Research Projects - Professor Brian Darlow

1. Inflammatory Cascade and Oxidative damage in the Newborn (ICON) study.    

The latest manuscript submitted from the ICON study, has just been accepted by Pediatric Research (see Publications 3).
 

2. International Neonatal Immunotherapy Study (INIS).

This international study is now completed and currently two manuscripts are under review.
 

3. What oxygen saturation level should we target in very preterm infants?

A randomised controlled trial (RCT). (The BOOST-NZ study).  Recruitment is complete for this study and follow-up assessments are ongoing.
 

4. Twenty-two year follow-up of the New Zealand national cohort of very low birth weight infants born in 1986.

The very low birthweight infants (birthweight <1500g – VLBW) prospective study began in 1986 when the group enrolled all New Zealand VLBW infants who were cared for in NICUs. In this project, the collaborative group aimed to re-establish contact, to administer a questionnaire and obtain consent for a more comprehensive 22-year follow up assessment, which will include medical assessments. To date 227 (70%) of the cohort have been interviewed and the group have used these data to prepare an Expression of Interest for funding for Phase 2 of the study for the HRC.
 

5. Studies of insulin dependent diabetes in childhood.

Professor Darlow and his team are collaborating with three international groups on three studies of insulin dependent diabetes in childhood. One is a study of epidemiological and immunogenetic features of diabetes in children and adolescents, another is an ongoing natural history and prevention study, while the third is an RCT of inhaled insulin in children and young people at risk of Type I diabetes.
 

6. Variability of normal sleep patterns, heart rate, respiration and pulse oximetry in preterm babies at 34 to 36 weeks postmenstrual age.                                          

A manuscript has been submitted for this study undertaken in collaboration with Dr Dominic Lee of Canterbury University.
 

7. Improving neonatal outcomes by training nurses in Rio, Brazil.

Retinopathy of prematurity is the major preventable cause of childhood blindness in middle-income countries. The principal aim of the study was to decrease its incidence in Brazil by training nurses. The team has just completed a further 12 months of data collection and Professor Darlow visited Brazil in November 2010 to meet with collaborators and begin the data analysis. One abstract has been presented and they plan three manuscripts at this stage.
 

8.  ORBIS International UK and ICEH Workshops on the Prevention and Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Professor Darlow is the neonatologist member of the group, headed by Professor Clare Gilbert. In 2010, Professor Darlow travelled to Surabaya, Indonesia, to take part in the 2nd Indonesian Workshop and Seminar on Retinopathy of Prematurity, contributed to workshops in Nicaragua and undertook a fact finding visit to Guatemala.
 

9. Professor Darlow is the neonatologist member of the group, headed by Professor Clare Gilbert.

In 2010, Professor Darlow travelled to Surabaya, Indonesia, to take part in the 2nd Indonesian Workshop and Seminar on Retinopathy of Prematurity, contributed to workshops in Nicaragua and undertook a fact finding visit to Guatemala.
 

10. Appropriate levels of oxygen saturation for extremely preterm infants: a prospective individual patient data meta-analysis (NeOProM). 

The Principal Investigators of the BOOST family of studies have submitted a manuscript on this study’s protocol to BMC Pediatrics and plan to seek funding for this meta-analysis.
 

11. Proven neonatal bacterial or fungal infection in the first week of life.

This two year surveillance study is being carried out under the auspices of the New Zealand Paediatric Surveillance Unit.