Application of Stereology in Studying the Programming Consequences
2021
Тип документа:
Конференцијски прилог (Објављена верзија)
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© 2021 by the Turkish Society for Electron Microscopy
Метаподаци
Приказ свих података о документуАпстракт:
Changes during fetal development may have long-lasting consequences as Professor J. Barker observed and defined as a concept of programming or developmental origin of health and disease. This concept implies a linkage between adverse environmental signals during prenatal development and low birth weight as a marker, along with a greater incidence of pathophysiological conditions in postnatal life. Today, the programming concept becomes increasingly important because it explains the occurrence of many diseases during adulthood and include cardiometabolic, reproductive and mental disorders. During prenatal development periods of rapid cell division have been marked as critical since the establishment of the future structure and thus the function of tissues and organs are determined at these periods. Every change during these windows of vulnerability, that are organ specific, can influence developmental trajectory resulting in future or persistent malfunction. Glucocorticoids have been powerful modulators of gene expression and epigenetic modifications which control the proliferation and maturation of tissues to harmonize development with given environmental conditions. Acting on the tissue morphology and function in preparation for extrauterine life they promote nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular and immune system differentiation and biochemical maturation. Therefore, glucocorticoids as the main communicating signals between environment and developing organism represent a key link involved in the programming mechanism that shapes future physiology or predispositions to health or disease.
Design-based stereology remains one of the pillars of quantitative biomedical research. This modern methodological approach offers the possibility to obtain unbiased results of every aspect of an organ or tissue structure. The exact size of the structure, number and volume of cells or other constituent elements, length or surface of the studied structure can be unambiguously and accurately determined, in absolute terms by following the basic principles of stereological measurements. Combining histological analysis, and immunohistochemistry and/or immunofluorescence with quantitative microscopy as are stereological measurements and intensity of above-mentioned stainings, structural alterations can be measured and determined, enabling an understanding of the basic functional mechanisms of examined changes.
Changes that are the cause or consequence of programming in fetuses and offspring, respectively are the focus of this presentation. Prenatally, alterations of brain control centers, pituitary gland, adrenal, thyroid and reproductive axes, obtained by stereology will be presented. In offspring, the application of stereology provides physical evidence that structural changes of vide variety of tissues are the result of prenatal changes, showing that quantitative differences in early life evolve in qualitative i.e. functional problems later in life.
Финансирање / пројекти:
- Министарство науке, технолошког развоја и иновација Републике Србије, институционално финансирање - 200007 (Универзитет у Београду, Институт за биолошка истраживања 'Синиша Станковић') (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200007)
У:
- Genç A, Turan S, editors. Book of Abstracts: 1st International Microscopy and Spectroscopy Congress and 25th National Electron Microscopy Congress: MSC 2021; 2021 Sep 22-24; Online. Turkish Society for Electron Microscopy; 2021. p. 23.