Clinical Research Group: Neonatal Medicine
About Us
The Neonatal Medicine research group at the Women's and Children's Hospital and Robinson Institute is dedicated to:
- Generating research evidence relevant and important to the care of newborn infants
- Bringing basic science to the bedside to inform the care of critically ill newborn infants
- Critically appraising current practice, and identifying evidence gaps for further enquiry
- Building collaborations with research partners within the university, with other neonatal units in Australia and internationally
We have a number of ongoing research projects that would be suitable for higher degree research students. Those interested in undertaking a masters or PhD with the Neonatal Medicine Clinical Research Group should contact one of the research leaders via email (links below) or tel. 08 8161 7631
Research Leaders:
Academic clinicians: A/Prof Dominic Wilkinson, Dr Michael Stark
Department: Dr Chad Andersen, Dr Andy McPhee, A/Prof Ross Haslam
News:
- 13/12/2011 - Dr Michael Stark was given the prize for the Most Outstanding Early Career Researcher at the Discipline of Obstetrics Christmas party - View article
- 25/2/2012 - A/Prof Dominic Wilkinson (with colleagues in Oxford has just had an editorial published in the BMJ on the controversial question of elective ventilation. He has subsequently been interviewed by the BMJ for their weekly podcast. In this post (on the University of Oxford Practical Ethics website), he argues that there are strong autonomy-based reasons for making sure that people have a chance to choose whether or not to donate their organs after death. This would support the new proposals by NICE and the BMA to relook at Elective Ventilation
- 3/5/2012 - A/Prof Wilkinson has recently been interviewed by The Advertiser on palliative care for newborn infants. This relates to a recent senate submission from his perinatal ethics research group arguing that palliative care for newborn infants needs greater attention. He has also been interviewed by Australian current affairs website The Conversation, and medical magazine Australian Doctor about a newly released paper in the Lancet summarising evidence relating to oxygen saturation screening for newborn infants.
Research themes:
1. Perinatal ethics and decision-making
Contact: A/Prof Dominic Wilkinson - dominic.wilkinson@adelaide.edu.au
2. Placental function, inflammation and the newborn
Contact: Dr Michael Stark - Michael.stark@adelaide.edu.au
3. Applied nutrition
Contact: Dr Andrew McPhee - Andrew.McPhee@health.sa.gov.au
4. Transfusion and circulatory transition
Contact: Dr Chad Andersen - Chad.Andersen@health.sa.gov.au
5. Oesophagogastric function
Contact: A/Prof Ross Haslam - Ross.Haslam@health.sa.gov.au
Publications in 2011
- Andersen CC: Stark MJ. Haemoglobin Transfusion Threshold In Very Preterm Newborns: A Theoretical Framework Derived From Prevailing Oxygen Physiology. Medical Hypothesis in press.
- Andersen CC, Pillow JJ, Gill AW, Allison BJ, Moss TJM, Hooper SB, Nitsos I, Kluckow M, Polglase GR The cerebral critical oxygen threshold of ventilated preterm lambs and the influence of antenatal inflammation. J Appl Physiol. 2011 Jun 30
- Stark M, Story C, Andersen C. Effect of co-infusion of dextrose containing solutions on red blood cell haemolysis during packed red cell transfusion. Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal ed. In Press
- Polglase GR, Kluckow M, Gill AW, Allison BJ, Moss TJ, Dalton RG, Pillow JJ, Andersen CC, Nitsos I, Hooper SB. Cardiopulmonary haemodynamics in lambs during induced capillary leakage immediately after preterm birth. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2011;38:222-8.
- Makrides M, Gibson RA, McPhee AJ, Yelland L, Quinlivan J and Ryan P. “Randomised controlled trial of n:3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in pregnancy to evaluate maternal depression and neurodevelopment of young children”. JAMA 2011; 304: 1675-1683.
- Collins CT, Makrides M, Gibson RA, McPhee AJ, Davis PG, Doyle LW, Simmer K, Colditz PB, Morris S, Sullivan TR, Ryan P. Pre and post term growth in preterm infants supplemented with higher-dose DHA: a randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition 2011: 105: 1635-43.
- Manley BJ, Makrides M, Collins C, McPhee AJ, Gibson RA, Ryan P, Sullivan TR and Davis PG for the DINO Steering Committee. High-dose docosahexaenoic acid supplementation of preterm infants: respiratory and allergy outcomes. Pediatr 2011; 128: e71-77.
- Belfort MB, Rifas-Shiman SL, Sullivan T, Collins CT, McPhee AJ, Ryan P, Kleinman KP, Gillman MW, Gibson RA and Makrides M. Infant growth before and after term: effects on neurodevelopment in preterm infants. Pediatr 2011; 128: e899-906.
- Book chapter: Wright IMR, Stark MJ, Clifton VL (2011) Assessment of the microcirculation in the neonate. In: Hemodynamics and Cardiology: Neonatal Questions and Controversies. Ed. Charles S Klein & Istvan Seri (in press – to be published 2012)
- Clifton VL, Hodyl NA, Osei-Kumah A, Stark MJ (2011) The influence of the feto-placental unit on maternal pregnancy: potential mechanisms and long term consequences. Trophoblast Research. Oct (in press)
- Stark MJ, Hodyl NA, Wright IMR, Clifton VL (2011). Influence of sex and glucocorticoid exposure on preterm placental pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance. Placenta Sept (Epub ahead of print)
- Hodyl NA, Stark MJ, Scheil W, Clifton VL (2011). Maternal and neonatal outcomes following asthma in pregnancy: a South Australian retrospective cohort study. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (in press)
- Hodyl NA, Stark MJ, Osei-Kumah A & Clifton VL (2011). Prenatal programming of the innate immune response following in-utero exposure to inflammation: a sexually dimorphic process? Expert Reviews in Clinical Immunology 7(5):579-92
- Hodyl NA, Stark MJ, Osei-Kumah A, Bowman M, Gibson P & Clifton VL (2011) Fetal glucocorticoid-regulated pathways are not affected by inhaled corticosteroid use for asthma during pregnancy. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 183(6) 716-22
- Stark MJ, Hodyl NA, Wright IMR & Clifton VL (2011). The influence of sex and antenatal betamethasone exposure on vasoconstrictors and the preterm microvasculature. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, April 18 (Epub ahead of print)
- Scott NM, Hodyl NA, Osei-Kumah A, Stark MJ, Smith R & Clifton VL (2011). The presence of maternal asthma during pregnancy suppressed the placental pro-inflammatory response to an immune challenge in-vitro. Placenta, 32(6), 454-461
- Nguyen TMN, Crowther C, Wilkinson D. Magnesium sulphate for women at term for neuroprotection of the fetus (Protocol). Cochrane Database of systematic reviews.
- Wilkinson DJ, Gestational Ageism. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2011 (forthcoming)
- Wilkinson DJ, Andersen CC, O'Donnell C, De Paoli A. High flow nasal cannula for respiratory support in preterm infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011 Issue 5. Art. No.: CD006405. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006405.pub2
- Wilkinson DJ, Savulescu J. Knowing when to stop: futility in the intensive care unit. Curr Op Anesthesiol 2011 doi: 10.1097/ACO.0b013e328343c5af (IF 2.2)
- Wilkinson D. The window of opportunity for treatment withdrawal. Archives Pediatric Adolescent Medicine 2011; 65: 211-215 doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.4 (IF 4.7)
- Wilkinson D. Shedding light on the gray zone. Am J Bioethics 2011; 11: W3-5
- Slater R. Wilkinson D. New insights, but also new questions in the management of newborn pain. Pain Management. 2011 (forthcoming)
- Wilkinson D. The Concise Argument. JME 2011 (forthcoming)
- Wilkinson D. Dissent about assent in paediatric research. JME 2011 (forthcoming)
- Dodd JM, Crowther CA, Haslam RR, Robinson JS. Timing of birth for women with a twin pregnancy: a randomised trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2010 Oct 25; 10:68
- Loots CM, Haslam RR et al. A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial of Left Lateral Body Postioning Vs Acid Suppression For Infantile Gastroesophageal Reflux. ESPGHAN 2011 and In Press.
- Van WILK MP, Benninga MA, Davidson GP, Haslam RR, Omari T. Small volumes of feed can trigger transient lower esophageral sphincter relaxation and gastroesophageal relfux in the right lateral positon in infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2011 Apr;52[4]:408-13
