Project description:We procured PBMCs whole blood from five HC preterm infants and five preterm infants with BPD. PBMCs were extracted using a density gradient centrifugation method. Initially, 10ml of peripheral blood was mixed with an equal volume of physiological saline, then carefully layered onto Ficoll solution (T10124, from Shangbao Biotech Co., Ltd., Shanghai). After centrifugation at 2,000 rpm for 20 minutes, the cells stratified due to differences in density, with PBMCs positioned between the red blood cells and plasma. Subsequently, the intermediate layer containing PBMCs was gently collected, washed several times with physiological saline to remove residual medium and red blood cells, and finally, PBMCs were isolated and collected through centrifugation.
Project description:We conducted a prospective cohort study with independent Discovery and Validation cohorts, to formulate predictive biomarkers for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in extremely preterm infants. Tracheal aspirate samples were collected at birth from extremely preterm infants. Exosomes were extracted from tracheal aspirates and total RNA was extracted from these exosomes from individual samples. miRNA profiling for all ~ 800 miRNAs was conducted on each sample by nanostring platform. This study found that a distinct airway exosomal miRNA sigrature at birth (decreased miR 876-3p) predicts future development of severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in extremely preterm infants.
Project description:This study measured the cytokine, cellular and transcriptomic response to RSV and compared these between preterm and term infants CBMC responses
Project description:Preterm infants are highly susceptible to sustained lung inflammation, which may be triggered by exposure to multiple environmental cues such as supplemental oxygen (O2) and infections. The underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. The hypothesis of this study is that dysregulated macrophage activation is a key feature leading to inflammation-mediated development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants.
Cord blood samples of preterm infants (n=14) and term infants (n=19) as well as peripheral blood from healthy adults (n=17) were collected. Age-dependent differences in immune responses of monocyte-derived Mä from preterm infants were characterized and compared to term infants and adults after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure.
Project description:Studies focused on the stomach microbiota are relatively scarce, and most of them are focused on the adult population. The aim of this work is to describe the bacterial communities inhabiting the gastric content (GC) of preterm neonates. For that purpose, GC samples were collected weekly from a total of 13 preterm neonates during their first month of life within their hospital stay. Samples were analyzed by using both culture-dependent and -independent techniques. The former allowed the isolation of bacteria belonging mainly to the genera Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Serratia, Klebsiella, and Escherichia. The cultured dominant species in the GC samples during all the hospitalization period were Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis revealed the presence of high-risk clonal complexes associated with the hospital environment, which may colonize enteral feeding tubes. Similarly, the 16S rRNA sequencing showed that Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Corynebacterium, and Propionibacterium were the dominant genera present at 75% of the gastric samples. However, the genera Serratia, Klebsiella, and Streptococcus were the most abundant. Own mother's milk (OMM) and donor milk (DM) were collected after their pass through the external feeding tubes to assess their bacterial content. OMM and DM had a similar bacterial pattern to GC. Based on these data, the GC of preterm neonates is dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes and harbors high-risk bacterial clones, which may colonize enteral feeding tubes, and therefore the feeds that pass through them.
Project description:Approximately 15 million babies are born too early each year, corresponding to a global preterm birth rate of about 11%. The antenatal glucocorticoid (aGC) therapy is indicated to more than 90% of their mothers when there is a risk of preterm delivery between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation. Synthetic GCs (sGC) accelerate fetal lung maturation and reduce the risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), the leading cause of mortality in preterm infants. However, this treatment has been associated with an increased vulnerability to develop neurobehavioral and immune disorders later in life, effects attributed to permanent changes in the stress axis activity and in the homeostasis of endogenous GCs. In the present study, we assessed the effect of the antenatal administration of aGCs in preterm babies with a special focus on the influence of the time of exposure. We found that preterm infants exposed to aGCs in the late evening (i.e.: out-of-phase relative to the maternal daily cortisol rhythms) exhibited reduced GR sensitivity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). By comparing the transcriptome of PBMCs we found significant changes in genes involved in antibody production and B cell signaling, leucocyte migration and proliferation, antigen presentation and cellular stress responses. Our data suggests that the aGCs exposure in the morning, in-phase and aligned with the maternal GC rhythms, would be advisable in the clinics to minimize these secondary effects and improve the capacity of preterm infants to fight against pathogens during the first weeks of life.