DIVISION OF NEONATOLOGY

 

Neonatology Faculty

Back Row: Robert McKnight, Uday Devaskar, Gary Kaselonis, Jeffrey Smith, Robert Lane
Front Row: Manikkavasagar Thamotharan, Sherin U. Devaskar, Kim Chi Bui

Division Highlights 

The activities of the division center around:

1] providing exemplary and comprehensive clinical care to critically ill term and preterm neonatal infants with complex medical and surgical diseases, including infants on extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation within the neonatal intensive care unit, resuscitation and stabilization of infants born to high-risk mothers in labor and delivery and of unstable infants on transport from referring hospitals, consultation on infants in the well baby nursery and post-cardiac surgical infants in the cardiac unit, prenatal consultations on in-patient and out-patient high-risk pregnancies, and ongoing out-patient follow-up of high-risk infants in the neonatal high-risk follow-up clinic;

2] building outstanding teaching programs for medical students, residents in training, and fellows in neonatology and creating training opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows in related research;

3] creating strong research programs in developmental biology which span from developmental immunology as it relates to lung development with specific emphasis upon glucocorticoid-attenuated regulatory genes, the mechanisms controlling the process of alveolarization as it relates to postnatal lung development, the detrimental effects of antenatal and postnatal use of glucocorticoids upon growth and metabolism, the long-term consequences of intrauterine growth restriction upon fat metabolism as it contributes towards insulin resistance, effect of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury upon compensatory mechanisms responsible for substrate (glucose, lactate, ketones) transport, long-term consequences in a fetus of a diabetic mother as they relate to the development of insulin resistance and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, and metabolic imprinting upon the neurohumoral control of central appetite and body weight gain. These efforts include our initiating collaborative clinical research in neonatology whereby we plan to participate in large national multicenter clinical trials; and,

4] continuing our outreach programs both locally, nationally, and internationally in an attempt to improve the care provided to newborn infants everywhere.

Clinical

The ECMO program was successfully moved into the neonatal intensive care unit. The neonatology consultation service was initiated and has been successful.

Teaching Programs

Neonatology Fellowship training program was restructured and underwent a site-visit by the residency review committee. We have two trainees joining our program in July 2000, and have 9-10 candidates for interview for the year 2001. The resident rotations in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are undergoing restructuring in order to provide a strong didactic teaching program for the trainees rotating through the neonatal intensive care unit. The division received an endowment of $250,000 for research fellowship training in Neonatology.

Research Programs

Five new Federal grants and a National Association grant were brought into the division over the two existing grants. These are as follows:

Faculty Profiles

BARRETT, CYNTHIA TOWNSEND
Faculty Member Since: 1970
Degrees: MD
Rank: Associate Professor
Research Interests:

Lung development
Grant Support:  USAID/AIHA subcontract for development of family centered health project in Lori region, Armenia
Teaching:  Clinical service
University Service: Ad hoc promotion committees
Professional Committee:  Allied Health Professions, Subcommittee of Medical Executive Committee

DEVASKAR, SHERIN U.
Faculty Member Since: 1999
Degrees: MD, Madras Medical College, India
Rank: Professor
Research Interests: Developmental aspects of substrate transport, neurohumoral regulation of appetite and body weight gain, metabolic imprinting as it relates to fetal/ neonatal origins of adult disease, Hypoxic-Ischemic Perinatal Brain Injury.
Grant Support: 1995-2004 NIH/NICHD _ Postnatal aspects of a glucose transporter
1989-2000 NIH/NICHD _ Perinatal Hormonal and Metabolic Effects
1999-2004 NIH/NICHD _ Cognitive Function during Hypoglycemia In IDDM
Teaching: Clinical Teaching of Pediatric Residents
Director of the Neonatology Fellowship Program
National Service:  Chair of the Maternal-Child Research Committee at the NICHD
Member of the NIH/Human Embryology & Development Study Section
Chair & member of special review study section for NICHD
Member of the NICHD training grant study section
Member of the Neonatology sub-board of the American Board of Pediatrics.
Co-chaired the APS-SPR 1999 workshop on "How to prepare and present an abstract"
Co-chaired a Neonatology specialty scientific session at the APS-SPR 1999.
Editorial Board membership American Journal of Physiology 1999.
University Service: Department of Pediatrics Executive Committee
Review and Appraisal Committee
Grand Rounds Committee
Academic Enhancement Committee
Chair of the Research Advisory Committee
Member of the CHRC review
Midwest Society for Pediatric Research 1983-present
Society for Pediatric Research 1985-present
American Diabetes Association 1989-present
The Endocrine Society 1991-present
Society for Neurosciences 1992-present
American Academy of Pediatrics 1995-present
The Perinatal Research Society 1996-present
New York Academy of Sciences 1996-present
American Society for Clinical Investigation 1997-present
American Pediatric Society 1998-present committee
Vice Chair for Research and Division Chief

DEVASKAR, UDAYAKUMAR P.
Faculty Member Since: 1999
Degrees: MBBS, University of Baroda, India
Rank: Professor

GRAY SUSAN M.
Faculty Member Since: 1995
Degrees: MD, University of Illinois
BA, Northwestern University
Rank: Assistant Professor
Research Interests:

The long term effects of antenatal and postnatal glucocorticoids upon metabolism
Teaching:

Didactic lectures to housestaff, neonatal nurse practictioners and respiratory therapists, Bedside teaching in the NICU

University Service: Member of Executive Board of Dept. of Pediatrics Group Pracice

KASELONIS, GARY
Faculty Member Since: 1997
Degrees: MD, University of New Mexico
BS, Baylor University
Rank: Assistant Clinical Professor

LANE, ROBERT
Faculty Member Since: 1999
Degrees: MD
Rank: Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Perinatal Metabolism
Mitochondrial Metabolism, Fatty Acid Oxidation, Diabetes, Apoptosis
Grant Support: Placental Insufficiency Alters Mitochondrial Function. National Institute of Child Health.
American Diabetes Association Research Award: Increased Skeletal Muscle Expression of the Trifunctional Protein of Fatty Acid Oxidation Increases Insulin Resistance: A Model of Prenatal Metabolic Imprinting and Syndrome X
P30HD04612: Uteroplacental Insufficiency Lowers the Cerebral Thresh old Towards Perinatal Hypoxia Induced Cerebral Apoptosis in Fetal Rats UCLA Mental Retardation Research Center Program Development Award-NICHD.
Teaching: Bedside Teaching with Residents
Division of Neonatology Noon Conferences
Honors: NICHD CIDA Award 1999
ADA Research Award 1999
Sponsor of the MWSPR Metcalf Awardee 1999
MRRC Program Development Award 1999

MCKNIGHT, ROBERT A.
Faculty Member Since: 1999
Degrees:

PhD
Rank: Assistant Researcher
Research Interests:

Studies concerning the glucose transporter, glut3 and its function within neurons, interested in the role glut3 plays under normal conditions as well as during stress, designed a transgene construct to over express glut3 in neurons of mice, will test whether increased levels of glut3 have a protective effect under hypoxic or ischemic conditions, constructing glut3 knockout constructs.

SMITH, JEFFREY B.
Faculty Member Since: 1987
Degrees:

MD, PhD 
Rank: Associate Clinical Professor
Research Interests: Discovery and characterization of novel genes involved in lung
inflammation, investigations of the biological functions of LIX and I- TAC, two novel murine chemokines we cloned.
Grant Support: NIH/NHLBI 1998-2002. Glucocorticoid-attenuated response genes in inflammation.
NIH/AI 1999-2004. Alpha-helical Cathelicidins and Host Defense
Teaching: Clinical teaching of pediatric residents
Neonatology fellowship program
Neonatal Nursing Program
Neonatal Respiratory Therapy Program
University Service: Interns and Residents Promotion Committee, Dept. of Pediatrics
Education Liaison Committee, Dept. of Pediatrics

THAMOTHARAN, MANIKKAVASAGAR
Faculty Member Since: 1999
Degrees: MS, PhD, University of Hawaii
B.Vsc, University of Sri Lanka
Rank: Assistant Researcher

Division Publications

  1. Das UG, Schroeder RE, Hay Jr WW and Devaskar SU. Time-dependent and tissue-specific effects of circulating glucose on fetal ovine glucose transporters. Am. J. Physiol. 45:809-817, 1999.

  2. Devaskar SU, Rajakumar PA, Mink RB, McKnight RA, Thamotharan S and Hicks SJ. Effect of development and hypoxic-ischemia upon rabbit brain glucose transporter expression. Brain Res. 823:113-128, 1999.

  3. Fields HM, Rinaman L and Devaskar SU. Distribution of glucose transporter isoform 3 and hexokinase I in the postnatal murine brain. Brain Res. 846:260-264, 1999.

  4. Kaselonis GL, McCabe ERB and Gray SM. Expression of hexokinase 1 and hexokinase 2 in mammary tissue of nonlactating and lactating rats: evaluation by RT-PCR. Mol Genetics & Metab 68, 371-374, 1999.

  5. Khan JY, Rajakumar RA, Devaskar UP, Weissfled LA and Devaskar SU. Effect of primary congenital hypothyroidism upon expression of genes mediating brain glucose uptake. Pediatr. Res. (in press) 1999.

  6. Khan JY, Rajakumar RA, McKnight RA, Devaskar UP and Devaskar SU. Developmental regulation of genes mediating brain glucose uptake. Am. J. Physiol. 45:892-900, 1999.

  7. Sadiq HF, Das UG, Tracy TF and Devaskar SU. Intrauterine growth restriction differentially regulates perinatal brain and skeletal muscle glucose transporters. Brain Res. 823:96-103, 1999.

Division Presentations

  1. Barrett C. Annual morbidity and mortality conferences at Antelope Valley and Ventura County Medical Centers, 1999.

  2. Das UG, He J, Ehrhardt RA, Hay Jr. WW, and Devaskar SU. Time-dependent physiological regulation of the ovine placental Glut 3 glucose transporter protein. Presented at the Society for Pediatric Research, 1999.

  3. Das UG, Anderson M, Erhardt RA, Hay Jr WW and Devaskar SU. The acute effect of selective hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia upon fetal ovine glucose transporter proteins. Presented at the Society for Pediatric Research, 1999.

  4. Devaskar S. Invited Faculty at the NIH seminar of the Institute of Medicine on "Pediatric Drug Trials and Development," _ Sumner Yaffe, Director of Maternal-Child Section, NICHD. 1999.

  5. Devaskar S. Invited Faculty at the NIH workshop "Fetal Origins of Adult Disease," _ by Gilman Grave, Director of the Endocrine, Nutrition, and Growth at NICHD. 1999.

  6. Devaskar S. Invited Faculty Speaker at the Southern California Neonatology Research Meeting _ Feizal Waffarn, UC Irvine. 1999.

  7. Devaskar S. Invited workshop speaker at the Society for Pediatric Research - "How to make a scientific presentation" - by the American Pediatric Society's Program Committee. 1999.

  8. Devaskar S. Nemacolin Regional Neonatology Conference - "Central Control of Feeding Behavior" _ invited by Richard Martin, Case Western Reserve University 1999.

  9. Devaskar S. State of the Art Speaker at the Western Society for Pediatric Research - Role of Glucose Transporters during the Perinatal Period - by Kenneth Lyons Jones, UC San Diego 1999.

  10. Devaskar S. Visiting Professor at the Case Western Reserve University Hospitals - by Satish Kalhan "Neuropeptide Y and Leptin _ role in control of appetite" 1999.

  11. Devaskar S. Visiting Professor at the University of Colorado - by William Hay, Jr. A] Infant of a Diabetic Mother _ Current Concepts; B] Long-term imprinting effects of neonatal hypothalamic manipulation. 1999.

  12. Gray S. Pediatric Grand Rounds at Mattel Children's Hospital 9/10/99.

  13. Hart CD, MacLennan NK and Devaskar SU. The postnatal phenotype of the human GLUT 4 glucose transporter overexpressing transgenic mice. Presented at the Society for Pediatric Research, 1999.

  14. He J, Varma A, Ziegler JA, Weissfeld LA and Devaskar SU. Neonatal systemic glucocorticoids alter the body weight gain pattern during the pre-weaning stages of development. Presented at the Society for Pediatric Research, 1999.

  15. MacLennan NK, Hart CD, Lane RH and Devaskar SU. Uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) but not UCP2 gene expression is increased in the human glucose transporter-4 overexpressing suckling mice. Presented at the Society for Pediatric Research, 1999.

  16. Varma A, He J, Weissfeld LA and Devaskar SU. Neonatal intracerebroventricular leptin administration causes persistent body weight loss and diminished food intake in the female adults. Presented at the Society for Pediatric Research, 1999.

  17. Varma A, He J, Weissfeld LA and Devaskar SU. Neonatal systemic glucocorticoids have long term consequences in the adult. Presented at the Society for Pediatric Research, 1999.

 

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