John A. Widness, MD
Research Profile

Education and Training

Research Interests:

• Survival of transfused red blood cells (neonatal/fetal and adult)
• Fetal and neonatal anemia
• Epidemiology of neonatal transfusion medicine
• Erythropoietin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the perinatal period
• Perinatal iron nutrition and metabolism

Lab Members:

• Peter Veng-Pedersen, PhD, Division of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy
• Ronald G. Strauss, MD, Division of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Pathology
• Donald M. Mock, MD, PhD, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Health Sciences
• Robert Schmidt, Research Assistant
• Earl Gingerich, Research Assistant

Affiliations:

• Department of Pediatrics
• Division of Neonatology
• General Clinical Research Center, Associate Director, Responsible for Neonatal Research Nurse Activities
• NIH Neonatal Network, Associate Director for University of Iowa Site

Model System:

Animal models for physiology and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies, human clinical trials

Recent Publications:

1. Clapp JF, Little KD, Widness JA. Effect of maternal exercise and feto-placental growth on serum erythropoietin. Am J Obstet Gynecol 188:1021-1025, 2003.
2. Quinonez RE, Widness JA. Increased wave latency in auditory brainstem response to anemia in newborn and adult sheep. Biol Neonate 84:179-186, 2003.
3. Veng-Pedersen P, Chapel S, Al-Huniti NH, Schmidt RL, Sedars EM, Hohl RJ, Widness JA. A differential pharmacokinetic analysis of the erythropoietin receptor population in newborn and adult sheep. J Pharm Exp Ther 306:532-537, 2003.
4. Zeng SM, Yankowitz J, Widness JA, Strauss RG, Murray JC. Sequence-based polymorphisms in members of the apoptosis Bcl-2 gene family and their association with hematocrit level. J Gender-Specific Med 6:36-42, 2003.
5. Davis LE, Widness JA, Brace RA. Renal and placental secretion of erythropoietin during anemia or hypoxia in the ovine fetus. Am J Obstet Gynecol 189:1764-1770, 2003.
6. Zeng SM, Murray JC, Widness JA, Strauss, RG, Yankowitz J. Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the thrombopoietin-receptor gene, but not the thrombopoietin gene, with differences in platelet count. Am J Hematol 77:12-21, 2004.
7. Teramo KA, Hiilesmaa VK, Schwartz R, Clemons GK, Widness JA. Amniotic fluid and cord plasma erythropoietin levels in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and chronic hypertension. J Perinatal Med 32:240-247, 2004.
8. Veng-Pedersen P, Chapel S, Al-Huniti NH, Schmidt RL, Sedars EM, Hohl RJ, Widness JA. Pharmacokinetic tracer kinetics analysis of changes in erythropoietin receptor population in phlebotomy-induced anemia and bone marrow ablation. J Biopharm Drug Disposition 25:149-56, 2004.
9. Schmidt NM, Schmidt RA, Teramo KA, Widness JA. Endogenous and recombinant erythropoietin levels decline in human amniotic fluid and fetal plasma in vitro at 37°C. J Perinatol 24:218-222, 2004.
10. Rebouché CJ, Wilcox CL, Widness JA. Microanalysis of non-heme iron in animal tissues. J Biochem Biophys Methods 58:239-251, 2004.
11. Mock DM, Lankford GL, Widness JA, Burmeister LF, Kahn D, Strauss RG. Red blood cells labeled at two biotin densities permit simultaneous and repeated measurements of circulating red blood cell volume. Transfusion 44:431-437, 2004.
12. Bechensteen AG, Chapel SP, Veng-Pedersen P, Widness JA. Post-transfusion recovery of stored erythrocytes in very low birth weight infants using a hemoglobin balance model. Transfusion, 44:1019-1024, 2004.
13. Strauss RG, Mock DM, Widness JA, Johnson K, Cress G, Schmidt RL. Post-transfusion 24-hour recovery and subsequent survival of allogeneic red blood cells in the bloodstream of newborn infants. Transfusion, 44:871-876, 2004.
14. Madan A, Kumar R, Adams MM, Benitz WE, Geaghan SM, Widness JA. Reduction in red blood cell transfusions using a bedside analyzer in extremely low birth weight infants. J Perinatol, 25:21-25, 2005.
15. Al-Huniti NH, Widness JA, Schmidt RL, Veng-Pedersen P. Erythropoietin production rate in phlebotomy-induced acute anemia. Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition, 25:389-397, 2004.
16. Al-Huniti NH, Widness JA, Schmidt RL, Veng-Pedersen P. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of paradoxal regulation of erythropoietin production in acute anemia. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 310:202-208, 2004.
17. Widness JA, Madan A, Grindeanu L, Zimmerman MB, Wong D, Stevenson DK. Reduction in RBC transfusions among preterm infants: Results of a randomized trial utilizing an in-line blood gas and chemistry monitor. Pediatrics, 115:1299-1306, 2005.
18. Bell EF, Strauss RG, Widness JA, Mahoney LT, Mock DM, Seward VJ, Kromer IJ, Cress GA, Johnson KJ, Zimmerman MB. Randomized trial of liberal versus restrictive guidelines for red blood cell transfusion in preterm infants. Pediatrics, 115:1685-1691, 2005.
19. Lott DG, Zimmerman MB, Labbé RF, Kling PJ, Widness JA. Erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin is elevated with prematurity and fetal hypoxemia. Pediatrics, 116:414-422, 2005.
20. Al-Huniti NH, Widness JA, Schmidt RL, Veng-Pedersen P. Pharmacodynamic analysis of changes in reticulocyte subtype distribution in phlebotomy-induced stress erythropoiesis. J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn, 32:359-376, 2005.
21. Harper DC, Swingle HM, Weiner CP, Bonthius DJ, Aylward GP, Widness JA. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcome and brain volume after treatment for hydrops fetalis by in utero intravascular transfusion. Am J Ob Gyn, 195:192-200, 2006.
22. Brace RA, Cheung CY, Davis LE, Gagnon R, Harding R, Widness JA. Sources of amniotic fluid erythropoietin during normoxia and hypoxia in fetal sheep. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 195:246-254, 2006.
23. Neelakantan S, Widness JA, Schmidt RL, Veng-Pedersen P. A "bottom up" approach for Endo-PK/PD analysis. Biopharm Drug Disposition, In Press, 2006.
24. Widness JA, Serfass RE, Haiden N, Nelson SE, Lombard K, Pollak A. Erythrocyte iron incorporation but not absorption is increased by intravenous iron administration in erythropoietin-treated premature infants. J Nutr, 136:1868-1873, 2006.