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Sangild PT. Science and Faith to Understand Milk Bioactivity for Infants. Nutrients 2024; 16:1676. [PMID: 38892610 PMCID: PMC11174769 DOI: 10.3390/nu16111676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Milk bioactivity refers to the specific health effects of milk components beyond nutrition. The science of milk bioactivity involves the systematic study of these components and their health effects, as verified by empirical data, controlled experiments, and logical arguments. Conversely, 'faith in milk bioactivity' can be defined as personal opinion, meaning, value, trust, and hope for health effects that are beyond investigation by natural, social, or human sciences. Faith can be strictly secular, but also influenced by spirituality or religion. The aim of this paper is to show that scientific knowledge is frequently supplemented with faith convictions to establish personal and public understanding of milk bioactivity. Mammalian milk is an immensely complex fluid containing myriad proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and micronutrients with multiple functions across species, genetics, ages, environments, and cultures. Human health includes not only physical health, but also social, mental, and spiritual health, requiring widely different fields of science to prove the relevance, safety, and efficacy of milk interventions. These complex relationships between milk feeding and health outcomes prevent firm conclusions based on science and logic alone. Current beliefs in and understanding of the value of breast milk, colostrum, infant formula, or isolated milk proteins (e.g., immunoglobulins, α-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, and growth factors) show that both science and faith contribute to understand, stimulate, or restrict the use of milk bioactivity. The benefits of breastfeeding for infants are beyond doubt, but the strong beliefs in its health effects rely not only on science, and mechanisms are unclear. Likewise, fear of, or trust in, infant formula may rely on both science and faith. Knowledge from science safeguards individuals and society against 'milk bioactivity superstition'. Conversely, wisdom from faith-based convictions may protect science from unrealistic 'milk bioactivity scientism'. Honesty and transparency about the potentials and limitations of both scientific knowledge and faith convictions are important when informing individuals and society about the nutritious and bioactive qualities of milk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per T. Sangild
- Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Copenhagen, Denmark;
- Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Hans Christian Andersen Children’s Hospital, Odense University Hospital, 5000 Odense, Denmark
- Cross-Faculty Center for Science and Faith, Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
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2
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Das A, Ariyakumar G, Gupta N, Kamdar S, Barugahare A, Deveson-Lucas D, Gee S, Costeloe K, Davey MS, Fleming P, Gibbons DL. Identifying immune signatures of sepsis to increase diagnostic accuracy in very preterm babies. Nat Commun 2024; 15:388. [PMID: 38195661 PMCID: PMC10776581 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44387-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial infections are a major cause of mortality in preterm babies, yet our understanding of early-life disease-associated immune dysregulation remains limited. Here, we combine multi-parameter flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing and plasma analysis to longitudinally profile blood from very preterm babies (<32 weeks gestation) across episodes of invasive bacterial infection (sepsis). We identify a dynamically changing blood immune signature of sepsis, including lymphopenia, reduced dendritic cell frequencies and myeloid cell HLA-DR expression, which characterizes sepsis even when the common clinical marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein, is not elevated. Furthermore, single-cell RNA sequencing identifies upregulation of amphiregulin in leukocyte populations during sepsis, which we validate as a plasma analyte that correlates with clinical signs of disease, even when C-reactive protein is normal. This study provides insights into immune pathways associated with early-life sepsis and identifies immune analytes as potential diagnostic adjuncts to standard tests to guide targeted antibiotic prescribing.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Das
- Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - G Ariyakumar
- Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - N Gupta
- Department of Neonatology, Evelina London Neonatal Unit, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - S Kamdar
- Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - A Barugahare
- Bioinformatics Platform and Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - D Deveson-Lucas
- Bioinformatics Platform and Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - S Gee
- Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - K Costeloe
- Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - M S Davey
- Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - P Fleming
- Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Neonatology, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - D L Gibbons
- Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
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Sun J, Chong J, Zhang J, Ge L. Preterm pigs for preterm birth research: reasonably feasible. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1189422. [PMID: 37520824 PMCID: PMC10374951 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1189422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth will disrupt the pattern and course of organ development, which may result in morbidity and mortality of newborn infants. Large animal models are crucial resources for developing novel, credible, and effective treatments for preterm infants. This review summarizes the classification, definition, and prevalence of preterm birth, and analyzes the relationship between the predicted animal days and one human year in the most widely used animal models (mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, and pigs) for preterm birth studies. After that, the physiological characteristics of preterm pig models at different gestational ages are described in more detail, including birth weight, body temperature, brain development, cardiovascular system development, respiratory, digestive, and immune system development, kidney development, and blood constituents. Studies on postnatal development and adaptation of preterm pig models of different gestational ages will help to determine the physiological basis for survival and development of very preterm, middle preterm, and late preterm newborns, and will also aid in the study and accurate optimization of feeding conditions, diet- or drug-related interventions for preterm neonates. Finally, this review summarizes several accepted pediatric applications of preterm pig models in nutritional fortification, necrotizing enterocolitis, neonatal encephalopathy and hypothermia intervention, mechanical ventilation, and oxygen therapy for preterm infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Sun
- Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing, China
- National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, Chongqing, China
| | - Jie Chong
- Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing, China
- National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, Chongqing, China
| | - Jinwei Zhang
- Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing, China
- National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, Chongqing, China
| | - Liangpeng Ge
- Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing, China
- National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture, Chongqing, China
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4
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Wu S, Di S, Liu T, Shi Y. Emerging prediction methods for early diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:985219. [PMID: 36186788 PMCID: PMC9523100 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.985219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening disease of the digestive system that occurs in the neonatal period. NEC is difficult to diagnose early and the prognosis is poor. Previous studies have reported that abnormalities can be detected before the presentation of clinical symptoms. Based on an analysis of literature related to the early prediction of NEC, we provide a detailed review on the early prediction and diagnosis methods of NEC, including ultrasound, near-infrared spectroscopy, biomarkers, and intestinal microbiota. This review aimed to provide a reference for further research and clinical practice.
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Ma S, Xu L, Chen L, Sun X, Hu F, Gong Y, Yang R, Li J, Wang Q, Huang S, Zhou H, Wang J. Novel pharmacological inhibition of JMJD3 improves necrotizing enterocolitis by attenuating the inflammatory response and ameliorating intestinal injury. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 203:115165. [PMID: 35803318 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an acute intestinal inflammatory disease of premature infants, is one of the leading causes of death in neonates. Effective measures for clinical treatment are limited and there is a pressing need in searching for new therapeutic strategies. Jumonji domain-containing protein D3 (JMJD3), a histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) demethylase plays a proinflammatory role in sepsis and neuroinflammation. However, whether JMJD3 is involved in the pathogenesis of NEC has not been elucidated. Here we report that overexpressed JMJD3 was revealed in the intestine of NEC patients by bioinformatic analysis. Moreover, upregulated JMJD3 and suppressed H3K27me3 were detected in both NEC patients and neonatal mice subjected to experimental NEC. Importantly, administration of GSK-J4, a specific JMJD3 inhibitor, rescued neonatal mice from NEC-associated lethality by suppressing proinflammatory response with attenuated IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1 levels and ameliorating intestinal injury with reversed claudin-1, occludin, and E-cadherin expression. Remarkably, administration of GSK-J4 attenuated intestinal injury by inhibiting activation of intestinal necroptosis in NEC mice. Administration of GSK-J4 regulated intestinal inflammation via NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 pathway. These results indicate that JMJD3 is involved in the development of NEC and inhibition of JMJD3 overexpression by mean of GSK-J4 could be a potential therapeutic approach in the prevention and treatment of NEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shurong Ma
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Lingqi Xu
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Lulu Chen
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Xu Sun
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Fangjie Hu
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Yuan Gong
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Randong Yang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Shungen Huang
- Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
| | - Huiting Zhou
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China.
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China.
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Henriksen NL, Asmussen KS, Pan X, Jiang PP, Mori Y, Christiansen LI, Sprenger RR, Ejsing CS, Pankratova S, Thymann T. Brain lipidomics and neurodevelopmental outcomes in intrauterine growth restricted piglets fed dairy or vegetable fat diets. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3303. [PMID: 35228576 PMCID: PMC8885751 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07133-3] [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: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast milk has neurodevelopmental advantages compared to infant formula, especially in low-birth-weight infants, which may in part relate to the fat source. This study compared neurodevelopmental outcomes in three-day-old normal birth weight (NBW) and intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) piglets fed a formula diet with either vegetable oil (VEG) or bovine milk fat sources (MILK) for three weeks in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Behavioural tests, lipidomics, MRI and RNA sequencing analyses of plasma and brain tissue were conducted. The absolute levels of 82% and 11% of lipid molecules were different between dietary groups in plasma and hippocampus, respectively. Of the lipid molecules with differential abundance in the hippocampus, the majority were upregulated in MILK versus VEG, and they mainly belonged to the group of glycerophospholipids. Lower absolute brain weights, absolute grey and white matter volumes and behaviour and motor function scores, and higher relative total brain weights were present in IUGR compared to NBW with minor influence of diet. Cognitive function and cerebellar gene expression profiles were similar for dietary and weight groups, and overall only minor interactive effects between diet and birth weight were observed. Overall, we show that the dietary fat source influences the plasma and to a lesser degree the hippocampal lipidome and is unable to improve on IUGR-induced brain structural and functional impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L Henriksen
- Section of Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Karina S Asmussen
- Section of Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Xiaoyu Pan
- Section of Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Ping-Ping Jiang
- Section of Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Yuki Mori
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Line I Christiansen
- Section of Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Richard R Sprenger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, VILLUM Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Christer S Ejsing
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, VILLUM Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Stanislava Pankratova
- Section of Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Thomas Thymann
- Section of Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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Howarth C, Banerjee J, Eaton S, Aladangady N. Biomarkers of gut injury in neonates - where are we in predicting necrotising enterocolitis? Front Pediatr 2022; 10:1048322. [PMID: 36518779 PMCID: PMC9742605 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.1048322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in neonatal care Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) continues to have a significant mortality and morbidity rate, and with increasing survival of those more immature infants the population at risk of NEC is increasing. Ischaemia, reperfusion, and inflammation underpin diseases affecting intestinal blood flow causing gut injury including Necrotising Enterocolitis. There is increasing interest in tissue biomarkers of gut injury in neonates, particularly those representing changes in intestinal wall barrier and permeability, to determine whether these could be useful biomarkers of gut injury. This article reviews current and newly proposed markers of gut injury, the available literature evidence, recent advances and considers how effective they are in clinical practice. We discuss each biomarker in terms of its effectiveness in predicting NEC onset and diagnosis or predicting NEC severity and then those that will aid in surveillance and identifying those infants are greatest risk of developing NEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Howarth
- Neonatal Unit, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jayanta Banerjee
- Neonatal Unit, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Eaton
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England
| | - Narendra Aladangady
- Neonatal Unit, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.,Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), London, United Kingdom
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Sangild PT, Strunk T, Currie AJ, Nguyen DN. Editorial: Immunity in Compromised Newborns. Front Immunol 2021; 12:732332. [PMID: 34381463 PMCID: PMC8350506 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.732332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Per T. Sangild
- Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Pediatrics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Tobias Strunk
- Centre for Molecular Medicine & Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Wesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
- Neonatal Directorate, Child and Adolescent Health Service, Western, Australia
| | - Andrew J. Currie
- Neonatal Directorate, Child and Adolescent Health Service, Western, Australia
- Centre for Neonatal Research and Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Duc Ninh Nguyen
- Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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