Breastfeeding/Human Milk
Clinical Research Pathway
Cross-Disciplinary Pathway
Global Neonatal & Children's Health
Neonatology
Scholarly Sessions
Pradeep Alur, MD (he/him/his)
Professor
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, United States
The biological differences between the sexes manifest early during fetal life. The crown-rump length is larger in male fetuses compared to females in the first trimester. The use of sex-specific growth charts for preterm infants allows us to wonder if growth rates are sex specific, then their nutritional requirements would also be different. Sex differences in breast milk composition are noted in humans.
A recent study showed that infants receiving red blood cell transfusion from female donors had a lower risk of death or serious morbidity.
There are sex differences in the outcomes associated with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, with males having poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes with a similar degree of HIE. Preliminary evidence shows that although caffeine following preterm HI benefits both sexes, reductions in microglial activation are seen in males only, suggesting alternate mechanisms of therapeutic action in females.
Dr. Ojeda: Discuss the sex-specific influence of maternal conditions and metabolic derangement such as hypoglycemia.
Dr. Alur: Sex Differences in Nutritional intake in late Preterm Infants and breast milk composition and the sex differences in neonatal outcomes, such as respiratory outcomes.
Dr. Fitch and Rosenkrantz: Discuss sex differences in microglial activation following caffeine treatment in neonatal hypoxia-ischemia with emphasis on neonatal vulnerability to and recovery from neurologic insult.
Dr. Hussain: Discuss sex-specific pharmacological effects in the neonates-for example, sex specific effects of prophylactic indomethacin on IVH.
We believe that awareness about sex-specific analysis of the data in all the neonatal studies may help us understand the therapeutic options better.
Speaker: Norma B. Ojeda, Medical Doctor – University of Mississippi School of Medicine
Speaker: Pradeep Alur, MD – University of Mississippi Medical Center
Speaker: R. Holly Fitch, PhD – University of Connecticut
Speaker: Ted S. Rosenkrantz, MD – University of Connecticut School of Med
Speaker: Naveed Hussain, MBBS, DCH – Connecticut Children's