Reproductive and Urinary Physiology Commons^™

Developmental Origins Of Health And Disease: Current Knowledge And Potential Mechanisms, Daniel J. Hoffman, Rebecca M. Reynolds, Daniel B. Hardy

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Epidemiologic and clinical research has provided a large body of evidence supporting the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), but there has been a relative dearth of mechanistic studies in humans due to the complexity of working with large, longitudinal cohorts. Nonetheless, animal models of undernutrition have provided substantial evidence for the potential epigenetic, metabolic, and endocrine mechanisms behind DOHaD. Furthermore, recent research has explored the interaction between the environment and the gastrointestinal system by investigating how the gut microbial ecology may impact the capacity for nutrient processing and absorption in a manner that may limit growth. This review …

A Validated Measure For Fertility Awareness: An Essential Step Toward Informed Reproductive Decision-Making, Brennan Peterson

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

"The efforts by Kudesia and colleagues (1) to create and validate a fertility awareness survey is a vital development in the field of reproductive health care. The 29-item Fertility and Infertility Treatment Knowledge Score (FIT-KS) was created to measure fertility awareness and infertility treatment knowledge in the general population and among medical trainees. Using a combination of existing questionnaires, consultation with specialists in test construction, and clinical recommendations of an expert panel of 15 reproductive endocrinologists, the FIT-KS is the first of its kind in the United States. The authors should be commended for their foresight and attempts to address …

Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Patient Knowledge On Adherence To Oral Contraceptives Using The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (Mmas-8), Daniel M. Tomaszewski, Benjamin D. Aronson, Margarette L. Kading, Donald E. Morisky

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

Background
Preconception care, including family planning, is a vital component of healthcare for women of reproductive age. An average female spends the majority of her reproductive life trying to prevent a pregnancy. In order to prevent unintended pregnancy, women often rely on the use of hormonal contraceptives. In the United States, the majority of hormonal contraceptive users are prescribed oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Reduced adherence to OCPs decreases their ability to prevent pregnancy. The study aimed to measure OCP adherence among female college students, and explore the relationship between OCP adherence, knowledge, and self-efficacy.

Methods
This cross-sectional study recruited a …

Research Brief: "Reproductive Health Of Active Duty Women In Medically Austere Environments", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the use of contraceptives, the unintended pregnancy rates, and birth defects among active duty servicewomen as compared to the civilian population. In policy and practice, servicewomen and female veterans should use reproductive and health services provided by local VA medical centers and discuss environmental exposures to their healthcare provider, who should conduct full exams with patients and discuss healthcare needs while the servicemembers are deployed; the DoD should look into the use of portable medical equipment and how to support all servicemembers, and policymakers may consider funding DoD programs for counseling about women's reproductive healthcare options. …

Enduring Chronic Kidney Disease: An Investigation Of Psychosocial Factors And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults Receiving Dialysis Treatment, Bailee Sobotka

Honors Theses

Chronic kidney disease is a condition during which the kidneys begin to shut down and no longer filter blood efficiently. Once the disease has progressed far enough, dialysis treatments are mandatory to sustain life. To further understand how older adults receiving dialysis treatments cope with their disease, psychosocial factors were evaluated to investigate possible correlations with life satisfaction using a Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z). Expected correlations with life satisfaction were sociability, financial satisfaction, importance of spirituality, and activities of daily living scores. Interviews were conducted with 30 dialysis patients and results were analyzed using various statistical measures. Significant correlations …

Maternal Nicotine Exposure Leads To Decreased Cardiac Protein Disulfide Isomerase And Impaired Mitochondrial Function In Male Rat Offspring., Nicole G Barra, Maria Lisyansky, Taylor A Vanduzer, Sandeep Raha, Alison C Holloway, Daniel B Hardy

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Smoking throughout pregnancy can lead to complications during gestation, parturition and neonatal development. Thus, nicotine replacement therapies are a popular alternative thought to be safer than cigarettes. However, recent studies in rodents suggest that fetal and neonatal nicotine exposure alone results in cardiac dysfunction and high blood pressure. While it is well known that perinatal nicotine exposure causes increased congenital abnormalities, the mechanisms underlying longer-term deficits in cardiac function are not completely understood. Recently, our laboratory demonstrated that nicotine impairs placental protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) triggering an increase in endoplasmic reticulum stress, leading us to hypothesize that this may also …

Increased Incidence Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Male Rat Offspring Exposed To Fluoxetine During Fetal And Neonatal Life Involves The Nlrp3 Inflammasome And Augmented De Novo Hepatic Lipogenesis., Nicole E De Long, Daniel B Hardy, Noelle Ma, Alison C Holloway

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Up to 10% of women take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) during pregnancy. Children exposed to SSRIs in utero have an increased risk of being overweight suggesting that fetal exposure to SSRIs can cause permanent metabolic changes. We have previously shown in rats that fetal and neonatal exposure to the SSRI antidepressant fluoxetine results in metabolic perturbations including increased hepatic triglyceride content; a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the mechanism(s) underlying the fluoxetine-induced increase in intrahepatic triglyceride content. Female nulliparous Wistar rats were given vehicle or fluoxetine (10 mg/kg/day) …

Connective Tissue, Glial And Neuronal Expressions In Testis Of The African Giant Rat (Cricetomys Gambianus), T. E. Falade, Matthew A. Olude, Oluwaseun A. Mustapha, Ejikeme F. Mbajiorgu, Amadi O. Ihunwo, F. E. Olopade, B. O. Oke

Brain and Mind Institute

Introduction:

This study was carried out to investigate the expression of connective tissue (Collagens I and III), glia and neuronal markers in the testis of the African giant rat using histology and immunohistochemistry techniques.

Materials and Methods:

Eight (8) apparently healthy wild male African giant rats were used for this experiment, divided into 2 groups (juvenile and adult) of 4 animals each. The testes were harvested following intracardial perfusion of the rats and histology was performed using Haematoxylin-Eosin stain and Mallory-Heideinhain rapid one- step staining for connective tissue. Immunohistochemical identification was achieved using the following antibodies: anti-collagen type …

Maternal Undernutrition And Long-Term Effects On Hepatic Function, Daniel B. Hardy

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Undernutrition in utero, regardless of the source, can impair proper liver development leading to long-term metabolic dysfunction. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying how nutritional deficits during perinatal life lead to permanent alterations in hepatic gene expression will provide better therapeutic strategies to alleviate the undernourished liver in postnatal life. This chapter addresses the different experimental models of undernutrition in utero, and highlights the direct and indirect mechanisms involved leading to metabolic diseases in the liver. These include hypoxia, oxidative stress, epigenetic alterations, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In addition, promising perinatal nutritional and pharmaceutical interventions are highlighted which …

Effects Of Protein Deficiency On Perinatal And Postnatal Health Outcomes, Shelby L. Oke, Daniel B. Hardy

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

There are a variety of environmental insults that can occur during pregnancy which cause low birth weight and poor fetal health outcomes. One such insult is maternal malnutrition, which can be further narrowed down to a low protein diet during gestation. Studies show that perinatal protein deficiencies can impair proper organ growth and development, leading to long-term metabolic dysfunction. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie how this deficiency leads to adverse developmental outcomes is essential for establishing better therapeuticstrategies that may alleviate or prevent diseases in later life. This chapter reviews how perinatal protein restriction in humans and animals leads …

Perinatal Malnutrition And Epigenetic Regulation Of Long-Term Metabolism In The Liver And Adipose Tissue, Daniel B. Hardy

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Maternal malnutrition in perinatal life can have long-lasting adverse effects on glucose and lipid homeostasis in the offspring, culminating in dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and obesity. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying how these nutritional deficits during perinatal life lead to permanent changes in hepatic and adipose function will provide efficacious therapeutic strategies to mitigate these metabolic defects short- and long-term. This chapter addresses how epigenetic mechanisms mediate alterations in hepatic and adipose gene expression identified from clinical studies and different experimental models of maternal malnutrition. These include DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications, and microRNAs.

Cystatin C And Cardiac Measures In Children And Adolescents With Ckd., Tammy M. Brady, Kelly Townsend, Michael F. Schneider, Christopher Cox, Thomas Kimball, Peace Madueme, Bradley A. Warady, Susan Furth, Mark Mitsnefes

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is highly prevalent among children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cystatin C is an established marker of kidney function and an emerging biomarker for CVD events. We quantified the relationship between cystatin C level and cardiac structure and function over time among children with CKD and assessed whether cystatin C level and diastolic function retained an association after accounting for kidney function.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 678 children and adolescents with mild to moderate CKD enrolled in the CKD in Children (CKiD) Study with 1,228 echocardiographically obtained cardiac structure and function measurements. …

Why Baby Markets Aren’T Free, Dorothy E. Roberts

All Faculty Scholarship

Creating families in the twenty-first century increasingly happens in markets where the buying and selling of reproductive goods and services are facilitated by advanced technologies, the internet, contracts, and state laws and policies. Thus, the title of this international congress—“Baby Markets”—aptly captures a key aspect of modern reproduction. The ability of potential parents to engage in market transactions involving children enhances parents’ autonomy over their family lives. The free market seems to liberate us from the constraints of biology and state control.

This Essay argues, however, that baby markets aren’t free. Three aspects of the way reproductive goods and services …

Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome In First Trimester Pregnancy Successfully Treated With Eculizumab, Gabriela Andries, Michael Karass, Srikanth Yandrapalli, M Karass, Delong Liu, John Nelson, R Pawar, Savneek Chugh

NYMC Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome is a rare disorder which is known to cause acute thrombotic microangiopathy during pregnancy with poor maternal and fetal outcomes. Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome is caused mostly by dysregulation of alternative complement pathway secondary to genetic mutations. Most of the cases reported have been in the post-partum period. We report a rare case of a patient who presents with thrombotic microangiopathy in the first trimester of her eleventh pregnancy and was successfully treated with eculizumab. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old woman presented at 10 weeks of gestation with hypertension, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury, …

Role Of Fgf23 In Pediatric Hypercalciuria., Maria Goretti Moreira Guimarães Penido, Marcelo De Sousa Tavares, Uri S. Alon

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background: This study explored the possible role of FGF23 in pediatric hypercalciuria.

Methods: Plasma FGF23 was measured in 29 controls and 58 children and adolescents with hypercalciuria: 24 before treatment (Pre-Treated) and 34 after 6 months of treatment (Treated). Hypercalciuric patients also measured serum PTH hormone, 25(OH)vitD, phosphate, calcium, creatinine, and 24 h urine calcium, phosphate, and creatinine.

Results: There were no differences in age, gender, ethnicity, or body mass index either between controls and patients, or between Pre-Treated and Treated patients. Median plasma FGF23 in controls was 72 compared with all patients, 58 RU/mL (p = 0.0019). However, …