A dairy fat matrix providing alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is better than a vegetable fat mixture to increase brain DHA accretion in young rats.

Achieving an appropriate DHA status in the neonatal brain is an important goal of neonatal nutrition. We evaluated how alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), provided for six weeks after weaning by different dietary fat matrix, improved brain DHA content of young male rats born from deficient-dams. The level of ALA achieved was based on the fat composition of usual infant vegetable formula.

Dairy fat blends high in α-linolenic acid are superior to n-3 fatty-acid-enriched palm oil blends for increasing DHA levels in the brains of young rats.

Achieving an appropriate docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status in the neonatal brain is an important goal of neonatal nutrition. We evaluated how different dietary fat matrices improved DHA content in the brains of both male and female rats. Forty rats of each gender were born from dams fed over gestation and lactation with a low α-linolenic acid (ALA) diet (0.

Dietary supplementation of alpha-linolenic acid in an enriched rapeseed oil diet protects from stroke.

Populations of Western countries are severely deficient in omega-3 intake, both in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the Long Chain derivatives (LC-n-3), Eicosa-Pentaenoic-Acid and Docosa-Hexaenoic-Acid. Omega-3 insufficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebral diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Stroke is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, and induces a significant socioeconomic cost and a marked increase in patient/family burden.

1H NMR metabonomics can differentiate the early atherogenic effect of dairy products in hyperlipidemic hamsters.

Diet is an important environmental factor modulating the onset of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different dairy-based food products on early atherogenesis using both conventional and metabonomic approaches in hyperlipidemic hamsters. The hamsters received up to 200 g/kg of fat as anhydrous butter or cheese made from various milk fats or canola-based oil (CV), in addition to a non-atherogenic low-fat diet.

Threshold to N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced seizures in mice undergoing chronic nutritional magnesium deprivation is lowered in a way partly responsive to acute magnesium and antioxidant administrations.

Magnesium deficiency may be induced by a diet impoverished in magnesium. This nutritional deficit promotes chronic inflammatory and oxidative stresses, hyperexcitability and, in mice, susceptibility to audiogenic seizures. Potentiation by low-magnesium concentrations of the opening of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor/calcium channel in in vitro and ex vivo studies, and responsiveness to magnesium of in vivo brain injury states are now well established.

Use of trypan blue staining to assess the quality of ovarian cryopreservation.

Objective: To check the efficiency of the cryopreservation procedure by using trypan blue staining of ovarian test fragments to assess the quality of frozen-thawed ovarian tissue.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: University hospital.

[Fort Lauderdale congress report: advances in infertility treatment - Florida, 24-26 January 2002].

The goal of the treatment of infertility is to apply therapeutic techniques to patients in a safe manner and at the same time increase the chances for conceiving and delivering healthy babies: basic and clinical research is more and more finalized directed to these goals. The conference "Advances in Infertility Treatment" held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 24-26, 2002 covered many clinical and research aspects of this important therapeutic area. Important discussed issues included the impact of age, lifestyle, and the genetic set-up of patients in the pathogenesis and development of infertility-causing disorders such as male reproductive dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, and ovarian failure.

[Smoking, fertility and very preterm birth].

In France, many couples in procreating age continue to smoke, despite recommendations to stop smoking before or during pregnancy. We reviewed the epidemiological associations between maternal or paternal smoking and both infertility and very preterm birth. It appears clearly that maternal smoking impairs natural and assisted fecundity.

Epithelial cell surface sites involved in the polyvalent adherence of Porphyromonas gingivalis: a convincing role for neuraminic acid and glucuronic acid.

We investigated the target structures of the epithelial cells responsible for the attachment of Porphyromonas gingivalis by immunocytofluorimetry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and confocal microscopy. Integrins (beta1, beta3, and alphaV) and E-cadherin played no significant role. Carbohydrates (such as alpha-D-methylglucoside, L-fucose, D- and L-mannose, N-acetylglucosamine, and N-acetylgalactosamine) had little inhibitory effect on bacterial binding.

In vitro study of the effect of titanium on porphyromonas gingivalis in the presence of metronidazole and spiramycin.

Septic peri-implantitis is the main clinical complication encountered following the insertion of titanium implants. It may be resistant to conventional antibiotic treatments. Reports in the literature about antibiotic behavior in the presence of titanium remain controversial.

Adherence of Porphyromonas gingivalis to gingival epithelial cells: modulation of bacterial protein expression.

The protein profiles of Porphyromonas gingivalis (ATCC 33277 and W83) bound to KB gingival epithelial cells were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. We found that a 51-kDa component was formed in bacteria that adhered to the KB cells, whereas 26- to 29-kDa bands were less intensive, in contrast to the protein profile of free bacteria. P.

In vitro evaluation of the retention of three species of pathogenic microorganisms by three different types of toothbrush.

The retention and survival of microorganisms on toothbrushes pose a threat of recontamination for certain patients at risk. In order to measure the influence of brush design and optimize the choice of toothbrush model for complementary studies, the in vitro retention of three microbial species (Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175 and Candida albicans ATCC 26555) was evaluated for three types of toothbrush. Two series of standardized experiments were carried out for each brush and microorganism.

Use of energy color Doppler in visualizing fetal pulmonary vascularization to predict the absence of severe pulmonary hypoplasia.

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine if the assessment of pulmonary vascularization by energy color Doppler during ultrasound examination can predict the absence of pulmonary hypoplasia before birth in situations where it is a high risk.

Methods: In a prospective study of 12 pregnancies presenting a risk of pulmonary hypoplasia (5 early and prolonged premature ruptures of the membranes, 1 diaphragmatic hernia, 1 chylothorax, 1 pulmonary sequestration, 1 omphalocele, 1 anamnios and 2 Potter's syndromes) energy color Doppler was used to visualize pulmonary vascularization.

Results: In 10 cases where pulmonary vascularization could be visualized, none of the infants had pulmonary hypoplasia.

Role of Lp A-I and Lp A-I/A-II in cholesteryl ester transfer protein-mediated neutral lipid transfer. Studies in normal subjects and in hypertriglyceridemic patients before and after fenofibrate therapy.

The two major subclasses of HDL contain apo A-I only (Lp A-I) or both apo A-I and apo A-II (Lp A-I/A-II). We have carried out experiments to quantify the participation of Lp A-I and Lp A-I/A-II in the neutral lipid transfer reaction in normal and hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Thirteen hypertriglyceridemic subjects were studied before and after fenofibrate therapy.

Competitive RT-PCR to quantify CFTR mRNA in human endometrium.

Because the down-regulation by progesterone of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression could be a useful specific marker to define the state of implant receptivity in endometrium, a competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed for quantifying the CFTR mRNA concentration in human endometrial samples. A competitor RNA was constructed with the same sequence as the CFTR sequence except for a 20-nucleotide insertion in the middle. The amplified products were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Langer mesomelic dwarfism: ultrasonographic diagnosis of two cases in early mid-trimester.

This is a report on two cases of mesomelic dysplasia Langer type. This is a rare kind of dwarfism which combines severe dwarfism with predominant shortening of the forearms and lower legs and other morphological abnormalities. The diagnosis can be made by ultrasonography in the early second trimester of the pregnancy.

Morphological classification of human in-vitro fertilization embryos based on the regularity of the asynchronous division process.

A previous study detailed the morphometric characteristics of living in-vitro fertilized human pronuclear zygotes and cleaved embryos. A comparison of the different embryo cell stages confirmed the asynchronous division process during early embryo development. Global results showed no evidence of morphometrical differences between embryo subpopulations according to their classical microscopical grading.

Morphometric parameters of living human in-vitro fertilization embryos; importance of the asynchronous division process.

A total of 304 human pronuclear zygotes and cleaved embryos from the 2- to 9-cell stages, obtained during invitro fertilization attempts, were photographed and retrospectively analysed after transfer for their morphology and size in relation to their developmental stage, using the Imagenia programme of a Biocom 500 image analyser. Morphometric parameters were calculated from the perimeters, surface measurements, theoretical diameters and circularity factors for the different structures analysed. This report provides the morphometric characteristics of living embryos.

[The effect of the preliminary treatment of endometriosis on the results of fertilization in vitro (based on data from the Clinique Universitaire de Gynecologie, d'Obstétique et de la Reproduction in the city of Besançon, France)].

Unlabelled: Thirty-nine women, aged 20 to 40 years, suffering from endometriosis, were treated in three different ways before fertilization in vitro (FIV). Excluded from the trial were all cases of Seventy five stimulated cycles were carried out altogether for the purposes of FIV. The results of the three methods of treatment, in terms of number of pregnancies, obtained after FIV, are compared.

[Prenatal diagnosis of a small intestinal volvulus].

Ninety-five percent of the neonatal cases of bowel atresia result from jéjuno-ileal obstructions. Frequency is estimated from 1/3,000 to 1/5,000. We observed a case of small bowel volvulus secondary to jejunal atresia diagnosed at 35 weeks gestation.

Evidence of non-deficient low-density lipoprotein receptor patients in a pool of subjects with clinical familial hypercholesterolemia profile.

For this study, we selected 41 adult patients with the classic clinical diagnosis of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which is characterized by a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level above the 95th percentile, xanthomas, and/or personal or familial cardiovascular history. We used an indirect immunocytofluorimetric assay to classify these 41 subjects according to LDL receptor function on lymphocytes. We found that LDL receptor activity was normal in nine patients.