Maternal iron homeostasis: Effect on placental development and function

Iron is an essential mineral that participates in oxygen transport, DNA synthesis and repair, and as a cofactor for various cellular processes. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Due to blood volume expansion and demands from the fetal-placental unit, pregnant women are one of the populations most at risk of developing iron deficiency. Iron deficiency during pregnancy poses major health concerns for offspring, including intrauterine growth restriction and long-term health complications. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, maternal iron deficiency may indirectly impair fetal growth through changes in the structure and function of the placenta. Since the placenta forms the interface between mother and baby, understanding how the placenta changes in iron deficiency may yield new diagnostic indices of fetal stress in affected pregnancies, thereby leading to earlier interventions and improved fetal outcomes. In this review, we compile current data on the changes in placental development and function that occur under conditions of maternal iron deficiency, and discuss challenges and perspectives on managing the high incidence of iron deficiency in pregnant women

Vascular Aging and Hemodynamic Stability in the Intraoperative Period

The proportion of elderly people in the population is steadily increasing, and the inevitable consequence is that this subpopulation is more frequently represented in common medical procedures and surgeries. Understanding the circulatory changes that accompany the aging process is therefore becoming increasingly timely and relevant. In this short review, we discuss aspects of vascular control in aging that are particularly relevant in the maintenance of intraoperative hemodynamic stability. We subsequently review the effects of certain notable anesthetic agents with respect to the aging vasculature

Maternal and cord blood hemoglobin as determinants of placental weight: A cross-sectional study

Background: Both high and low placental weights are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Maternal hemoglobin levels can influence placental weight, but the evidence is conflicting. Since maternal hemoglobin does not invariably correlate with fetal/neonatal blood hemoglobin levels, we sought to determine whether cord blood hemoglobin or maternal hemoglobin status more closely associates with placental weight in women undergoing elective cesarean section at term. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, Canada, involving 202 women with term singleton pregnancies undergoing elective cesarean section. Maternal blood and mixed cord blood hemoglobin levels were analyzed using a HemoCue Hb201+ system. Birth weight, placental weight, one-and five-minute APGAR scores, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical state classification, maternal age, and maternal height were also recorded. Relationships between maternal and cord blood hemoglobin levels with placental weight, birth weight, and birth weight to placental weight ratio were the main outcome measures. Results: A total of 182 subjects were included in the analysis. Regression analysis showed that cord blood hemoglobin, but not maternal hemoglobin, was inversely related with placental weight (β = −2.4, p = 0.001) and positively related with the birth weight to placental weight ratio (β = 0.015, p = 0.001 and p = 0.63, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that measuring cord blood hemoglobin levels, rather than maternal hemoglobin levels, may provide important diagnostic information about in utero fetal adaptation to suboptimal placental function and neonatal health

Low dose Intralipid resuscitation improves survival compared to ClinOleic in propranolol overdose in rats.

BACKGROUND:Medication overdose is a prevalent issue and despite mixed reports of efficacy, the use of intravenous lipid emulsions, notably Intralipid®, for the management of toxicity from lipid-soluble drugs is becoming increasingly prevalent. Whether alternative lipid emulsion formulations have similar efficacy for resuscitation compared to Intralipid is not known. Here, we compared the efficacy of Intralipid and ClinOleic® for resuscitation following overdose with the lipid-soluble beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol. METHODS:Male Sprague-Dawley rats (age 3-4 months) were anesthetized with isoflurane and instrumented for direct hemodynamic assessments. In Study One, rats (n = 22) were pre-treated with Intralipid 20% (n = 12) or ClinOleic 20% (n = 10) to determine whether the hemodynamic effects of propranolol could be prevented. In Study Two, rats were randomly assigned to Intralipid 20% (1, 2, or 3 mL/kg IV, n = 21) or ClinOleic 20% (1, 2, or 3 mL/kg IV, n = 20) resuscitation groups following propranolol overdose (15 mg/kg IV). In Study Three the effect of Intralipid 20% (1 mL/kg IV, n = 3) and ClinOleic 20% (1 mL/kg IV, n = 3) in the absence of propranolol was investigated. The primary endpoint in all studies was survival time (up to a maximum of 120 minutes), and secondary endpoints were time to achieve 50%, 75%, and 90% of baseline hemodynamic parameters. RESULTS:In Study One, pre-treatment with Intralipid prior to propranolol administration resulted in prolonged survival compared to pre-treatment with ClinOleic at low doses (1 mL/kg; P = 0.002), but provided no benefit at higher doses (3 mL/kg; P = 0.95). In Study Two, Intralipid conferred a survival advantage over ClinOleic, with 18/21 rats surviving 120 minutes in the Intralipid group and only 4/20 survivors in the ClinOleic group (P<0.0001). Median survival times (with interquartile ranges) for rats treated with Intralipid, and ClinOleic, and saline were 120 (80.5-120) min, 21.5 (3.25-74.5) min, and 1 (0.25-2.5) min respectively (P<0.001). Only 3/21 rats in the Intralipid group survived less than 30 minutes, whereas 12/20 ClinOleic treated rats had survival times of less than 30 minutes. The number of rats achieving 75%, and 90% of baseline mean arterial pressure was also greater in the Intralipid group (P<0.05 for both values). Treatment in Study Three did not alter survival times. CONCLUSIONS:Low-dose Intralipid (1, 2, or 3 mL/kg IV) confers a survival advantage up to 120 minutes post-propranolol overdose (the end-point of the experiment) and better hemodynamic recovery compared to ClinOleic (1, 2, or 3 mL/kg IV) in rats with propranolol overdose. As health care centres choose alternate intravenous lipid emulsions, limited availability of Intralipid could impact efficacy and success of overdose treatment for lipid-soluble drugs

Broccoli Sprouts Promote Sex-Dependent Cardiometabolic Health and Longevity in Long-Evans Rats

Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds are potential candidates to prevent age-related chronic diseases. Broccoli sprouts (BrSp) are a rich source of sulforaphane&mdash;a bioactive metabolite known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We tested the effect of chronic BrSp feeding on age-related decline in cardiometabolic health and lifespan in rats. Male and female Long-Evans rats were fed a control diet with or without dried BrSp (300 mg/kg body weight, 3 times per week) from 4 months of age until death. Body weight, body composition, blood pressure, heart function, and glucose and insulin tolerance were measured at 10, 16, 20, and 22 months of age. Behavioral traits were also examined at 18 months of age. BrSp feeding prolonged life span in females, whereas in males the positive effects on longevity were more pronounced in a subgroup of males (last 25% of survivors). Despite having modest effects on behavior, BrSp profoundly affected cardiometabolic parameters in a sex-dependent manner. BrSp-fed females had a lower body weight and visceral adiposity while BrSp-fed males exhibited improved glucose tolerance and reduced blood pressure when compared to their control counterparts. These findings highlight the sex-dependent benefits of BrSp on improving longevity and delaying cardiometabolic decline associated with aging in rats

Characterization of Systemic and Regional Hemodynamics and Vascular Dysfunction in Mice with Fecal Induced Peritonitis

Sepsis is associated with circulatory dysfunction contributing to disturbed blood flow and organ injury. Decreased organ perfusion in sepsis is attributed, in part, to the loss of vasoregulatory mechanisms. Identifying which vascular beds are most susceptible to dysfunction is important for monitoring the recovery of organ function and guiding interventions. This study aimed to investigate the development of vascular dysfunction as sepsis progressed to septic shock. Anesthetized C57Bl/6 mice were instrumented with a fiberoptic pressure sensor in the carotid artery for blood pressure measurements. In subgroups of mice, regional blood flow measurements were taken by positioning a perivascular flow probe around either the left carotid, left renal, or superior mesenteric arteries. Hemodynamic parameters and their responsiveness to bolus doses of vasoactive drugs were recorded prior to and continuously after injection of fecal slurry (1.3 mg/g body weight) for 4 h. Fecal slurry-induced peritonitis reduced mean arterial pressure (62.7 &plusmn; 2.4 mmHg vs. 37.5 &plusmn; 3.2 mmHg in vehicle and septic mice, respectively), impaired cardiac function, and eventually reduced organ blood flow (71.9%, 66.8%, and 65.1% in the superior mesenteric, renal, and carotid arteries, respectively). The mesenteric vasculature exhibited dysregulation before the renal and carotid arteries, and this underlying dysfunction preceded the blood pressure decline and impaired organ blood flow

OP (post-photoreceptoral) peak amplitudes elicited by step-wise increases in stimulus intensity.

<p>(A) Representative traces corresponding to responses elicited by a stimulus intensity of 1.36 log cds/m2; (B) OP peak amplitudes measured in control and IUGR offspring at 2 and 14 months of age as a function of stimulus intensity, and (C) Bar graphs depicting comparisons of peak amplitudes of OPs elicited by the maximal stimulus intensity. *P<0.05 compared to controls at the same age. A.u., arbitrary units; AUC, area under the curve.</p