Bovine Lactoferrin and Neonatal Survival in Low Birth Weight Babies.

Summary

Pakistan has the third highest number of neonatal deaths worldwide. During the last two decades (1990-2013), neonatal mortality rate in the country has declined by only 1.0% per year. Severe infection is the second most leading cause of neonatal mortality, account for 28% of all deaths in Pakistan. Majority of neonatal deaths occur in infants who LBW (birth weight \<2500g) and LBW comprises of both preterm / small for gestational age newborns. Breastfeeding helps protect infants from infections by serving as a source of nutrition uncontaminated by environmental pathogens. The protection is due to the multiple anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and immuno regulatory factors transmitted through milk including secretory antibodies, glycan's, Lactoferrin, leukocytes, cytokines \& other components produced by the mother's immune system. Reduction in neonatal infections and deaths is the aim of this study. The study is being conducted at the Aga Khan University in collaboration with University of Sydney.

Timeline

Start

2018-05-01

Primary completion

2020-05

Completion

2020-05

Publications

• Background Khan A, Kinney MV, Hazir T, Hafeez A, Wall SN, Ali N, Lawn JE, Badar A, Khan AA, Uzma Q, Bhutta ZA; Pakistan Newborn Change and Future Analysis Group. Newborn survival in Pakistan: a decade of change and future implications. Health Policy Plan. 2012 Jul;27 Suppl 3:iii72-87. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czs047.
• Background Lawn JE, Cousens S, Zupan J; Lancet Neonatal Survival Steering Team. 4 million neonatal deaths: when? Where? Why? Lancet. 2005 Mar 5-11;365(9462):891-900. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71048-5.
• Background Hug L, Sharrow D, You D. Levels & trends in child mortality: report 2017. Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. 2017.
• Background Farnaud S, Evans RW. Lactoferrin--a multifunctional protein with antimicrobial properties. Mol Immunol. 2003 Nov;40(7):395-405. doi: 10.1016/s0161-5890(03)00152-4.
• Background Anderson BF, Baker HM, Dodson EJ, Norris GE, Rumball SV, Waters JM, Baker EN. Structure of human lactoferrin at 3.2-A resolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Apr;84(7):1769-73. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.7.1769.
• Background The World Bank. Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) [29/02/2016]. Available from: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.NMRT.
• Background Kramer MS. Determinants of low birth weight: methodological assessment and meta-analysis. Bull World Health Organ. 1987;65(5):663-737.
• Background Rahman S, Hameed A, Roghani MT, Ullah Z. Multidrug resistant neonatal sepsis in Peshawar, Pakistan. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2002 Jul;87(1):F52-4. doi: 10.1136/fn.87.1.f52.
• Background Morrow AL, Rangel JM. Human milk protection against infectious diarrhea: implications for prevention and clinical care. Semin Pediatr Infect Dis. 2004 Oct;15(4):221-8. doi: 10.1053/j.spid.2004.07.002.
• Ariff S, Soofi S, Aamir A, D'Almeida M, Aziz Ali A, Alam A, Dibley M. Bovine Lactoferrin to Prevent Neonatal Infections in Low-Birth-Weight Newborns in Pakistan: Protocol for a Three-Arm Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Mar 11;10(3):e23994. doi: 10.2196/23994.

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