Activities of metabolizing enzymes in human placenta.

In addition to the transfer across the placenta, placenta displays hormonal and xenobiotic metabolism, as well as enzymatic defense against oxidative stress. We analyzed aromatase (CYP19A1), uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronyltransferase (UGT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activities in over 70 placentas from nonsmokers stored at -80 °C from former perfusion studies. A wide interindividual variation in all activities was found.

Transplacental transfer and metabolism of diuron in human placenta.

Diuron is a broad-spectrum phenylurea derived herbicide which is commonly used across the globe. Diuron is toxic to the reproductive system of animals and carcinogenic to rat urothelium, and recently found to be genotoxic in human cells. In in vivo, it is metabolized predominately into 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-methyl urea (DCPMU) in humans and 3-(3, 4-dichlorophenyl)urea (DCPU) in animals.

Psychiatric diagnoses of children affected by their parents' traumatic brain injury: the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort study.

Objective: To investigate whether parental TBI increases the overall risk for psychiatric disorders and the risk for specific psychiatric diagnoses in the children affected by parental TBI.

Methods: The 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort (n = 59 476) were followed up through national registers from birth to the end of 2008. The diagnoses of cohort members and their parents were obtained from the Care Register of Health Care, provided by the National Institute of Health and Welfare.

Human placental cell and tissue uptake of doxorubicin and its liposomal formulations.

The anticancer drug doxorubicin and its liposomal formulations are in clinical use, doxorubicin also during pregnancy. However, little is known about how doxorubicin and its liposomal formulations are taken up by placental cells and whether they can cross human placenta. We therefore investigated quantitative cellular uptake and toxicity of doxorubicin and its two liposomal formulations, pH-sensitive liposomal doxorubicin (L-DOX) and commercially available pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PL-DOX), in human placental choriocarcinoma (BeWo) cells.

Parents' traumatic brain injury increases their children's risk for use of psychiatric care: the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort study.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) of a parent causes significant changes in their family life and parent-children relationships. However, the number of children affected by parental TBI and the long-term consequences for these children remain unknown. We estimated the prevalence of children affected by parental TBI and investigated whether these children had greater use of psychiatric services than their peers.

Fibrinolytic activity and platelet function in subjects with obstructive sleep apnoea and a patent foramen ovale: is there an option for prevention of ischaemic stroke?

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) carries an increased risk of ischaemic stroke, but the underlying mechanism is not clear. As right-to-left shunting can occur through a patent foramen ovale (PFO) during periods of apnoea, we investigated nocturnal changes in fibrinolytic activity and platelet function in subjects who had OSA with or without PFO and in controls. We determined plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) activity and antigen and platelet activation parameters.

Mild traumatic brain injury diagnosis frequently remains unrecorded in subjects with craniofacial fractures.

Background: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in subjects with craniofacial fractures are usually diagnosed by emergency room physicians. We investigated how often TBI remains unrecorded in these subjects, and whether diagnostic accuracy has improved after the implementation of new TBI guidelines.

Methods: All subjects with craniofacial fractures admitted to Oulu University Hospital in 1999 and in 2007 were retrospectively identified.

Acute effects of ethanol on the transfer of nicotine and two dietary carcinogens in human placental perfusion.

Many mothers use, against instructions, alcohol during pregnancy. Simultaneously mothers are exposed to a wide range of other environmental chemicals. These chemicals may also harm the developing fetus, because almost all toxic compounds can go through human placenta.

[Microhemorrhages in the brain. A magnetic resonance imaging finding with emerging significance].

Microhemorrhages in the brain refer to minor chronic hemorrhages that are revealed by specific magnetic imaging techniques. Whereas microhemorrhages in the brain are a common finding in patients with a disorder of the cerebral circulation, they are surprisingly often found also in elderly persons who are considered healthy. Microhemorrhages can be regarded as a biomarker of cerebral microangiopathy.

Placental transfer and DNA binding of benzo(a)pyrene in human placental perfusion.

Benzo(a)pyrene (BP) is the best studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, classified as carcinogenic to humans. The carcinogenic metabolite, benzo(a)pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE), binds covalently to DNA. The key enzyme in this metabolic reaction is CYP1A1, which has also been found in placenta and human trophoblastic cells.

Preliminary interlaboratory comparison of the ex vivo dual human placental perfusion system.

As a part of EU-project ReProTect, a comparison of the dual re-circulating human placental perfusion system was carried out, by two independent research groups. The detailed placental transfer data of model compounds [antipyrine, benzo(a)pyrene, PhIP (2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo(4,5-b)pyridine) and IQ (2-amino-3-methylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoline] has been/will be published separately. For this project, a comparative re-analysis was done, by curve fitting the data and calculating two endpoints: AUC(120), defined as the area under the curve between time 0 and time 120 min and as t(0.

Transplacental transfer of acrylamide and glycidamide are comparable to that of antipyrine in perfused human placenta.

Most drugs can penetrate the placenta but there are only a few studies on placental transfer of environmental toxic compounds. In this study, we used dual recirculating human placental perfusion to determine the transfer rate through the placenta of a neurotoxic and carcinogenic compound found in food, acrylamide and its genotoxic metabolite glycidamide. Putative acrylamide metabolism into glycidamide during the 4-h perfusions and acrylamide-derived DNA adducts in placental DNA after perfusions were also analyzed.

Factor V Leiden and prothrombin gene mutation may predispose to paradoxical embolism in subjects with patent foramen ovale.

The role of paradoxical embolism through patent foramen ovale as a mechanism of cryptogenic stroke is controversial. If a venous source of emboli is relevant, prothrombotic states should be associated with patent foramen ovale and cryptogenic stroke. We assessed the occurrence of several prothrombotic states (factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A, deficiencies in protein S, protein C and antithrombin, lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies, elevated factor VIII, resistance to activated protein C) and classical risk factors for venous thrombosis in 57 adult patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale and in 104 matched controls.