Over the weekend (April 24th-27th), our lab travelled to Boston, MA to participate in this year's Pediatrics Academic Societies Meeting (PAS). Madison and Melissa presented their research posters while Dr. Ho gave an oral presentation. PAS is an annual meeting with the goal of "Connecting the global academic pediatric community to advance scientific discovery and promote innovation in child and adolescent health".
Dr. Ho presented her study, Enteral Iron Dose Affects Gut Microbiome Community and Permeability in Preterm Infants: A Clinical Trial, during Monday's neonatal clinical trials breakout session. Her study compared the dose effect of enteral iron on gut health in very low birthweight infants. The primary outcomes were changes in fecal microbiome and the secondary outcomes were gut inflammation and barrier function.
Madison Huszar, a research associate in the lab, participated in Sunday's poster session, presenting their study, Longitudinal Gut Barrier Function and Oxidative Stress in Preterm Infants Exposed to Varying Enteral Iron Doses. The study compared intestinal epithelium permeability and oxidative stress biomarkers in very low birthweight infants receiving different enteral iron doses.
Melissa Olsen, a graduate of USF’s college of arts and sciences, presented two posters, The Role of Localized Prostaglandin E2 in the Preterm Infant Gut and Non-linear Relationship Between Hematocrit and Gut Dysbiosis in Preterm Infants. The first focused on investigating the PGE2 and EP4 pathway in fetal enteroids, establishing the enteroids' ability to generate wound associated epithelial cells. Her second study's goal was to identify the Hct threshold associated with worsening gut dysbiosis and to characterize the temporal relationship between dysbiosis and anemia severity in preterm infants.
We greatly enjoyed out time sharing our research, learning about other novel ideas, and celebrating the growth of pediatrics research with our fellow USF researchers, Ryan Pace and Alexia Pearah Bocci. We were grateful for the opportunity to network and grow and look forward to next year in Minneapolis for PAS 2027.
