Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41731042›Full record

Observational studyJournal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association2026

Reference intervals for circulating nucleated red blood cell counts of neonates, improved by the refineR algorithm.

Robert D Christensen, Kelly Doyle, Erick Henry, Sterling T Bennett, Bailey B Zeiler, Sarah J Ilstrup, Erica A Swenson, Timothy M Bahr, Robin K Ohls

Abstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Establishing reference intervals for fetal hemoglobin percentage from 23 to 40 weeks of gestation using refineR.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Robert D ChristensenDivision of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. robert.christensen@hsc.utah.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5872-582X
Kelly DoyleDepartment of Pathology, University of Utah Health, and ARUP Laboratories, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2019-9112
Erick HenryObstetric and Neonatal Clinical Programs and Analytics, Intermountain Health, Murray, UT, USA.
Sterling T BennettIntermountain Health Central Laboratories, Murray, UT, USA.
Bailey B ZeilerDivision of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-6820-0710
Sarah J IlstrupTransusion Medicine and Central Laboratories, Intermountain Health, Murray, UT, USA.
Erica A SwensonDepartment of Pathology, University of Utah Health, and ARUP Laboratories, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Timothy M BahrDivision of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7946-0290
Robin K OhlsDivision of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2865-8878

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA "high" concentration of nucleated red blood cells (NRBC) in the blood of neonates at birth has been used as a biomarker of fetal hypoxia and a risk factor for poor outcome. Previous neonatal reference intervals for NRBC counts were likely contaminated by high counts from neonates born after unrecognized fetal hypoxia. We hypothesized that a new method for creating reference intervals, refineR, would produce more accurate physiological intervals for neonatal NRBC counts. STUDY

designWe utilized refineR and real-world multicentered data from Intermountain Health to create new neonatal NRBC count reference intervals.

resultsUsing 4 ½ years of multi-hospital data, refineR created reference interval charts for NRBC counts at birth and over the first days. The new intervals are narrower than the previous version, with lower median and upper-limit values.

conclusionWith the new charts, clinicians can more confidently assess whether a neonate's NRBC count is normal vs. elevated.

Indexed as

AlgorithmsErythroblastsFetal HypoxiaBiomarkersErythrocyte CountFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornMaleReference ValuesBiomarkers

Identifiers

PMID41731042

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.