1,721,021 research outputs found
Oxidative stress in the newborn
Full text linkOxidative stress (OS) occurs when there is an unbalance between free radicals (FR) production and antioxidant capacity. OS can be a risk factor for fetal programming, representing a key process linking adverse fetal growth, impaired fetal well-being or preterm birth, and later increased risks of diseases in adolescence and adulthood. Adverse outcome to the offspring can extend beyond the neonatal period and includes neurodevelopmental disorders (motor and cognitive problems, attention deficit hyperactivity, and psychotic disorders), asthma, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Free radicals can alter gene expression or damage lipids, proteins, and DNA at a critical developmental point leading to a higher susceptibility to many disorders
Plasma Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Neonatal Brain Injury
No full textPerinatal encephalopathy is a leading cause of lifelong disability. Increasing evidence indicates that the pathogenesis of perinatal brain damage is much more complex than originally thought, with multiple pathways involved. An important role of oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of brain injury is recognized for preterm and term infants. This article examines potential reliable and specific OS biomarkers that can be used in premature and term infants for the early detection and follow-up of the most common neonatal brain injuries, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, intraventricular hemorrhage, and periventricular leukomalacia. The next step will be to explore the correlation between brain-specific OS biomarkers and functional brain outcomes
New antioxidant drugs for neonatal brain injury
Full text linkThe brain injury concept covers a lot of heterogeneity in terms of aetiology involving multiple factors, genetic, hemodynamic, metabolic, nutritional, endocrinological, toxic, and infectious mechanisms, acting in antenatal or postnatal period. Increased vulnerability of the immature brain to oxidative stress is documented because of the limited capacity of antioxidant enzymes and the high free radicals (FRs) generation in rapidly growing tissue. FRs impair transmembrane enzyme Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity resulting in persistent membrane depolarization and excessive release of FR and excitatory aminoacid glutamate. Besides being neurotoxic, glutamate is also toxic to oligodendroglia, via FR effects. Neuronal cells die of oxidative stress. Excess of free iron and deficient iron/binding metabolising capacity are additional features favouring oxidative stress in newborn. Each step in the oxidative injury cascade has become a potential target for neuroprotective intervention. The administration of antioxidants for suspected or proven brain injury is still not accepted for clinical use due to uncertain beneficial effects when treatments are started after resuscitation of an asphyxiated newborn. The challenge for the future is the early identification of high-risk babies to target a safe and not toxic antioxidant therapy in combination with standard therapies to prevent brain injury and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment
New pharmacologic and therapeutic approaches for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in the newborn
No full textAbstract
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is still an important cause of neonatal mortality and long-term disabilities. The understanding of the differential responses to hypoxia-ischemia as an initial insult leading to cellular degeneration in brain has opened the way to develop new pharmacologic and therapeutic approaches. Due to the complex pathophysiology, therapies can target early pathways such as oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis or delayed pathways such as the privation of growth factors and cell death. Pharmacological interventions should start at different points of time according to their mechanisms of action. The association of moderate hypothermia with neuroprotective drugs may decrease cell injury and optimize endogenous repair. More basic science research focusing on the mechanisms of injury are required. Moreover, clinical trials are needed to detect safely and effectiveness drugs and to establish the optimal time of action for each on
Petechial rash associated with Parvovirus B19 in children: case report and literature review
No full textHuman Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection usually causes erythema infectiosum (EI). In recent decades, several uncommon exanthems have been described in association with B19V. Recently, haemorrhagic manifestations such as purpuric-petechial rash have been reported. We describe an unusual paediatric case of B19V associated with generalized petechial eruption, and a review of the recent literature
Brain susceptibility to oxidative stress in the perinatal period
No full textOxidative stress (OS) occurs at birth in all newborns as a consequence of the hyperoxic challenge due to the transition from the hypoxic intrauterine environment to extrauterine life. Free radical (FRs) sources such as inflammation, hyperoxia, hypoxia, ischaemia-reperfusion, neutrophil and macrophage activation, glutamate and free iron release, all increases the OS during the perinatal period. Newborns, and particularly preterm infants, have reduced antioxidant defences and are not able to counteract the harmful effects of FRs. Energy metabolism is central to life because cells cannot exist without an adequate supply of ATP. Due to its growth, the mammalian brain can be considered as a steady-state system in which ATP production matches ATP utilisation. The developing brain is particularly sensitive to any disturbances in energy generation, and even a short-term interruption can lead to long-lasting and irreversible damage. Whenever energy failure develops, brain damage can occur. Accumulating evidence indicates that OS is implicated in the pathogenesis of many neurological diseases, such as intraventricular haemorrhage, hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy and epilepsy
Therapeutic hypothermia in a late preterm infant
No full textTherapeutic hypothermia is a recognized treatment for term infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in reducing rate of death or neurodevelopmental disabilities. Little is known about applications of this treatment to preterm newborns. Studies in animal experimental models demonstrated the efficacy of hypothermia in preterm fetuses but clinical application to newborn infants are limited to restricted cases, as severe necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We present a case of therapeutic whole body cooling in a baby at 34 weeks and 6 days of gestational age with HIE
A metabolomic study of preterm and term human and formula milk by proton MRS analysis: Preliminary results
No full textObjective: To investigate changes in global metabolic profile between: 1-breast milk and formula milk, 2-breast milk from mothers delivering at different gestational age (GA) collected within one week from delivery, and then week by week until term equivalent age.
Methods: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to analyze the water-soluble and lipid fractions extracted from 50 milk samples, 46 human milk at different GA, from 23 weeks of gestation until term equivalent age and four different formula milks.
Results: The formula milk for premature infants was the most similar to breast milk of preterm babies. Breast milk showed higher lactose concentrations than formula milk, that conversely presented higher galactose 1-phosphate and maltose concentrations. Mother's milk of very preterm babies (23-25 wks of GA) showed a different metabolic profile from preterm infants 29 wks of GA with a subsequent trend to similarity around the 30th week of post-natal age. Breast milk from preterm infants of 29-34 wks, collected up to 40 wks of post-natal age showed a temporal change over the first three weeks of lactation, approaching to zero with the achievement of term age.
Conclusions: Metabolome is a promising tool to study human and artificial milk global metabolic profile
Oxidative Stress in Fetuses and Newborns
No full textIn recent years, significant research has uncovered new mechanisms by which molecules and substances that act as free radicals generate oxidative stress in the biological system, contributing to various forms of injury and disease [...
AO-26. Predictive power of oxidative stress markers for the early identification of newborns at high risk for free radicals related diseases
No full textAim
Newborns, particularly if preterm, are susceptible to oxidative stress (OS) due to the high exposure to free radicals (FRs) action and the lack of the antioxidant systems. OS plays a key role in pathogenesis of pathologies such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), intraventricular hemorrage (IVH), grouped as ‘free radicals-related diseases’ (FRD). This study tests the hypothesis that OS marker levels in cord blood may predict the onset of FRD.
Materials and methods
322 preterm newborns of GA: 24–32 weeks (27.75 ± 1.82) and BW: 460–2370 g (1285.20 ± 440.10) were consecutively recruited. Markers of potential OS risk (non-protein bound iron, NPBI) and markers of OS-related damage (total hydroperoxides, TH; advanced oxidation protein products, AOPP) were assessed in cord blood. Associations between FRD onset and OS markers were checked through inferential analysis.
Results
The development of FRD was significantly associated with high cord blood levels of TH, AOPP and NPBI (respectively p = 0.000, OR = 1.014; p = 0.04, OR = 0.946; p = 0.003, OR = 1.149).
Conclusions
Elevated levels of TH, AOPP and NPBI in cord blood are associated with increased risk for FRD. OS markers can be considered useful tools for the early identification of infants at risk for FRs damage. These findings add to the evidence that antioxidant strategies could have beneficial effects to prevent or ameliorate perinatal outcome
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