Kisspeptin upregulates β-cell serotonin production during pregnancy.

During pregnancy the maternal pancreatic islets of Langerhans undergo adaptive changes to compensate for gestational insulin resistance. The lactogenic hormones are well established to play a key role in regulating the islet adaptation to pregnancy, and one of the mechanisms through which they act is through upregulating β-cell serotonin production. During pregnancy islet serotonin levels are significantly elevated, where it is released from the β-cells to drive the adaptive response through paracrine and autocrine effects.

Sulforaphane induced NRF2 activation in obese pregnancy attenuates developmental redox imbalance and improves early-life cardiovascular function in offspring.

In adverse pregnancy a perturbed redox environment is associated with abnormal early-life cardiovascular development and function. Previous studies have noted alterations in the expression and/or activity of Nuclear Factor E2 Related Factor 2 (NRF2) and its antioxidant targets during human gestational diabetic (GDM) pregnancy, however to our knowledge the functional role of NRF2 in fetal 'priming' of cardiovascular dysfunction in obese and GDM pregnancy has not been investigated. Using a murine model of obesity-induced glucose dysregulated pregnancy, we demonstrate that NRF2 activation by maternal sulforaphane (SFN) supplementation normalizes NRF2-linked NQO1, GCL and CuZnSOD expression in maternal and fetal liver placental and fetal heart tissue by gestational day 17.

Incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Does Not Affect Deep Surgical Site Infection Rates in Neuromuscular Scoliosis Surgery.

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a devastating complication in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS) undergoing posterior spinal instrumented fusion (PSIF) for progressive scoliosis. Incisional negative pressure wound therapy (INPWT) has been used in other surgical fields to reduce SSI. Our purpose was to examine the prophylactic use of INPWT after NMS surgery to decrease SSI.

Premature spinal fusion after insertion of magnetically controlled growing rods for treatment of early-onset scoliosis: illustrative case.

Background: Magnetically controlled growing rod (MCGR) systems have gained attention for their use in the treatment of early-onset scoliosis. Although traditional growing rods require frequent operations to lengthen the construct, MCGR allows for fewer open procedures and more frequent distractions by externally controlling rod elongation. Despite its appealing advantages, MCGR is not without limitations.