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Mitochondrial DNA content: a new potential biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Pediatr Res 2022; 92:1282-1287. [PMID: 35102299 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-021-01901-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) occurs in apparently healthy infants and is unpredictable and unexplained despite thorough investigations and enormous research efforts. The hypothesis tested in this case-control study concerns mitochondrial involvement in SIDS occurrence. METHODS Mitochondrial DNA content (MtDNAcn) was measured in 24 SIDS cerebral cortex samples and 18 controls using real-time PCR. RESULTS The median (interquartile range) mtDNAcn in SIDS and controls was 2578 (2224-3838) and 1452 (724-2517) copies per nuclear DNA, respectively (P = 0.0001). MtDNAcn values were higher in SIDS victims born to non-smoking parents (n = 7) 4984 (2832-6908) compared to the controls (n = 5) 2020 (478-2386) (P = 0.006). Increased levels of mtDNAcn have been observed in the SIDS cases with mild defects in nuclei not essential for life compared to those found in SIDS cases with severe alterations of respiratory function (P = 0.034) 3571 (2568-5053) (n = 14) 2356 (1909-3132) (n = 8), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed for the first time higher mtDNAcn in the cerebral cortex of the SIDS cases than the controls, indicating metabolic alterations. MtDNAcn plays an important role in compensatory mechanisms against environmental factors affecting human health. Despite the small sample size, mtDNA may prove to be a potential forensic biomarker for autopsied SIDS victims for gaining new insights into the etiology of SIDS. IMPACT Mitochondrial DNA content evaluated in cerebral cortex samples is higher in SIDS victims than controls. These results represent a novel line of investigation for the etiology of SIDS and could have a significant role in the compensatory mechanism due to environmental factors affecting human health. These findings suggest that the mitochondria are involved in SIDS: mtDNA content may represent a biomarker of this syndrome.
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2
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Polese D, Riccio ML, Fagioli M, Mazzetta A, Fagioli F, Parisi P, Fagioli M. The Newborn's Reaction to Light as the Determinant of the Brain's Activation at Human Birth. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:933426. [PMID: 36118115 PMCID: PMC9478760 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.933426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental neuroscience research has not yet fully unveiled the dynamics involved in human birth. The trigger of the first breath, often assumed to be the marker of human life, has not been characterized nor has the process entailing brain modification and activation at birth been clarified yet. To date, few researchers only have investigated the impact of the extrauterine environment, with its strong stimuli, on birth. This ‘hypothesis and theory' article assumes the role of a specific stimulus activating the central nervous system (CNS) at human birth. This stimulus must have specific features though, such as novelty, efficacy, ubiquity, and immediacy. We propose light as a robust candidate for the CNS activation via the retina. Available data on fetal and neonatal neurodevelopment, in particular with reference to retinal light-responsive pathways, will be examined together with the GABA functional switch, and the subplate disappearance, which, at an experimental level, differentiate the neonatal brain from the fetal brain. In this study, we assume how a very rapid activation of retinal photoreceptors at birth initiates a sudden brain shift from the prenatal pattern of functions to the neonatal setup. Our assumption implies the presence of a photoreceptor capable of capturing and transducing light/photon stimulus, transforming it into an effective signal for the activation of new brain functions at birth. Opsin photoreception or, more specifically, melanopsin-dependent photoreception, which is provided by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), is considered as a valid candidate. Although what is assumed herein cannot be verified in humans based on knowledge available so far, proposing an important and novel function can trigger a broad range of diversified research in different domains, from neurophysiology to neurology and psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Polese
- PhD Program on Sensorineural Plasticity, Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs NESMOS, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Daniela Polese
| | | | - Marcella Fagioli
- Department of Mental Health, National Health System ASL Rome 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mazzetta
- PhD Program on Neuroscience, Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Fagioli
- Department of Mental Health, National Health System ASL Rome 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Pasquale Parisi
- Chair of Pediatrics, Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs NESMOS, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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3
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Polese D, Fagioli M, Virgili F, Fiori Nastro P. Something must happen before first breath. BMC Med Ethics 2021; 22:57. [PMID: 33980199 PMCID: PMC8114486 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-021-00624-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Definition and concept of the 'beginning of human life' are weakened by co-existing contrasting hypotheses based on humanistic or religious beliefs rather than scientific foundations. This plethora of conceptually distant views have important common concerns in different fields of science and shape, in turn, several societal aspects including laws related, for instance, to inheritance eligibility or abortion, end-of-life care and euthanasia, and reproductive technology. Also, they are fundamental to evaluate opportunity for resuscitation vs. palliative care in extremely preterm infants. In this article, we address one of the most common tenets in medicine: the acceptance that human life starts with first breath, even though several events are well-documented to take place before its occurrence. MAIN TEXT Several studies show how pivotal physiological events take place before first breath. Evidence of a number of neurological events occurring before first breath opens the way to the primacy of the Central Nervous System, given its immediate extra-uterine activation at birth. This activation eventually sets specific physiological conditions that allow the complex sequence of events determining the muscle activity associated with the influx of air in the lung and the settling of a continuous and successful extra-uterine respiration. We would like to invite the scientific community to endorse a clear-cut position against the paradigm of 'first breath' as the beginning of life. Herein, we also assume how, a still undefined, yet possibly specific quid in the external environment triggers further physiological response in newborns. Better understanding of the critical events that occur at the beginning of human life is likely to cause great concern and expectations in scientists, researchers and physicians working in the domain of brain, and its physiology, and mental health. CONCLUSIONS The comparison between beliefs and evidence-based observations generates confusion, misperceptions and false expectations in society, hence, in the scientific and medical community. Different and more solid alternatives about the carachterization of the 'beginning of human life' are indeed available and require to be explored and defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Polese
- Department of Mental Health and Sensory Organs (NESMOS), Sant’Andrea University Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Virgili
- Department of Sciences, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Fiori Nastro
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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4
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Gatti AM, Montanari S, Ferrero S, Lavezzi AM. Silver nanoparticles in the fetal brain: new perspectives in understanding the pathogenesis of unexplained stillbirths. Nanomedicine (Lond) 2021; 16:265-274. [PMID: 33533653 DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2020-0391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We report, for the first time, the surprising presence of toxic nanoparticles, especially silver, in the brain of a fetus, who died unexpectedly at the end of a regular pregnancy. After an accurate autopsy, including the examination of the fetal annexes, an in-depth anatomopathological study of the nervous system and a search by scanning electron microscopy of nanoparticles in the brain, we highlighted the sequence of events that may have led to this fetal death, triggered primarily by the transition of nanosized xenobiotics from the mother to the fetal bloodstream. From this report emerges the importance of considering the search of nanosubstances in the brain during routine investigations following unexpected and unexplained fetal and infant deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonietta M Gatti
- Health, Law, Science Association, Genève, Switzerland.,Nanodiagnostics, San Vito, Modena, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Ferrero
- Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.,Department of Biomedical, Surgical & Dental Sciences, "Lino Rossi" Research Center for the Study & Prevention of Unexpected Perinatal Death SIDS, University of Milan, Milan Italy
| | - Anna Maria Lavezzi
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical & Dental Sciences, "Lino Rossi" Research Center for the Study & Prevention of Unexpected Perinatal Death SIDS, University of Milan, Milan Italy
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5
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Lavezzi AM, Piscioli F, Pusiol T, Jorizzo G, Ferrero S. Sudden intrauterine unexplained death: time to adopt uniform postmortem investigative guidelines? BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2019; 19:526. [PMID: 31888538 PMCID: PMC6936151 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-019-2603-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Worldwide approximately 2.6 million are stillborn, mostly occurring in developing countries. In the great part these deaths are inexplicable. The evenness and standardisation of the diagnostic criteria are prerequisites to understand their pathogenesis. The core goal of this article is to propose new evidence based investigative post-mortem guidelines that should be adopted in all the Institutions especially when a fetal death, after a routine autopsy procedure, is diagnosed as “unexplained”. The proposed protocol is mainly focused on the anatomopathological examination of the autonomic nervous system and in particular of the brainstem where the main centers that control vital functions are located. Methods Updated investigative guidelines for the examination of unexplained stillbirths, prevalently focused on the histological examination of the brainstem, where the main centers that are involved in monitoring the vital functions are located, are here presented. A section of this protocol concerns the Immunohistochemical evaluation of specific functional markers such as the neuronal nuclear antigen, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, serotonin, orexin, apoptosis and gliosis. The important role of risk factors, having regard in particular to maternal smoking and air pollution is also contemplated in these guidelines. Results Specific morphological and/or functional alterations of vital brainstem structures have been found with high incidence in over 100 cases of unexplained fetal death sent to the “Lino Rossi Research Center” of the Milan University according to the Italian law. These alterations were rarely detected in a group of control cases. Conclusions We hope this protocol can be adopted in all the Institutions notably for the examination of unexplained fetal deaths, in order to make uniform investigations. This will lead to identify a plausible explanation of the pathogenetic mechanism behind the unexplained fetal deaths and to design preventive strategies to decrease the incidence of these very distressing events for both parents and clinicians. Trial registration not applicable for this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Lavezzi
- "Lino Rossi" Research Center for the study and prevention of unexpected perinatal death and SIDS, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Via della Commenda 19, 20122, Milan, Italy.
| | | | - Teresa Pusiol
- Institute of Pathology, Hospital of Rovereto (Trento), Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Ferrero
- "Lino Rossi" Research Center for the study and prevention of unexpected perinatal death and SIDS, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Via della Commenda 19, 20122, Milan, Italy.,Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
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6
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Cowell WJ, Brunst KJ, Malin AJ, Coull BA, Gennings C, Kloog I, Lipton L, Wright RO, Enlow MB, Wright RJ. Prenatal Exposure to PM2.5 and Cardiac Vagal Tone during Infancy: Findings from a Multiethnic Birth Cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2019; 127:107007. [PMID: 31663780 PMCID: PMC6867319 DOI: 10.1289/ehp4434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The autonomic nervous system plays a key role in maintaining homeostasis and responding to external stimuli. In adults, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of cardiac autonomic control. OBJECTIVES Our goal was to investigate the associations of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with HRV as an indicator of cardiac autonomic control during early development. METHODS We studied 237 maternal-infant pairs in a Boston-based birth cohort. We estimated daily residential PM2.5 using satellite data in combination with land-use regression predictors. In infants at 6 months of age, we measured parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity using continuous electrocardiogram monitoring during the Repeated Still-Face Paradigm, an experimental protocol designed to elicit autonomic reactivity in response to maternal interaction and disengagement. We used multivariable linear regression to examine average PM2.5 exposure across pregnancy in relation to PNS withdrawal and activation, indexed by changes in respiration-corrected respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSAc)-an established metric of HRV that reflects cardiac vagal tone. We examined interactions with infant sex using cross-product terms. RESULTS In adjusted models we found that a 1-unit increase in PM2.5 (in micrograms per cubic meter) was associated with a 3.53% decrease in baseline RSAc (95% CI: -6.96, 0.02). In models examining RSAc change between episodes, higher PM2.5 was generally associated with reduced PNS withdrawal during stress and reduced PNS activation during recovery; however, these associations were not statistically significant. We did not observe a significant interaction between PM2.5 and sex. DISCUSSION Prenatal exposure to PM2.5 may disrupt cardiac vagal tone during infancy. Future research is needed to replicate these preliminary findings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4434.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney J. Cowell
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kelly J. Brunst
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Ashley J. Malin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Brent A. Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Chris Gennings
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Itai Kloog
- Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Lianna Lipton
- Department of Pediatrics, Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robert O. Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rosalind J. Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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7
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Yan X, Zhao F, Zhang S, Lei F, Wang W, Zheng Y. Hydrogen sulfide ameliorates disorders in the parafacial respiratory group region of neonatal rats caused by prenatal cigarette smoke exposure via an antioxidative effect. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2019; 68:80-90. [PMID: 30878717 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We previously found that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ameliorated the dysfunction of central chemoreception caused by prenatal cigarette smoke exposure (CSE). In the present study, we further explored whether the parafacial respiratory group (pFRG) is involved in the protection of central chemoreception by H2S against prenatal CSE-induced injury. We found that NaHS, a donor of H2S, restored the expression of Phox2b, which was downregulated by prenatal CSE, in the pFRG region of neonatal rats. NaHS also relieved the prenatal CSE-induced excitatory synapse disturbance in the pFRG region of neonatal rats. Additionally, NaHS prevented the increase in the malondialdehyde level and suppression of antioxidase activity in the pFRG region of neonatal rats induced by prenatal CSE. Furthermore, NaHS prevented the downregulation of the expression of antioxidases and Nrf2 in the pFRG region of neonatal rats with prenatal CSE. These results suggest that H2S can protect the pFRG of neonatal rats against prenatal CSE-induced injury via an antioxidative effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Yan
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Fusheng Zhao
- Department of Physiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011 Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Senfeng Zhang
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Fang Lei
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Wen Wang
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China
| | - Yu Zheng
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, PR China.
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8
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Lei F, Wang W, Fu Y, Wang J, Zheng Y. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in parafacial respiratory group induced by maternal cigarette smoke exposure in rat offspring. Free Radic Biol Med 2018; 129:169-176. [PMID: 30193892 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Cigarette smoke (CS) exposure negatively affects neurodevelopment. We established a CS exposure rat model to determine how maternal CS exposure induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in parafacial respiratory group (pFRG) essential to central chemoreceptive regulation of normal breathing. Pregnant rats were exposed to CS during gestational days 1-20, and the offspring were studied on postnatal day 2. Our data showed that maternal CS exposure resulted in elevated accumulation of ROS, which left a footprint on DNA and lipid with increases in 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and malondialdehyde contents. Furthermore, maternal CS exposure induced decreases in manganese superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase activities as well as reduction in glutathione content in pFRG in the offspring. Moreover, maternal exposure to CS led to mitochondrial ultrastructure changes, mitochondrial swelling, reduction in ATP generation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increase in mitochondrial DNA copy number. These findings suggest that maternal exposure to CS alters normal development of pFRG that is critical for normal respiratory control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Lei
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, 3-17 Renmin South Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Wen Wang
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, 3-17 Renmin South Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Yating Fu
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, 3-17 Renmin South Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Ji Wang
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, 3-17 Renmin South Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Yu Zheng
- Department of Physiology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, 3-17 Renmin South Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
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9
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van der Heijden ME, Zoghbi HY. Loss of Atoh1 from neurons regulating hypoxic and hypercapnic chemoresponses causes neonatal respiratory failure in mice. eLife 2018; 7:e38455. [PMID: 29972353 PMCID: PMC6067883 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Atoh1-null mice die at birth from respiratory failure, but the precise cause has remained elusive. Loss of Atoh1 from various components of the respiratory circuitry (e.g. the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN)) has so far produced at most 50% neonatal lethality. To identify other Atoh1-lineage neurons that contribute to postnatal survival, we examined parabrachial complex neurons derived from the rostral rhombic lip (rRL) and found that they are activated during respiratory chemochallenges. Atoh1-deletion from the rRL does not affect survival, but causes apneas and respiratory depression during hypoxia, likely due to loss of projections to the preBötzinger Complex and RTN. Atoh1 thus promotes the development of the neural circuits governing hypoxic (rRL) and hypercapnic (RTN) chemoresponses, and combined loss of Atoh1 from these regions causes fully penetrant neonatal lethality. This work underscores the importance of modulating respiratory rhythms in response to chemosensory information during early postnatal life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike E van der Heijden
- Department of NeuroscienceBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research InstituteTexas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Huda Y Zoghbi
- Department of NeuroscienceBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research InstituteTexas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Department of PediatricsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
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10
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Manganaro L, Silvia B, Antonelli A, Rondoni V, Pusiol T, Scialpi M. Fetal biparametric MR imaging in the diagnosis of congenital mesoblastic nephroma. Turk J Urol 2018; 44:278-280. [PMID: 29733803 DOI: 10.5152/tud.2018.49696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Manganaro
- Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Anatomo-Patologic, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Bernardo Silvia
- Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Anatomo-Patologic, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Amanda Antonelli
- Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Anatomo-Patologic, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Rondoni
- Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Radiology 2, S. Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
| | - Teresa Pusiol
- Provincial Health Care Services, Institute of Anatomo-Patologic, Rovereto, Trento, Italy
| | - Michele Scialpi
- Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Radiology 2, S. Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
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11
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Lattuada D, Alfonsi G, Roncati L, Pusiol T, Bulfoni A, Ferrero S, Lavezzi A. Mitochondrial DNA content: A new biomarker for sudden intrauterine unexplained death syndrome (SIUDS). Mitochondrion 2018; 40:13-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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12
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Mehboob R, Kabir M, Ahmed N, Ahmad FJ. Towards Better Understanding of the Pathogenesis of Neuronal Respiratory Network in Sudden Perinatal Death. Front Neurol 2017; 8:320. [PMID: 28729852 PMCID: PMC5498558 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Sudden perinatal death that includes the victims of sudden infant death syndrome, sudden intrauterine death syndrome, and stillbirth are heartbreaking events in the life of parents. Most of the studies about sudden perinatal death were reported from Italy, highlighting two main etiological factors: prone sleeping position and smoking. Other probable contributory factors are prematurity, male gender, lack of breastfeeding, respiratory tract infections, use of pacifiers, infant botulism, extensive use of pesticides and insecticides, etc. However, extensive studies across the world are required to establish the role of these factors in a different subset of populations. Previous studies confirmed the widely accepted hypothesis that neuropathology of the brainstem is one of the main cause of sudden perinatal death. This study is an effort to summarize the neuropathological evaluation of the brainstems and their association to sudden perinatal death. Brainstem nuclei in vulnerable infants undergo certain changes that may alter the sleep arousal cycle, cardiorespiratory control, and ultimately culminate in death. This review focuses on the roles of different brainstem nuclei, their pathologies, and the established facts in this regard in terms of it's link to such deaths. This study will also help to understand the role of brainstem nuclei in controlling the cardiorespiratory cycles in sudden perinatal death and may provide a better understanding to resolve the mystery of these deaths in future. It is also found that a global initiative to deal with perinatal death is required to facilitate the diagnosis and prevention in developed and as well as developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riffat Mehboob
- Biomedical Sciences, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan.,Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Mahvish Kabir
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Naseer Ahmed
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Verona Medical School, Verona, Italy.,Section of Pharmacology, University of Verona Medical School, Verona, Italy
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13
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Lavezzi AM, Ferrero S, Roncati L, Piscioli F, Matturri L, Pusiol T. Nicotinic Receptor Abnormalities in the Cerebellar Cortex of Sudden Unexplained Fetal and Infant Death Victims-Possible Correlation With Maternal Smoking. ASN Neuro 2017; 9:1759091417720582. [PMID: 28735558 PMCID: PMC5528189 DOI: 10.1177/1759091417720582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are cationic channels of the neuronal cell membrane, differentially expressed in the central nervous system which, when activated by endogenous acetylcholine or exogenous nicotine, are able to enhance cholinergic transmission. The aim of this study was to investigate in human perinatal age the immunohistochemical expression of the α7-nAChR subtype, given its involvement in neuronal differentiation and its significant vulnerability to the toxic effects of nicotine. Thirty fetuses (with a gestational age between 25 and 40 weeks) and 35 infants (1-6 months old), suddenly died of known (controls) and unknown causes (unexplained deaths), with smoking and nonsmoking mothers, were included in this study. A negative or low immunoexpression of α7-nAChRs, indicative of their inactivation, was observed in the granular layers of the cerebellar cortex in 66% of the sudden unexplained perinatal deaths and 11% of the controls. A high correlation was also observed between these findings and maternal smoking. Apart from the well-known adverse effects of nicotine exposure during pregnancy, it may also cause significant alterations in cerebellar cholinergic transmission in areas of the brain involved in vital functions. These events may give us insights into the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to sudden unexplained fetal and infant death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Lavezzi
- “Lino Rossi” Research Center, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Ferrero
- “Lino Rossi” Research Center, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
- Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Roncati
- Institute of Pathology, Hospital of Rovereto, Trento, Italy
- Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and of Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico Hospital, Modena, Italy
| | - Francesco Piscioli
- Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and of Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico Hospital, Modena, Italy
| | - Luigi Matturri
- “Lino Rossi” Research Center, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Teresa Pusiol
- Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and of Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico Hospital, Modena, Italy
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Roncati L, Termopoli V, Pusiol T. Negative Role of the Environmental Endocrine Disruptors in the Human Neurodevelopment. Front Neurol 2016; 7:143. [PMID: 27625632 PMCID: PMC5003883 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2016.00143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The endocrine disruptors (EDs) are able to influence the endocrine system, mimicking or antagonizing hormonal molecules. They are bio-persistent for their degradation resistance in the environment. Our research group has investigated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) the EDs presence in 35 brain samples, coming from 27 cases of sudden intrauterine unexplained death syndrome (SIUDS) and 8 cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), collected by centralization in the last year (2015). More in detail, a mixture of 25 EDs has been subjected to analytical procedure, following standard protocols. Among the target analytes, some organochlorine pesticides, that is α-chlordane, γ-chlordane, heptachlor, p,p-DDE, p,p-DDT, and the two most commonly used organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), chlorpyrifos and chlorfenvinfos, have been found in seven and three samples, respectively. The analytical procedure used to detect the presence of environmental EDs in cortex samples has been successfully implemented on SIUDS and SIDS victims. The environmental EDs have been found to be able to overcome the placental barrier, reaching also the basal ganglia assigned to the control of the vital functions. This finding, related to the OPPs bio-persistence, implies a conceptual redefinition of the fetal–placental and fetal blood–brain barriers: not real safety barriers but simply time-deferral mechanisms of absorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Roncati
- Provincial Health Care Services, Institute of Pathology, Santa Maria del Carmine Hospital, Rovereto, Trentino, Italy; Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Veronica Termopoli
- LC-MS Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Life and Environment (DiSTeVA), University of Urbino , Urbino , Italy
| | - Teresa Pusiol
- Provincial Health Care Services, Institute of Pathology, Santa Maria del Carmine Hospital , Rovereto, Trentino , Italy
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