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Perinatal and Prenatal Disorders pp 271–289Cite as

Oxygen Vulnerability in the Immature Brain

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Abstract

Newborns are susceptible to injury caused by oxidative stress due to the immaturity of endogenous radical scavenging systems. However, premature exposure to supraphysiological oxygen levels in premature infants and widely used oxygen therapy in critically ill patients often cannot be avoided. Therefore, appropriate therapeutic strategies are highly warranted.

This chapter will provide an overview on the known effects of oxygen in the critical phase of rapid brain development and its impact on perinatal brain injury.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122, Essen, Germany

    Ursula Felderhoff-Müser

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  1. Ursula Felderhoff-Müser
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Correspondence to Ursula Felderhoff-Müser .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Penn, Perelman Sch of Med Professor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Division of Neonatology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Phyllis A. Dennery

  2. Lab of Oxidative Stress Policlinico “Le Scotte“, University of Siena Dept of Peds, Obstetrics & Reprod Med, Siena, Italy

    Giuseppe Buonocore

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine Rikshospitalit Medical Center, Oslo, Norway

    Ola Didrik Saugstad

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Felderhoff-Müser, U. (2014). Oxygen Vulnerability in the Immature Brain. In: Dennery, P., Buonocore, G., Saugstad, O. (eds) Perinatal and Prenatal Disorders. Oxidative Stress in Applied Basic Research and Clinical Practice. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1405-0_14

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