The nervous systems of flatworms have diversified extensively as a consequence of the broad range of adaptations in the group. Here we examined the central nervous system (CNS) of 12 species of ...polyclad flatworms belonging to 11 different families by morphological and histological studies. These comparisons revealed that the overall organization and architecture of polyclad central nervous systems can be classified into three categories (I, II, and III) based on the presence of globuli cell masses -ganglion cells of granular appearance-, the cross-sectional shape of the main nerve cords, and the tissue type surrounding the nerve cords. In addition, four different cell types were identified in polyclad brains based on location and size. We also characterize the serotonergic and FMRFamidergic nervous systems in the cotylean Boninia divae by immunocytochemistry. Although both neurotransmitters were broadly expressed, expression of serotonin was particularly strong in the sucker, whereas FMRFamide was particularly strong in the pharynx. Finally, we test some of the major hypothesized trends during the evolution of the CNS in the phylum by a character state reconstruction based on current understanding of the nervous system across different species of Platyhelminthes and on up-to-date molecular phylogenies.
Cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum are considered a clinical-radiological syndrome that generates transitory damage to the corpus callosum; especially in the splenium, with a multicausal origin ...such as drugs, malignant neoplasms, infections, subarachnoid hemorrhage, metabolic disorders, and traumas. The clinical presentation varies in severity. Some patients have complete recovery in a few days, while others present a more serious clinical, requiring admission to pediatric intensive care. We present a case of a pediatric patient with cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CLOCCs) confirmed by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was admitted due to gastrointestinal symptoms, progressing to altered consciousness, postural instability, dysarthria, and paroxysmal events. A literature search of all reported cases of compromises of CLOCCs was carried out to identify the different terms used to describe this syndrome and consolidated a report of utility in the clinic of this pathology.
Epigenetic regulation consists of a multitude of different modifications that determine active and inactive states of chromatin. Conditions such as cell differentiation or exposure to environmental ...stress require concerted changes in gene expression. To interpret epigenomics data, a spectrum of different interconnected datasets is needed, ranging from the genome sequence and positions of histones, together with their modifications and variants, to the transcriptional output of genomic regions. Here we present a tool, Podbat (Positioning database and analysis tool), that incorporates data from various sources and allows detailed dissection of the entire range of chromatin modifications simultaneously. Podbat can be used to analyze, visualize, store and share epigenomics data. Among other functions, Podbat allows data-driven determination of genome regions of differential protein occupancy or RNA expression using Hidden Markov Models. Comparisons between datasets are facilitated to enable the study of the comprehensive chromatin modification system simultaneously, irrespective of data-generating technique. Any organism with a sequenced genome can be accommodated. We exemplify the power of Podbat by reanalyzing all to-date published genome-wide data for the histone variant H2A.Z in fission yeast together with other histone marks and also phenotypic response data from several sources. This meta-analysis led to the unexpected finding of H2A.Z incorporation in the coding regions of genes encoding proteins involved in the regulation of meiosis and genotoxic stress responses. This incorporation was partly independent of the H2A.Z-incorporating remodeller Swr1. We verified an Swr1-independent role for H2A.Z following genotoxic stress in vivo. Podbat is open source software freely downloadable from www.podbat.org, distributed under the GNU LGPL license. User manuals, test data and instructions are available at the website, as well as a repository for third party-developed plug-in modules. Podbat requires Java version 1.6 or higher.
Abstract Background Vitamin D can suppress renin biosynthesis and vascular smooth cell proliferation, and modulates macrophage activity and cytokine production. Therefore, higher vitamin D ...concentrations might reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia. Unmeasured confounding is inherent in observational studies, and existing trials are small and heterogeneous in terms of dose and duration of vitamin D supplementation. We aimed to assess the causal associations of vitamin D with gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia in two European cohorts. Methods We conducted a Mendelian randomisation study to estimate the causal effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) on gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia. 7288 women participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and Generation R studies who had a singleton pregnancy and were normotensive before pregnancy were included. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes associated with vitamin D synthesis ( rs10741657 and rs12785878 ) and metabolism ( rs6013897 and rs2282679 ), associated with 25(OH)D in genome-wide association studies, were used as instruments, evaluated independently, and combined into synthesis, metabolism, and total genetic risk scores. The outcome was no previous hypertension, gestational hypertension, and pre-eclampsia. The observational analysis used multinomial logistic regression, the Mendelian randomisation analysis used instrumental variable probit regression, and a random-effects meta-analysis was used to combine results from all cohorts. Ethics approval was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and the Medical Ethical Committee of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. Findings There was evidence of a threshold effect of 25(OH)D on pre-eclampsia (134 cases) in the observational analysis (associations across categories in women with 25(OH)D concentrations <25 nmol/L vs ≥75 nmol/L, adjusted relative risk 2·17, 95% CI 1·09–4·34). There was no association with gestational hypertension (744 cases). None of the four SNPs or the three genetic risk scores were associated with either pre-eclampsia or gestational hypertension. Finally, the Mendelian randomisation analysis did not support a causal association of 25(OH)D with gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia (odds ratio 1·02 per nmol/L increase, 95% CI 1·00–1·03 and 0·98, 0·95–1·01) with total genetic risk score used as the instrument. Interpretation We did not find evidence to support a causal role for vitamin D status in gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia. Funding MCM and AF are supported by a UK Medical Research Council fellowship (MR/M009351/1). VWVJ received a grant from the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (NWO, ZonMw-VIDI 016.136.361) and a European Research Council Consolidator Grant (ERC-2014-CoG-648916). JFF has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 633595 (DynaHEALTH). KM has been financially supported through Erasmus Mundus Western Balkans (ERAWEB), a project funded by the European Commission.
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a complex disease that disproportionately affects African Americans and other individuals of African descent. A number of regions across the genome have been associated to ...PCa, most of them with moderate effects. A few studies have reported chromosomal changes on 12p and 12q that occur during the onset and development of PCa but to date no consistent association of the disease with chromosome 12 polymorphic variation has been identified. In order to unravel genetic risk factors that underlie PCa health disparities we investigated chromosome 12 using ancestry informative markers (AIMs), which allow us to distinguish genomic regions of European or West African origin, and tested them for association with PCa. Additional SNPs were genotyped in those areas where significant signals of association were detected. The strongest signal was discovered at the SNP rs12827748, located upstream of the PAWR gene, a tumor suppressor, which is amply expressed in the prostate. The most frequent allele in Europeans was the risk allele among African Americans. We also examined vitamin D related genes, VDR and CYP27B1, and found a significant association of PCa with the TaqI polymorphism (rs731236) in the former. Although our results warrant further investigation we have uncovered a genetic susceptibility factor for PCa in a likely candidate by means of an approach that takes advantage of the differential contribution of parental groups to an admixed population.
Chronic diarrhea is a common chief complaint in the pediatric population with a wide range of diagnostic differentials; as such, whilst suspecting common causes, less prevalent conditions tend to be ...overlooked, such as neuroendocrine tumor pathologies. VIPomas are characterized by hypersecretion of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), causing watery diarrhea, hypokalemia, and achlorhydria. Nonetheless, its low incidence rate in children makes it an easily unnoticed pathology. Herein, we report a case of a 14-year-old female patient and a review of relevant literature. The patient complained of 7-month history of watery diarrhea, multiple emetic episodes, and relevant past medical history of multiple hospitalizations. Chronic diarrheal disease work-up studies, including a high VIP scintigram, showed a lesion suggestive of a VIPoma-type neuroendocrine pancreatic tumor. A distal pancreatectomy was performed with a complete resolution of the symptoms. When faced with a pediatric patient presenting with chronic secretory diarrhea and whose work-up studies rule out the most common pathologies, the possible presence of a neuroendocrine tumor as VIPoma should be considered.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, women disproportionately assume more unpaid activities, affecting their employment.
Describe the influence of COVID-19 on the employment of caregivers of children and ...adolescents from a gender perspective.
Cross-sectional study in three high-complexity hospitals in Bogotá, Colombia from April 2020 to June 2021. A subsample of the FARA cohort was taken, including those patients with a positive test for SARS-COV2. We took as our analysis category children older than 8 years and younger than 18 years who had a positive SARS-COV2 test, as well as, caregivers of all children with a positive SARS-COV2 test. This subsample was drawn from the FARA cohort. A survey was applied to them. We carried out a descriptive and stratified analysis by age group, educational, and socioeconomic level.
We included 60 surveys of caregivers and 10 surveys of children. The main caregiver in 94.8% of the cases was a female. At the beginning of the pandemic, 63.3% of the caregivers were employed, and 78.9% of those lost their employment. The vast majority of these caregiver were women (96.6%,
= 29). A predominance of loss of work activity was documented in caregivers of children in early childhood 66.6% (
= 20), with lower education 66.6% (
= 20), and from lower strata 56.6% (
= 17).
Caregivers of children with COVID-19 with low educational levels and lower socioeconomic conditions, as well as those with children under 5 years showed greater likelihood of employment loss between the interviewed subsample.
Background and Aims
The approach to the burden of disease is a demographic, economic, and a health problem, which requires the design and application of specific measures of cost of the disease, such ...as disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs), to establish better public health policies in the pediatric population. The aim of this study is to approach the burden of disease in children with acute respiratory failure (ARF) through the calculation of DALYs.
Methods
This study was conducted in the framework of a prospective, multicenter cohort in Bogotá, Colombia. Inclusion criteria were all pediatric patients admitted to the emergency department, hospitalization, and intensive care unit with respiratory distress; eligible patients were all those who developed ARF between April 2020 and December 2021. They were followed‐up during hospitalization, at 30 and 60 days after admission. The Infant/Toddler Quality of Life Questionnaire and KIDSCREEN quality of life scales were applied for follow‐up according to the age group. The results were used to calculate DALYs
Results
Six hundred and eighty‐five eligible patients, 296 (43.08%) developed ARF, of these 22 (6.08%) patients died (mortality rate = 7.43%). The total DALYs was 277.164 years. For younger than 9 years, the DALYs were 302.64 years, while for older than 10 years were 40.49 years.
Conclusion
ARF is one of the main causes of preventable mortality in pediatrics, its progression to respiratory failure is a highly prevalent condition in pediatric age, a condition that has a great impact on mortality, morbidity, and disability in our patients.
Background and Aims
Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a common cause of morbimortality, and a frequent reason for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). It requires a high‐flow ...oxygen device as treatment. Our aim is to determine the frequency and main indications for the use of high‐flow nasal cannula (HFNC), and the prevalence of HFNC failure and its main causes, in three hospitals
Methods
It is a multicenter prospective cohort study, developed in three hospitals in Bogota. Eligible patients were children older than 1 month and younger than 18 years who presented ARF and required management with an HFNC. The study was carried out between April 2020 and December 2021. The follow‐up was carried out at 1, 6, and 48 h after starting the management.
Results
Of 685 patients included in the study, 296 developed ARF. The prevalence of patients with ARF who required management with HFNC was 48%. The frequency of the pathologies that cause the ARF was: Bronchiolitis was the most frequent pathology (34.5%), followed by asthmatic crisis (15.5%) and pneumonia (12.7%). The average time of use of HFNC was 81.6 h. Regarding treatment failure with HFNC, 15 patients presented torpid evolution and required invasive mechanical ventilation, with a prevalence of therapeutic failure of the HFNC of 10.6%.
Conclusion
The use of HFNC is more frequent in patients with bronchiolitis, in children under 2 years of age and in males, which is in line with what has been reported in the literature. In addition, the failure rate of HFNC is low (10.6%), and it may be useful in other pathologies besides bronchiolitis, such as asthma, pneumonia, among others. It opens the possibility to continue evaluating the role of HFNC in pediatric pathology in new studies.
Diversos estudios genéticos han demostrado que la población uruguaya es trihíbrida, formada por europeo/mediterráneos, indígenas y africanos, cuyo aporte varía en distintas regiones del país. Pese a ...que Montevideo es la capital de la República, hay escasos estudios sobre los orígenes de su población, que pueden diferir de otras regiones. En este trabajo se propone indagar sobre estos orígenes a partir de información genética en una muestra derivada de una previamente publicada, profundizando en algunas características para determinar su posible influencia en la estimación de la ancestría. Se consideró una muestra de 269 mujeres (casos y controles de un estudio de cáncer de mama) en quienes se analizaron haplogrupos y secuencias de las regiones hipervariables del ADN mitocondrial (ADNmt) y marcadores individuales de ancestría (AIMs) del ADN nuclear. Se observó que había diferencias en los porcentajesde ancestría cuando se analizaban separadamente las personas que se atendían en el sistema público de salud en relación a las que lo hacían en el sistema mutual, con diferencias significativas para el aporte indígena y el europeo/mediterráneo. Luego de corregidos los valores por lugar de atención de salud, se estimaron los siguientes aportes: 24.6% indígena, 67,7% europeo/mediterráneo y 7,7% africano para herencia materna, y de 11,1% indígena, 81,4% europeo/mediterráneo, y 7,5% africano para la herencia biparental. Se analizaron particularmente los aportes indígena y africano y se discutieron los resultados con relación a otros estudios. Debido a las diferencias encontradas relacionadas con la heterogeneidad de la población montevideana, se alerta sobre el muestreo y valores de referencia para estudios poblacionales futuros.
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