Pilot Study of Absolute Telomere Lengths in Preterm Infants.
Sharon G Casavant, Hongfei Li, Bo Reese and 2 others
PMID 34173371WHAT IT FOUND
In preterm infants, no measured NICU or infant characteristic reached the study's 5% threshold for association with absolute telomere length.
Reliable telomere measurements were obtained from 33 of 36 samples.
Key findings
01No demographic or clinical characteristic reached a 5% significant level as a predictor of absolute telomere length.
02Absolute telomere length was reliably measured in 33 of 36 samples, with a mean of 38,628 kb per diploid genome and a range of 14,895 to 114,388 kb.
03Absolute telomere length showed a nonsignificant trend associated with corrected gestational age, with males having shorter telomeres.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with only 33 of 36 samples analysed, and gestational ages ranged from 28 to 36 weeks, so confounding variables could not be controlled. The study was a pilot and did not test an intervention or a clinical patient outcome. The authors' statement that male telomeres eroded faster rests on a nonsignificant trend. The paper did not show that telomere length is useful for assessing NICU stress or guiding care.
Declared interests
No author conflict-of-interest statement is supplied. The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the nonsignificant male telomere trend as evidence that telomere length can guide NICU care. The study was a small pilot, and none of the associations reached a 5% significant level.