Krogh C, Welty TK, Willinger M, & Iyasu S. (2001). The Aberdeen Indian Health 

Service Infant Mortality Study: design, methodology, and implementation. Am Indian Alask 

Nat Mental Health J Nat Center, 10:1-20. 

Iyasu S, Randall LL, Welty TK, Hsia J, Kinney HC, Mandell F, McClain M, Randall B, Habbe 

D, & Willinger M. (2002). Risk factors for SIDS among Northern Plains Indians. JAMA, 

288:2717-2723. 

Kinney HC, Randall LL, Sleeper LA, Willinger M, Belliveau RA, Zec N, Rava LA, Dominici L, 

Iyasu S, Randall B, Habbe D, Wilson H, & Welty TK. (2003). Serotinergic brainstem 

abnormalities in Northern Plains Indians with SIDS. J Neuropath Experimental Neurol, 

62:1166-1177. 

CHICAGO INFANT MORTALITY STUDY PUBLICATIONS 

Meny RG, Vreman HJ, Stevenson DK, Hauck FR, Donoghue ER, Smialek JE, Fowler DR, & 

Zielke HR. (2002). Failure to detect elevated levels of carboxyhemoglobin in infants dying 

from SIDS. J Forensic Sci, 47:660-662. 

Appendix-8 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Hack FR, Moore CM, Herman SM, Donovan M, Kalekar M. Christofel KK, Hoffman HJ, & 

Rowley D. (2002). The contribution of prone sleeping position to the racial disparity in 

SIDS: the Chicago Infant Mortality Study. Pediatrics, 110:772-780. 

Hauck FR, Herman SH, Iyasu S, Moore CM, Donoghue E, Kirshner RH, & Willinger M. 

(2003). Sleep environment and the risk of SIDS in an urban population: the Chicago Infant 

Mortality Study. Pediatrics, 111:1207-1214. 

KAISER CALIFORNIA SIDS STUDY PUBLICATIONS 

Li DK, Pettiti DB, Willinger M, Goldman R, Oduili R, Vu H, & Hoffman HJ. (2003). Infant 

sleep position and SIDS risk in California, 1997-2000. Am J Epidemiol, 157:446-455. 

MFMU NETWORK PUBLICATIONS 

Goldenberg RL, Andrews WW, Guerrant RL, Newman M, Mercer B, Iams J, Moawad A, Meis 

P, Das A, Miodovnik M, Menard MK, Caritis S, Thurnau G, Bottoms S, & McNellis D for 

the NICHD MFMU Network. (2000). Cervical lactoferrin concentration, other markers of 

lower genital-tract infection and preterm birth. Am J Obstet, 182(3):631-635. 

Meis PJ, Goldenberg RL, Mercer BM, Iams JD, Moawad AH, Miodovnik M, Menard MK, 

Caritis SN, Thurnau GR, Dombrowski MP, Das A, Roberts JM, McNellis D, & the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2000). Is socioeconomic status a risk factor for bacterial vaginosis in 

black or in white women? Am J Perinatology, 17:41-45. 

Goldenberg RL, Iams JD, Mercer BM, Meis PH, Moawad AH, Miodovnik M, Dombrowski MO, 

Das A, Roberts JM, McNellis D, & the NICHD MFMU Network. (2000). Sequential cervical 

length and FFN testing for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 

182(3):636-643. 

Goldenberg RL, Andrews WW, Mercer B, Iams J, Moawad A, Meis P, Das A, Miodovnik M, 

Menard MK, Caritis S, Thurnau G, Bottoms S, & McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU 

Network. (2000). The Preterm Prediction Study: granulocyte colony stimulating factor and 

spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 182(3):625-630. 

Goldenberg RL & Das A. (2000). FFN and bacterial vaginosis in smokers and non-smokers. Am 

J Obstet Gynecol, 182(1):164-166. 

Sibai BM, Caritis S, Hauth J, Lindheimer M, VanDorsten JP, MacPherson C, Klebanoff M, 

Landon M, Miodovnik M, Paul R, Meis P, & Dombrowski M for the NICHD MFMU 

Network. (2000). Risk of preeclampsia and adverse neonatal outcomes in women with 

pregestational diabetes mellitus. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 182(2):364-370. 

Hogg B, Hauth JC, Meis PJ, Roberts JM, & Meikle S. (2000). Reply to: What is the meaning of 

authorship? Am J Obstet Gynecol, 183(3):775. 

Appendix-9 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
The NICHD MFMU Network Investigators, Goldsmith LT, & Weiss G. (2001). The Preterm 

Prediction Study: maternal serum relaxin, sonographic cervical length and spontaneous 

preterm birth in twins. J Soc Gynecol Investig, 8(1):39-42. 

Alexander JM, Mercer BM, Miodovnik M, Thurnau GR, Goldenberg RL, Das AF, Meis PJ, 

Moawad AH, Iams JD, VanDorsten P, Paul RH, Dombrowski MP, Roberts JM, & McNellis 

D for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2000). The impact of digital cervical examination on 

expectantly managed preterm ruptured membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 183(4):1003-1007. 

Carey JC, Klebanoff MA, Hauth JC, Hillier SL, Thom EA, Ernest JM, Heine RP, Nugent RP, 

Fischer ML, Leveno KJ, Wapner R, Trout W, Moawad A, Sibai BM, Miodovnik M, 

Dombrowski M, O’Sullivan MJ, VanDorsten P, Langer O, & Roberts J for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2000). Metronidazole to prevent preterm birth among asymptomatic 

pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis. N Eng J Med, 342(8):534-540. 

Mercer BM, Goldenberg, RL, Meis PJ, Moawad A, Shellhaas C, Das A, Menard K, Caritis S, 

Thurnau G, Dombrowski MP, Miodovnik M, Roberts JM, & McNellis D for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2000). The Preterm Prediction Study: prediction of preterm premature 

rupture of the membranes through clinical findings and ancillary testing. Am J Obstet 

Gynecol, 183(3):738-745. 

Newman RB, Goldenberg RL, Iams JD, Mercer BM, Meis PJ, Moawad AH, Caritis S, Thurnau 

G, Miodovnik M, Dombrowski MO, Das A, Roberts JM, & McNellis D for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2001). Occupational fatigue and preterm premature rupture of 

membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 184(3):438-446. 

Andrews WW, Goldenberg RL, Mercer BM, Moawad A, Das A, VanDorsten P, Caritis S, 

Thurnau G, Miodovnik M, Roberts JM, & McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2000). The Preterm Prediction Study: association of second trimester genitourinary 

chlamydia infection with subsequent spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 

183(3):662-668. 

Goepfert AR, Mercer BM, Iams J, Meis P, Moawad M, Thom E, VanDorsten JP, Caritis S, 

Thurnau G, Miodovnik M, Dombrowski M, Roberts JM, & McNellis D for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2000). The Preterm Prediction Study: quantitative FFN values and the 

prediction of spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 183(6):1480-1483. 

Goepfert AR, Mercer BM, Iams J, Meis P, Moawad M, Thom E, VanDorsten JP, Caritis S, 

Thurnau G, Miodovnik M, Dombrowski M, Roberts JM, & McNellis D for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2001). The Preterm Prediction Study: association between cervical 

interleukin-6, FFN, and spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 184(3):483-388. 

Goldenberg RL, Klebanoff M, Carey JC, Ernest J, Heine RP, MacPherson C, Leveno KJ, 

Wapner RJ, Varner M, Moawad A, Dombrowski MP, O’Sullivan MJ, VanDorsten PJ, 

Langer O, Roberts JM, & McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2000). Vaginal FFN 

measurements from 8 to 22 weeks’ gestation and subsequent spontaneous preterm birth. Am J 

Obstet Gynecol, 183(2):469-75. 

Iams JD, Goldenberg RL, Mercer BM, Moawad A, Meis PJ, Das A, Caritis S, Miodovnik M, 

Menard MK, Thurnau G, Dombrowski MP, & Roberts JM for the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2001). The Preterm Prediction Study: can low-risk women destined for spontaneous preterm 

birth be identified? Am J Obstet Gynecol, 184(4):652-655. 

Appendix-10 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Branch DW, Porter TF, Rittenhouse L, Caritis S, Sibai B, Hauth J, Lindheimer MD, Klebanoff 

M, MacPherson C, VanDorsten P, Landon M, Paul R , Miodovnik M, Meis PJ, & Thurnau G 

for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2001). Antiphospholipid antibodies in women at risk for 

preeclampsia. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 184(5):825-834. 

Sibai BM, Hauth J, Caritis S, Lindheimer MD, MacPherson C, Klebanoff M, VanDorsten JP, 

Landon M, Miodovnik M, Paul R, Meis P, Thurnau G, Dombrowski M, Roberts J, & 

McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2000). Hypertensive disorders in twin versus 

singleton gestations. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 182(4):938-942. 

Goldenberg RL, Iams JD, Mercer BM, Meis PJ, Moawad A, Das A Miodovnik M, VanDorsten 

PJ, Caritis SN, Thurnau G, & Dombrowski MP for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2001). 

The Preterm Prediction Study: toward a multiple marker test for spontaneous preterm birth. 

Am J Obstet Gynecol, 185(3):643-651. 

Iams JD, Newman RB, Thom EA, Goldenberg RL, Mueller-Heubach E, Moawad A, Sibai BH, 

Caritis SN, Miodovnik M, Paul RH, Dombrowski M, & Thurnau G for the NICHD MFMU 

Network. (2002). Uterine contraction frequency and preterm birth. N Eng J Med, 346(4):250-

255. 

Goldenberg RL, Klebanoff M, Carey JC, & MacPherson C for the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2001). Metronitazole treatment of women with positive FFN test result. Am J Obstet 

Gynecol, 185(2):485-486. 

Sibai B, Caritis S, Hauth J, MacPherson C, VanDorsten J, Klebanoff M, Landon M, Paul R, Meis 

P, Miodovnik M, Dombrowski M, Thurnau G, Moawad A, & Roberts J for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2000). Preterm delivery in women with pregestational diabetes mellitus or 

chronic hypertension relative to women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Am J Obstet 

Gynecol, 183(6):1520-1524. 

Ramsey PS, Tamura T, Goldenberg RL, Mercer BM, Iams JD, Meis PJ, Moawad AH, Das A, 

VanDorsten JP, Caritis SN, Thurnau G, & Miodovnik M for the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2002). The Preterm Prediction Study: elevated cervical ferritin levels at 22-24 weeks’ 

gestation are associated with spontaneous preterm delivery in asymptomatic women. Am J 

Obstet Gynecol, 186(3):458-463. 

Owen J, Yost N, Berghalla V, Thom E, Swain M, Dildy G, Miodovnik M, Langer O, Sibai B, & 

McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2001). Mid-trimester endovaginal sonography 

in women at high risk for spontaneous preterm birth. JAMA, 286(11):1340-1348. 

Moawad A, Goldenberg RL, Mercer B, Meis PJ, Iams, JD, Das A, Caritis SN, Miodovnik M, 

Menard MK, Thurnau GR, Dombrowski M, & Roberts JM for the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2002). The Preterm Prediction Study: the value of serum alkaline phosphatase, alphafetoprotein, and plasma CHR and other serum markers for the prediction of spontaneous 

preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 186(5):990-996. 

Klebanoff MA, Carey JC, Hauth JC, Hillier SL, Nugent RP, Thom EA, Ernest JM, Heine RP, 

Wapner RJ, Trout W, Moawad A, Leveno KJ, Miodovnik M, Sibai BM, VanDorsten JP, 

Dombrowski MP, O'Sullivan MJ, Varner M, Langer O, McNellis D, & Roberts JM for the 

for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2001). Failure of metronidazole to prevent preterm birth 

among asymptomatic pregnant women with Trichomonas Vaginalis. N Eng J Med, 

345(7):487-493. 

Appendix-11 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Wang EY, Woodruff TK, Moawad A, Goldenberg RL, Mercer BM, Iams JD, Meis PJ, 

VanDorsten PJ, Caritis SN, Thurnau G, & Das A for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2002). 

Follistatin-free activin A is not associated with preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 

186(3):464-9. 

Harger JH, Ernest JM, Thurnau GR, Moawad A, Momirova V, McNellis D, Landon MB, Paul R, 

Miodovnik M, Dombrowski M, Sibai B, & VanDorsten P for NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2002). Risk factors and outcome of varicella zoster pneumonia in pregnant women. J 

Infectious Diseases, 15,185(4):422-427. 

Buchbinder A, Sibai B, Caritis S, MacPherson C, Hauth J, Lindheimer M, Klebanoff M, 

VanDorsten P, Landon M, Paul R, Miodovnik M, Meis P, & Thurnau G for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (2002). Adverse perinatal outcomes are significantly higher in severe 

gestational hypertension than in mild preeclampsia. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 186(1):66-71. 

Harger J, Ernest J, Thurnau G, Moawad A, Thom E, Landon M, Paul R, Miodovnik M, 

Dombrowski M, Sibai B, VanDorsten P, & McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2002). Frequency of congenital varicella syndrome in a prospective cohort of 347 pregnant 

women. Obstet Gynecol, 100(2):260-5. 

Hnat MD, Sibai BM, Caritis S, Hauth J, Lindheimer MD, MacPherson C, VanDorsten JP, 

Landon M, Miodovnik M, Paul R, Meis P, Thurnau G, & Dombrowski M. (2002). Perinatal 

outcome in women with recurrent preeclampsia compared with women who develop 

preeclampsia as nulliparas. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 186(3):422-6. 

Schatz M, Dombrowski M, Wise R, Thom EA, Landon M, Mabie W, Newman R, Hauth J, 

Lindheimer M, Caritis S, Leveno K, Meis P, Miodovnik M, Wapner R, Paul R, Verner M, 

O’Sullivan M, Thurnau G, Conway D, & McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU Network. (In 

press). Asthma morbidity during pregnancy can be predicted by asthma severity 

classification. Am J Res and Crit Care Med. 

Berghella V, Klebanoff M, McPherson C, Carey C, Hauth JC, Ernest JM, Heine RP, Wapner R, 

Trout W, Moawad A, Miodovnik M, Leveno K, Sibai B, VanDorsten JP, Dombrowski MP, 

O’Sullivan MJ, Varner M, & Langer O for the NICHD MFMU Network. (2002). Sexual 

intercourse association with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis and Trichomonas vaginalis 

treatment in relationship to preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 187(5):1277-1276. 

Landon MB, Thom E, Spong CY, Gabbe SG, Leindecker S, Johnson F, Lain K, Miodovnik M, 

& Carpenter M. (2002). A planned, randomized clinical trial of treatment for mild GDM. J 

Mat-Fet Neo Med, 11:1-6. 

Hauth J, Carey JC, Klebanoff M, Hillier S, MacPherson C, Ernest JM, Fischer ML, Heine P, 

Nugent R, Wapner RJ, Trout W, Moawad A, Leveno K, Miodovnik M, Sibai B, VanDorsten 

JP, Dombrowski M, O’Sullivan M, Varner M, Langer O, and the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2003). Early pregnancy threshold vaginal pH and gram stain scores predictive of subsequent 

preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 188(3):831-5. 

Andrews WW, Sibai BM, Thom EA, Dudley D, Ernest JM, McNellis D, Leveno KJ, Wapner R, 

Moawad A, O’Sullivan MJ, Caritis SN, Iams JD, Langer O, Miodovnik M, Dombrowski M, 

and the NICHD MFMU Network. (2003). A randomized clinical trial of metronidazole plus 

erythromycin to prevent spontaneous preterm delivery in FFN-positive women. Obstet 

Gynecol, 101:847-855. 

Appendix-12 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Meis P, Klebanoff M, Thom E, Dombrowski M, Sibai S, Moawad A, Spong C, Hauth J, 

Miodovnik M, Varner M, Leveno K, Caritis S, Iams J, Wapner R, Conway D, O’Sullivan M, 

Carpenter M, Mercer B, Ramin S, Thorp J, & Peaceman A for the NICHD MFMU Network. 

(2003). Prevention of recurrent preterm delivery by 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate. 

N Eng J Med, 348:2379-85. 

Newman RB, Johnson F, Das A, Goldenberg RL, Swain M, Moawad A, Sibai BM, Caritis SN, 

Miodovnik M, Paul RH, Dombrowski MP, Collins-Sharp BA, & Fischer M for the NICHD 

MFMU Network. (In press). Uterine contraction frequency before and after successful 

tocolytic therapy for preterm uterine contractions. J Repro Med. 

Schatz M, Dombrowski M, Wise R, Thom EA, Landon M, Mabie W, Newman R, Hauth J, 

Lindheimer M, Caritis S, Leveno K, Meis P, Miodovnik M, Wapner R, Paul R, Verner M, 

O’Sullivan M, Thurnau G, Conway D, & McNellis D for the NICHD MFMU Network. (In 

press). Asthma morbidity during pregnancy can be predicted by asthma severity 

classification. Am J Res and Crit Care Med. 

NRN AND MLS PUBLICATIONS 

Demarini S, Donnelly MM, Hoath SB, Specker BL, Dollberg S, Ho M, & Donovan EF. (1999). 

Antenatal corticosteroids increase neonatal blood pressure in VLBW infants. J Perinatology, 

19(6):419-425. 

Donovan EF, Tyson JE, Ehrenkranz RA, Verter J, Wright LL, Korones SB, Bauer CR, 

Shankaran S, Stoll BJ, Fanaroff AF, Oh W, Lemons JA, Stevenson DK, & Papile LA. 

(1999). Inaccuracy of the new Ballard Score before 28 weeks’ gestation. J Pediatr, 135:147-

52. 

ElSohly MA, Stanford DF, Murphy TP, Lester BM, Walls HC, Wright LL, Smeriglio VL, 

Verter J, Bauer CR, Shankaran S, & Bada HS. (1999). Immunoassay and GC/MS procedures 

for the analysis of drugs of abuse in meconium. J Anal Toxicol, 23:436-45. 

Ehrenkranz RA, Younes N, Lemons JA, Fanaroff AA, Donovan EF, Wright LL, Katsikiotis V, 

Verter J, Tyson JE, Oh W, Shankaran S, Bauer CR, Korones SB, Stoll BJ, Stevenson DK, & 

Papile LA. (1999). Longitudinal growth of hospitalized VLBW infants. Pediatrics, 104:280-

9. 

McCain GC, Donovan EF, & Gartside P. (1999). Preterm infant behavioral and heart rate 

responses to antenatal phenobarbital. Res Nurs Health, 22:461-70. 

Sokol GM, Van Meurs KP, Wright LL, Rivera O, Thorn WJ, Chu P, & Sams RL. (1999). 

NICHD NRN, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): nitrogen dioxide 

formation during inhaled NO therapy. Clin Chem, 45(3):382-7. 

Stoll BJ, Temprosa M, Tyson JE, Papile LA, Wright LL, Bauer CR, Donovan EF, Korones SB, 

Lemons JA, Fanaroff AA, Stevenson DK, Oh W, Ehrenkranz RA, Shankaran S, & Verter J. 

(1999). Infectious complications among VLBW patients enrolled in the NICHD 

dexamethasone trial. Pediatrics, 104:e63. 

Appendix-13 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Tyson JE, Wright LL, Oh W, Kennedy KA, Mele L, Ehrenkranz RA, Stoll BJ, Lemons JA, 

Stevenson DK, Bauer CR, Korones SB, Fanaroff AA, Donovan EF, Carlo WA, Shankaran S, 

Stark AR, Papile L, Jobe A, Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis M, & Verter J for the NICHD NRN. 

(1999). A multicenter randomized trial of vitamin A supplementation for ELBW infants. N 

Eng J Med, 340:1962-8. 

Neonatal Inhaled NO Study Group. (2000). Inhaled NO and hypoxic respiratory failure in nearterm infants: neurodevelopmental follow-up at 18-24 months. J Pediatr, 136:611-7. 

Stevenson DK, Verter J, Fanaroff AA, Oh W, Ehrenkranz RA, Shankaran S, et al. (2000). Sex 

differences in outcomes of VLBW infants: the newborn male disadvantage. Arch Dis Child 

Fetal Neonatal, 83(3):F182-F185. 

Vohr BR, Wright LL, Dusick AM, Mele L, Verter J, Steichen JJ, Simon NP, Wilson DC, 

Broyles S, Bauer CR, Delaney-Black V, Yolton KA, Fleisher BE, Papile L, & Kaplan MD. 

(2000). Neurodevelopmental and functional outcome of ELBW infants: the NICHD NRN 

Follow-up Study. Pediatrics, 105:1216-1226. 

Walsh-Sukys MC, Fanaroff AA, Bauer CR, Korones SB, Stevenson DK, Tyson JE, Verter J, 

Wright LL, Stoll BJ, Lemons JA, Papile LA, Donovan EF, Shankaran S, Oh W, & 

Ehrenkranz RA for the NICHD NRN. (2000). Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the 

newborn (PPHN) in the era before NO: practice variation and outcomes. Pediatrics, 105:14-

20. 

The STOP-ROP Multicenter Study Group. (2000). Therapeutic Oxygen for Prethreshold 

Retinopathy of Prematurity (STOP-ROP), a randomized, controlled trial: primary outcomes. 

Pediatrics, 105(2):295-310. 

Hintz SR, Gaylord TD, Oh W, Fanaroff AA, Mele L, & Stevenson DK for the NICHD NRN. 

(2001). Serum bilirubin levels at 72 hours by selected characteristics in breast and formulafed term infants delivered by cesarean section. Acta Paediatr, 90:776-781. 

Lemons JA, Bauer CR, Oh W, Korones SB, Papile L, Stoll BJ, VerterJ, Temprosa M, Wright 

LL, Ehrenkranz RA, Fanaroff AA, Stark AR, Carlo WA, Tyson JE, Donovan EF, Shankaran 

S, & Stevenson DK. (2001). VLBW outcomes of the NICHD NRN, January 1995 through 

December 1996. Pediatrics, 107:e1. 

Lester BM, ElSohly M, Walls HC, Wright LL, Smeriglio VL, Verter J, Bauer CR, Shankaran S, 

Bada HS, Finnegan L, & Maza PL. (2001). The MLS: drug use by meconium toxicology and 

maternal self-report. Pediatrics, 107:309-17. 

Ohls RK, Ehrenkranz RA, Lemons JA, Korones SB, Stoll BJ, Stark AR, Wright LL, Shankaran 

S, Donovan EF, & Zimmerman N. (2001). Effects of early EPO therapy on the transfusion 

requirements of preterm infants below 1,250 grams birth weight: a multicenter, randomized, 

controlled trial. Pediatrics, 108:934-42. 

Schmidt, B, Davis, P, Moddemann, D, Ohlsson A, Roberts, RS, Saigal S, Solimano A, Vincer M, 

Wright LL, and the TIPP Investigators. (2001). Effects of prophylactic indomethacin on 

survival without sensory impairments in ELBW infants. N Engl J Med, 344:1966-72. 

Sokol GM, Fineberg, NS, Wright LL, & Ehrenkranz RA. (2001). Changes in arterial oxygen 

tension when weaning neonates from inhaled NO. Pediatric Pulmonol, 32:14-9. 

Appendix-14 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
Stark AR, Carlo WA, Tyson JE, Papile L-A, Wright LL, Shankaran S, Donovan EF, Oh W, 

Bauer CR, Saha S, Poole WK, Stoll BJ, Fanaroff AA, Ehrenkranz RA, Korones SB, & 

Stevenson DK for the NICHD NRN. (2001). Adverse effects of early dexamethasone in 

ELBW infants. N Engl J Med, 344:95-101. 

Andreozzi L, Flanagan P, Seifer R, Brunner S, & Lester B. (2002). Attachment classifications 

among 18-month-old children of adolescent mothers (MLS ancillary). Arch Pediatr Adolesc 

Med, 156(1):20-6. 

Bada HS, Bauer CR, Shankaran S, Lester B, Wright LL, Das A, Verter J, Smeriglio VL, 

Finnegan LP, & Maza PL. (2002). Central and autonomic nervous systems (CNS/ANS) signs 

associated with in utero exposure to cocaine/opiates. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal, 

87(2):F106-12. 

Bada HS, Das A, Bauer CR, Shankaran S, Lester B, Wright LL, Verter J, Smeriglio VL, 

Finnegan L, & Maza P. (2002). Intrauterine growth of infants exposed to cocaine and/or 

opiates in utero: Maternal Lifestyle Study. Obstet Gynecol, 100(5):916-24. 

Bauer CR, Shankaran S, Bada HS, Lester BM, Wright LL, Krause-Steinrauf H, Smeriglio VL, 

Finnegan LP, Maza PL, & Verter J. (2002). The MLS: drug exposure during pregnancy and 

short-term maternal outcomes. Amer J Obstet Gynecol, 186:487-495. 

Carlo WA, Stark AR, Wright LL, Tyson JE, Papile LA, Shankaran A, Donovan EF, Oh W, 

Bauer CR, Saha S, Poole WK, & Stoll B for the NICHD NRN. (2002). Minimal ventilation 

to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in ELBW infants. J Pediatr, 141(3):370-4. 

Lester BM, Tronick EZ, LaGasse L, Seifer R, Bauer CR, Shankaran S, Bada HS, Wright LL, 

Smeriglio VL, Lu J, Finnegan LP, & Maza PL. (2002). The MLS: effects of substance 

exposure during pregnancy on neurodevelopmental outcome in one-month old infants. 

Pediatrics, 110(6):1182-92. 

Schmidt B, Wright, LL, Davis, P, Solimano, A, & Roberts RS. (2002). Ibuprofen prophylaxis in 

preterm neonates. Lancet, 360(9331):492. 

Shankaran S, Papile, L, Wright, LL, Ehrenkranz RA, Mele L, Lemons JA, Korones SB, 

Stevenson DK, Donovan EF, Stoll BJ, Fanaroff AA, Oh W, & Verter J. (2002). 

Neurodevelopmental outcome following antenatal phenobarbital exposure in a multicenter 

randomized trial. Amer J Obstet and Gynecol, 187(1):171-7 

Shankaran S, Laptook AR, Wright LL, Ehrenkranz RA, Donovan EF, Fanaroff AA, Stark AR, 

Tyson JE, Poole WK, Carlo WA, Lemons JA, Oh W, Stoll BJ, Papile LA, Bauer C, 

Stevenson DK, Korones SB, & McDonald S. (2002). Whole-body hypothermia for hypoxicischemic encephalopathy: animal observations as a basis for a randomized controlled pilot 

study in term infants. Pediatrics, 110:377-85. 

Shankaran, S, Fanaroff, AA, Wright, LL, Stevenson DK, Donovan, EF, Ehrenkranz RA, 

Langer, JC, Korones, SB, Stoll, BJ, Tyson, JE, Bauer, CR, Lemons, JA, Oh W, & Papile LA. 

(2002). Risk factors for early death among ELBW infants. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 186(4):796-

802. 

Stoll BJ, Hanson N, Fanaroff AA, Wright LL, Carlo WA, Ehrenkranz RA, Lemons JA, 

Donovan EF, Stark AR, Tyson JE, Oh W, Bauer CR, Korones SB, Shankaran S, Laptook 

AR, Stevenson DK, Papile LA, & Poole WK. (2002). A worrisome change in pathogen 

Appendix-15 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
distribution among VLBW neonates with early-onset sepsis: the experience of the NICHD 

NRN. N Engl J Med, 347(4):240-7. 

Stoll BJ, Hanson N, Fanaroff AA, Wright LL, Carlo WA, Ehrenkranz RA, Lemons JA, 

Donovan EF, Stark AR, Tyson JE, Oh W, Bauer CR, Korones SB, Shankaran S, Laptook 

AR, Stevenson DK, Papile LA, & Poole WK. (2002). Late-onset sepsis in VLBW neonates: 

the experience of the NICHD NRN. Pediatrics, 110(2 Pt 1):285-91. 

Wright, LL. (2001). How to develop and manage a successful research network. Semin Pediatr 

Surg, 11(3):175-80. 

Dusick AM, Poindexter BB, Ehrenkranz RA, & Lemons JA. (2003). Growth failure in the 

preterm infant: can we catch up? Semin Perinatol, 27(4):302-10.Ehrenkranz RA & Wright 

LL. (2003). NICHD NRN: contributions and future challenges. Semin Perinatol, 27(4):264-

80. 

Fanaroff AA, Hack M, & Walsh MC. (2003). The NICHD NRN: changes in practice and 

outcomes during the first 15 years. Semin Perinatol, 27(4):281-7. 

LaGasse LL, Messinger D, Lester BM, Seifer R, Tronick, EZ, Bauer CR, Shankaran S, Bada HS, 

Wright LL, Smeriglio VL, Finnegan LP, Maza PL, & Liu J. (2003). Prenatal drug exposure 

and maternal and infant feeding behavior. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed, 88(5):F391-

F399. 

Lester BM, Lagasse L, Seifer R, Tronick EZ, Bauer CR, Shankaran S, Bada HS, Wright LL, 

Smeriglio VL, Liu J, Finnegan LP, & Maza PL. (2003). The MLS: effects of prenatal cocaine 

and/or opiate exposure on auditory brain response at one month. Pediatrics, 142(3):279-85. 

Oh W, Tyson JE, Fanaroff AA, Vohr BR, Perritt R, Stoll BJ, Ehrenkranz RA, Carlo, WA, 

Shankaran S, Poole WK, & Wright LL. (2003). Association between peak serum bilirubin 

and neurodevelopmental outcomes in ELBW infants. Pediatrics, 112(4):773-9. 

Poindexter BB, Ehrenkranz RA, Stoll BJ, Koch MA, Wright LL, Oh W, Papile LA, Bauer CR, 

Carlo WA, Donovan EF, Fanaroff AA, Korones SB, Laptook AR, Shankaran S, Stevenson 

DK, Tyson JE, & Lemons JA. (2003). Effect of parenteral glutamine supplementation on 

plasma amino acid concentrations in ELBW infants. Am J Clin Nutr, 77(3):737-43. 

Shankaran S, Bauer CR, Bada HS, Lester B, Wright LL, & Das A. (2003). Health care 

utilization among mothers and infants following cocaine exposure. J Perinatol, 23(5):361-

367. 

Shankaran S & Laptook A. (2003). Challenge of conducting trials of neuroprotection in the 

asphyxiated term infant. Semin Perinatol, 27(4):320-32. 

Sokol GM & Ehrenkranz RA. (2003). Inhaled NO therapy in neonatal hypoxic respiratory 

failure: insights beyond primary outcomes. Semin Perinatol, 27(4):311-9.St John EB & Carlo 

WA. (2003). Respiratory distress syndrome in VLBW infants: changes in management and 

outcomes observed by the NICHD NRN. Semin Perinatol, 27(4):288-92. 

Stoll BJ & Hansen N. (2003). Infections in VLBW infants: studies from the NICHD NRN. Semin 

Perinatol, 27(4):293-301. 

Strand M & Jobe AH. (2003). The multiple negative randomized controlled trials in 

perinatology—why? Semin Perinatol, 27(4):343-50. 

Appendix-16 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
 

 

 

Vohr BR, O’Shea M, & Wright LL. (2003). Longitudinal multicenter follow-up of high-risk 

infants: why, who, when, and what to assess. Semin Perinatol, 27(4):333-42. 

Wadhawan R, Vohr BR, Fanaroff AA, Perritt RL, Duara S, Stoll BJ, Goldberg R, Laptook A, 

Poole K, Wright LL, & Oh W. (2003). Does labor influence neonatal and 

neurodevelopmental outcomes of ELBW infants who are born by cesarean delivery? Am J 

Obstet Gynecol, 189(2):501-6. 

Castro L, Yolton K, Haberman B, Roberto N, Hansen NS, Ambalavanan N, Vohr BR, & 

Donovan EF. (In press). Bias in reported neurodevelopmental outcomes among ELBW 

survivors. Pediatrics. 

Das A, Poole WK, & Bada HS. (In press). A repeated measures approach for simultaneous 

modeling of multiple neurobehavioral outcomes in newborns exposed to cocaine in utero. 

Am J Epidemiology. 

Konduri G, Solimano A, Sokol GM, Singer J, Ehrenkranz RA, Singhal N, Wright LL, 

VanMeurs K, Stork E, Kirpalani H, & Peliowski A for the Neonatal Inhaled NO Study 

Group. (In press). A randomized trial of early versus standard inhaled NO therapy in term 

and near-term newborn infants with hypoxic respiratory failure. Pediatrics. 

Messinger DS, Bauer CR, Das A, Seifer R, Lester BM, LaGasse LL, Wright LL, Shankaran S, 

Bada HS, Smeriglio VL, Langer JC, & Poole WK. (In press). The MLS: cognitive, motor, and 

behavioral outcomes of cocaine-exposed and opiate-exposed infants through three years of 

age. Pediatrics. 

Poindexter BB, Ehrenkranz RA, Stoll BJ, Wright LL, Poole WK, Oh W, Bauer CR, Papile L, 

Tyson JE, Carlo WA, Laptook AR, Narendran V, Stevenson DK, Fanaroff AA, Korones SB, 

Shankaran S, Finer NN, & Lemons JA. (In press). Parenteral glutamine supplementation does 

not reduce the risk of mortality or late-onset sepsis in ELBW infants. Pediatrics. 

Seifer R, LaGasse LL, Lester B, Bauer DR, Shankaran S, Bada HS, Wright LL, Smeriglio VL, 

& Liu J. (In press). Attachment status in children prenatally exposed to cocaine and other 

substances. Child Development. 

Stoll BJ, Hansen N, Fanaroff AA, & Lemons JA. (In press). Enterobacter Sakazakii is a rare 

cause of neonatal sepsis/meningitis in VLBW infants. Journal of Pediatrics. 

Stoll BJ, Hansen N, Fanaroff AA, Wright LL, Carlo WA, Ehrenkranz RA, Lemons JA, 

Donovan EF, Stark AR, Tyson JE, Oh W, Bauer CR, Korones SB, Shankaran S, Laptook 

AR, Stevenson DK, Papile L, & Poole WK. (In press). To tap or not to tap: high likelihood of 

meningitis without sepsis among VLBW infants. Pediatrics. 

Vohr BR, Wright LL, Dusick AM, Perritt R, Poole WK, Delaney-Black V, Yolton K, Broyles 

S, Tyson JE, Steichen JJ, Bauer CR, Fleisher BE, Papile LA, Wilson DC, Simon NP, & 

Kaplan MD for the NICHD NRN. (In press). Site differences and outcomes of ELBW 

infants. Pediatrics. 

Please note that Don McNellis, Susie meikle, and Linda Wright (names in bold above) are no longer PPB personnel, 

but were part of the Branch when the above papers were published. 

Appendix-17 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
APPENDIX D: PPB PERSONNEL
 

Nancy Chescheir, M.D., is board certified in maternal-fetal medicine and an 

obstetrician/gynecologist. She joined the Branch in January 2003 on an interpersonal agreement 

with the University of North Carolina to be the program scientist for the MOMS trial. Dr. 

Chescheir is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the director of the Fetal Therapy and 

Surgery Program at the University of North Carolina. She is nationally recognized in the area of 

fetal surgery. 

Rosemary D. Higgins, M.D., is a board-certified neonatologist, who joined the Branch in 

January 2003. She is the program scientist for the NICHD NRN and MLS. Prior to joining the 

Branch, she held faculty positions at New York University Medical Center and at Georgetown 

University. Dr. Higgins is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research, is the NICHD liaison 

for the DHHS Interagency Coordinating Council on LBW and Preterm Birth and Disparities 

Subcommittee, and is a fellow of the AAP. Dr. Higgins’ area of expertise is retinopathy of 

prematurity. 

John V. Ilekis Ph.D., joined the Branch in June 1999. He holds a Ph.D. in biology with 

specialization in molecular biology. Prior to joining the PPB, Dr. Ilekis was a research assistant 

professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Illinois, Chicago. 

Dr. Ilekis’ area of research focuses on understanding the molecular regulation of growth-factor 

receptors in reproductive tissues. His scientific responsibilities include managing basic research 

grants on: the physiology and biochemistry of the placenta, uterus, and cervix; preeclampsia and 

preterm birth; and psychosocial stressors and their physiological effects on pregnancy. 

Susan Pagliaro joined the Branch in November 2001. She previously worked as program 

coordinator in the private sector in the area of adolescent health care. Ms. Pagliaro earned her 

bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts. Her organizational 

skills and interest in clinical trials led her to the NIH, where she serves as the network 

coordinator of the MFMU Network and the Maternal-Fetal Surgery Network. In 2003, 

Ms. Pagliaro received an NIH Merit Award for “Superior commitment, dedication, and 

accomplishment to the NICHD’s MFMU Network.” 

Tonse Raju M.D., D.C.H., F.A.A.P., is a board-certified neonatologist, who joined the PPB in 

June 2002. Prior to joining the Branch, he was professor of pediatrics and associate director of 

the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His research background 

includes neonatal intensive care topics, pulmonary surfactant, bilirubin, non-invasive monitoring, 

neurological problems, neuronal protection, long-term learning and memory functions, and metaanalysis and systematic reviews. He is the program scientist and medical officer for a portfolio 

of neonatal research grants (R01, R03, R21); training grants (T32, K, and F); and Small Business 

Innovative Research/Small Business Technology Transfer programs administered through the 

Branch; he is also the project officer for the CNRG contract. Dr. Raju is the NICHD liaison for 

the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn, is a fellow of the AAP, and holds membership in 

the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Osler Society, 

Appendix-18 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.
and the American Association for the History of Medicine. He also serves as the associate editor 

for the Journal of Investigative Medicine. 

Uma M. Reddy, M.D., M.P.H., joined the Branch in September 2003. Board certified in 

obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical 

Scholar and received her master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Reddy 

manages translational and clinical research grants in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine and 

serves as program scientist for the SCRN. Prior to joining the Branch, Dr. Reddy was on the 

faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and in the maternal-fetal medicine 

division at York Hospital, Pennsylvania. Dr. Reddy has published in peer-reviewed journals on 

clinical and laboratory obstetrics. 

Diane Scholl joined the Branch in 1999, after a leave of absence from NICHD. Previously, 

Ms. Scholl worked at the NICHD as a program assistant for the director of the Centers for 

Research for Mothers and Children, and as a budget assistant in the Office of Financial 

Management. She began her career in 1978, at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health 

of the U.S. Public Health Service. Ms. Scholl’s illustration appeared on the cover of the 

Branch’s last report to the NACHHD Council in 2000. 

Catherine Spong, M.D., joined the Branch in January 2000 and is board certified in maternalfetal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Spong is the program scientist for the MFMU 

Network and has been Branch chief since January 2001. She is an associate professor of 

obstetrics and gynecology at Georgetown University and associate editor of Obstetrics & 

Gynecology and William’s Obstetrics. Dr. Spong is the NICHD liaison for the ACOG 

Committee on Obstetric Practice, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Executive Board, and 

the Liaison Committee of Obstetrician/Gynecologists. She is a fellow of ACOG and a member 

of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, the 

Society for Neuroscience, and the Perinatal Research Society. Dr. Spong is also the federal cochair of the Pregnancy and the Infant Working Group for the National Children’s Study. 

Marian Willinger, Ph.D., is the NICHD special assistant for SIDS, responsible for the direction 

of the Institute’s SIDS research program, which has included the development of the third, fiveyear research plan. She also serves as an expert on SIDS within the U.S. Public Health Service. 

Dr. Willinger is a program scientist for the CHIME Study, the PASS Network, the CCHN 

Network, and the SCRN. She also recently completed contracts to support SIDS epidemiological 

studies. Dr. Willinger has been involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of 

the Back to Sleep campaign and serves as a consultant to the AAP Task Force on Infant 

Positioning and SIDS. Over the last five years, Dr. Willinger has participated in NIH- and 

government-wide activities, including the Advisory Board of the National Center on Sleep 

Disorders Research and the Interdisciplinary Research Workgroup of the NIH Roadmap. She is 

also federal co-chair of the Pregnancy and the Infant Working Group for the National Children’s 

Study. 

Appendix-19 

The information in this document is no longer current. It is intended for reference only.