scholarly journals Developmental programming of health and disease

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon C. Langley-Evans
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Nutrient Imbalance ◽  
The Impact

The environment encountered in fetal and neonatal life exerts a profound influence on physiological function and risk of disease in adult life. Epidemiological evidence suggests that impaired fetal growth followed by rapid catch-up in infancy is a strong predictor of obesity, hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes and CHD. Whilst these associations have been widely accepted to be the product of nutritional factors operating in pregnancy, evidence from human populations to support this assertion is scarce. Animal studies clearly demonstrate that there is a direct association between nutrient imbalance in fetal life and later disease states, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity and renal disease. These associations are independent of changes in fetal growth rates. Experimental studies examining the impact of micro- or macronutrient restriction and excess in rodent pregnancy provide clues to the mechanisms that link fetal nutrition to permanent physiological changes that promote disease. Exposure to glucocorticoids in early life appears to be an important consequence of nutrient imbalance and may lead to alterations in gene expression that have major effects on tissue development and function. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, may also be important processes in early-life programming.

scholarly journals Regulation of leptin synthesis and secretion before birth: implications for the early programming of adult obesity

Reproduction ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
I C McMillen ◽  
L J Edwards ◽  
J Duffield ◽  
B S Muhlhausler
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Fetal Brain ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Adult Obesity ◽  
Nutritional Environment ◽  
Hypothalamic Neuropeptides ◽  
Potential Impact

A series of epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies have shown that there are associations between the fetal and neonatal nutritional environment and the amount and distribution of adipose tissue in adult life. This review considers the evidence for these relationships and discusses the potential impact of the prenatal nutritional experience on the development of the endocrine and neuroendocrine systems that regulate energy balance, with a particular emphasis on the role of the adipocyte-derived hormone, leptin. In the rodent, leptin derived from the mother may exert an important influence on the development of the appetite regulatory neural network and on the subsequent regulation of leptin synthesis and the risk for obesity in the offspring. In species such as the human and sheep, there is also recent evidence that the synthesis and secretion of adipocyte-derived hormones, such as leptin, are regulated in fetal life. Furthermore, the hypothalamic neuropeptides that regulate energy intake and expenditure in adult life are also present within the fetal brain and may be regulated by the prevailing level of maternal and hence fetal nutrient and hormonal signals, including leptin. This work is important in determining those initiating mechanisms within the ‘fat–brain’ axis in early life that precede the development of adult obesity.

scholarly journals Peanut sensitisation and allergy: influence of early life exposure to peanuts

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (9) ◽  
pp. 1278-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Thompson ◽  
Lisa M. Miles ◽  
Joanne Lunn ◽  
Graham Devereux ◽  
Rebecca J. Dearman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Human Studies ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
The Impact

The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the influence of early life exposure (maternal and childhood) to peanuts and the subsequent development of sensitisation or allergy to peanuts during childhood. Studies were identified using electronic databases and bibliography searches. Studies that assessed the impact of non-avoidance compared with avoidance or reduced quantities of peanuts or peanut products on either sensitisation or allergy to peanuts, or both outcomes, were eligible. Six human studies were identified: two randomised controlled trials, two case–control studies and two cross-sectional studies. In addition, published animal and mechanistic studies, relevant to the question of whether early life exposure to peanuts affects the subsequent development of peanut sensitisation, were reviewed narratively. Overall, the evidence reviewed was heterogeneous, and was limited in quality, for example, through lack of adjustment for potentially confounding factors. The nature of the evidence has therefore hindered the development of definitive conclusions. The systematic review of human studies and narrative expert-led reviews of animal studies do not provide clear evidence to suggest that either maternal exposure, or early or delayed introduction of peanuts in the diets of children, has an impact upon subsequent development of sensitisation or allergy to peanuts. Results from some animal studies (and limited evidence from human subjects) suggest that the dose of peanuts is an important mediator of peanut sensitisation and tolerance; low doses tend to lead to sensitisation and higher doses tend to lead to tolerance.

Maternal Nutrition and Fetal Programming of the Immune System: Epidemiological and Experimental Evidences

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Siti Rohaiza Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Fetal Programming ◽  
Maternal Nutrition ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Immune Functions ◽  
Immune System Development

Maternal nutrition will not only affects pregnancy outcomes (such as birth weight) but will also affect the state of the fetus in their adult life in terms of diseases occurrence and also immune system development. Inadequate nutrition particularly will have a negative impact on the proliferation of the various cell populations responsible for the immune functions as well as the accumulation of high concentrations of inflammatory components. Maternal nutrition affects immunity ‘programming' during the period of pre-natal and post-natal life. Over the last decade, epidemiological and experimental studies have helped to expedite more understanding of immunity ‘programming.' External exposures such as smoking, alcohol and drugs during fetal life have also shown to have an impact on immunity ‘programming.' In this review, the relationship between fetal programming and the immune system, such as effects on the various immune-cellular components through some evidence from epidemiological and experimental models will be discussed.

scholarly journals An Old Drug for a New Application: Potential Benefits of Sildenafil in Wound Healing

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadi Farsaie ◽  
Hossein Khalili ◽  
Iman Karimzadeh ◽  
Simin Dashti-Khavidaki
Keyword(s):  
Wound Healing ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor ◽  
Cochrane Central Register ◽  
Skin Damage ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Cochrane Database ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: Several studies have evaluated the effects of sildenafil on the tissue repair and wound healing. In the present review, the impact of sildenafil on the wound healing in all available clinical and non-clinical (experimental) studies has been discussed. Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Embase, Cochrane central register of controlled trials and Cochrane database systematic reviews. Related articles indexed in Google Scholar were also included. Key words used as search terms were ‘phosphodiesterase inhibitor’, ‘sildenafil’, ‘skin’, ‘cutaneous’, ‘skin lesion’, ‘skin damage’, ‘wound’, and ‘wound healing’. No time limitation was considered in this review. Results: A total of 15 animal studies, 7 case reports, and 2 small clinical studies have reported the effects of sildenafil on the wound healing. The effects included skin flaps and grafts, anastomosis, systemic sclerosis and Raynaud's disease. Conclusions: The available data support the beneficial effects of sildenafil in improvement of tissue healing in various conditions. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see “For Readers”) may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue’s contents page.

scholarly journals Sex differences in the developmental origins of hypertension and cardiorenal disease

2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (6) ◽  
pp. R1941-R1952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Gilbert ◽  
Mark J. Nijland
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Sex Hormones ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Developmental Origins ◽  
Critical Periods ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
The Impact

The “developmental origins of health and disease” (DOHAD) hypothesis derives from clinical observations, indicating long-term health consequences for persons of low birth weight. There is growing evidence, primarily from animal studies, that supports the idea that processes put in motion during development that contribute to DOHAD do not necessarily reflect as significantly compromised growth and altered birth weight. Throughout the body of work investigating the DOHAD hypothesis, several themes have emerged; the importance of the placenta, the presence of critical periods of vulnerability, the involvement of the kidney in programmed hypertension, the presence of sex differences in the progression and development of adult diseases. Despite compelling findings in recent studies, much remains unclear regarding the impact of biological sex in the progression of human diseases, in general, and in the mechanisms underlying developmentally programmed responses, in particular. Although the contribution of biological sex to DOHAD is increasingly recognized, it also appears that it may exert distinctly different influences during fetal and adult life. The mechanisms by which biological sex contributes to these processes remains nebulous at present; nevertheless, several intriguing mechanistic candidates have been proposed ranging from differences in the amounts of sex hormones (e.g., estrogens, androgens) to recently described sexual dimorphism in the transcriptome of a variety of mammalian tissues. Recognizing the influences of biological sex or sex hormones on DOHAD uniquely situates research in this area to provide significant insights into the development and progression of many diseases, recent examples of which are the subject of this review.

scholarly journals Pregnancy, obesity and insulin resistance: maternal overnutrition and the target windows of fetal development

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly S. Muhlhausler ◽  
Jessica R. Gugusheff ◽  
Zhi Yi Ong ◽  
Mini A. Vithayathil
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Maternal Obesity ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Maternal Undernutrition ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Maternal Overnutrition ◽  
The Impact

AbstractA substantial body of literature has demonstrated that the nutritional environment an individual experiences before birth or in early infancy is a key determinant of their health outcomes across the life course. This concept, the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, was initially focused on the adverse consequences of exposure to a suboptimal nutrient supply and provided evidence that maternal undernutrition, fetal growth restriction, and low birth weight were associated with heightened risk of central adiposity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. More recently, the epidemic rise in the incidence of maternal obesity has seen the attention of the DOHaD field turn toward identifying the impact on the offspring of exposure to an excess nutrient supply in early life. The association between maternal obesity and increased risk of obesity in the offspring has been documented in human populations worldwide, and animal models have provided critical insights into the biological mechanisms that drive this relationship. This review will discuss the important roles that programming of the adipocyte and programming of the central neural networks which control appetite and reward play in the early life programming of metabolic disease by maternal overnutrition. It will also highlight the important research gaps and challenges that remain to be addressed and provide a personal perspective on where the field should be heading in the coming 5–10 years.

Adaptability and potential for treatment of placental functions to improve embryonic development and postnatal health

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Experimental Animals ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lines Of Evidence ◽  
In Pregnancy

For an organ that is so critical for life in eutherian mammals, the placenta hardly gets the attention that it deserves. The placenta does a series of remarkable things, including implanting the embryo in the uterus, negotiating with the mother for nutrients but also protecting her health during pregnancy, helping establish normal metabolic and cardiovascular function for life postnatally (developmental programming) and initiating changes that prepare the mother to care for and suckle her young after birth. Different lines of evidence in experimental animals suggest that the development and function of the placenta are adaptable. This means that some of the changes observed in pathological pregnancies may represent attempts to mitigate the impact of fetal growth and development. Key and emerging concepts are reviewed here concerning how we may view the placenta diagnostically and therapeutically in pregnancy complications, focusing on information from experimental studies in mice, sheep and cattle, as well as association studies from humans. Hundreds of different genes have been shown to underlie normal placental development and function, some of which have promise as tractable targets for intervention in pregnancies at risk for poor fetal growth.

scholarly journals Long-lived crowded-litter mice exhibit lasting effects on insulin sensitivity and energy homeostasis

2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (11) ◽  
pp. E1305-E1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Sadagurski ◽  
Taylor Landeryou ◽  
Manuel Blandino-Rosano ◽  
Gillian Cady ◽  
Lynda Elghazi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Sensitivity ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Postnatal Growth ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
The Impact

The action of nutrients on early postnatal growth can influence mammalian aging and longevity. Recent work has demonstrated that limiting nutrient availability in the first 3 wk of life [by increasing the number of pups in the crowded-litter (CL) model] leads to extension of mean and maximal lifespan in genetically normal mice. In this study, we aimed to characterize the impact of early-life nutrient intervention on glucose metabolism and energy homeostasis in CL mice. In our study, we used mice from litters supplemented to 12 or 15 pups and compared those to control litters limited to eight pups. At weaning and then throughout adult life, CL mice are significantly leaner and consume more oxygen relative to control mice. At 6 mo of age, CL mice had low fasting leptin concentrations, and low-dose leptin injections reduced body weight and food intake more in CL female mice than in controls. At 22 mo, CL female mice also have smaller adipocytes compared with controls. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests show an increase in insulin sensitivity in 6 mo old CL male mice, and females become more insulin sensitive later in life. Furthermore, β-cell mass was significantly reduced in the CL male mice and was associated with reduction in β-cell proliferation rate in these mice. Together, these data show that early-life nutrient intervention has a significant lifelong effect on metabolic characteristics that may contribute to the increased lifespan of CL mice.

scholarly journals The Impact of Probiotics on Intestinal Mucositis during Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer. A Comprehensive Review of Animal Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 9347
Author(s):  
Povilas Miknevicius ◽  
Ruta Zulpaite ◽  
Bettina Leber ◽  
Kestutis Strupas ◽  
Philipp Stiegler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Intestinal Mucositis ◽  
The Impact

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in females (incidence 16.4/10000) and the third in males (incidence 23.4/10000) worldwide. Surgery, chemotherapy (CTx), radiation therapy (RTx), or a combined treatment of those are the current treatment modalities for primary CRC. Chemotherapeutic drug-induced gastrointestinal (GIT) toxicity mainly presents as mucositis and diarrhea. Preclinical studies revealed that probiotic supplementation helps prevent CTx-induced side effects by reducing oxidative stress and proinflammatory cytokine production and promoting crypt cell proliferation. Moreover, probiotics showed significant results in preventing the loss of body weight (BW) and reducing diarrhea. However, further clinical studies are needed to elucidate the exact doses and most promising combination of strains to reduce or prevent chemotherapy-induced side effects. The aim of this review is to overview currently available literature on the impact of probiotics on CTx-induced side effects in animal studies concerning CRC treatment and discuss the potential mechanisms based on experimental studies’ outcomes.

Double inferior vena cava in a monochorionic twin pregnancy with selective fetal growth restriction

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. e240379
Author(s):  
Beatrice Mosimann ◽  
Sofia Amylidi-Mohr ◽  
Daniel V Surbek ◽  
Luigi Raio
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Vena Cava ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Fetal Growth Restriction ◽  
Twin Pregnancy ◽  
Inferior Vena ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Vena Cava ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Growth Restriction ◽  
Fetal Life

Congenital anomalies of the infrarenal inferior vena cava (IVC) are well described in adult life, however, little information exists on their associations in fetal life. Here, we describe a case of a monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twin pregnancy complicated by selective fetal growth restriction (sFGR) with an incidental finding of a double IVC in one child. In fetal life, variants of the infrarenal IVC are strongly associated with heart defects, which might suggest haemodynamic alterations or genetic causes, even more so in our case with MCDA twins complicated by sFGR.

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