Dr Louise Dunford

Job: Senior Lecturer in Anatomy & Physiology

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Allied Health Sciences

Research group(s): Biomedical & Environmental Health

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH

T: +44 (0)116 250 6498

E: louise.dunford@dmu.ac.uk

W: www.dmu.ac.uk/hls

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Personal profile

I am a senior lecturer and the Programme Leader for BMedSci (Hons) Medical Science.

I am an active researcher with a special interest in obesity and weight management, including bariatric surgery. I also have some ongoing research on diet and kidney disease.

In addition, I am a DMU Teacher Fellow and have several ongoing educational research projects, including using drawing to facilitate learning of scientific concepts.

My main areas of teaching are nutrition, weight management, appetite regulation, and evidence based medicine.

Research group affiliations

Biomedical & Environmental Health

Publications and outputs

Evaluating novel methods for teaching toxicology, public health and emergency response to undergraduate students.
Evaluating novel methods for teaching toxicology, public health and emergency response to undergraduate students. Pena-Fernandez, A.; Lobo-Bedmar, M. C.; Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.); Pena, M. A.; Dunford, L. J. Recent global health threats from bioterrorism and chemical attacks to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa have shown that there is a necessity for teaching toxicology, public health and emergency preparedness to future health care professionals in order to protect the public from these global threats. Thus, the public health sector is increasingly demanding health care professionals and health professionals with a knowledge and training to respond to chemical and biological events that can pose a risk to populations. Moreover, evidence base and analytical skills are necessary competences to advocate for public health interventions to protect human health. A series of specialised workshops have been created by lecturers with a public health background and experience from the field such as in the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa or regarding human risk assessment due to metals and metalloids in urban ecosystems. These workshops have been delivered in different modules across the Medical Sciences degree at De Montfort University (2015/16) and were based on previous experience in environmental toxicology training developed by Peña-Fernández et al. (2015). Different case studies were produced in which students come with measures to protect public health. Students reported in the final module feedback through Blackboard a high engagement and interest in these workshops. The novel teaching materials produced could be effective for providing students with public health knowledge and tools to develop a response and preparedness to intervene against future chemical or biological events. This novel teaching content could be adopted to train future public health professionals.
Harmonising the training of students within the EU to implement intervention programmes to protect the public in the aftermath of a HazMat incident
Harmonising the training of students within the EU to implement intervention programmes to protect the public in the aftermath of a HazMat incident Pena-Fernandez, A.; Dunford, L. J.; Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.); Lobo-Bedmar, M. C.; Pena, M. A.
Remote effects of acute kidney injury in a porcine model.
Remote effects of acute kidney injury in a porcine model. Gardner, D. S.; De Brot, S.; Dunford, L. J.; Roma, L. G.; Welham, S. J. M.; Fallman, R.; O'Sullivan, S. E.; Oh, W.; Devonald, M. A. J. Background: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a common and serious with no specific treatment. An episode of AKI may affect organs distant to the kidney, further increasing the morbidity associated with AKI. The mechanism of organ cross-talk after AKI is unclear. The renal and immune systems of pigs and humans are alike. Using a preclinical animal (porcine) model, we test the hypothesis that early effects of AKI on distant organs is by immune cell infiltration leading to inflammatory cytokine production, extravasation and edema. Study Design: In 29 pigs exposed to either sham-surgery or renal ischemia-reperfusion (control, n=12; AKI, n=17) we assessed remote organ (liver, lung, brain) effects in the short-(from 2 to 48h reperfusion) and longer-term (5 weeks later) using immunofluorescence (for leucocyte infiltration, apoptosis), a cytokine array, tissue elemental analysis (electrolytes), blood hematology and chemistry (e.g. liver enzymes) and PCR (for inflammatory markers). Results: AKI elicited significant, short-term (~24h) increments in enzymes indicative of acute liver damage (e.g. AST:ALT ratio; P=0.02) and influenced tissue biochemistry in some remote organs (e.g. lung tissue [Ca++] increased; P=0.04). These effects largely resolved after 48h and no further histopathology, edema, apoptosis or immune cell infiltration was noted in liver, lung or hippocampus in the short- and longer-term. Conclusions: AKI has subtle biochemical effects on remote organs in the short-term including a transient increment in markers of acute liver damage. These effects resolved by 48h and no further remote organ histopathology, apoptosis, edema or immune cell infiltration was noted.
Remote conditioning or erythropoietin before surgery primes kidneys to clear ischemia-reperfusion-damaged cells: a renoprotective mechanism?
Remote conditioning or erythropoietin before surgery primes kidneys to clear ischemia-reperfusion-damaged cells: a renoprotective mechanism? Gardner, D. S.; Welham, S. J. M.; Dunford, L. J.; McCulloch, T. A.; Hodi, Z.; Sleeman, P.; O'Sullivan, S.; Devonald, M. A. J. Acute kidney injury is common, serious with no specific treatment. Ischemia-reperfusion is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Clinical trials suggest that preoperative erythropoietin (EPO) or remote ischemic preconditioning may have a renoprotective effect. Using a porcine model of warm ischemia-reperfusion-induced AKI (40-min bilateral cross-clamping of renal arteries, 48-h reperfusion), we examined the renoprotective efficacy of EPO (1,000 iu/kg iv.) or remote ischemic preconditioning (3 cycles, 5-min inflation/deflation to 200 mmHg of a hindlimb sphygmomanometer cuff). Ischemia-reperfusion induced significant kidney injury at 24 and 48 h (χ2, 1 degree of freedom, >10 for 6/7 histopathological features). At 2 h, a panel of biomarkers including plasma creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and IL-1β, and urinary albumin:creatinine could be used to predict histopathological injury. Ischemia-reperfusion increased cell proliferation and apoptosis in the renal cortex but, for pretreated groups, the apoptotic cells were predominantly intratubular rather than interstitial. At 48-h reperfusion, plasma IL-1β and the number of subcapsular cells in G2-M arrest were reduced after preoperative EPO, but not after remote ischemic preconditioning. These data suggest an intrarenal mechanism acting within cortical cells that may underpin a renoprotective function for preoperative EPO and, to a limited extent, remote ischemic preconditioning. Despite equivocal longer-term outcomes in clinical studies investigating EPO as a renoprotective agent in AKI, optimal clinical dosing and administration have not been established. Our data suggest further clinical studies on the potential renoprotective effect of EPO and remote ischemic preconditioning are justified. In collaboration with colleagues at University of Nottingham & Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Maternal protein-energy malnutrition during early pregnancy in sheep impacts the fetal ornithine cycle to reduce fetal kidney microvascular development.
Maternal protein-energy malnutrition during early pregnancy in sheep impacts the fetal ornithine cycle to reduce fetal kidney microvascular development. Dunford, L. J.; Sinclair, K. D.; Kwong, W. Y.; Sturrock, C.; Clifford, B. L.; Giles, T. C.; Gardner, D. S. This is an Open Access article

Click here to view a full listing of Louise Dunford's publications and outputs.

Key research outputs

Dunford L.J., Sinclair K.D., Kwong K.W., Sturrock C., Clifford B.L., Giles T.C., Gardner D.S. (2014) Maternal protein-energy malnutrition during early pregnancy in sheep impacts the fetal ornithine cycle to reduce fetal kidney microvascular development. FASEB 28 (11), 4880-4892

Gardner D.S., Welham S.J.M., Dunford L.J., McCulloch T.A., Hodi Z., Sleeman P.,O’Sullivan S., Devonald M.A.J. (2014) Remote conditioning or erythropoietin before surgery primes kidneys to clear ischemia-reperfusion-damaged cells: a renoprotective mechanism? American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology 306 (8), F873-F884

Lloyd L.J., Foster T, Rhodes P, Rhind S, Gardner DS. (2012) Protein energy malnutrition during early gestation blunts fetal renal vascular and nephron development and negatively impacts renal function in the adult. Journal of Physiology: 590, 377-393.

Lloyd L.J., Langley-Evans SC, McMullen S. (2012) Childhood obesity and risk of the adult metabolic syndrome: a systematic review. International Journal of Obesity: 36, 1-

Lloyd L.J., Langley-Evans SC, McMullen S. (2010) Childhood obesity and adult cardiovascular disease risk: a systematic review. International Journal of Obesity; 34(1),18-28.

*note, my previous surname was Lloyd*

Research interests/expertise

Kidney disease
Obesity
Nutrition
Education

Areas of teaching

Nutrition
Weight Management
Appetite regulation
Geriatric medicine
Evidence based medicine
Presentation skills

Qualifications

PhD (University of Nottingham)
BSc (Hons) Nutrition First Class (University of Nottingham)
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Educations (Distinction; De Montfort University)

Courses taught

Medical Science (BMedSci)

Honours and awards

DMU Teacher Fellow

Membership of professional associations and societies

The Physiological Society (member)
The Society for Endocrinology (member)

Professional licences and certificates

Conference attendance

‘The remote effects of acute kidney injury after renal ischaemia in a porcine model’, British Endocrine Societies Conference, March 2014, Liverpool, Poster presentation & invited Chair, attendance funded by the Society for Endocrinology.