Bite-Sized Science

On January 25th, science took over Triskel Christchurch in Cork for the FameLab Munster Heat. FameLab is one of the biggest science communication competitions in the world. Presenters have three minutes to explain a scientific concept to their audience.

In 2016, INFANT’s own Daragh Finn claimed 3rd place in the FameLab Ireland final.

Stress and Prediction

INFANT’s speakers at event represented the diverse nature of our research. Our Young Researcher of the Year, Katie Togher, took to the stage first to explain how stress affects mothers and babies.

The next INFANT speaker, Deirdre Hayes-Ryan, gave the audience a compelling presentation titled “Pre-eclampsia: knowing is half the battle”. Finding ways to fight pre-eclampsia and keep mums safe is one of INFANT’s core research missions.

Sunshine and High Voltage

Karen O’Callaghan told a full-house at the Triskel why sunshine is so important to our wellbeing, reflecting the findings of INFANT researchers in the ODIN study.

In “Danger, Danger, High Voltage?!”, Alison O’Shea looked to dispel myths about the dangers of electricity, highlighting the key role it plays in groundbreaking scientific research.

The Cork BASELINE Birth Cohort Study; Irelands largest birth cohort study has just completed its study of children from before birth through to 5 years of age.

We wish to mark this milestone by sharing our findings with the families who have given so generously of their time, and the broader UCC community. Please join us to celebrate what we have achieved together on 31 January 2017 at 19:00 in the Aula Maxima, UCC.

Please RSVP to the event here

Our wonderful participants were recruited through their parents, before they were born. They have been followed up at many time points since then with detailed assessments of their growth, development, health, and disease.

Funded by the National Children’s Research Centre, this multi-disciplinary study aims to answer important questions regarding allergy, nutrition, growth and development in Irish children. We have already made important discoveries regarding children’s health and collected information which we hope will answer many more questions in the years to come.

Pre-eclampsia, a serious condition of late pregnancy, characterized by high blood pressure and increased protein in the urine in the second-half of pregnancy. This condition affects 5% of first time mothers and is associated with significant maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. A quarter of babies born to women with pre-eclampsia do not grow properly, and a third are born prematurely. Globally, 76,000 mothers and 500,000 infants die each year as a direct result of this condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 20% of the 15 million preterm births reported each year are related to pre-eclampsia. Currently there is no treatment for pre-eclampsia.

Picture Above: Mitochondria are critical metabolic signalling organelles in pre-eclampsia
The placenta is a highly metabolic organ. The central role of mitochondria is the synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation. Electrons donated from carbohydrates oxidized by TCA cycle including NADH pass through ETC and ultimately reduce O2 to form H2O. As electrons are transported a proton (H+) gradient develops across the inner mitochondrial membrane facilitating the conversion of ADP to ATP by Complex V of the ETC. Superoxide (O2−) is generated by the ETC and is converted to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which can easily diffuse through mitochondrial membranes and mediate redox signalling. Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to exaggerated O2− generation (oxidative stress) with subsequent maternal endothelial dysfunction. mtDNA is localized to the mitochondrial matrix, mtDNA can act as a DAMP and activate the maternal innate immune system.

Mitochondria are responsible for providing us with energy generated from our daily food intake. Mitochondria are abundant in the placenta to cope with the increased energy demands during pregnancy. However, this process is complex and if it fails, it causes an increase in the production of the byproducts of the energy generating mitochondrial network called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be stressful to our bodies, i.e. oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress (increase in ROS) can increase inflammation, damage the mother’s blood vessels leading to elevated blood pressure, symptoms which are very evident in women with pre-eclampsia. Furthermore, inflammation and high blood pressure are also characteristic of conditions like heart disease; in fact pre-eclampsia is an independent risk factor for future cardiovascular events. We hypothesize that disruption of mitochondrial function (i.e. mitochondrial dysfunction) is responsible for oxidative damage, which leads to the development of pre-eclampsia. Furthermore we have generated preliminary data, which links mitochondrial dysfunction with pre-eclampsia.

Antioxidants (vitamins) found in vegetables and fruit can indirectly protect mitochondria. However, previous antioxidant vitamin trials have been unsuccessful in treating pre-eclampsia. Specifically, we believe that these trials failed because these nutraceuticals didn’t reach the intracellular source and location of ROS, namely the mitochondria; hence they failed to prevent ROS-mediated damage. We propose that mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants will prevent mitochondrial dysfunction and reduce production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, (mROS), maintaining a healthy placental environment and consequently alleviating the clinical characteristics of pre-eclampsia. We hypothesize that mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants will become an entirely novel therapeutic target for pre-eclampsia and help reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Cathal McCarthy
Published on Atlas of Science 22 Dec 2016

Original Journal Article available here.

Low Deficiency

INFANT researchers have shown that Vitamin D deficiency is low in Irish toddlers. In comparision with figures for Irish adults, a small percentage of two year olds are deficient.

However, the study shows that Vitamin D intake remains lower than international recommendations.

Low Intake

The average vitamin D intake was 3.5 µg per day. 96% of children were found to have a vitamin D intake of under 10 µg per day. This value of 10 µg per day is the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) proposed by the IOM in the United States and Canada. 10 µg per day is also the Safe Intake value proposed by SACN in the UK for children aged 1 to < 4 years. Children who did not consume food fortified with vitamin D or vitamin D supplements had the lowest intakes (~1 µg per day).

Winter Months

There was a high prevalence of low vitamin D status during the winter months (November-April), especially among children who did not consume vitamin D-fortified foods or nutritional supplements.

Better Research

The study notes that dietary strategies are needed to increase the intake of Vitamin D for this age group. With this in mind, INFANT researchers suggest that advice on Vitamin D intake should be based on dose-response randomised control trials. These trials would help make dietary advice for toddlers more consistent.

On 12 Dec, the Irish Times published an opinion article entitled “Ireland’s Maternity Services: An Ongoing Horror Story”

In response, 26 female Obstetricians & Gynaecologists came together, writing letters to the Irish Times about the woman-centered care they deliver and defending the maternity services.

At the same time, a campaign began on Twitter to give examples of how #wearedelivering care to mothers and babies in Ireland.

Looking at a snapshot of the tweets from a few days after it began, 200,000 twitter accounts had been reached, with over 500 tweets every day. Users are contributing across Ireland and as far as the United States and Australia.

Approx 90% of contributors are women: they are leading the conversation on the maternity services, how to improve the incredible breadth of services, and tell of women’s experience of the service: both good and bad.

Other hashtags have grown from the discussion, notably #IrishMatExp, #ibirthed and #thankstomyHCPs – the conversation has begun.

We are very supportive of this as conversation: it is what brings about change. Women need to be empowered to speak and be heard: the services should reflect what they need and also what they want.

We at Infant care deeply about mothers and babies. We are working to provide evidence-based research that will bring about change, help mothers in their pregnancies and improve outcomes for all.

Our researchers are, and work alongside, the HCP staff in CUMH. #wearedelivering care to mothers and the littlest patients.  We are proud of our work and are hugely and sincerely grateful to the mothers and babies we work with.

#wearedelivering for them.

#wearedelivering together.

Fundraising for mums and babies

On 11 November, Women’s Fitness Plus Gym hosted a fundraising fashion show. This incredible night, hosted in the Women’s Fitness Plus bespoke studio, was all in aid of the research in the INFANT Centre.

Incredible Generosity

Women’s Fitness Cork presented the INFANT Centre with a huge €2,553 raised by the November fashion show. The donation was accepted by INFANT co-directors Prof. Geraldine Boylan and Prof. Louise Kenny.

We are constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of businesses like Women’s Fitness Plus and the people of Cork. We could not do our research without them.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who attended the fashion show and who donated so generously. Your donations will have a great impact and will help not only mothers and babies here in the CUMH, but families around the world.

INFANT Awards 2016

The inaugural INFANT Awards 2016, held in the main auditorium Cork Maternity Hospital, showcased the incredible talent, teamwork and commitment to innovation which makes the work of the INFANT centre possible.

Dr. Niamh Shaw: “Walking (Slowly) Towards Space”

Engineer, scientist and performer Dr Niamh Shaw gave an opening talk titled “Walking (Slowly) Towards Space”. She discussed the importance of awakening and encouraging curiosity across the fields of science, technology, art, engineering and mathematics (STEAM).

Describing her personal journey and how she is following her dream of reaching space, Dr. Shaw talked about how innovation takes courage, vision and a step-by-step approach. The perception of career goals and success was also a topic for discussion, with many INFANT staff members feeling that working to make pregnancy safer was their dream job.

The talk concluded with a short Q&A where Dr. Shaw spoke about the role she believes communication can play in promoting research and innovation.

Awards

The inaugural INFANT awards took place after Dr. Niamh Shaw’s talk, with a presentation which highlighted exceptional achievement by INFANT staff members.

The Awardees:

Person of the Year: Amy Aherne

Education and Public Engagement Award: Alison O’Shea

Researcher of the Year: Dr. John O’Toole

Young Researcher of the Year: Katie Togher

Prof. Louise Kenny, co-director of INFANT, said that she was “impossibly proud of these talented people who spend their days and nights delivering innovation for mums and babies.”

HIE and Therapeutic Hypothermia

Research at the INFANT centre is focused on developing new ways to help mothers and babies. One of the treatment options being studied by our researchers is therapeutic hypothermia.

When babies are deprived of oxygen or blood flow around the time of birth, this may result in a condition known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which can result in severe brain damage and other lifelong diseases. This is where therapeutic hypothermia is useful: research has shown outcome for these children is improved significantly if they are cooled quickly after birth and kept cool for several days.

How Therapeutic Hypothermia Works

Therapeutic hypothermia uses a cooling cap or blanket to preserve a lowered temperature, reducing inflammation and giving the brain recovery time. The treatment usually takes place over the course of three days, after which the baby is warmed up again.

Offering Therapeutic Hypothermia in Mild Cases of HIE

In moderate or severe cases of HIE, this cooling treatment has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of cerebral palsy and longterm disability. At INFANT, the effect of HIE on the brain has been well documented. Prof. Geraldine Boylan and Dr. Deirdre Murray have studied the brainwaves of neonates with HIE, with a follow-up investigation taking place five years later. The evidence they found suggests that even mild HIE contributes to developmental delays and learning difficulties. INFANT research has advocated that studies of therapeutic cooling should also be carried out in mild cases of HIE, to see if we can improve their outcomes.

Further Reading

Below, you can find examples of recent publications concerning hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and therapeutic hypothermia by INFANT researchers.

Presenter Anne-Marie Tomchak, UK editor of Mashable, returned home to Ireland determined to explore a world where our digital fingerprints are being captured and applied in all areas of modern life.

In INFANT, she met with our directors Prof. Louise Kenny and Prof. Geraldine Boylan to explore how INFANT uses big data to help make pregnancy safer and improve health outcomes for newborn babies, under the strictest data security.

INFANT technology, Prof. Kenny notes, is advancing how we protect women during pregnancy “from being only able to predict risk using very simple clinical data to real precision medicine”, where one blood sample can predict “a woman’s entire pregnancy course.”

Asked how technology and data help us learn about childbirth, Prof. Boylan explains that the brainwave analysis tools being developed by INFANT researchers are vital as they give us “the only window we have into the newborn brain”.

Researchers from the INFANT Centre are presenting their work at the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy XX World Congress in São Paulo, Brazil.

Our director, Prof Louise Kenny gave a keynote address, Dr. Ali Khashan gave two oral presentations and Amy Aherne gave an early bird lecture on Social Media for Academics.