Maternal and Child Health Research Program
Overall Purpose: To advance research in maternal and child health
Aims:
• To unravel complex disease states that adversely affect maternal and child health
• To investigate and validate biomarkers of disease states
• To unravel pathways and pathogenesis that will produce feasible and biological
targets for future interventions to reduce maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity
and mortality
• To test therapies to decease adverse maternal and child outcomes.

Current Projects:

1. Late Preterm Births and Adverse Neonatal Outcomes
2. Neonatal Outcomes after spontaneous and indicated preterm birth
3. Novel Biomarkers to Predict Preterm Birth and Adverse Neonatal Outcomes
4. Adverse Neurological Injury in Preterm Birth
5. TLR-4 Mediated Neuronal Injury from Prenatal Inflammation
6. Cognitive and Behavioral Function after exposure to prenatal inflammation
7. Neurobehavioral disorders in childhood and adolescence (including autism): the
contribution of the prenatal environment
8. Cervical ripening as primary target in prevention of preterm birth
9. Mechanisms by which progestational agents prevent preterm birth
10. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of preterm parturition: uterine contractility and cervical ripening
11. The role of an altered host immune response to maternal mortality
12. Estrogen and progesterone as immune regulators in the female genital tract:
implications for pregnancy and beyond
13. Beyond the vaginal mucosa: a new biological target for HIV prevention in Women
14. Maternal and Fetal Genetic Contributions to Preeclampsia: GWAS
15. Cardiovascular risk after Preeclampsia

Currently Funded Translational Research Studies:

“The Biomarker Study”
Funded by March of Dimes (PI: Elovitz)
A prospective cohort of women at risk for preterm birth

“The Cervix Study”
Funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (PI: Elovitz)
A prospective cohort of singleton pregnancies to investigate premature cervical remodeling as a predictor of preterm birth

“Intrauterine Inflammation and Adverse Neurological Outcomes”
Funded by NICHD (PI: Elovitz)
Animal model of intrauterine inflammation is used to investigate mechanisms of fetal and neonatal brain injury

Attached is an open invitation to Penn researchers wishing to participate in a newly created Prematurity Research Group (PRG).
The PRG has been formed under the Maternal and Child Health Research Program specifically to discuss how to optimize current research efforts, promote collaborations in this area and address funding initiatives.  The overall mission is to advance research on prematurity and adverse outcomes resulting from a preterm birth. To read more about the PRG, click here.

Recent Representative Publications:
Elovitz M, Saunders T, Landsberg J, Phillippe M. Effects of thrombin on myometrial contractions, in vitro and in vivo. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;183(4):799-80.

Elovitz M, Baron J, Phillippe M. The Potential Role of Thrombin in Preterm Parturition. Am J Ob Gyn 2001;185(5):1059.

Phillippe M, Elovitz M, Landsberg J, Saunders T. Thrombin-Stimulated Uterine Contractions in the Pregnant and Nonpregnant Rat. J Soc Gynecol Invest May 2001: ;8(5):260.

Odibo A, Raab E, Elovitz M, Merill J, Macones G. Prenatal Mild Pyelectasis: Evalung the Thresholds of Renal Pelvic Diameter Associated with Normal Postnatal Renal Function. J Ultrasound Med. 2004 Apr;23(4):513-7.

Elovitz M, Wang Z. Medroxyprogesterone acetate, but not progesterone, protects against inflammation-induced parturition and fetal demise. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Mar;190(3):693-701.

Elovitz, M. A., and Mrinalini, C. Can medroxyprogesterone acetate alter Toll-like receptor expression in a mouse model of intrauterine inflammation? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 193, 1149-55.

Macones, G. A., Peipert, J., Nelson, D. B., Odibo, A., Stevens, E. J., Stamilio, D. M., Pare, E., Elovitz, M., Sciscione, A., Sammel, M. D., and Ratcliffe, S. J.Maternal complications with vaginal birth after cesarean delivery: a multicenter study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 193, 1656-62.

Elovitz, M. A., Mrinalini, C., and Sammel, M. D. Elucidating the early signal transduction pathways leading to fetal brain injury in preterm birth. Pediatr Res. 2006 59, 50-5.

Elovitz, M. A. Anti-inflammatory interventions in pregnancy: now and the future. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2006 11, 327-32.

Elovitz, M. A., and Mrinalini, C. The use of progestational agents for preterm birth: lessons from a mouse model. Am J Obstet Gynecol . 2006 195, 1004-10.

Elovitz, M. A., Mrinalini, C., and Sammel, M. D. Elucidating the early signal transduction pathways leading to fetal brain injury in preterm birth. Pediatr Res 2006 59, 50-5.

Parry, S., Zhang, J., Koi, H., Arechavaleta-Velasco, F., and Elovitz, M. A. Transcytosis of Human immunodeficiency virus 1 across the placenta is enhanced by treatment with tumour necrosis factor alpha. J Gen Virol. 2006 87, 2269-78.

Srinivas, S. K., Ma, Y., Sammel, M. D., Chou, D., McGrath, C., Parry, S., and Elovitz, M. A. Placental inflammation and viral infection are implicated in second trimester pregnancy loss. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006 195, 797-802.

Srinivas, S. K., Sukhan, S., and Elovitz, M. A. Nausea, emesis, and muscle weakness in a pregnant adolescent. Obstet Gynecol. 2006 107, 481-4.

Edlow, A. G., Srinivas, S. K., and Elovitz, M. A. Second-trimester loss and subsequent pregnancy outcomes: What is the real risk? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007 197, 581 e1-6.

Gonzalez, J. M., Edlow, A. G., Silber, A., and Elovitz, M. A. Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state of pregnancy with intrauterine fetal demise and preeclampsia. Am J Perinatol 2007 24, 541-3.

Gonzalez, J. M., Xu, H., Ofori, E., and Elovitz, M. A. Toll-like receptors in the uterus, cervix, and placenta: is pregnancy an immunosuppressed state? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007 197, 296 e1-6.

Mazar, R. M., Srinivas, S. K., Sammel, M. D., Andrela, C. M., and Elovitz, M. A. Metabolic score as a novel approach to assessing preeclampsia risk. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007 197, 411 e1-5.

Bastek, J. A., Sammel, M. D., Srinivas, S. K., and Elovitz, M. A. Is routine infectious and toxicologic screening in preterm labor effective in predicting preterm birth? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008 198, e38-42.

Elovitz, M. A., and Gonzalez, J. Medroxyprogesterone acetate modulates the immune response in the uterus, cervix and placenta in a mouse model of preterm birth. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2008 21, 223-30.

Xu, H., Gonzalez, J. M., Ofori, E., and Elovitz, M. A. Preventing cervical ripening: the primary mechanism by which progestational agents prevent preterm birth? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008 198, 314 e1-8.

Bastek JA, Sammel MD, Pare E, Srinivas SK, Posencheg M, Elovitz MA. (2008) Adverse neonatal outcomes; examing the risks between preterm, later preterm and term infants. Am J Obstet Gynecol 199 (4): 367 EL-8.

Srinivas SK, Ernst LM, Edlow, AG, Elovitz MA.(2008) Can placental pathology explain second trimester pregnancy loss and subsequent pregnancy outcomes? Am J Obstet and Gynecol 199 (4): 402 e1-5.