Chemogenetic activation of arcuate nucleus NPY and NPY/AgRP neurons increases feeding behaviour in mice.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays a crucial role in controlling energy homeostasis and feeding behaviour. The role of NPY neurons located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (Arc) in responding to homeostatic signals has been the focus of much investigation, but most studies have used AgRP promoter-driven models, which do not fully encompass Arc NPY neurons. To directly investigate NPY-expressing versus AgRP-expressing Arc neurons function, we utilised chemogenetic techniques in NPY-Cre and AgRP-Cre animals to activate Arc NPY or AgRP neurons in the presence of food and food-related stimuli.

Galaninergic and hypercapnia-activated neuronal projections to the ventral respiratory column.

In mammals, the ventral respiratory column (VRC) plays a pivotal role in integrating neurochemically diverse inputs from brainstem and forebrain regions to generate respiratory motor patterns. VRC microinjection of the neuropeptide galanin has been reported to dampen carbon dioxide (CO)-mediated chemoreflex responses. Additionally, we previously demonstrated that galaninergic neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) are implicated in the adaptive response to hypercapnic stimuli, suggesting a link between RTN neuroplasticity and increased neuronal drive to the VRC.

Expression of endogenous epitope-tagged GPR4 in the mouse brain.

GPR4 is a proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptor implicated in many peripheral and central physiological processes. GPR4 expression has previously been assessed only via detection of the cognate transcript or indirectly, by use of fluorescent reporters. In this work, CRISPR/Cas9 knock-in technology was used to encode a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope tag within the endogenous locus of and visualize GPR4-HA in the mouse central nervous system using a specific, well characterized HA antibody; GPR4 expression was further verified by complementary mRNA detection.

Clinicodemographic profile, management, and treatment outcomes in advanced retinoblastoma at a tertiary care center in North India.

Purpose: The study was undertaken to look into the clinicodemographic profile, management, and clinical outcomes of advanced retinoblastoma at a tertiary care center.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted from Jan 2019 to Dec 2022. Forty-two patients of intraocular advanced retinoblastoma were assessed.

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Special Statement: Prophylactic low-dose aspirin for preeclampsia prevention-quality metric and opportunities for quality improvement.

Prophylactic low-dose aspirin reduces the rates of preeclampsia, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and perinatal death in patients with risk factors for preeclampsia. Despite recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, low-dose aspirin use is reported in <50% of patients with high-risk factors and <25% of patients with >1 moderate-risk factor. These low use rates represent an important "quality gap" and demonstrate the need for quality improvement activities.

Quality Improvement Initiative for Aspirin Screening and Prescription Rates for Preeclampsia Prevention in an Outpatient Obstetric Clinic.

Objective: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) impact 10% of pregnancies in the United States and cause adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes such as prematurity and low birth weight. Aspirin administration to at-risk individuals during pregnancy can reduce risk of HDP.

Study Design: Define-Measure-Assess-Improve-Control methodology was utilized to improve aspirin screening in an outpatient obstetric clinic.

Assessing the impact of telehealth implementation on postpartum outcomes for Black birthing people.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the rapid uptake of telemedicine services, which have been shown to be potentially cost-saving and of comparable quality to in-person care for certain populations. However, there are some concerns regarding the feasibility of implementation for marginalized populations, and the impact of widespread implementation of these services on health disparities has not been well studied.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of telehealth implementation on postpartum care during the COVID-19 pandemic on racial disparities in visit attendance and completion of postpartum care goals.

Association of Social Determinants of Health and Clinical Factors with Postpartum Hospital Readmissions among Nulliparous Individuals.

Objective: Prior data suggest that there are racial and ethnic disparities in postpartum readmission among individuals, especially among those with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Existing reports commonly lack granular information on social determinants of health. The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with postpartum readmission for individuals and address whether such risk factors differed by whether an individual had an antecedent diagnosis of a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP).

Hippocampal glutathione depletion with enhanced iron level in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease compared with healthy elderly participants.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and it is potentially driven by the depletion of primary antioxidant, glutathione, as well as elevation of the pro-oxidant, iron. Present study evaluates glutathione level by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, iron deposition by quantitative susceptibility mapping in left hippocampus, as well as the neuropsychological scores of healthy old participants ( = 25), mild cognitive impairment ( = 16) and Alzheimer's disease patients ( = 31). Glutathione was found to be significantly depleted in mild cognitive impaired ( < 0.

Examining changes in clinical management and postpartum readmissions for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy over time.

Objective: In response to 2013 guidelines for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), our study examined changes in antenatal management and postpartum readmission (PPR) over time.

Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort study of individuals diagnosed antenatally with HDP who delivered at a tertiary care center from 2012 to 2017.

Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was postpartum readmission for HDP in 2012-2013 vs 2014-2017.

Best Practices for Managing Postpartum Hypertension.

Purpose Of Review: Patients remain at risk for persistent and de novo postpartum hypertension related to pregnancy. This review aims to summarize the current definitions, clinical practices, and novel systems innovations and therapies for postpartum hypertension.

Recent Findings: Recent changes to the definitions of hypertension outside of pregnancy have not yet impacted definitions or management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), though research examining the implications of these new definitions on risks of developing HDP and the resultant sequelae is ongoing.

Upregulated Angiotensin Ia Receptors in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Sensitize Neuroendocrine Vasopressin Release and Blood Pressure in a Rodent Model of Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Introduction: Angiotensin (Ang) II signalling in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) via Ang type-1a receptors (AT1R) regulates vasopressin release and sympathetic nerve activity - two effectors of blood pressure regulation. We determined the cellular expression and function of AT1R in the PVN of a rodent model of polycystic kidney disease (PKD), the Lewis polycystic kidney (LPK) rat, to evaluate its contribution to blood pressure regulation and augmented vasopressin release in PKD.

Methods: PVN AT1R gene expression was quantified with fluorescent in situ hybridization in LPK and control rats.

Combining Multiplex Fluorescence in situ Hybridization with Fluorescent Immunohistochemistry on Fresh Frozen or Fixed Mouse Brain Sections.

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is a molecular technique that identifies the presence and spatial distribution of specific RNA transcripts within cells. Neurochemical phenotyping of functionally identified neurons usually requires concurrent labelling with multiple antibodies (targeting protein) using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and optimization of in situ hybridization (targeting RNA), in tandem. A "neurochemical signature" to characterize particular neurons may be achieved however complicating factors include the need to verify FISH and IHC targets before combining the methods, and the limited number of RNAs and proteins that may be targeted simultaneously within the same tissue section.

Evaluating the maternal and perinatal sequelae of severe gestational hypertension.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are widespread and have long-standing implications for women's health. Historically, the management of "severe gestational hypertension," or the presence of severely elevated blood pressures without any other signs or symptoms of end-organ damage meeting the criteria for preeclampsia, has been unclear. The new American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines based on expert opinion recommend that severe gestational hypertension be treated similarly to preeclampsia with severe features, but data regarding outcomes for women with this diagnosis have been limited.

PreBötzinger complex neurons drive respiratory modulation of blood pressure and heart rate.

Heart rate and blood pressure oscillate in phase with respiratory activity. A component of these oscillations is generated centrally, with respiratory neurons entraining the activity of pre-sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiovascular neurons. Using a combination of optogenetic inhibition and excitation in vivo and in situ in rats, as well as neuronal tracing, we demonstrate that preBötzinger Complex (preBötC) neurons, which form the kernel for inspiratory rhythm generation, directly modulate cardiovascular activity.

Adaptation of Respiratory-Related Brain Regions to Long-Term Hypercapnia: Focus on Neuropeptides in the RTN.

Long-term hypercapnia is associated with respiratory conditions including obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity hypoventilation syndrome. Animal studies have demonstrated an initial (within hours) increase in ventilatory drive followed by a decrease in this response over the long-term (days-weeks) in response hypercapnia. Little is known about whether changes in the central respiratory chemoreflex are involved.

Evaluating the Impact of a Student-Run Women's Clinic on Access to Gynecologic Care for Uninsured Women in Rhode Island.

Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC) is a free clinic providing primary care to a predominantly Spanish-speaking, uninsured patient population in Rhode Island with limited access to gynecologic care. In 2015, medical students at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University started the Women's Clinic of Clinica Esperanza (WCCE), a "clinic within the clinic," recruiting physician preceptors and obtaining funding to support WCCE operations. For complex issues, clinic services were supplemented by a subspecialty referral system at a local hospital.

Neurons in the Intermediate Reticular Nucleus Coordinate Postinspiratory Activity, Swallowing, and Respiratory-Sympathetic Coupling in the Rat.

Breathing results from sequential recruitment of muscles in the expiratory, inspiratory, and postinspiratory (post-I) phases of the respiratory cycle. Here we investigate whether neurons in the medullary intermediate reticular nucleus (IRt) are components of a central pattern generator (CPG) that generates post-I activity in laryngeal adductors and vasomotor sympathetic nerves and interacts with other members of the central respiratory network to terminate inspiration. We first identified the region of the (male) rat IRt that contains the highest density of lightly cholinergic neurons, many of which are glutamatergic, which aligns well with the putative postinspiratory complex in the mouse (Anderson et al.

Sucrose modulation of radiofrequency-induced heating rates and cell death.

Background: Applied radiofrequency (RF) energy induces hyperthermia in tissues, facilitating vascular perfusion This study explores the impact of RF radiation on the integrity of the luminal endothelium, and then predominately explores the impact of altering the conductivity of biologically-relevant solutions on RF-induced heating rates and cell death. The ability of cells to survive high sucrose (i.e.

Management of Low-Grade Cervical Müllerian Adenosarcoma in a 14-Year-Old Girl.

Background: Müllerian adenosarcomas of the cervix are composed of benign epithelial and malignant stromal components. The purpose of this report is to describe the clinical and histologic difficulties in diagnosis and to propose fertility-preserving management of low-grade lesions.

Case: A 14-year-old girl presented with a friable lesion found to originate from the anterior cervical lip.

Characterizing Social Determinants of Health for Adolescent Mothers during the Prenatal and Postpartum Periods.

Purpose: Significant racial disparities and continuing poor birth outcomes make adolescent pregnancy a significant public health concern in the United States despite declining pregnancy rates. Social determinants of health are associated with increased likelihood of pregnancy and poor maternal and child health outcomes. This study aims to characterize specific elements of social determinants of health in a cohort of predominantly Latina adolescent mothers.