Understanding how biologic and social determinants affect disparities in preterm birth and outcomes of preterm infants in the NICU

David K Stevenson; Nima Aghaeepour; Ivana Maric; Martin S Angst; Gary L Darmstadt; Maurice L Druzin; Brice Gaudilliere; Xuefeng B Ling; Mira N Moufarrej; Laura S Peterson; Stephen R Quake; David A Relman; Michael P Snyder; Karl G Sylvester; Gary M Shaw; Ronald J Wong

doi:10.1016/j.semperi.2021.151408

Understanding how biologic and social determinants affect disparities in preterm birth and outcomes of preterm infants in the NICU

Semin Perinatol. 2021 Jun;45(4):151408. doi: 10.1016/j.semperi.2021.151408. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Authors

David K Stevenson¹, Nima Aghaeepour², Ivana Maric³, Martin S Angst², Gary L Darmstadt³, Maurice L Druzin⁴, Brice Gaudilliere², Xuefeng B Ling⁵, Mira N Moufarrej⁶, Laura S Peterson³, Stephen R Quake⁶, David A Relman⁷, Michael P Snyder⁸, Karl G Sylvester⁹, Gary M Shaw³, Ronald J Wong³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1265 Welch Rd, X157, Stanford, CA 94305-5415, USA. Electronic address: dstevenson@stanford.edu.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School ofMedicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1265 Welch Rd, X157, Stanford, CA 94305-5415, USA.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
⁵ Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Clinical and Translational Research Program, Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, CA 94306, USA.
⁶ Department of Bioengineering and Applied Physics, Stanford University and Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
⁷ Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Infectious Diseases Section, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
⁸ Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
⁹ Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Abstract

To understand the disparities in spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) and/or its outcomes, biologic and social determinants as well as healthcare practice (such as those in neonatal intensive care units) should be considered. Disparities in sPTB have been largely intractable and remain obscure in most cases, despite a myriad of identified risk factors for and causes of sPTB. We still do not know how they lead to the different outcomes at different gestational ages and if they are independent of NICU practices. Here we describe an integrated approach to study the interplay between the genome and exposome, which may drive biochemistry and physiology and lead to health disparities.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biological Products*
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
Pregnancy
Premature Birth* / epidemiology
Social Determinants of Health

Substances

Biological Products

Grants and funding

R35 GM138353/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States