Early Life (early + life)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences

Terms modified by Early Life

  • early life event
  • early life experience
  • early life history
  • early life stage

  • Selected Abstracts


    EXTREME SELECTION ON SIZE IN THE EARLY LIVES OF FISH

    EVOLUTION, Issue 8 2010
    Kestrel O. Perez
    Although fitness typically increases with body size and selection gradients on size are generally positive, much of this information comes from terrestrial taxa. In the early life history of fish, there is evidence of selection both for and against larger size, leaving open the question of whether the general pattern for terrestrial taxa is valid for fish. We reviewed studies of size-dependent survival in the early life history of fish and obtained estimates of standardized selection differentials from 40 studies. We found that 77% of estimated selection differentials favored larger size and that the strength of selection was more than five times that seen in terrestrial taxa. Selection decreased with study period duration and initial length, and disruptive selection occurred significantly more frequently than stabilizing selection. Contrary to expectations from Bergmann's rule, selection on size did not increase with latitude. [source]


    Lower levels of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in peripheral blood are associated with a diagnosis of asthma 6 yr after severe respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis

    PEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
    Eli Silver
    Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) play a crucial role in antiviral immunity and promoting Th1 polarization, possibly protecting against development of allergic disease. Examination of the relationship between peripheral blood plasmacytoid DC levels and manifestations of asthma and atopy early in life. We have isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 73 children (mean age ± SD: 6.6 ± 0.5 yr old) participating in the RSV Bronchiolitis in Early Life (RBEL) study. Flow cytometry was performed on PBMC detecting DC surface-markers: Blood Dendritic Cell Antigens (BDCA) 1, 3, and 2 which identify myeloid type 1, type 2, and plasmacytoid cells, respectively. Total serum IgE, peripheral eosinophil count, and allergy skin tests were documented. About 45% (n = 33) of study participants had physician-diagnosed asthma by 6 yr of age. These children had significantly lower quantities (mean ± SD) of plasmacytoid DC than their non-asthmatic counterparts (1020 ± 921 vs. 1952 ± 1170 cells per 106 PBMC, p = 0.003). We found significantly lower numbers of myeloid dendritic cells in children with asthma (3836 ± 2472 cells per 106 PBMC) compared with those without asthma (4768 ± 2224 cells per 106 PBMC, p = 0.02); however, this divergence was not significant after adjusting for covariates of age, gender, race, skin test reactivity, smoke exposure, and daycare attendance. We did not identify any direct association between DC levels and markers of atopy: skin test reactivity, peripheral eosinophilia, and IgE level. Children who are diagnosed with asthma after severe RSV bronchiolitis appear to have a relative deficiency of plasmacytoid DC in peripheral blood. [source]


    Risk Exposure in Early Life and Mortality at Older Ages: Evidence from Union Army Veterans

    POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 2 2009
    Dejun Su
    This study examines the relation between risk exposures in early life and hazard of mortality among 11,978 Union Army veterans aged 50 and over in 1900. Veterans' risk exposures prior to enlistment,as approximated by birth season, country of birth, residential region, city size, and height at enlistment,significantly influenced their chance of survival after 1900. These effects are robust irrespective of whether socioeconomic well-being in 1900 has been taken into account; however, they are sensitive to the particular age periods selected for survival analysis. Whereas some of the effects such as being born in Ireland and coming from large cities became apparent in the first decade after 1900 and then dissipated over time, the effects of birth season, being born in Germany, residential region in the United States, and height at enlistment were more salient in the post-1910 periods. Height at enlistment shows a positive association with risk of mortality in the post-1910 periods. Compared to corresponding findings from more recent cohorts, the exceptional robustness of the effects of risk exposures prior to enlistment on old-age mortality among the veterans highlights the harshness of living conditions early in their lives. [source]


    Early life, the epigenome and human health

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 7 2009
    Moshe Szyf
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    A Case Report of Rapid Progressive Coarctation and Severe Middle Aortic Syndrome in an Infant with Williams Syndrome

    CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE, Issue 5 2009
    E. Kevin Hall MD
    ABSTRACT Williams syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by multiple contiguous gene deletions in chromosome 7. Presentation in early life is most often a result of luminal stenosis of right- and left-sided arterial vasculature. We report the case of a newborn infant who had a rapidly progressing diffuse form of arteriopathy that required two surgeries and one percutaneous balloon dilation within the first 2 months of her life. [source]


    Organizational effects of maternal testosterone on reproductive behavior of adult house sparrows

    DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 14 2008
    Jesko Partecke
    Abstract Despite the well-known, long-term, organizational actions of sex steroids on phenotypic differences between the sexes, studies of maternal steroids in the vertebrate egg have mainly focused on effects seen in early life. Long-term organizational effects of yolk hormones on adult behavior and the underlying mechanisms that generate them have been largely ignored. Using an experiment in which hand-reared house sparrows (Passer domesticus) from testosterone- or control-treated eggs were kept under identical conditions, we show that testosterone treatment in the egg increased the frequency of aggressive, dominance, and sexual behavior of 1-year-old, reproductively competent house sparrows. We also show that circulating plasma levels of progesterone, testosterone, 5,-dihydrotestosterone, and 17,-estradiol did not differ between treatment groups. Thus, a simple change in adult gonadal hormone secretion is not the primary physiological cause of long-term effects of maternal steroids on adult behavior. Rather, differences in adult behavior caused by exposure to yolk testosterone during embryonic development are likely generated by organizational modifications of brain function. Furthermore, our data provide evidence that hormone-mediated maternal effects are an epigenetic mechanism causing intra-sexual variation in adult behavioral phenotype. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 2008 [source]


    Effects of neonatal novelty exposure on sexual behavior, fear, and stress-response in adult rats

    DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
    Fernando Benetti
    Abstract Environmental stimuli in early life may result in permanent behavioral and physiological changes. Present study evaluated the effects of exposing pups to a novel environment on behaviors (open-field test and sexual behavior) and prolactin stress-responses in adult male rats. Half of a litter was daily removed outside (OUT) from the nest and stimulated by handling for 3 min, while the other half remained inside (IN) the nest and was also handled for the same period during the first 10 days postpartum. Maternal behavior after all the pups were returned to the nest was not different between IN and OUT littermates. In adulthood, OUT males showed increased general and central locomotion activity in the open-field test, reduced sexual behavior, and attenuated prolactin secretion in response to restraint stress compared with the IN littermates. The repeated exposition of rat pups to a novel environment is a causal factor for the long-lasting behavioral and endocrine changes. The premature exposition of the pup to unfamiliar environments decreases fear and stress-response, and also reduces sexual behavior. We suggest that the absence of the odor of the mother may be crucial to explain the effects detected in adulthood. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 258,264, 2007. [source]


    Early recognition of newborn goat kids by their mother: II.

    DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003
    Auditory recognition, evidence of an individual acoustic signature in the neonate
    Abstract The vocal recognition of newborn kids by their mother at 2 days postpartum and the possible existence of interindividual differences in the voice structure of newborn kids were investigated in two separate studies. The ability of goats to discriminate between the bleats of their own versus an alien kid was tested at 2 days postpartum in mothers being prevented access to visual and olfactory cues from the young. Goats spent significantly more time on the side of the enclosure from which their own kid was bleating, looked in its direction for longer, and responded more frequently to the bleats of their own than to those of the alien kid (p,<,0.05). In the second study, the sonograms of 13 kids, studied from Days 1 to 5, showed significant interindividual differences for the five variables taken into account and on each of the 5 days (duration of bleat, fundamental frequency, peak frequency, and numbers of segments and of harmonics). The potential for individual coding ranged between 1.1 and 4.1, indicating that for some variables variations between individuals were greater than intraindividual variations. Furthermore, when considering the five parameters together, the discriminating scores showed an average of 95% in the 78 combinations of any 2 kids for any given day. Finally, some significant intraindividual differences also were found between days, suggesting ontogenic changes in the characteristics of the kid's voice in early life. Therefore, mother goats are likely to recognize the vocalizations of their 48-hr-old kids, as they show sufficient interindividual variability to allow the existence of individual vocal signatures, even though some of the characteristics of the bleats change rapidly over time. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 43: 311,320, 2003. [source]


    Inter-sexual differences in the immune response of Eurasian kestrel nestlings under food shortage

    ECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 1 2002
    Juan A. Fargallo
    When resources are limited, parents should decide the optimal number, size, and sex of progeny, and offspring should decide the optimal allocation of resources to different costly functions, such as growth and immunity. We manipulated clutch sizes of Eurasian kestrels by one egg to estimate possible cumulative effects of incubation and chick rearing costs on parental body condition, feeding effort, and offspring viability. No obvious effects of clutch size manipulations on feeding effort were found while feeding effort was adjusted to the original clutch size. Enlarged and control nests suffered from higher nestling mortality than reduced nests, and chicks of the enlarged group were in poorer body condition than chicks of the reduced group. Controlling for body mass, male chicks exhibited lower cell-mediated immunity assessed by a cutaneous hypersensitivity response than females, but only in treatments suffering from food restrictions, as indicated by chick starvation. These novel results reveal inter-sexual differences in physiological strategies in early life, suggesting sex-related differences in susceptibility to disease and consequently in survival prospects of offspring. [source]


    The key regulators of adult T helper cell responses, STAT6 and T-bet, are established in early life in mice

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 5 2006
    Shawn Rose
    Abstract Murine neonatal immunity is typically Th2 biased. This is characterized by high-level IL-4 production at all phases of the immune response and poor IFN-, memory responses. The differential expression of Th1/Th2 cytokines by neonates and adults could arise if the critical regulators of Th differentiation and function, STAT6 and T-bet, operate differently during the neonatal period. To test this idea, the Th cell responses of wild-type, T-bet-deficient, or STAT6-deficient mice were compared in vitro and in vivo. The absence of these factors had similar qualitative effects on the development of effector function in neonates and adults, i.e., if a Th lineage was inhibited or enhanced in adult animals, a similar phenomenon was observed in neonates. However, there was a striking difference observed in the in vivo Th1 memory responses of STAT6-deficient mice initially immunized as neonates. Antigen-specific IFN-, production was increased 50,100-fold in STAT6-deficient neonates, achieving levels similar to those of STAT6-deficient adults. These findings demonstrate that STAT6 and T-bet signals are central in shaping Th responses in wild-type neonates, as in adult mice, and that the master regulators of Th cell development and function are already firmly established in early life. [source]


    Pronounced drought tolerance characterizes the early life stages of the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsia flexuosa

    FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
    Maaike Y. Bader
    Summary 1Germination and seedling performance may set the limits for plant distributions, particularly in stressful habitats. Stressful conditions at these early stages may be avoided by opportunistic germination and growth, or may be tolerated. Many epiphytic plants are frequently exposed to severe drought. Adult epiphytes endure such dry periods in various ways, but little is known about strategies employed during germination and early life. 2Epiphyte seedlings could show either opportunistic fast growth to quickly attain the benefits of being larger or inherently slow growth and early drought tolerance. Here we address the question: which of these strategies characterizes the early life stages of the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsia flexuosa, a species typical for dry tropical habitats? 3We studied growth and drought tolerance of germinating seeds, of the emerging seedlings and of 2-month-old seedlings under controlled conditions. Additionally, we studied drought hardening in 6-month-old seedlings. 4Germination of T. flexuosa was reduced by intermittent dry periods. However, compared to the congeneric T. fasciculata, which typically occurs in wetter habitats, the depression of germination by drought was small. Seedling growth was fastest at intermediate moisture levels: both prolonged drought and continuous moisture depressed growth. Prolonged drought had a less negative effect on drought-hardened seedlings than on previously well-watered seedlings. After a 3-week drought treatment the previously well-watered seedlings had lost their growth advantage entirely. Had drought continued, they would have probably been starved, indicated by the low level of their non-structural carbohydrate pool. 5Tillandsia flexuosa employs a stress-tolerance strategy both during germination and during the seedling stage. In its epiphytic habitat this strategy is clearly adaptive, considering the predictable briefness of moisture availability throughout the year and the low competition pressure that allows the very slow growth typically seen in adults and seedlings. These conditions characterize not only the dry-forest habitat of T. flexuosa, but all exposed epiphytic growing sites, so we expect this early stress-tolerance to be common among epiphytes in general. Still, a lower stress tolerance in species from wetter habitats may at least partly explain why T. flexuosa shares its dry-forest habitat with so few other vascular epiphytes. [source]


    Mass-independent fractionation of sulfur isotopes in sulfides from the pre-3770 Ma Isua Supracrustal Belt, West Greenland

    GEOBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006
    D. PAPINEAU
    ABSTRACT Redox chemistry of the coupled atmosphere,hydrosphere system has coevolved with the biosphere, from global anoxia in the Archean to an oxygenated Proterozoic surface environment. However, to trace these changes to the very beginning of the rock record presents special challenges. All known Eoarchean (c. 3850,3600 Ma) volcanosedimentary successions (i.e. supracrustal rocks) are restricted to high-grade gneissic terranes that seldom preserve original sedimentary structures and lack primary organic biomarkers. Although complicated by metamorphic overprinting, sulfur isotopes from Archean supracrustal rocks have the potential to preserve signatures of both atmospheric chemistry and metabolic fractionation from the original sediments. We present a synthesis of multiple sulfur isotope measurements (32S, 33S and 34S) performed on sulfides from amphibolite facies banded iron-formations (BIFs) and ferruginous garnet-biotite (metapelitic) schists from the pre-3770 Ma Isua Supracrustal Belt (ISB) in West Greenland. Because these data come from some of the oldest rocks of interpretable marine sedimentary origin, they provide the opportunity to (i) explore for possible biosignatures of sulfur metabolisms in early life; (ii) assess changes in atmospheric redox chemistry from ,3.8 Ga; and (iii) lay the groundwork to elucidate sulfur biogeochemical cycles on the early Earth. We find that sulfur isotope results from Isua do not unambiguously indicate microbially induced sulfur isotopic fractionation at that time. A significantly expanded data set of ,33S analyses for Isua dictates that the atmosphere was devoid of free oxygen at time of deposition and also shows that the effects of post-depositional metamorphic remobilization and/or dilution can be traced in mass-independently fractionated sulfur isotopes. [source]


    Alterations of postsynaptic density proteins in the hippocampus of rat offspring from the morphine-addicted mother: Beneficial effect of dextromethorphan

    HIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 6 2006
    San Nan Yang
    Abstract Infants passively exposed to morphine or heroin through their addicted mothers usually develop characteristic withdrawal syndrome of morphine after birth. In such early life, the central nervous system exhibits significant plasticity and can be altered by various prenatal influences, including prenatal morphine exposure. Here we studied the effects of prenatal morphine exposure on postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95), an important cytoskeletal specialization involved in the anchoring of the NMDAR and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), of the hippocampal CA1 subregion from young offspring at postnatal day 14 (P14). We also evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of dextromethorphan, a widely used antitussive drug with noncompetitive antagonistic effects on NMDARs, for such offspring. The results revealed that prenatal morphine exposure caused a maximal decrease in PSD-95 expression at P14 followed by an age-dependent improvement. In addition, prenatal morphine exposure reduced not only the expression of nNOS and the phosphorylation of cAMP responsive element-binding protein at serine 133 (CREBSerine-133), but also the magnitude of long-term depression (LTD) at P14. Subsequently, the morphine-treated offspring exhibited impaired performance in long-term learning and memory at later ages (P28,29). Prenatal coadministration of dextromethorphan with morphine during pregnancy and throughout lactation could significantly attenuate the adverse effects as described above. Collectively, the study demonstrates that maternal exposure to morphine decreases the magnitude of PSD-95, nNOS, the phosphorylation of CREBSerine-133, and LTD expression in hippocampal CA1 subregion of young offspring (e.g., P14). Such alterations within the developing brain may play a role for subsequent neurological impairments (e.g., impaired performance of long-term learning and memory). The results raise a possibility that postsynaptic density proteins could serve an important role, at least in part, for the neurobiological pathogenesis in offspring from the morphine-addicted mother and provide tentative therapeutic strategy. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Grounded in the World: Developmental Origins of the Embodied Mind

    INFANCY, Issue 1 2000
    Esther Thelen
    Piaget's (1952) question of how the adult mind emerges from the sensorimotor infant is still the framing issue for developmental psychology. Here I suggest that real-life skill is better understood if the sensorimotor origins of cognition are not abandoned. Skilled people are not only better at both abstract and logical thinking but also at processing the world "online" and, most important, seamlessly and rapidly shifting between the two modes. I illustrate the tight coupling between action, perception, and cognition in early life and propose that this coupling remains but becomes more flexibly adaptive. Further, I show that the language of dynamics is appropriate to capture these mind-body-world interconnections. [source]


    Breast cancer and microbial cancer incidence in female populations around the world: A surprising hyperbolic association

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 5 2008
    Anamaria Savu
    Abstract Current literature on cancer epidemiology typically discusses etiology of cancer by cancer type. Risks of different cancer types are, however, correlated at population level and may provide etiological clues. We showed previously an unexpected very high positive correlation between breast cancer (BC) and young-adult Hodgkin disease incidence rates. In a population-based case,control study of BC, older ages at the first Epstein,Barr virus exposure, indicated by older ages at onset of infectious mononucleosis, were associated with elevated BC risk. Here we examine BC risk in association with microbial cancer (MC) risk in female populations across the world. MC cancers are cervical, liver and stomach cancers with established causal associations with human papillomaviruses, hepatitis viruses, and helicobacter pylori, respectively. We examined age-adjusted BC and MC incidence rates in 74 female populations around the world with cancer registries. Our analysis suggests that BC and MC rates are inversely associated in a special mathematical form such that the product of BC rate and MC rate is approximately constant across world female populations. A differential equation model with solutions consistent to the observed inverse association was derived. BC and MC rates were modeled as functions of an exposure level to unspecified common factors that influence the 2 rates. In conjunction with previously reported evidence, we submit a hypothesis that BC etiology may have an appreciable link with microbial exposures (and/or immunological responses to them), the lack of which, especially in early life, may elevate BC risk. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Age-related change in breeding performance in early life is associated with an increase in competence in the migratory barn swallow Hirundo rustica

    JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
    JAVIER BALBONTÍN
    Summary 1We investigated age-related changes in two reproductive traits (laying date and annual fecundity) in barn swallows Hirundo rustica L. using a mixed model approach to di-stinguish among between- and within-individual changes in breeding performance with age. 2We tested predictions of age-related improvements of competence (i.e. constraint hypothesis) and age-related progressive disappearance of poor-quality breeders (i.e. selection hypothesis) to explain age-related increase in breeding performance in early life. 3Reproductive success increased in early life, reaching a plateau at middle age (e.g. at 3 years of age) and decreasing at older age (> 4 years). Age-related changes in breeding success were due mainly to an effect of female age. 4Age of both female and male affected timing of reproduction. Final linear mixed effect models (LME) for laying date included main and quadratic terms for female and male age, suggesting a deterioration in reproductive performance at older age for both males and females. 5We found evidence supporting the constraints hypothesis that increases in competence within individuals, with ageing being the most probable cause of the observed increase in breeding performance with age in early life. Two mechanisms were implicated: (1) advance in male arrival date with age provided middle-aged males with better access to mates. Yearling males arrived later to the breeding grounds and therefore had limited access to high-quality mates. (2) Breeding pairs maintaining bonds for 2 consecutive years (experienced pairs) had higher fecundity than newly formed inexperienced breeding pairs. 6There was no support for the selection hypothesis because breeding performance was not correlated with life span. 7We found a within-individual deterioration in breeding and migratory performance (arrival date) in the oldest age-classes consistent with senescence in these reproductive and migratory traits. [source]


    Growth of larval Pacific anchovy Engraulis japonicus in the Yellow Sea as indicated by otolith microstructure analysis

    JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
    S.-D. Hwang
    Larval Pacific anchovy Engraulis japonicus were sampled from coastal waters off the central west coast of Korea from June to November 1996. Using otolith microstructure analysis (daily growth increments), three cohorts (spring, early summer and late summer) were distinguished based on backcalculated spawning dates. Growth rates differed between cohorts, with higher growth rates for late-summer cohorts than either the spring or early-summer cohorts. Growth rate was positively related to surface water temperature, with an optimum temperature range of between 20 and 26° C occurring during the late summer (late July through to mid-September). The study highlights that early growth rates of Pacific anchovy are dependent on ecosystem (particularly water temperature) attributes during early life. [source]


    Neonatal Lipopolysaccharide Exposure Delays Puberty and Alters Hypothalamic Kiss1 and Kiss1r mRNA Expression in the Female Rat

    JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 8 2009
    A. M. I. Knox
    Immunological challenge experienced in early life can have long-term programming effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis that permanently influence the stress response. Similarly, neonatal exposure to immunological stress enhances stress-induced suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis in adulthood, but may also affect earlier development, including the timing of puberty. To investigate the timing of the critical window for this programming of the HPG axis, neonatal female rats were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50 ,g/kg i.p.) or saline on postnatal days 3 + 5, 7 + 9, or 14 + 16 and monitored for vaginal opening and first vaginal oestrus as markers of puberty. We also investigated the effects of neonatal programming on the development of the expression patterns of kisspeptin (Kiss1) and its receptor (Kiss1r) in hypothalamic sites known to contain kisspeptin-expressing neuronal populations critical to reproductive function: the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and the arcuate nucleus in neonatally-stressed animals. We determined that the critical period for a significant delay in puberty as a result of neonatal LPS exposure is before 7 days of age in the female rat, and demonstrated that Kiss1, but not Kiss1r mRNA, expression in the mPOA is down-regulated in pre-pubertal females. These data suggest that the mPOA population of kisspeptin neurones play a pivotal role in controlling the onset of puberty, and that their function can be affected by neonatal stress. [source]


    In Three Brain Regions Central to Maternal Behaviour, Neither Male Nor Female Phodopus Dwarf Hamsters Show Changes in Oestrogen Receptor Alpha Distribution with Mating or Parenthood

    JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 12 2008
    M. E. Timonin
    Oestrogen receptor (ER), immunoreactivity in three brain regions relevant to maternal behaviour (medial preoptic area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial amygdala) was measured in two species of dwarf hamster that both mate during a postpartum oestrous but differ in expression of paternal behaviour. Male and female Phodopus campbelli and Phodopus sungorus were sampled as sexually naïve adults, following mating to satiety, and as new parents. In all brain regions, females expressed higher levels of ER, than males. Species did not have an effect on ER, distribution except in the medial amygdala, where P. sungorus females had higher expression levels than all other groups. Behavioural status was not associated with altered ER, expression. These results were not expected for females and suggest that a primary activational role for oestrogen, acting through ER, in these regions, does not generalise to maternal behaviour in Phodopus. In males, these results are consistent with previous manipulations of the ER, ligand, oestrogen, and suggest that paternal behaviour in P. campbelli is likely to be regulated by developmental effects of oestrogen on the brain during early life (similar to Microtus ochrogaster), rather than through activation by oestrogen at the time of fatherhood (similar to Peromyscus californicus). [source]


    Research into ageing and older people

    JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008
    FIBiol, ROGER WATSON PhD
    Aim, The aim of this paper is to consider the process of ageing, the effects of ageing and research related to ageing. Background, In most countries of the world, the UK being no exception, the population is ageing in terms of the absolute numbers of and relative proportion of older people. This has resulted from economic, scientific and medical progress. However, it poses challenges for health and social services. Method, Selective review of the literature. Conclusion, Ageing is an inevitable part of life and, while not in itself debilitating, can be accompanied by a range of debilitating physical and mental conditions which lead to frailty and dependency. There is limited evidence that the ageing process can be alleviated, as such, but there is some evidence that choices and circumstances in early life can influence the extent to which we age successfully. Implications for nursing management, Nurse managers have two responsibilities with regard to age: they are increasingly engaged in organizing care for older people in acute and long-term settings and in nursing homes and the more they need to understand the process of ageing. They also have responsibilities towards their workforce and can facilitate lifestyle choices which may help their workforce to age successfully. [source]


    The burden of kidney disease in Indigenous children of Australia and New Zealand, epidemiology, antecedent factors and progression to chronic kidney disease

    JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 9 2010
    Andrew White
    Aims: To review and present the most important issues related to kidney disease in Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Maori and Pacific Islander children from Australia and New Zealand. Methods: A review of medical literature about: 1. incidence of kidney disease in Indigenous children in Australia and New Zealand, especially where rates are different from the general populations, 2. factors in early life which increase risk for chronic kidney disease in adult life, and 3. early identification and primary and secondary interventions in childhood which may prevent chronic kidney disease in adults. Results: Kidney diseases, both acute and chronic are more common in Maori, Pacific Islander, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The reasons are multiple and include genetic, environmental and socio-economic factors. In childhood post streptococcal glomerulonephritis, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, renal stones and acute kidney injury all occur at higher frequency in at least some of the Indigenous populations. Chronic kidney disease CKD occurs more commonly, and at a younger age in Indigenous than non Indigenous people. Factors involved may include reduced nephron endowment at birth, and subsequent insults including nephritis, obesity, and early onset type 2 diabetes, as well as underlying socioeconomic and environmental determinants. Conclusion: A lifecourse understanding allows one to conceptualise multiple risk factors and target interventions. [source]


    Environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes

    JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 3 2001
    JJ Couper
    Abstract: High risk HLA class II alleles account for 40% of the genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes in Caucasians, but the majority of the genetically predisposed do not develop the disease. This supports some environmental modification of the autoimmune destruction of , cells that precedes type 1 diabetes. Identical twin studies and geographical variation in incidence also argue for a critical role of environmental factors. Attention has been directed to the possible harmful effect of cow's milk protein (or protective effect of breast-feeding) and enteric infections in early life. Natural history studies that follow children at increased risk of type 1 diabetes provide the best opportunity to study environmental triggers. The Australian Baby Diab Study has followed approximately 500 babies from birth who have a first-degree relative with type 1 diabetes. No prospective association between duration of breast-feeding or introduction of cow's milk and the development of islet autoimmunity was found. The same Australian cohort demonstrated a relationship between rotavirus infection and the first appearance or increase in islet antibodies. Enteroviral infection is seen more frequently in prediabetic children and prior to the onset of islet autoimmunity in Finnish cohorts. Environmental factors may interact. Breast milk protects against enteric infections; enteric infections in turn could increase immunity to dietary antigens by increasing intestinal permeability. It is also possible that an alteration in gut mucosal immune function in genetically susceptible individuals underlies any effect of dietary or viral proteins on the development of islet autoimmunity in early life. [source]


    Period 2 Gene Deletion Abolishes ,-Endorphin Neuronal Response to Ethanol

    ALCOHOLISM, Issue 9 2010
    Maria Agapito
    Background:, Ethanol exposure during early life has been shown to permanently alter the circadian expression of clock regulatory genes and the ,-endorphin precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene in the hypothalamus. Ethanol also alters the stress- and immune-regulatory functions of ,-endorphin neurons in laboratory rodents. Our aim was to determine whether the circadian clock regulatory Per2 gene modulates the action of ethanol on ,-endorphin neurons in mice. Methods:,Per2 mutant (mPer2Brdml) and wild type (C57BL/6J) mice were used to determine the effect of Per2 mutation on ethanol-regulated ,-endorphin neuronal activity during neonatal period using an in vitro mediobasal hypothalamic (MBH) cell culture model and an in vivo milk formula feeding animal model. The ,-endorphin neuronal activity following acute and chronic ethanol treatments was evaluated by measuring the peptide released from cultured cells or peptide levels in the MBH tissues, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results:,Per2 mutant mice showed a higher basal level of ,-endorphin release from cultured MBH cells and a moderate increase in the peptide content in the MBH in comparison with control mice. However, unlike wild type mice, Per2 mutant mice showed no stimulatory or inhibitory ,-endorphin-secretory responses to acute and chronic ethanol challenges in vitro. Furthermore, Per2 mutant mice, but not wild type mice, failed to show the stimulatory and inhibitory responses of MBH ,-endorphin levels to acute and chronic ethanol challenges in vivo. Conclusions:, These results suggest for the first time that the Per2 gene may be critically involved in regulating ,-endorphin neuronal function. Furthermore, the data revealed an involvement of the Per2 gene in regulating ,-endorphin neuronal responses to ethanol. [source]


    Risk factors of new-onset asthma in adults: a population-based international cohort study

    ALLERGY, Issue 8 2010
    J. M. Antó
    To cite this article: Antó JM, Sunyer J, Basagaña X, Garcia-Esteban R, Cerveri I, de Marco R, Heinrich J, Janson C, Jarvis D, Kogevinas M, Kuenzli N, Leynaert B, Svanes C, Wjst M, Gislason T, Burney P. Risk factors of new-onset asthma in adults: a population-based international cohort study. Allergy 2010; 65: 1021,1030 Abstract Background:, The occurrence of new-onset asthma during adulthood is common, but there is insufficient understanding of its determinants including the role of atopy. Objective:, To assess the risk factors for the development of new-onset asthma in middle-aged adults and to compare them according to atopy. Methods:, A longitudinal analysis of 9175 young adults who participated in two surveys of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) conducted 9 years apart. Findings:, We observed 179 cases of new-onset asthma among 4588 participants who were free of asthma and reported at the beginning of the follow-up that they had never had asthma (4.5 per 1000 person-years). In a logistic regression, the following risk factors were found to increase the risk of new-onset asthma: female gender (OR: 1.97; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38,2.81), bronchial hyperresponsiveness (3.25; 2.19,4.83), atopy (1.55;1.08,2.21), FEV1 < 100 % predicted (1.87;1.34,2.62), nasal allergy (1.98;1.39,2.84) and maternal asthma (1.91;1.13;3.21). Obesity, respiratory infections in early life and high-risk occupations increased the risk of new-onset asthma although we had limited power to confirm their role. Among the atopics, total IgE and sensitization to cat were independently related to the risk of new-onset asthma. The proportion of new-onset asthma attributable to atopy varied from 12% to 21%. Conclusion:, Adults reporting that they had never had asthma were at a substantial risk of new-onset asthma as a result of multiple independent risk factors including lung function. Atopy explains a small proportion of new-onset adult asthma. [source]


    Scientific rationale for the Finnish Allergy Programme 2008,2018: emphasis on prevention and endorsing tolerance

    ALLERGY, Issue 5 2009
    L. C. Von Hertzen
    ,In similarity to many other western countries, the burden of allergic diseases in Finland is high. Studies worldwide have shown that an environment rich in microbes in early life reduces the subsequent risk of developing allergic diseases. Along with urbanization, such exposure has dramatically reduced, both in terms of diversity and quantity. Continuous stimulation of the immune system by environmental saprophytes via the skin, respiratory tract and gut appears to be necessary for activation of the regulatory network including regulatory T-cells and dendritic cells. ,Substantial evidence now shows that the balance between allergy and tolerance is dependent on regulatory T-cells. Tolerance induced by allergen-specific regulatory T-cells appears to be the normal immunological response to allergens in non atopic healthy individuals. Healthy subjects have an intact functional allergen-specific regulatory T-cell response, which in allergic subjects is impaired. Evidence on this exists with respect to atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma. Restoration of impaired allergen-specific regulatory T-cell response and tolerance induction has furthermore been demonstrated during allergen-specific subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy and is crucial for good therapeutic outcome. However, tolerance can also be strengthened unspecifically by simple means, e.g. by consuming farm milk and spending time in nature. ,Results so far obtained from animal models indicate that it is possible to restore tolerance by administering the allergen in certain circumstances both locally and systemically. It has become increasingly clear that continuous exposure to microbial antigens as well as allergens in foodstuffs and the environment is decisive, and excessive antigen avoidance can be harmful and weaken or even prevent the development of regulatory mechanisms. ,Success in the Finnish Asthma Programme was an encouraging example of how it is possible to reduce both the costs and morbidity of asthma. The time, in the wake of the Asthma Programme, is now opportune for a national allergy programme, particularly as in the past few years, fundamentally more essential data on tolerance and its mechanisms have been published. In this review, the scientific rationale for the Finnish Allergy Programme 2008,2018 is outlined. The focus is on tolerance and how to endorse tolerance at the population level. [source]


    Microbial exposure, interferon gamma gene demethylation in naïve T-cells, and the risk of allergic disease

    ALLERGY, Issue 3 2009
    P. J. Vuillermin
    The period of immune programming during early life presents a critical window of opportunity for the prevention of allergic diseases. There is mounting evidence that inappropriate immune programming may involve disruption of specific epigenetic modifications (switches) at immune-related genes. This novel area of research has great potential, as epigenetic changes are known to be sensitive to environmental factors and may therefore provide a mechanistic link for the observed association between specific environmental cues, faulty immune development, and the risk of allergic disease. In addition, the dynamic and potentially reversible nature of epigenetic modifications offers potentially novel targets for therapeutic and/or preventative interventions. We review the evidence that (1) failure to up-regulate the interferon gamma (IFN,) response during infancy is an important determinant of the risk of allergic disease, (2) expression of the IFN, gene in naïve T-cells is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, and (3) failure to up-regulate IFN, gene expression of naïve T-cells associated with low early life microbial exposure. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest that low microbial exposure during early life increases the risk of allergic disease by reducing demethylation (activation) of the IFN, gene of naive T-cells. [source]


    Preservation and fluorescence of the microfossils from Neoproterozoic Doushantuo formation

    MICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 4 2008
    Huimei Chi
    Abstract The phosphatized microfossils from Doushantuo Formation, Southeast China show us the biodiversity about 600 million years ago, which is a unique window for the evolution of the early life on earth. However, the process of phosphatic fossilization in detail still remains unknown. Here we report our study on the preservation state of the fossils by using confocal laser scanning microscopy. We found that fluorescent signal of the fossil could reflect the preservation state when compared with the transmission light microscopy. First, we found the fluorescent signal of the decayed cells of the fossil was weaker than that of the nondecayed part. Second, we found that the three-dimensional reconstruction of the fluorescent signals could help to judge the degree of mineralization of the fossil cells, compared with the observation by transmission light microscope. Third, we found that almost all of the fossil specimens we observed could fluoresce more or less when excited by laser light. Therefore, the fluorescent microscopy provides a useful method for the study of the preservation state of the phosphatic fossil cells. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Analysis of fluorescence from algae fossils of the Neoproterozoic Doushantuo formation of China by confocal laser scanning microscope

    MICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 4 2006
    Huimei Chi
    Abstract Chinese algae fossils can provide unique information about the evolution of the early life. Thin sections of Neoproterozoic algae fossils, from Guizhou, China, were studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy, and algae fossils were fluorescenced at different wavelengths when excited by laser light of 488 nm, 476 nm, and 568 nm wavelength. When illuminated by 488 nm laser light, images of the algae fossils were sharper and better defined than when illuminated by 476 nm and 568 nm laser light. The algae fossils fluoresce at a wide range of emission wavelengths. The three-dimensional images of the fluorescent algae fossils were compared with the transmission images taken by light microscope. We found that the fluorescence image of the confocal laser scanning microscope in a single optical section could pass for the transmission image taken by a light microscope. We collected images at different sample depths and made a three-dimensional reconstruction of the algae fossils. And on the basis of the reconstruction of the three-dimensional fluorescent images, we conclude that the two algae fossils in our present study are red algae. Microsc. Res. Tech. 69:253,259, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    The estimated benefits of vitamin D for Germany

    MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 8 2010
    A. Zittermann
    Abstract This article gives an overview of the vitamin D status in Germany, provides evidence for an independent association of vitamin D deficiency with various chronic diseases, and discusses preventive measures for improving vitamin D status in Germany. The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency is 40,45% in the general German population. An additional 15,30% are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D can prevent falls and osteoporotic fractures in older people. There is also accumulating evidence that vitamin D may prevent excess mortality and may probably prevent some chronic diseases that occur in early life such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Adherence to present sun safety policy (avoidance of the sun between 11 am and 3 pm) and dietary recommendations (5,10,,g daily for adults) would, however, definitively lead to vitamin D deficiency. The estimated cost saving effect of improving vitamin D status in Germany might be up to 37.5 billion , annually. It should be the goal of nutrition and medical societies to erase vitamin D deficiency in Germany within the next 5,10 years. To achieve this goal, the daily production of at least 25,,g of vitamin D in the skin or an equivalent oral intake should be guaranteed. [source]


    Probiotics and health: a review of the evidence

    NUTRITION BULLETIN, Issue 4 2009
    E. Weichselbaum
    Summary Probiotics are live microorganisms , mainly bacteria , which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. There is rising interest in this area, but reports in the media are often conflicting. The aim of this review is to consider the current evidence on the effects of probiotics on health, focusing on gut-related health issues and the immune system, with the objective to provide a clearer picture of whether and how probiotics can be beneficial for health. The outcomes of this review are based on more than 100 original studies, meta-analyses and systematic reviews. A variety of different strains have been used in studies on probiotics, and it is important to remember that the effectiveness of probiotics is strain-specific, which means that each single probiotic strain has to be tested to assess its potential health benefits. Overall, despite the diversity of strains used in the studies included in this review, there is evidence that probiotics have the potential to be beneficial for our health. Studies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease show probiotic strains to be able to decrease the recurrence of ulcerative colitis and occurrence and recurrence of pouchitis, however, current evidence suggests that probiotics are ineffective in treating patients with Crohn's disease. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome show a reduction in symptoms when treated with selected probiotic strains, but high placebo effects have been reported as well. The evidence of the efficacy of probiotics in patients suffering from constipation is limited, but the evidence seems promising for some strains to bring relief to patients suffering from constipation. There is good evidence that a number of probiotic strains are effective in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. The most commonly studied strains are Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Saccharomyces boulardii, but other strains and mixtures of strains seem to be effective as well. There is also promising evidence of a preventive effect of probiotics in Clostridium difficile -associated diarrhoea, although some studies have been too small to obtain statistically significant findings. The effect of probiotics in acute diarrhoea, particularly in children, is well studied. Selected probiotic strains seem to be effective in reducing the duration of acute diarrhoea. LGG and S. boulardii are again the most commonly used strains and a number of studies have shown them to be effective, although one meta-analysis showed that the effect of LGG was only significant in children in Western countries, not in children in developing countries, which may be due to different causes of diarrhoea in these regions. Studies investigating the preventive effect of probiotics in the context of common cold and flu infections show that the studied strains failed to lower the incidence of episodes but that they have the potential to decrease the duration of episodes, which suggests that the immune system may be more efficient in fighting off common cold and flu infections after consuming these strains. The evidence so far does not suggest that probiotics are effective in preventing or treating allergies or in treating eczema. However, some probiotic strains seem to lower the risk of developing eczema if taken by pregnant women and their infants in early life. [source]