***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: OBJECTIVE : To compare the neurodevelopmental outcome of premature infants treated with recombinant human erythropoietin  with that of control infants . STUDY DESIGN : A total of 20 treated infants and 20 control infants who had completed r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled studies of recombinant human erythropoietin as treatment for anemia of prematurity were followed for growth and developmental outcome in an intensive care nursery follow-up program . Infants were assessed by st and ard developmental tests . RESULTS : No differences were found between groups for neurologic outcome , cognitive outcome , or growth patterns . All infants treated with recombinant human erythropoietin were neurologically normal . The rate of cognitive deficits was similar in the two groups . CONCLUSION : In this small sample we did not see differences in neurodevelopmental outcome between infants treated with recombinant human erythropoietin and control infants OBJECTIVE . Erythropoietin therapy is effective in decreasing transfusions to varying degrees in preterm infants . Recent animal studies using erythropoietin doses to achieve serum concentrations > 1000 mU/mL report neuroprotective effects . We evaluated the relationship between erythropoietin concentrations and neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely low birth weight infants . METHODS . Preterm infants who weighed ≤1000 g at birth were r and omly assigned to erythropoietin ( 400 U/kg 3 times per week ) or placebo/control . Therapy was initiated by 4 days after birth and continued through the 35th postmenstrual week . All infants  received supplemental parenteral and enteral iron . Peak serum erythropoietin concentrations were obtained every 2 weeks . Follow-up evaluation included anthropometric measurements , Bayley scales of mental and psychomotor development , neurologic examination , and determination of overall neurodevelopmental impairment . Data were collected at 18 to 22 months ' corrected age by certified examiners who were masked to the treatment group . Analyses were performed to identify correlations between erythropoietin concentrations and outcomes . RESULTS . Sixteen extremely low birth weight infants were enrolled ; 1 infant died at 2 weeks ( placebo/control ) , and 15 had erythropoietin concentrations measured ( 7 erythropoietin , 8 placebo/control ) . Peak erythropoietin concentrations were significantly different between groups during the study ( erythropoietin : 2027 ± 1464 mU/mL ; placebo/control : 26 ± 11 mU/mL ) . Before follow-up , 3 infants died ( 1 erythropoietin , 2 placebo/control ) , and 12 were available for follow-up ( 6 erythropoietin , 6 placebo/control ) . At 18 to 22 months ' follow-up , none of the erythropoietin recipients and 2 of the placebo/control infants had Mental Development Index scores < 70 . Erythropoietin recipients had Mental Development Index scores of 96 ± 11 , and placebo/control infants had Mental Development Index scores of 78 ± 7 . Psychomotor Development Index scores were similar between groups ( 87 ± 13 vs 80 ± 7 ) . There were no differences between groups with respect to anthropometric measurements . Two of 6 infants in the erythropoietin group and 4 of 6 infants in the placebo/control group had some form of neurodevelopmental impairment . Posthoc analysis showed that infants with erythropoietin concentrations ≥500 mU/mL had higher Mental Development Index scores than infants with erythropoietin concentrations < 500 mU/mL. CONCLUSIONS . Erythropoietin concentrations did not correlate with Psychomotor Development Index or overall incidence of neurodevelopmental impairment ; however , infants with elevated erythropoietin concentrations had higher Mental Development Index scores than those with lower erythropoietin concentrations . Close follow-up of infants who are enrolled in large , multicenter , high-dose erythropoietin studies is required to determine whether a correlation exists between elevated erythropoietin concentrations and improved neurodevelopmental outcome Erythropoietin has been reported to possess neuroprotective properties in animal studies . No previous studies have investigated the neurodevelopmental outcome of extremely low birth weight ( ELBW ) infants treated with recombinant human erythropoietin ( rEpo )  and evaluated it at school age Background . Clinical trials evaluating the use of erythropoietin ( Epo ) have demonstrated a limited reduction in transfusions ; however , long-term developmental follow-up data are scarce . Objective . We compared anthropometric measurements , postdischarge events , need for transfusions , and developmental outcomes at 18 to 22 months ' corrected age in extremely low birth weight ( ELBW ) infants treated with early Epo and supplemental iron therapy with that of placebo/control infants treated with supplemental iron alone . Methods . The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network completed a r and omized , controlled trial of early Epo and iron therapy in preterm infants ≤1250 g. A total of 172 ELBW ( ≤1000-g birth weight ) infants were enrolled ( 87 Epo and 85 placebo/control ) . Of the 72 Epo-treated and 70 placebo/control ELBW infants surviving to discharge , follow-up data ( growth , development , rehospitalization , transfusions ) at 18 to 22 months ' corrected age were collected on 51 of 72 Epo-treated infants ( 71 % ) and 51 of 70 placebo/controls ( 73 % ) by certified examiners masked to the treatment group . Statistical significance was determined using χ2 analysis . Results . There were no significant differences between treatment groups in weight or length or in the percentage of infants weighing < 10th percentile either at the time of discharge or at follow-up , and no difference was found in the mean head circumference between groups . A similar percentage of infants in each group was rehospitalized ( 38 % Epo and 35 % placebo/control ) for similar reasons . There were no differences between groups with respect to the percentage of infants with Bayley-II Mental Developmental Index < 70 ( 34 % Epo and 36 % placebo/control ) , blindness ( 0 % Epo and 2 % placebo/control ) , deafness or hearing loss requiring amplification ( 2 % Epo and 2 % placebo/control ) , moderate to severe cerebral palsy ( 16 % Epo and 18 % placebo/control ) or the percentage of infants with any of the above-described neurodevelopmental impairments ( 42 % Epo and 44 % placebo/control ) . Conclusions . Treatment of ELBW infants with early Epo and iron does not significantly influence anthropometric measurements , need for rehospitalization , transfusions after discharge , or developmental outcome at 18 to 22 months ' corrected age OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of the early use of recombinant human erythropoietin ( rhu-EPO ) on neurobehavioral development in preterm infants . METHODS Forty-four preterm infants ( 30 males and 14 females ) were r and omly divided into two groups : Rhu-EPO treatment and untreated control ( n=22 each ) . From postnatal day 7 , the Rhu-EPO treatment group received intravenous rhu-EPO ( 250 IU/kg3 times weekly ) for 4 weeks . A Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment ( NBNA ) was performed at 40 weeks of corrected gestational age . A Gesell Development Schedule was used to evaluate neurological development 6 and 12 months after birth . RESULTS The NBNA score in the rhu-EPO treatment group ( 36.20+/-0.75 ) was significantly higher than that in the control group ( 34.40+/-1.05 ) at 40 weeks of corrected gestational age ( P<0.05 ) . The developmental quotient of fine motor in the rhu-EPO treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group 6 months after birth ( P<0.05 ) . By 12 months after birth , the developmental quotient of gross motor , fine motor and language in the rhu-EPO treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P<0.05 ) . CONCLUSIONS Early use of Rhu-EPO can promote neurobehavioral development in preterm infants OBJECTIVE . Erythropoietin has been shown to be protective against hypoxic-ischemic and inflammatory injuries in cell culture , animal models of brain injury , and clinical trials of adult humans . The rationale for our study was that early administration of high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin may reduce perinatal brain injury ( intraventricular hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia ) in very preterm infants and improve neurodevelopmental outcome . We investigated whether administration of high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin to very preterm infants shortly after birth and subsequently during the first 2 days is safe in terms of short-term outcome . METHODS . This was a r and omized , double-masked , single-center trial with a 2:1 allocation in favor of recombinant human erythropoietin .  Preterm infants ( gestational age : 24 to 31 weeks ) were given recombinant human erythropoietin or NaCl 0.9 % intravenously 3 , 12 to 18 , and 36 to 42 hours after birth . RESULTS . The percentage of infants who survived without brain injury or retinopathy was 53 % in the  recombinant human erythropoietin group and 60 % in the placebo group . There were no relevant differences regarding short-term outcomes such as intraventricular hemorrhage , retinopathy , sepsis , necrotizing enterocolitis , and bronchopulmonary dysplasia . For 5 infants who were in the recombinant human erythropoietin group and had a gestational age of < 26 weeks , withdrawal of intensive care was decided ( 3 of 5 with severe bilateral intraventricular hemorrhage , 2 of 5 with pulmonary insufficiency ) ; no infant of the control group died .  Recombinant human erythropoietin treatment did not result in significant differences in blood pressure , cerebral oxygenation , hemoglobin , leukocyte , and platelet count . CONCLUSIONS . No significant adverse effects of early high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin treatment in very preterm infants were identified . These results enable us to embark on a large multicenter trial with the aim of determining whether early high-dose administration of recombinant human erythropoietin to very preterm infants improves neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months ' and 5 years ' corrected age OBJECTIVES . High-dose recombinant erythropoietin is neuroprotective in animal models of neonatal brain injury . Extremely low birth weight infants are at high risk for brain injury and neurodevelopmental problems and might benefit from recombinant erythropoietin . We design ed a phase I/II trial to test the safety and determine the pharmacokinetics of high-dose recombinant erythropoietin in extremely low birth weight infants . METHODS . In a prospect i ve , dose-escalation , open-label trial , we compared 30 infants who were treated with high-dose recombinant erythropoietin with 30 concurrent control subjects . Eligible infants were < 24 hours old , ≤1000 g birth weight , and ≤28 weeks of gestation and had an umbilical artery catheter in place . Each infant received 3 intravenous doses of 500 , 1000 , or 2500 U/kg at 24-hour intervals beginning on day 1 of age . Blood sample s were collected at scheduled intervals to determine recombinant erythropoietin pharmacokinetics . Safety parameters were also evaluated . In the concurrent control group , only clinical data were collected . RESULTS . Mean erythropoietin concentrations 30 minutes after recombinant erythropoietin infusion were 5973 ± 266 , 12291 ± 403 , and 34197 ± 1641 mU/mL after 500 , 1000 , or 2500 U/kg , respectively . High-dose recombinant erythropoietin followed nonlinear pharmacokinetics as a result of decreasing clearance from the lowest dosage ( 17.3 mL/hour per kg for 500 U/kg ) to the highest dosage ( 8.2 mL/hour per kg for 2500 U/kg ) . Steady state was achieved within 24 to 48 hours . Both 1000 and 2500 U/kg recombinant erythropoietin  produced peak serum erythropoietin concentrations that were comparable to neuroprotective concentrations that previously were seen in experimental animals . No excess adverse events occurred in the recombinant erythropoietin – treated infants compared with control infants . CONCLUSIONS . Early high-dose recombinant erythropoietin is well tolerated by extremely low birth weight infants , causing no excess morbidity or mortality . Recombinant erythropoietin dosages of 1000 and 2500 U/kg achieved neuroprotective serum levels 
    Output:
    
The rhEPO treatment has beneficial effect on the neurodevelopment outcomes without severe adverse side effect in preterm infants