Placental PHLDA2 expression was not significantly altered in infants admitted to NICU at delivery (for perinatal asphyxia) (Fig. 1c) and there was no significant correlation between placental PHLDA2 and other measures of infant wellbeing at delivery including Apgar scores at 1 min (r = 0.01, p = 0.93, n = 106) and 5 min (r = −0.11, p = 0.27, n = 105) or with arterial cord blood pH (r = − 0.7, p = 0.52, n = 76). This evidence concerns the gene PHLDA2 and asphyxia.