Predictive Role of Urinary Metabolic Profile for Abnormal MRI Score in Preterm Neonates

Urinary Lactate-To-Creatinine Ratio during the First Days of Life Correlates with the Degree of Brain Damage in Premature Infants

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to assess the association between the urinary lactate-to-creatinine ratio (ULCR) and brain spectroscopy (1H-MRS) findings in very low gestational age (VLGA) infants with and without preterm brain injury.

METHODS

Urine samples were collected from 54 VLGA infants during the first week of life, after 1 month of life, and at term-equivalent age (TEA). Urinary lactate was measured via highly selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with a quantitative organic acid analysis kit and expressed as the ULCR. Magnetic resonance imaging and 1H-MRS were performed at TEA. The Kidokoro grading system was used to assess the Global Brain Abnormality Score (GBAS).

RESULTS

VLGA infants with a GBAS moderate + severe had higher ULCRs on the 2nd and 3rd days of life (DOLs) than those with a GBAS normal or mild. Only the GBAS moderate + severe subgroup presented with a secondary increase in the ULCR on the 3rd DOL, whereas in the GBAS normal or mild, the ULCR oscillated around similar values or gradually decreased. Significant positive correlations were detected between the ULCR on the 3rd DOL and the lactate/creatinine and lactate/N-acetyl aspartate ratios measured via 1H-MRS at TEA (r = 0.308; p = 0.022 and r = 0.334; p = 0.013, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

An increased ULCR during the first 3 DOLs in patients with a GBAS moderate + severe suggest an energy catastrophe that may play a role in the development of premature brain injury. Serial measurement of the ULCR during the first DOLs may help in the early identification of premature infants at risk for moderate + severe brain damage.

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to assess the association between the urinary lactate-to-creatinine ratio (ULCR) and brain spectroscopy (1H-MRS) findings in very low gestational age (VLGA) infants with and without preterm brain injury.

METHODS

Urine samples were collected from 54 VLGA infants during the first week of life, after 1 month of life, and at term-equivalent age (TEA). Urinary lactate was measured via highly selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with a quantitative organic acid analysis kit and expressed as the ULCR. Magnetic resonance imaging and 1H-MRS were performed at TEA. The Kidokoro grading system was used to assess the Global Brain Abnormality Score (GBAS).

RESULTS

VLGA infants with a GBAS moderate + severe had higher ULCRs on the 2nd and 3rd days of life (DOLs) than those with a GBAS normal or mild. Only the GBAS moderate + severe subgroup presented with a secondary increase in the ULCR on the 3rd DOL, whereas in the GBAS normal or mild, the ULCR oscillated around similar values or gradually decreased. Significant positive correlations were detected between the ULCR on the 3rd DOL and the lactate/creatinine and lactate/N-acetyl aspartate ratios measured via 1H-MRS at TEA (r = 0.308; p = 0.022 and r = 0.334; p = 0.013, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

An increased ULCR during the first 3 DOLs in patients with a GBAS moderate + severe suggest an energy catastrophe that may play a role in the development of premature brain injury. Serial measurement of the ULCR during the first DOLs may help in the early identification of premature infants at risk for moderate + severe brain damage.

Study of the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with the onset and course of neurodevelopmental disorders in preterm infants (the PeriSTRESS-PremTEA study): Rationale, objectives, design and sample description

BACKGROUND

There are few studies exploring the pathophysiological pathways that may condition differentially the emergence/course of neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) in very preterm and extremely preterm newborns (VPTN/EPTN). Furthermore, there are no established biological markers predictive of ND in this population. The aim of this study is four-fold: in two cohorts of VPTN/EPTN (i) to characterize the emergence/course of ND up to corrected-age 6 years, (ii) to identify those factors (from prenatal stages up to age 6 years) that explain the interindividual differences related to emergence/course of ND, (iii) to identify in the first hours/days of life a urinary metabolomic biomarker profile predictive of ND, and (iv) to determine longitudinally variations in DNA methylation patterns predictive of ND.

METHODS

Observational, longitudinal, prospective, six-year follow-up, multicentre collaborative study. Two cohorts are being recruited: the PeriSTRESS-Valencia-cohort (n=26 VPTN, 18 EPTN, and 122 born-at-term controls), and the PremTEA-Madrid-cohort (n=49 EPTN and n=29 controls).

RESULTS

We describe the rationale, objectives and design of the PeriSTRESS-PremTEA project and show a description at birth of the recruited samples.

CONCLUSIONS

The PeriSTRESS-PremTEA project could help improve early identification of clinical, environmental and biological variables involved in the physiopathology of ND in VPTN/EPTN. It could also help to improve the early identification of non-invasive ND biomarkers in this population. This may allow early ND detection as well as early and personalised intervention for these children.

Pharmacological Neuroprotection of the Preterm Brain: Current Evidence and Perspectives

Despite improvements in viability, the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm babies remain serious concern as a significant percentage of these infants develop neurological and/or intellectual impairment, and they are also at increased risk of psychiatric illnesses later in life. The current challenge is to develop neuroprotective approaches to improve adverse outcomes in preterm survivors. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of the current evidence on pharmacological agents targeting the neuroprotection of the preterm brain. Among them, magnesium sulfate, given antenatally to pregnant women with imminent preterm birth before 30 to 34 weeks of gestation, as well as caffeine administered to preterm infants after birth, exhibited neuroprotective effects for human preterm brain. Erythropoietin treatment of preterm infants did not result in neuroprotection at 2 years of age in two out of three published large randomized controlled trials; however, long-term follow-up of these infants is needed to come to definite conclusions. Further studies are also required to assess whether melatonin, neurosteroids, inhaled nitric oxide, allopurinol, or dietary supplements (omega-3 fatty acids, choline, curcumin, etc.) could be implemented as neuroprotectants in clinical practice. Furthermore, other pharmacological agents showing promising signs of neuroprotective efficacy in preclinical studies (growth factors, hyaluronidase inhibitors or treatment, antidiabetic drugs, cannabidiol, histamine-H3 receptor antagonists, etc.), as well as stem cell- or exosomal-based therapies and nanomedicine, may prove useful in the future as potential neuroprotective approaches for human preterm brain. KEY POINTS: · Magnesium and caffeine have neuroprotective effects for the preterm brain.. · Follow-up of infants treated with erythropoietin is needed.. · Neuroprotective efficacy of several drugs in animals needs to be shown in humans..

A Longitudinal 1H NMR-Based Metabolic Profile Analysis of Urine from Hospitalized Premature Newborns Receiving Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition

Preterm newborns are extremely vulnerable to morbidities, complications, and death. Preterm birth is a global public health problem due to its socioeconomic burden. Nurturing preterm newborns is a critical medical issue because they have limited nutrient stores and it is difficult to establish enteral feeding, which leads to inadequate growth frequently associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Parenteral nutrition (PN) provides nutrients to preterm newborns, but its biochemical effects are not completely known. To study the effect of PN treatment on preterm newborns, an untargeted metabolomic ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) assay was performed on 107 urine samples from 34 hospitalized patients. Multivariate data (Principal Component Analysis, PCA, Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis OPLS-DA, parallel factor analysis PARAFAC-2) and univariate analyses were used to identify the association of specific spectral data with different nutritional types (NTs) and gestational ages. Our results revealed changes in the metabolic profile related to the NT, with the tricarboxylic acid cycle and galactose metabolic pathways being the most impacted pathways. Low citrate and succinate levels, despite higher glucose relative urinary concentrations, seem to constitute the metabolic profile found in the studied critically ill preterm newborns who received PN, indicating an energetic dysfunction that must be taken into account for better nutritional management.

Metabolomic Profile of Young Adults Born Preterm

Prematurity is a risk factor for the development of chronic adult diseases. Metabolomics can correlate the biochemical changes to a determined phenotype, obtaining real information about the state of health of a subject at that precise moment. Significative differences in the metabolomic profile of preterm newborns compared to those born at term have been already identified at birth. An observational case–control study was performed at the University Hospital of Siena. The aim was to evaluate and compare the metabolomic profiles of young adults born preterm to those born at term. Urinary samples were collected from 67 young adults (18–23 years old) born preterm (mean gestational age of 30 weeks, n = 49), and at term of pregnancy (mean gestational age of 38 weeks, n = 18). The urinary spectra of young adults born preterm was different from those born at term and resembled what was previously described at birth. The Random Forest algorithm gave the best classification (accuracy 82%) and indicated the following metabolites as responsible for the classification: citrate, CH2 creatinine, fumarate and hippurate. Urine spectra are promising tools for the early identification of neonates at risk of disease in adulthood and may provide insight into the pathogenesis and effects of fetal programming and infants’ outcomes.

Precision Medicine in Neonates: A Tailored Approach to Neonatal Brain Injury

Despite advances in neonatal care to prevent neonatal brain injury and neurodevelopmental impairment, predicting long-term outcome in neonates at risk for brain injury remains difficult. Early prognosis is currently based on cranial ultrasound (CUS), MRI, EEG, NIRS, and/or general movements assessed at specific ages, and predicting outcome in an individual (precision medicine) is not yet possible. New algorithms based on large databases and machine learning applied to clinical, neuromonitoring, and neuroimaging data and genetic analysis and assays measuring multiple biomarkers (omics) can fulfill the needs of modern neonatology. A synergy of all these techniques and the use of automatic quantitative analysis might give clinicians the possibility to provide patient-targeted decision-making for individualized diagnosis, therapy, and outcome prediction. This review will first focus on common neonatal neurological diseases, associated risk factors, and most common treatments. After that, we will discuss how precision medicine and machine learning (ML) approaches could change the future of prediction and prognosis in this field.

Newborn metabolomic profile mirrors that of mother in pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy is characterized by multiple metabolic processes to allow proper foetal development and ensure adequate stores. Little is known about the interactions between maternal and foetal metabolism during the last phase of pregnancy. Metabolomic offers potential to discover changes in maternal metabolism in pregnancy and their relation to the newborn metabolic status.

OBJECTIVE

In this study we tested the hypothesis that metabolomic status in newborns at birth depends upon the metabolomic profile of their mothers in the last phase of pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN

Urine samples were collected from 36 pregnant women three weeks before delivery and from 21 healthy term newborns within 48 h after birth. Urines were analysed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and NMR urine spectra were evaluated through Principal Components Analysis.

RESULTS

The first component of the PCA analysis showed two distinct metabolic groups: pregnant women and newborns. A significant correlation was found between urine metabolic profiles of newborns and those of their mothers.

CONCLUSION

Urine metabolomic profiles of newborns at birth mirrors that of their mothers in the last phase of pregnancy. The metabolomic approach appears to be crucial to understand the maternal effects on foetal programming and infant outcomes.

[Research advances in the biomarkers of brain damage in preterm infants]

While the survival rate of preterm infants has continually increased with the development of perinatal and neonatal monitoring techniques, the incidence of brain injury in preterm infants has been increasing, resulting in varying degrees of cognitive impairment and movement disorders. Measuring the biomarkers of brain damage is an important means to diagnose brain injury. The biomarkers can be divided into neuroglial damage markers, neuronal damage markers and other markers according to the features of injured cells. The biomarkers widely used in clinical practice include S100B protein, myelin basic protein and neuron-specific enolase. Recent studies have newly discovered a collection of markers that can suggest potential brain injury in preterm infants, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain protein, α-II spectrin breakdown products, chemokines, melatonin and urinary metabolomics. These biomarkers can contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of preterm brain injury, essential for improving neural development and prognosis. This article reviews the latest research advances in the biomarkers of preterm brain injury, in order to provide evidence for the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

[Application of metabolomics in neonatal clinical practice]

Metabolomics is an emerging and popular subject in the post-genome era, and a large number of studies have been noted on the application of metabolomics in health evaluation, growth and development evaluation, disease diagnosis, and therapeutic efficacy evaluation. As a special period of life, the neonatal period is characterized by rapid cell renewing, consumption of a lot of energy and materials, and changes in metabolic pathways, all of which affect the level of metabolites. However, there is still no reference standard for metabolic level and profile in neonates. This article reviews the current status of metabolic research on neonatal growth and development and common diseases and related clinical application of metabolomics, so as to provide new ideas for nutrition guidance and evaluation, selection of therapeutic regimens, and new drug research in neonates.

[Application of metabolomics in neonatal clinical practice]

Metabolomics is an emerging and popular subject in the post-genome era, and a large number of studies have been noted on the application of metabolomics in health evaluation, growth and development evaluation, disease diagnosis, and therapeutic efficacy evaluation. As a special period of life, the neonatal period is characterized by rapid cell renewing, consumption of a lot of energy and materials, and changes in metabolic pathways, all of which affect the level of metabolites. However, there is still no reference standard for metabolic level and profile in neonates. This article reviews the current status of metabolic research on neonatal growth and development and common diseases and related clinical application of metabolomics, so as to provide new ideas for nutrition guidance and evaluation, selection of therapeutic regimens, and new drug research in neonates.