The effect of mycophenolate mofetil on podocytes in nephrotoxic serum nephritis.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is applied in proteinuric kidney diseases, but the exact mechanism of its effect on podocytes is still unknown. Our previous in vitro experiments suggested that MMF can ameliorate podocyte damage via restoration of the Ca-actin cytoskeleton axis. The goal of this study was to characterize podocyte biology during MMF treatment in nephrotoxic serum (NTS) nephritis (NTN).

Elevated n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio in early life diet reverses adverse intrauterine kidney programming in female rats.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) predisposes to chronic kidney disease via activation of proinflammatory pathways, and omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 PUFAs) have anti-inflammatory properties. In female rats, we investigated 1) how an elevated dietary n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio (1:1) during postnatal kidney development modifies kidney phospholipid (PL) and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolite content and 2) whether the diet counteracts adverse molecular protein signatures expected in IUGR kidneys. IUGR was induced by bilateral uterine vessel ligation or intrauterine stress through sham operation 3.

Metformin Prevents Key Mechanisms of Obesity-Related Complications in Visceral White Adipose Tissue of Obese Pregnant Mice.

With the gaining prevalence of obesity, related risks during pregnancy are rising. Inflammation and oxidative stress are considered key mechanisms arising in white adipose tissue (WAT) sparking obesity-associated complications and diseases. The established anti-diabetic drug metformin reduces both on a systemic level, but only little is known about such effects on WAT.

Treatment of high fat diet-induced obese pregnant mice with IL-6 receptor antibody does not ameliorate placental function and fetal growth restriction.

Problem: Pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes are in part fueled by the rise in obesity and its associated co-morbidities in western societies. Fetal healthy development and placental function are disturbed by an obese, inflammatory environment associated with cytokines, such as interleukin-6, causing inadequate supply of nutrients to the fetus and perinatal programming with severe health consequences.

Method Of Study: Mice received high fat diet (HFD) before and during gestation to induce obesity.

Placental nutrient transporters adapt during persistent maternal hypoglycaemia in rats.

Maternal malnutrition is associated with decreased nutrient transfer to the foetus, which may lead to foetal growth restriction, predisposing children to a variety of diseases. However, regulation of placental nutrient transfer during decreased nutrient availability is not fully understood. In the present study, the aim was to investigate changes in levels of placental nutrient transporters accompanying maternal hypoglycaemia following different durations and stages of gestation in rats.

Hippocampal mTOR Dysregulation and Morphological Changes in Male Rats after Fetal Growth Restriction.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) has been linked to long-term neurocognitive impairment, especially in males. To determine possible underlying mechanisms, we examined hippocampal cellular composition and mTOR signaling of male rat FGR offspring during main brain growth and development (postnatal days (PND) 1 and 12). FGR was either induced by a low-protein diet throughout pregnancy, experimental placental insufficiency by bilateral uterine vessel ligation or intrauterine stress by "sham" operation.

Imaging and Clinical Parameters for Distinction between Infected and Non-Infected Fluid Collections in CT: Prospective Study Using Extended Microbiological Approach.

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate predictive CT imaging features and clinical parameters to distinguish infected from sterile fluid collections. Detection of infectious agents by advanced microbiological analysis was used as the reference standard. From April 2018 to October 2019, all patients undergoing CT-guided drainages were prospectively enrolled, if drainage material volume was at least 5 mL.

How to Handle CT-Guided Abscess Drainages in Microbiological Analyses? Sterile Vials vs. Blood Culture Bottles for Transport and Processing.

The aim of this investigation was to compare microbiological analyses of 100 computed tomography-guided drainages from infectious foci (thoracic, abdominal, musculoskeletal), transported and analyzed by two widely established techniques, that are (i) sterile vials or (ii) inoculated blood culture bottles. The mean number of detected microorganisms from blood culture (aerobic/anaerobic) or conventional method (sterile vial, solid and broth media) per specimen were comparable with 1.29 and 1.

Vascular tone regulation in renal interlobar arteries of male rats is dysfunctional after intrauterine growth restriction.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) due to an adverse intrauterine environment predisposes to arterial hypertension and loss of kidney function. Here, we investigated whether vascular dysregulation in renal interlobar arteries (RIAs) may contribute to hypertensive glomerular damage after IUGR. In rats, IUGR was induced by bilateral uterine vessel ligation.

Infection control and other stewardship strategies in late onset sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and localized infection in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Suspected or proven late onset sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, urinary tract infections, and ventilator associated pneumonia occurring after the first postnatal days contribute significantly to the total antibiotic exposures in neonatal intensive care units. The variability in definitions and diagnostic criteria in these conditions lead to unnecessary antibiotic use. The length of treatment and choice of antimicrobial agents for presumed and proven episodes also vary among centers due to a lack of supportive evidence and guidelines.

Maternal high fat diet-induced obesity affects trophoblast differentiation and placental function in mice†.

Evidence suggests that maternal obesity (MO) can aggravate placental function causing severe pathologies during the perinatal window. However, molecular changes and mechanisms of placental dysfunction remain largely unknown. This work aimed to decipher structural and molecular alterations of the placental transfer zone associated with MO.

Altered molecular signatures during kidney development after intrauterine growth restriction of different origins.

This study was performed to identify transcriptional alterations in male intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) rats during and at the end of nephrogenesis in order to generate hypotheses which molecular mechanisms contribute to adverse kidney programming. IUGR was induced by low protein (LP) diet throughout pregnancy, bilateral uterine vessel ligation (LIG), or intrauterine stress (IUS) by sham operation. Offspring of unimpaired dams served as controls.

Effect of Maternal Obesity in Mice on IL-6 Levels and Placental Endothelial Cell Homeostasis.

Obesity during pregnancy is a known health risk for mother and child. Since obesity is associated with increased inflammatory markers, our objectives were to determine interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in obese mice and to examine the effect of IL-6 on placental endothelial cells. Placentas, blood, and adipose tissue of C57BL/6N mice, kept on high fat diet before and during pregnancy, were harvested at E15.

Maternal High Fat Diet and in-Utero Metformin Exposure Significantly Impact upon the Fetal Renal Proteome of Male Mice.

There is accumulating evidence for fetal programming of later kidney disease by maternal obesity or associated conditions. We performed a hypothesis-generating study to identify potentially underlying mechanisms. Female mice were randomly split in two groups and fed either a standard diet (SD) or high fat diet (HFD) from weaning until mating and during pregnancy.

A Potential Role for GSK3β in Glucose-Driven Intrauterine Catch-Up Growth in Maternal Obesity.

Obesity and unhealthy nutrition are increasing and affect women of childbearing age and hence during pregnancy. Despite normal or even high birth weight, the offspring suffers from long-term metabolic risks. We hypothesized that fetal growth is disturbed during different intrauterine phases.

Complex lipid globules in early-life nutrition improve long-term metabolic phenotype in intra-uterine growth-restricted rats.

Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with adverse metabolic outcome later in life. Healthy mice challenged with a Western-style diet (WSD) accumulated less body fat when previously fed a diet containing large lipid globules (complex lipid matrix (CLM)). This study was designed to clarify whether an early-life CLM diet mitigates 'programmed' visceral adiposity and associated metabolic sequelae after IUGR.

Tongue movement during articulation in magnetic resonance imaging: Findings in 20 healthy volunteers and a patient with anterior floor of the mouth squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Combined ablative and reconstructive oral maxillofacial surgery involves a multitude of anatomical and functional structures for speech and swallowing. Although there are a few methods to objectively examine swallowing function, this is not true for speech. We describe the development of an objective visualization and measurement tool for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate speech and its first application in a patient.

Maternal obesity attenuates predelivery inflammatory reaction in C57BL/6N mice.

Inflammation and oxidative stress are known to increase before labour. Whether gonadal white adipose tissue (gWAT) participates in this process and whether labour-related processes in placental and adipose tissue are altered in obese women is unknown. In our mouse model, lean mice display elevated placental inflammation and oxidative stress towards the end of pregnancy, accompanied by an increased expression of pro-inflammatory factors in gWAT.

Reduced Perinatal Leptin Availability May Contribute to Adverse Metabolic Programming in a Rat Model of Uteroplacental Insufficiency.

Leptin availability in perinatal life critically affects metabolic programming. We tested the hypothesis that uteroplacental insufficiency and intrauterine stress affect perinatal leptin availability in rat offspring. Pregnant rats underwent bilateral uterine vessel ligation (LIG; n = 14), sham operation (SOP; n = 12), or no operation (controls, n = 14).

Increased Rat Placental Fatty Acid, but Decreased Amino Acid and Glucose Transporters Potentially Modify Intrauterine Programming.

Regulation of placental nutrient transport significantly affects fetal development and may modify intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and fetal programming. We hypothesized that placental nutrient transporters are differentially affected both by utero-placental insufficiency and prenatal surgical stress. Pregnant rats underwent bilateral uterine artery and vein ligation (LIG), sham operation (SOP) or no operation (controls, C) on gestational day E19.

Strong hypoxia reduces leptin synthesis in purified primary human trophoblasts.

Introduction: Oxygen availability severely affects placental function. During placental hypoxia, stabilization of hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) affects transcription, and leptin gene expression concomitantly increases in vivo and in vitro. However, a causal relationship is uncertain.

Hypoxia-Mediated Soluble Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 1 Increase Is Not Attenuated in Interleukin 6-Deficient Mice.

The soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1), known to be increased in the serum of preeclamptic patients, is a relevant factor in causing maternal symptoms like hypertension and proteinuria. In this study, we aimed to reveal whether hypoxia is a cause of increased sFlt-1 levels and inflammation markers in vivo and whether these symptoms can be attenuated by interleukin 6 (IL-6) depletion. For this purpose, pregnant wild-type (wt) mice or IL-6(-/-) mice on embryonic day 16 were placed under either normoxic (20.

Leptin does not induce an inflammatory response in the murine placenta.

Leptin is described as a pro-inflammatory signal in fat tissue, which is released from adipocytes and in turn activates immune cells. Also, leptin levels are known to be increased in pregnancies complicated with enhanced inflammatory processes in the placenta. Hence, we assumed that increased leptin amounts might contribute to inducing an inflammatory response in the placenta.

Geometry and stability of dynamical systems.

We reconsider both the global and local stability of solutions of continuously evolving dynamical systems from a geometric perspective. We clarify that an unambiguous definition of stability generally requires the choice of additional geometric structure that is not intrinsic to the dynamical system itself. While we explain that global Lyapunov stability is based on the choice of seminorms on the vector bundle of perturbations, we propose a definition of local stability based on the choice of a linear connection.