Nurs Res. 2021;70(6):481-486. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000535.
Annually, approximately 15 million babies are born preterm (<37 weeks gestational age) globally. In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment, infants are exposed to repeated stressful or painful procedures as part of routine lifesaving care. These procedures have been associated with epigenetic alterations that may lead to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. Telomere length has been negatively associated with adverse life experiences in studies of adults.
This pilot study aimed to describe telomere length in a sample of preterm infants at NICU discharge and examine any associations with pain, feeding method, and neurodevelopment.
This descriptive pilot study sample includes baseline absolute telomere length (aTL) of 36 preterm infants immediately prior to discharge. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine aTL. Infant demographics, pain/stress, type of feeding, antibiotic use, neurodevelopment, and buccal swab data were collected. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe the telomere length using graphs.
Among our preterm infant samples, the mean aTL was far greater than the average adult telomere length. Although no significant associations were found between aTL and pain, feeding method, and neurodevelopment, a trend between sex was noted where male telomere lengths were shorter than females as they aged.
This is one of few studies to evaluate preterm infant telomere length. Although other researchers have used relative telomere length, we used the more accurate aTL. We found nonsignificant shorter telomere lengths among males. Additional large-scale, longitudinal studies are needed to better identify the predictors of telomere length at the time of discharge from NICU.
全球每年约有 1500 万婴儿早产（<37 周胎龄）。在新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）环境中，婴儿作为常规救生护理的一部分，会反复经历紧张或痛苦的程序。这些程序与表观遗传改变有关，可能导致神经发育障碍的风险增加。端粒长度与成年人不良生活经历的研究呈负相关。
本初步研究旨在描述 NICU 出院时早产儿样本的端粒长度，并研究其与疼痛、喂养方式和神经发育的任何关联。
本描述性初步研究样本包括 36 名早产儿在出院前的基线绝对端粒长度（aTL）。采用定量聚合酶链反应（PCR）来确定 aTL。收集婴儿人口统计学、疼痛/应激、喂养方式、抗生素使用、神经发育和口腔拭子数据。使用图表描述法对端粒长度进行描述性数据分析。
在我们的早产儿样本中，平均 aTL 远远超过了成年人的平均端粒长度。尽管 aTL 与疼痛、喂养方式和神经发育之间没有显著关联，但在性别之间存在趋势，即随着年龄的增长，男性的端粒长度比女性短。
这是评估早产儿端粒长度的少数研究之一。尽管其他研究人员使用相对端粒长度，但我们使用了更准确的 aTL。我们发现男性的端粒长度较短，但无统计学意义。需要进一步开展大规模的纵向研究，以更好地识别 NICU 出院时端粒长度的预测因素。
