4 research outputs found
Lactoferrin and prematurity: a promising milk protein?
Lactoferrin (Lf) is the major whey protein in milk with multiple beneficial health effects, including direct anti-microbial activities, anti-inflammatory effects and iron homeostasis. Lf oral supplementation in human preterm infants has been shown to reduce the incidence of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. In preclinical models of antenatal stress and perinatal brain injury bovine Lf protected the developing brain from neuronal loss, improved connectivity, increased neurotrophic factors and decreased inflammation. It also supported brain development and cognition. Further, Lf could prevent preterm delivery, through a reduction of pro-inflammatory factors and inhibition of premature cervix maturation. We review here the latest research on lactoferrin in the field of neonatology.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
3D remote sensing as a tool for river and riparian area regional monitoring in Wallonia (Belgium)
Sous l’impulsion de son administration, la Wallonie a entamé un processus de révision des
modalités de gestion de ses cours d’eau publics, notamment à travers le projet des Programmes
d’actions sur les rivières par une approche intégrée et sectorisée (PARIS). Les PARIS ont pour
but d’intégrer dans le temps et dans l’espace l’ensemble des mesures de gestion spécifiques au
linéaire des cours d’eau en fonction d’enjeux prioritaires identifiés à l’échelle d’unités de gestion
homogènes : les secteurs (6 185 secteurs de gestion de 2 km de long en moyenne). La mise
en place et le suivi de ces plans de gestion impliquent de facto le développement d’outils de
suivi efficaces, permettant d’établir les états des lieux pour la planification des actes de gestion
et à terme, d’évaluer l’efficacité desdits plans de gestion. Ces opérations doivent se réaliser sur
près de 12 000 km de cours d’eau et de bandes riveraines associées sur une base objective
et commune à l’ensemble des gestionnaires des cours d’eau publics. Des données fines de
télédétection sont disponibles et acquises de manière régulière par l’administration wallonne ;
des solutions dérivées de ces sources de données permettront de répondre partiellement aux
besoins réguliers en information des plans de gestion PARIS à un coût réduit.
Pour atteindre cet objectif, un protocole a été établi à partir de nuages de points lidar (light
detection and ranging ; densité 1 point « sol » par m2) complétés par des nuages de points
photogrammétriques. Ces données ont été utilisées afin de caractériser la structure spatiale
des bandes riveraines du réseau hydrographique public wallon à partir de six paramètres.
Ces paramètres peuvent être d’ordre hydromorphologique (hauteur des berges, largeur
et sinuosité du lit mineur), ou décrire la structure des forêts riveraines (hauteur moyenne et
continuité longitudinale des peuplements arborés et ombrage du lit mineur). Différentes formes
de visualisations de l’information peuvent appuyer le processus décisionnel des gestionnaires,
de l’échelle locale (secteurs d’une masse d’eau DCE (directive cadre sur l’eau) à l’échelle
régionale (354 masses d’eau DCE). Les paramètres extraits dans le cadre de ce projet seront
prochainement intĂ©grĂ©s au sein d’une plateforme informatique permettant leur visualisation Ă
différentes échelles ainsi que l’encodage des actions par les gestionnaires.The Walloon administration has initiated a process of reform of river management policies, notably
through the project PARIS action programs. The PARIS programs aim the integration in time
and space of all specific management measures regarding public waterways based on priority
issues identified at the level of homogeneous management units (6185 units, with mean length of
2 km). The implementation and monitoring of these management plans involve the development
of effective monitoring tools to establish the initial state, planning acts of management and
evaluating the effectiveness of such management plans. These operations must be carried out
on nearly 12,000 km of streams and associated riparian area. This task must be realized on an
objective and common basis for all of public waterways managers. Fine remote sensing data’s
are available and regularly acquired by the Walloon administration. Derived solutions of these
data sources will partially meet the information needs of PARIS management plans at reduced
cost.
To achieve this goal, a protocol has been established based on lidar point clouds (density 1 point
«soil»/m2) completed by photogrammetric points clouds. These data were used to characterize
the spatial structure of riparian areas associated with all of the Walloon public water system
(>12,000 km) through six parameters. These parameters can be hydromorphological (height of
banks, width, and sinuosity of the riverbed), or describe the structure of riparian forests (average
height, longitudinal continuity, and shading of the riverbed). Different types of visualizations
can support management decision-making to the local level (single river management unit) to
regional (354 waterbodies of the water framework directive). Through various visualizations at
different scales, the extracted parameters by the project will be integrated into a webGIS platform
used by the river managers to report and plan their management actions
Delayed cortical impairment following lipopolysaccharide exposure in preterm fetal sheep
Preterm infants exhibit chronic deficits in white matter (WM) and cortical maturation. Although fetal infection/inflammation may contribute to WM pathology, the factors contributing to cortical changes are largely unknown. We examined the effect of fetal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure on WM and cortical development as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and histopathology in fetal sheep at preterm human equivalent age
Repetitive Erythropoietin Treatment Improves Long-Term Neurocognitive Outcome by Attenuating Hyperoxia-Induced Hypomyelination in the Developing Brain
Introduction:Preterm infants born before 28 weeks of gestation are at high risk of neurodevelopmental impairment in later life. Cerebral white and gray matter injury is associated with adverse outcomes. High oxygen levels, often unavoidable in neonatal intensive care, have been identified as one of the main contributing factors to preterm brain injury. Thus, preventive and therapeutic strategies against hyperoxia-induced brain injury are needed. Erythropoietin (Epo) is a promising and also neuroprotective candidate due to its clinical use in infants as erythropoiesis-stimulating agent. Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of repetitive Epo treatment on the cerebral white matter and long-term motor-cognitive outcome in a neonatal rodent model of hyperoxia-induced brain injury. Methods:Three-day old Wistar rats were exposed to hyperoxia (48 h, 80% oxygen). Four doses of Epo (5,000 IU/kg body weight per day) were applied intraperitoneally from P3-P6 with the first dose at the onset of hyperoxia. Oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination were evaluated via immunohistochemistry and Western blot on P11. Motor-cognitive deficits were assessed in a battery of complex behavior tests (Open Field, Novel Object Recognition, Barnes maze) in adolescent and fully adult animals. Following behavior tests animals underwent post-mortem diffusion tensor imaging to investigate long-lasting microstructural alterations of the white matter. Results:Repetitive treatment with Epo significantly improved myelination deficits following neonatal hyperoxia at P11. Behavioral testing revealed attenuated hyperoxia-induced cognitive deficits in Epo-treated adolescent and adult rats. Conclusion:A multiple Epo dosage regimen protects the developing brain against hyperoxia-induced brain injury by improving myelination and long-term cognitive outcome. Though current clinical studies on short-term outcome of Epo-treated prematurely born children contradict our findings, long-term effects up to adulthood are still lacking. Our data support the essential need for long-term follow-up of preterm infants in current clinical trials