Neuroinflammation and Brain Development: Possible Risk Factors in COVID-19-Infected Children.

COVID-19, a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) betacoronavirus, affects children in a different way than it does in adults, with milder symptoms. However, several cases of neurological symptoms with neuroinflammatory syndromes, such as the multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), following mild cases, have been reported. As with other viral infections, such as rubella, influenza, and cytomegalovirus, SARS-CoV-2 induces a surge of proinflammatory cytokines that affect microglial function, which can be harmful to brain development.

Environmental Signals on Microglial Function during Brain Development, Neuroplasticity, and Disease.

Recent discoveries on the neurobiology of the immunocompetent cells of the central nervous system (CNS), microglia, have been recognized as a growing field of investigation on the interactions between the brain and the immune system. Several environmental contexts such as stress, lesions, infectious diseases, and nutritional and hormonal disorders can interfere with CNS homeostasis, directly impacting microglial physiology. Despite many encouraging discoveries in this field, there are still some controversies that raise issues to be discussed, especially regarding the relationship between the microglial phenotype assumed in distinct contexts and respective consequences in different neurobiological processes, such as disorders of brain development and neuroplasticity.

Differential Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Status and Placental Transport in Adolescent Pregnancies.

Adolescent pregnancy increases risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. Placental delivery of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) is essential for fetal growth and development. In this pilot study, we aimed to assess maternal and fetal status of fatty acids (FA) measured at birth and the expression of key genes involved in FA uptake, transport and metabolism in the placenta of fifteen adolescents and fifteen adults.

Fatty acid profile of maternal and fetal erythrocytes and placental expression of fatty acid transport proteins in normal and intrauterine growth restriction pregnancies.

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), mainly docosahexaenoic (DHA) and arachidonic acids (AA), are critical for adequate fetal growth and development. We investigated mRNA expression of proteins involved in hydrolysis, uptake and/or transport of fatty acids in placenta of fifteen full term normal pregnancies and eleven pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) with normal umbilical blood flows. The mRNA expression of LPL, FATPs (-1, -2 and -4) and FABPs (-1 and -3) was increased in IUGR placentas, however, tissue profile of LC-PUFA was not different between groups.