Impact of trichostatin A and sodium valproate treatment on post-stroke neurogenesis and behavioral outcomes in immature mice.

Stroke in the neonatal brain frequently results in neurologic impairments including cognitive disability. We investigated the effect of long-term sodium valproate (valproate) and trichostatin A (TSA) treatment upon post-stroke neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) of stroke-injured immature mice. Decreased or abnormal integration of newborn DG neurons into hippocampal circuits can result in impaired visual-spatial function, abnormal modulation of mood-related behaviors, and the development of post-stroke epilepsy.

Effect of a single application of pulsed dye laser treatment of port-wine birthmarks on intraocular pressure.

Background: A new pathophysiologic mechanism has been proposed that indicates that periorbital port-wine birthmarks (PWBs) serve as alternate collateral blood passageways when orbital venous drainage is impaired. The occlusion of such collateral venous channels could, therefore, potentially exacerbate impaired ocular venous flow and trigger the development or worsening of glaucoma in patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome. We investigated to what extent a single application of laser therapy, which occludes only the most superficial portions of a facial PWB, might affect intraocular pressure.

The pharmacokinetics of commonly used antiepileptic drugs in immature CD1 mice.

Rodents eliminate antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) faster than humans, creating challenges for designing clinically relevant protocols. Half-lives of AEDs in immature mice are unknown. The pharmacokinetics of commonly used AEDs were examined in CD1 mice using a single-dose protocol at postnatal day 19.

Sturge-Weber syndrome: ear, nose, and throat issues and neurologic status.

The pathophysiology of Sturge-Weber syndrome is poorly understood, and ear, nose, and throat involvement is possible. These issues can result in frequent illnesses or airway obstruction, affecting patients' neurologic status. Patients with definite brain involvement who reported potential ear, nose, and throat issues on intake questionnaires underwent retrospective reviews of their medical records.

Developmental regulation of muscleblind-like (MBNL) gene expression in the chicken embryo retina.

Muscleblind-like (MBNL) is a CCCH zinc finger-containing RNA-binding protein required for the development of both muscle and photoreceptors in Drosophila; it is conserved evolutionarily, and it is associated in humans with the muscular disease myotonic dystrophy. Its role in the development of vertebrate retinal cells, however, remains unknown. As an initial approach to its investigation, we have cloned three chick muscleblind genes, characterized their isoforms, and examined their expression patterns in the chick embryo retina.