The Prosthetic Obturator Appliance In The Treatment Of Cleft Lip And Palate In Newborns: Series Of Cases

Cleft lip and cleft palate are common defects in head and neck area. The treatment is mainly surgical but while waiting for the primary surgery which is not immediate, a pre-surgical management must be undertaken for the success of the diet and the surgery. In the present study, the use of the passive palatal obturator was chosen to demonstrate its efficacy in the pre-surgical management of cleft lip and/or palate in newborns.This is a serial case report of newborns with cleft lip and / or palate aged 2 to 27- day-old. Two suffered from BCLP (bilateral cleft palate), one from UCLP (unilateral cleft palate) and one IBCP (incomplete bilateral cleft palate). The conventional palatal obturator design-manufacturing stages was adopted. The impression was made with Polyvinyl siloxane impression material and flexible thermal-forming (ethylene vinyl acetate sheet) material was used for manufacturing the feeding obturator. A combined method (feeding obturator and lactation education) has been adopted for feeding success.As results, with palatal obturator in the mouth, each newborn exhibited good sucking-swallowing-breathing coordination at the time of suckling. During the 3-month follow-up period, weight gain was observed in the reported infants in which those affected by UCLP and CP gained more (1920g, 2200g) than others (700g, 1100g).The combined use of a palatal obturator and lactation education was associated with weight gain

Red wine polyphenols prevent metabolic and cardiovascular alterations associated with obesity in Zucker fatty rats (Fa/Fa)

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Estrogen Receptor Alpha as a Key Target of Red Wine Polyphenols Action on the Endothelium

BACKGROUND: A greater reduction in cardiovascular risk and vascular protection associated with diet rich in polyphenols are generally accepted; however, the molecular targets for polyphenols effects remain unknown. Meanwhile evidences in the literature have enlightened, not only structural similarities between estrogens and polyphenols known as phytoestrogens, but also in their vascular effects. We hypothesized that alpha isoform of estrogen receptor (ERalpha) could be involved in the transduction of the vascular benefits of polyphenols. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we used ERalpha deficient mice to show that endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation induced either by red wine polyphenol extract, Provinols, or delphinidin, an anthocyanin that possesses similar pharmacological profile, is mediated by ERalpha. Indeed, Provinols, delphinidin and ERalpha agonists, 17-beta-estradiol and PPT, are able to induce endothelial vasodilatation in aorta from ERalpha Wild-Type but not from Knock-Out mice, by activation of nitric oxide (NO) pathway in endothelial cells. Besides, silencing the effects of ERalpha completely prevented the effects of Provinols and delphinidin to activate NO pathway (Src, ERK 1/2, eNOS, caveolin-1) leading to NO production. Furthermore, direct interaction between delphinidin and ERalpha activator site is demonstrated using both binding assay and docking. Most interestingly, the ability of short term oral administration of Provinols to decrease response to serotonin and to enhance sensitivity of the endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine, associated with concomitant increased NO production and decreased superoxide anions, was completely blunted in ERalpha deficient mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides evidence that red wine polyphenols, especially delphinidin, exert their endothelial benefits via ERalpha activation. It is a major breakthrough bringing new insights of the potential therapeutic of polyphenols against cardiovascular pathologies

PPARα Is Essential for Microparticle-Induced Differentiation of Mouse Bone Marrow-Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Angiogenesis

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are critical for neovascularization. We hypothesized that microparticles (MPs), small fragments generated from the plasma membrane, can activate angiogenic programming of EPCs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We studied the effects of MPs obtained from wild type (MPs(PPARalpha+/+)) and knock-out (MPs(PPARalpha-/-)) mice on EPC differentiation and angiogenesis. Bone marrow-derived cells were isolated from WT or KO mice and were cultured in the presence of MPs(PPARalpha+/+) or MPs(PPARalpha-/-) obtained from blood of mice. Only MPs(PPARalpha+/+) harboring PPAR(alpha) significantly increased EPC, but not monocytic, differentiation. Bone marrow-derived cells treated with MPs(PPARalpha+/+) displayed increased expression of pro-angiogenic genes and increased in vivo angiogenesis. MPs(PPARalpha+/+) increased capillary-like tube formation of endothelial cells that was associated with enhanced expressions of endothelial cell-specific markers. Finally, the effects of MPs(PPARalpha+/+) were mediated by NF-kappaB-dependent mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results underscore the obligatory role of PPARalpha carried by MPs for EPC differentiation and angiogenesis. PPARalpha-NF-kappaB-Akt pathways may play a pivotal stimulatory role for neovascularization, which may, at least in part, be mediated by bone marrow-derived EPCs. Improvement of EPC differentiation may represent a useful strategy during reparative neovascularization

Situation and determinants of the infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators in Madagascar: analysis of the 2009 Demographic and Health Survey

Background: Studies evaluating child feeding in Madagascar are scarce despite its importance in child growth during the first two years of life. This study assessed the associations between the WHO infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators and stunting and identified determinants of inappropriate child feeding practices.Methods: The most recent Demographic and Health Survey was used including a total of 1956 infants aged 0–23 months. Logistic regressions were performed for the association between IYCF indicators and stunting and for the determination of risk factors for inappropriate feeding practices.Results: The rates of initiation of breastfeeding within one hour after birth (77.2%), continued breastfeeding at one year (99.6%) and timely introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods at 6–8 months (88.3%) were high. Exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months (48.8%), attaining minimum dietary diversity (22.2%) and consumption of iron-rich foods (19.6%) were relatively low. Higher length-for-age was associated with achieving minimum dietary diversity (p<0.01). The other indicators assessed (early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months, timely introduction of complementary foods and consumption of iron-rich foods) were not associated with stunting. Infants born to mothers who had first given birth at an age younger than 19 were more likely not to be breastfed within one hour after birth, not to be exclusively breastfed and not to have the recommended dietary diversity. Infants whose mothers had low media exposure were at increased risk of being inappropriately fed. Low household wealth also was associated with higher odds of not meeting the minimum dietary diversity.Conclusions: Despite almost total continued breastfeeding at one year and early initiation of breastfeeding by more than three-quarter of mothers, minimum dietary diversity scores were still low, confirming the need for more effective programs for improving child feeding practices in Madagascar. Improving dietary diversity in children aged 6–23 months may help reduce stunting. The identified risk factors for inappropriate feeding practices could be used in directing future nutrition sensitive interventions.Peer reviewedNutritional Science

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Electron distribution change of small nickel particles encaged in X zeolite in presence of Ce

Modifications of reactivity of metallic nickel highly dispersed in a zeolitic matrix, in the presence of Ce3+ ions, have been correlated to the existence of strong metal-support interactions. These interactions lead to changes in the electronic structure of the catalyst. A marked narrowing of the Ni 3d distribution is evidenced by means of electron induced X-ray emission spectroscopy. This narrowing is ascribed to a d band filling which may result both from the electrondonor character and the strongly polarizing power of the Ce3+ ions