Speaking Of Nec: Necrotizing Enterocolitis"

  Episode 2 features Dr. Adam Matson, attending neonatologist at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center-Newborn Intensive Care Unit (Hartford, CT) and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine (Farmington, CT). During this episode, Dr. Matson provides a comprehensive overview of NEC as it relates primarily to very low birth weight babies, those weighing less than 1500 grams (3 pounds 4.91 ounces) and who have the greatest risk for developing the disease. He discusses: * The early warning signs of NEC, what steps are taken when NEC is suspected, and how X-rays are used to diagnose NEC * How a premature baby’s immune response to the microbiome (bacterial communities) of the intestine appears to play a role in the development of NEC * Known risk factors of NEC, and how they may affect the intestinal microbiome * His current research focused on innate immune signaling in the developing intestine as it pertains to the development of NEC * Current prevention