Cathy Vaillancourt

Natural disaster-related prenatal maternal stress is associated with alterations in placental glucocorticoid system: The QF2011 Queensland Flood Study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYNEUEN.2018.04.027

Abstract: We investigated the effects of a natural disaster (a sudden flood) as a source of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) on the placental glucocorticoid system and glucose transporters. Whether the gestational age at the time of the flood moderated these effects was also evaluated. Placental s les were collected from participants in the 2011 Queensland Flood Study (QF2011) who were pregnant in the first or second trimester at the onset of the flood. Detailed questionnaire results for objective hardship and composite subjective distress were obtained to assess stress levels. Subjective distress was significantly associated with a reduction in placental NR3C1-β mRNA levels for males only (β = -0.491, p = 0.005). In female placentas, objective hardship was marginally linked with lower SLC2A1 mRNA levels while subjective distress was a marginally significant predictor of higher placental SLC2A4 mRNA levels. Gestational age at the time of the flood was a significant moderator of the effect of subjective distress on placental mRNA levels for NR3C1-α (p = 0.046) and HSD11B1 (p = 0.049) in male placentas: if the flood occurred in mid-pregnancy, lower subjective distress predicted higher HSD11B1 while higher subjective distress predicted lower NR3C1-α placental mRNA level. While results did not show any PNMS effects on placental HSD11B2 mRNA and protein levels, and activity, we showed a reduction in placental NR3C1-β mRNA level in male placentas. Our results show evidence of distinct placental glucocorticoid and glucose systems adaptations to PNMS as a function of fetal sex and gestational timing of exposure, with high subjective PNMS in mid-pregnancy associated with lower levels of expression of glucocorticoid-promoting gene in males, leaving the fetus less protected against maternal stress. The exact mechanism by which natural disaster-related PNMS acts on the placenta and the impact on fetal programming requires further investigation.

An Electrical Impedance-Based Assay to Examine Functions of Various Placental Cell Types In Vitro

Publisher: Springer New York

Date: 21-09-2017

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7498-6_20

Abstract: In vitro functional analyses of cells are widely used to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in preecl sia. Common cellular functions studied include adhesion, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and invasion. At present, most researchers will use endpoint experimental assays that only allow the determination of cell function at a single time point, with the need to repeat the experiment for an alternate time point. Here, we describe an electrical impedance-based tool that allows real-time monitoring of cells, which enables the efficient assessment of multiple time points over the duration of a single experiment.

IFPA meeting 2015 workshop report III: nanomedicine applications and exosome biology, xenobiotics and endocrine disruptors and pregnancy, and lipid

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2016

DOI: 10.1016/J.PLACENTA.2016.01.003

Abstract: Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting, as they allow for discussion of specialized topics. At the IFPA meeting 2015 there were twelve themed workshops, three of which are summarized in this report. These workshops were related to various aspects of placental biology but collectively covered areas of pregnancy pathologies and placental metabolism: 1) nanomedicine applications and exosome biology 2) xenobiotics and endocrine disruptors and pregnancy 3) lipid mediators and placental function.

Disrupted placental serotonin synthetic pathway and increased placental serotonin: Potential implications in the pathogenesis of human fetal growth restriction

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 09-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.PLACENTA.2019.05.012

IFPA meeting 2016 workshop report II: Placental imaging, placenta and development of other organs, sexual dimorphism in placental function and trophoblast cell lines

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2017

DOI: 10.1016/J.PLACENTA.2017.02.021

Abstract: Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting as they allow for discussion of specialized topics. At IFPA meeting 2016 there were twelve themed workshops, four of which are summarized in this report. These workshops addressed challenges, strengths and limitations of techniques and model systems for studying the placenta, as well as future directions for the following areas of placental research: 1) placental imaging 2) sexual dimorphism 3) placenta and development of other organs 4) trophoblast cell lines.

IFPA meeting 2014 workshop report: Animal models to study pregnancy pathologies; new approaches to study human placental exposure to xenobiotics; biomarkers of pregnancy pathologies; placental genetic

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2015

DOI: 10.1016/J.PLACENTA.2015.01.196

Abstract: Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting as they allow for discussion of specialized topics. At IFPA meeting 2014 there were six themed workshops, five of which are summarized in this report. These workshops related to various aspects of placental biology but collectively covered areas of animal models, xenobiotics, pathological biomarkers, genetics and epigenetics, and stillbirth and fetal growth restriction.

Institut National De La Recherche Scientifique (INRS)

Location: Canada

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Regroupement Intersectoriel De Recherche En Santé De L'Université Du Québec (RISUQ)

Location: Canada

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CIUSSS Du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal

Location: Canada

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Université De Montréal

Location: Canada

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