The Landscape of Pediatric High-Grade Gliomas: The Virtues and Pitfalls of Pre-Clinical Models.

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) are malignant and usually fatal central nervous system (CNS) WHO Grade 4 tumors. The majority of pHGG consist of diffuse midline gliomas (DMG), H3.3 or H3.

A novel and highly divergent Canine Distemper Virus lineage causing distemper in ferrets in Australia.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) causes a highly contagious systemic infection in an array of animal species. In this study we report an outbreak of distemper in ferrets in two research facilities in Australia, caused by a novel lineage of CDV. While the CDV strain caused mainly mild symptoms in ferrets, histopathology results presented a typical profile of distemper pathology, with multi-system virus replication.

Effect of Baloxavir and Oseltamivir in Combination on Infection with Influenza Viruses with PA/I38T or PA/E23K Substitutions in the Ferret Model.

Amino acid substitutions I38T and E23K in the influenza polymerase acidic (PA) protein lead to reduced susceptibility to the influenza antiviral drug baloxavir. The effectiveness of baloxavir and oseltamivir for treatment of these viruses is currently unknown. Using patient-derived influenza isolates, combination therapy was equally effective as monotherapy in reducing viral titers in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets infected with A(H1N1pdm09)-PA/E23K or A(H3N2)-PA/I38T.

Genetic Regulation of Vertebrate Forebrain Development by Homeobox Genes.

Forebrain development in vertebrates is regulated by transcription factors encoded by homeobox, bHLH and forkhead gene families throughout the progressive and overlapping stages of neural induction and patterning, regional specification and generation of neurons and glia from central nervous system (CNS) progenitor cells. Moreover, cell fate decisions, differentiation and migration of these committed CNS progenitors are controlled by the gene regulatory networks that are regulated by various homeodomain-containing transcription factors, including but not limited to those of the (paired), , (orthodenticle), (genetic screened), and (distal-less) homeobox gene families. This comprehensive review outlines the integral role of key homeobox transcription factors and their target genes on forebrain development, focused primarily on the telencephalon.