Date of Award

Summer 7-26-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Medical Science (MMSc)

First Advisor

Kirsten Bechtel, MD

Abstract

Butyrylcholinesterase is an enzyme with growing evidence as a potential biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Prior research suggests an association between low butyrylcholinesterase levels and an increased vulnerability to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, it is unclear how this varies by known risk factors, such as prenatal smoking, which has been shown to potentially contribute to altered cholinergic regulation. We propose a case-control study to investigate the association between butyrylcholinesterase activity levels and infants who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and assess whether this varies by prenatal smoking status. A sample of 128 infants who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and 128 infants who died from other causes, with their newborn heel sticks and postmortem reporting forms will be analyzed. Our findings can inform clinicians of the effect of a known risk factor on the level of a potential biomarker to guide education and prevention.

Comments

This thesis is permanently restricted to Yale network users only. If you are off campus, please connect to the VPN to access the PDF.

Share

COinS