Endotoxin Induced Chorioamnionitis Prevents Intestinal Development during Gestation in Fetal Sheep

Chorioamnionitis is the most significant source of prenatal inflammation and preterm delivery. Prematurity and prenatal inflammation are associated with compromised postnatal developmental outcomes, of the intestinal immune defence, gut barrier function and the vascular system. We developed a sheep model to study how the antenatal development of the gut was affected by gestation and/or by endotoxin induced chorioamnionitis

Los Pirineos en el contexto de las montañas del mundo: rasgos generales y peculiaridades

29 páginas.Este trabajo introductorio intenta presentar la cordillera de los Pirineos, y especialmente sus características naturales dominantes, señalando en particular aquellas que comparte con otras cordilleras del globo, y aquellas que son peculiares de esta cadena, o compartidas con pocos sistemas montañosos similares. Veamos pues, en primer lugar, algunos rasgos generales de la mayor parte de las cordilleras.Peer reviewe

Set optimization - a rather short introduction

Recent developments in set optimization are surveyed and extended including various set relations as well as fundamental constructions of a convex analysis for set- and vector-valued functions, and duality for set optimization problems. Extensive sections with bibliographical comments summarize the state of the art. Applications to vector optimization and financial risk measures are discussed along with algorithmic approaches to set optimization problems

Surfactant phosphatidylcholine half-life and pool size measurements in premature baboons developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Because minimal information is available about surfactant metabolism in bronchopulmonary dysplasia, we measured half-lives and pool sizes of surfactant phosphatidylcholine in very preterm baboons recovering from respiratory distress syndrome and developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia, using stable isotopes, radioactive isotopes, and direct pool size measurements. Eight ventilated premature baboons received (2)H-DPPC (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine) on d 5 of life, and radioactive (14)C-DPPC with a treatment dose of surfactant on d 8. After 14 d, lung pool sizes of saturated phosphatidylcholine were measured. Half-life of (2)H-DPPC (d 5) in tracheal aspirates was 28 +/- 4 h (mean +/- SEM). Half-life of radioactive DPPC (d 8) was 35 +/- 4 h. Saturated phosphatidylcholine pool size measured with stable isotopes on d 5 was 129 +/- 14 micro mol/kg, and 123 +/- 11 micro mol/kg on d 14 at autopsy. Half-lives were comparable to those obtained at d 0 and d 6 in our previous baboon studies. We conclude that surfactant metabolism does not change during the early development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, more specifically, the metabolism of exogenous surfactant on d 8 is similar to that on the day of birth. Surfactant pool size is low at birth, increases after surfactant therapy, and is kept constant during the first 2 wk of life by endogenous surfactant synthesis. Measurements with stable isotopes are comparable to measurements with radioactive tracers and measurements at autopsy

Characteristics of Family Dynamics among Japanese Families in Japan

The purpose of this study is to identify family dynamics and their relationships to selected socio-demographic characteristics and mental status among Japanese families in Japan. The Family Dynamics Measure II (FDM II) and a socio-demographic questionnaire were used to obtain data. Participants (n=195; male n=62, female n=129, gender unknown n=4) were obtained from a city, western outskirts of Tokyo. Majority of respondents were married (n=165, 84.6%) and with children (n=128, 65.6%). Family size ranged from 2 to 9 persons (mean= 3.66, SD=1.42). Three-generation families, I.e. presences of grandparent(s), daughter(s)-in-law, and parent(s)-in-law (n=25, 12.8%) were small in numbers. When there were family members ages over 70, female respondents showed negative relations to 4 of 6 dimensions of FDM II. Further, when there were family members ages between 12-17, both male and female respondents showed negative relationships to 3 of 6 dimensions of FDM II. Mental status showed a positive relationship to age of male respondents. Nurses should be aware of relationships between affecting factors and dimensions of family dynamics. The understanding of these gender differences among males and females and the conditions of the family could be quite helpful when advising or counseling family members for betterment of family health

Clinical practice: Noninvasive respiratory support in newborns

The most important goal of introducing noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been to decrease the need for intubation and, therefore, mechanical ventilation in newborns. As a result, this technique may reduce the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). In addition to nasal CPAP, improvements in sensors and flow delivery systems have resulted in the introduction of a variety of other types of NIV. For the optimal application of these novelties, a thorough physiological knowledge of mechanics of the respiratory system is necessary. In this overview, the modern insights of noninvasive respiratory therapy in newborns are discussed. These aspects include respiratory support in the delivery room; conventional and modern nCPAP; humidified, heated, and high-flow nasal cannula ventilation; and nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Finally, an algorithm is presented describing common practice in taking care of respiratory distress in prematurely born infants

Chlamydiatrachomatis and placental inflammation in early preterm delivery

Chlamydiatrachomatis may infect the placenta and subsequently lead to preterm delivery. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between the presence of Chlamydiatrachomatis and signs of placental inflammation in women who delivered at 32 weeks gestation or less. Setting: placental histology and clinical data were prospectively obtained from 304 women and newborns at the Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. C.trachomatis testing of placentas was done retrospectively using PCR. C.trachomatis was detected in 76 (25%) placentas. Histological evidence of placental inflammation was present in 123 (40%) placentas: in 41/76 (54%) placentas with C.trachomatis versus 82/228 (36%) placentas without C.trachomatis infection (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2–3.5). C.trachomatis infection correlated with the progression (P = 0.009) and intensity (P = 0.007) of materno-fetal placental inflammation. C.trachomatis DNA was frequently detected in the placenta of women with early preterm delivery, and was associated with histopathological signs of placental inflammation

Localization and potential role of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 and -2 in different phases of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) can evolve in prematurely born infants who require mechanical ventilation because of hyaline membrane disease (HMD). The development of BPD can be divided in an acute, a regenerative, a transitional, and a chronic phase. During these different phases, extensive remodeling of the lung parenchyma with re-epithelialization of the alveoli and formation of fibrosis occurs. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is an enzyme that is involved in re-epithelialization processes, and dysregulation of MMP-1 activity contributes to fibrosis. Localization of MMP-1 and its inhibitors, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2, were investigated in lung tissue obtained from infants who died during different phases of BPD development. In all studied cases (n = 50) type-II pneumocytes were found to be immunoreactive for MMP-1, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2. During the acute and regenerative phase of BPD, type-II pneumocytes re-epithelialize the injured alveoli. This may suggest that MMP-1 and its inhibitors, expressed by type-II pneumocytes, play a role in the re-epithelialization process after acute lung injury. Although MMP-1 staining intensity remained constant in type-II pneumocytes during BPD development, TIMP-1 increased during the chronic fibrotic phase. This relative elevation of TIMP-1 compared with MMP-1 is indicative for reduced collagenolytic activity by type-II pneumocytes in chronic BPD and may contribute to fibrosis. Fibrotic foci in chronic BPD contained fibroblasts immunoreactive for MMP-1 and TIMP-1 and -2. This may indicate that decreased collagen turnover by fibroblasts contributes to fibrosis in BPD development

Influence of fire prevention management strategies on the diversity of butterfly fauna in the eastern Pyrenees

Fire prevention management is becoming a necessity in many Mediterranean locations to regulate fire of natural or human origin. However, very few studies have determined the real effects of the strategies adopted on local fauna. Butterflies are sensitive to local changes and they can thus serve as indicators of environmental changes. Three different types of fire prevention management approaches in three different localities in the Eastern Pyrenees (France) were performed and the butterfly community composition was investigated. We show that of the 80 species of butterflies observed, 36 % can be considered as biological markers. An original objective treatment of data using hierarchical distance analysis combined with a neural network analysis (Self-Organizing Maps) was applied in this study. Our conclusions are that the overall number of species is maintained independently of the fire prevention type but that some important changes are observed among butterfly communities, with a clear reduction of the numbers of endemic/specialized species in favour of generalist ones for the two most drastic fire prevention management approaches studied here. The influence of such approaches is discussed on the basis of the conservation of Mediterranean species of Lepidoptera