Συνέντευξη Κύπρου Νικολαΐδη, 28-01-2024

Ο Κύπρος Νικολαΐδης είναι καθηγητής Εμβρυϊκής Ιατρικής στο King’s College του Λονδίνου.

Placenta-on-a-chip study addresses potential effects of pharmaceutical agents on fetus

Concerns about the impact of pharmaceutical agents on fetal development have prompted researchers at Iowa State University to undertake a key study using a placenta-on-a-chip model. The study, focused on the transport of naltrexone (NTX) and its primary metabolite 6β-naltrexol, sheds light on their potential effects on the developing neural system of fetuses and their premature brains.

The placenta-on-a-chip model was fabricated and meticulously tested to simulate the transport of NTX/6β-naltrexol from the maternal channel to the fetal channel. From the fetal channel, the transported NTX/6β-naltrexol was collected and directed toward cultured N27 neural cells. The neural cells were then evaluated for gene expression and cell viability following exposure to the pharmaceutical agents.

The study revealed intriguing findings, notably the significantly higher fold changes in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression in neural cells exposed to NTX/6β-naltrexol. Conversely, the fold change in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) expression was lower, while the sphingosine kinase 1 (sphk1) expression remained constant. Moreover, cell viability was significantly lower when exposed to NTX/6β-naltrexol.

These results hold particular significance since previous reports have linked elevated IL-6 and IL-1β expression levels to increased plasma levels in fetal brains and acute inflammatory insults in developing brains. Similarly, the possibility of TNF-α reducing embryonic brain development has been reported. On the other hand, sphk1 enzyme is associated with increasing cell survival and proliferation, contributing to standard physiological functions in developing brain cells.

During the study, the mean fetal concentrations of NTX and 6β-naltrexol over an 8-hour interval were recorded. The findings provide critical insights into how NTX/6β-naltrexol affects embryonic brain cells, further supporting the need for ongoing research in this area.

By utilizing advanced liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS), the study effectively analyzed the transport of clinically relevant concentrations of NTX and 6β-naltrexol.

“This proof-of-concept marks an important step forward in understanding the impact of pharmaceutical agents on the developing neural system and premature brains of fetuses.” said Nicole Hashemi, the principal investigator on the project. “As we delve deeper into these mechanisms, we hope to contribute to the development of safer medications for pregnant women and their unborn children.”

The placenta-on-a-chip microsystems have potential in transforming our understanding of how pharmaceutical agents affect fetal development. This technology can provide insights into the complex processes that occur during pregnancy, ensuring safer and more informed medical practices.

While this study has made major strides, the researchers emphasize the need for further studies to validate and expand upon these findings. Continued research in this field is vital to ensure the well-being of both mothers and their unborn children.

The study is published in the journal Innovation and Emerging Technologies.

More information:  Rajeendra L. Pemathilaka et al, Placenta-on-a-chip: Response of neural cells to pharmaceutical agents transported across the placental barrier, Innovation and Emerging Technologies (2023). DOI: 10.1142/S2737599423400042

New research points to dad’s drinking as a significant factor in fetal alcohol syndrome

Men drink more, are more likely to binge drink and are almost four times more likely to develop alcohol use disorder than women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yet when it comes to diagnosing babies born with birth defects associated with alcohol consumption, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, historically only the mother’s drinking habits are taken into consideration.

Research clearly shows that sperm carry a vast amount of epigenetic information—meaning heritable shifts in the way genes are expressed that don’t result from changes in the DNA sequence—that strongly influences fetal development and child health. Yet most doctors and other health care providers do not take into account the influence of paternal health and lifestyle choices on child development.

I am a developmental physiologist, and my research explores the ways that male drinking affects fetal development.

While most of the attention is given to the mom’s drinking while pregnant, my team and I focus on male drinking in the weeks and months before conception. Our studies are the first to demonstrate that male drinking before pregnancy is a plausible yet completely unexamined factor in the development of alcohol-related craniofacial abnormalities and growth deficiencies.

The intense focus on mom

In 1981, the U.S. surgeon general issued a public health warning that alcohol use by women during pregnancy was the cause of physical and mental birth defects in children.

Read more …

Ιατρική Σχολή Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης

Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida: Jaxyn’s Story

Fetal surgery for spina bifida is improving outcomes. The fetal surgeons at Cincinnati Children’s Fetal Care Center, who have extensive experience and innovative intervention therapies to help treat spina bifida in utero, recently shared this story of hope with the Foundation. 

In honor of World Spina Bifida Day, meet Fetal Care patients Jaxyn and his mom Michaela.

When Michaela was 20 weeks pregnant, she not only learned that she would be having a baby boy, she also learned that her baby had myelomeningocele (MMC), a severe form of spina bifida. Looking for answers, mom and dad visited the Fetal Care Center at Cincinnati Children’s. Michaela was deemed a good candidate for fetal MMC surgery, a delicate operation to close the hole in her son’s spine in-utero.

Υπερηχογράφημα 3ου τριμήνου (Doppler). Πολυτέλεια ή αναγκαιότητα;

Προγεννητικός έλεγχος

Ο καθηγητής Κύπρος Νικολαΐδης που έχει σημαδέψει την εμβρυοϊατρική

Μονάδα Εμβρυομητρικής Ιατρικής και Θεραπείας Εμβρύου «Κύπρος Νικολαΐδης»

Η μαγνητική τομογραφία στον προγεννητικό έλεγχο των συγγενών ανωμαλιών του εμβρύου

Περίληψη
Στόχος να αποδειχθεί η αξία της μαγνητικής τομογραφίας και ο ρόλος της σαν μέθοδος προγεννητικού ελέγχου των ανωμαλιών του εμβρύου. Να συγκριθεί με το υπερηχογράφημα που αποτελεί την πιο ενδεδειγμένη μέθοδο προγεννητικού ελέγχου. Μεθοδολογία: 105 γυναίκες έγκυες εξετάστηκαν με μαγνητική τομογραφία το διάστημα 2005-2010. Η μαγνητική έγινε μετά από ένδειξη από ύποπτο υπερηχογράφημα. Εξετάστηκαν οι ενδείξεις μία μία και έγινε και στατιστική ανάλυση. Οι πιο συχνές ενδείξεις αφορούν παθήσεις του κεντρικού νευρικού συστήματος. Ακολουθούν παθήσεις του ουροποιητικού, και μετά παθήσεις του θώρακα, αυχένα, σπονδυλικής στήλης και περιπτώσεις διδύμου κυήσεως. Επιπλέον, είχαμε και μια περίπτωση ηπατικού μορφώματος. Η στατιστική ανάλυση σε σχέση με το υπερηχογράφημα έδειξε στατιστικά σημαντική διαφορά x² = 14,84 με p-value <0,001 επίσης, ειδικότητα και ευαισθησία 100%. Συμπερασματικά, η μαγνητική τομογραφία του εμβρύου είναι μία ασφαλής μέθοδος ελέγχου των εμβρυϊκών ανωμαλιών με μεγάλη δυνατότητα εντοπισμού των εμβρυϊκών παθήσεων. Δεν λειτουργεί για να αντικαταστήσει, αλλά για να συμπληρώσει το υπερηχογράφημα που αποτελεί την κύρια μέθοδο προγεννητικού ελέγχου.