Motor network reorganization associated with rTMS-induced writing improvement in writer's cramp dystonia.

Background: Writer's cramp (WC) dystonia is an involuntary movement disorder with distributed abnormalities in the brain's motor network. Prior studies established the potential for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to either premotor cortex (PMC) or primary somatosensory cortex (PSC) to modify symptoms. However, clinical effects have been modest with limited understanding of the neural mechanisms hindering therapeutic advancement of this promising approach.

The role of children's neural responses to emotional faces in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety symptomatology.

Children's neural responses to emotions may play a role in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety. In a prospective longitudinal study of a community sample of = 464 mother-child dyads, we examined relations among maternal anxiety symptoms when children were infants and age 5 years, child neural responses to emotional faces (angry, fearful, happy) at age 3 years, and child internalizing symptoms at age 5 years. Path analyses tested whether amplitudes of event-related potential (ERP) components selected a priori (N290, Nc, P400) (a) mediated associations between maternal anxiety symptoms in infancy and child internalizing symptoms at 5 years and/or (b) moderated associations between maternal anxiety symptoms at 5 years and child internalizing symptoms at 5 years.

The Dlk1-Dio3 noncoding RNA cluster coordinately regulates mitochondrial respiration and chromatin structure to establish proper cell state for muscle differentiation.

The coordinate regulation of metabolism and epigenetics to establish cell state-specific gene expression patterns during lineage progression is a central aspect of cell differentiation, but the factors that regulate this elaborate interplay are not well-defined. The imprinted Dlk1-Dio3 noncoding RNA (ncRNA) cluster has been associated with metabolism in various progenitor cells, suggesting it functions as a regulator of metabolism and cell state. Here, we directly demonstrate that the Dlk1-Dio3 ncRNA cluster coordinates mitochondrial respiration and chromatin structure to maintain proper cell state.

Gastric bypass elicits persistent gut adaptation and unique diabetes remission-related metabolic gene regulation.

Objective: We have previously shown that early intestinal adaptation precedes and relates to metabolic improvement in humans after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB). We hypothesized that intestinal adaptation would persist at the 1-year postoperative time point and that gene expression (GE) signatures would relate to type 2 diabetes remission, providing insight into potential mechanisms for intestinally mediated metabolic improvement after RYGB.

Methods: We determined GE by RNA sequencing in jejunum (Roux limb [RL]) collected from 28 patients before and 12 months after RYGB.

Characterization of pain and somatization and its relationship with psychopathology in early onset psychosis.

Background: Early onset psychosis (EOP) frequently presents with a severe clinical phenotype and poor long-term prognosis. Clinical experience suggests that individuals with EOP have abnormal pain and somatosensory processing, yet relative to adult-onset psychosis, pain and somatic sensory processing in EOP have rarely been studied.

Methods: The history of two characteristic patients is described to illustrate clinical presentations of pain in EOP patients.

Urinary biomarkers of environmental exposures and asthma morbidity in a school inner city asthma study.

Background: The burden of pediatric asthma and other allergic diseases is not evenly distributed among United States populations.

Objective: To determine whether urinary biomarkers are associated with asthma morbidity, and if associations vary by child race, ethnicity and sex.

Methods: This study includes n = 152 children with physician-diagnosed asthma who participated in the School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study (SICAS-2).

Long-term NMN treatment increases lifespan and healthspan in mice in a sex dependent manner.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is essential for many enzymatic reactions, including those involved in energy metabolism, DNA repair and the activity of sirtuins, a family of defensive deacylases. During aging, levels of NAD can decrease by up to 50% in some tissues, the repletion of which provides a range of health benefits in both mice and humans. Whether or not the NAD precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) extends lifespan in mammals is not known.

1-Piece Versus 2-Piece Fronto-Temporo-Orbito-Zygomatic Craniotomy: A Narrative Overview of Evolution.

Background: The fronto-temporo-orbito-zygomatic (FTOZ) craniotomy is a commonly utilized surgical approach for many complex skull base lesions, especially lesions traversing skull base compartments. This craniotomy has evolved over multiple stages, originating from the classic pterional craniotomy and many variations that have emerged over time.

Methods: Few clinical and anatomic studies have both shaped these craniotomies as well as provided immense information about instances in which they are most useful.

Temperament and sex as moderating factors of the effects of exposure to maternal depression on telomere length in early childhood.

Individual differences in sensitivity to context are posited to emerge early in development and to influence the effects of environmental exposures on a range of developmental outcomes. The goal of the current study was to examine the hypothesis that temperament characteristics and biological sex confer differential vulnerability to the effects of exposure to maternal depression on telomere length in early childhood. Telomere length has emerged as a potentially important biomarker of current and future health, with possible mechanistic involvement in the onset of various disease states.

Associations among temperament characteristics and telomere length and attrition rate in early childhood.

There is growing interest in telomere length as an indicator of current and future health. Although early childhood is a period of rapid telomere attrition, little is known about the factors that influence telomere biology during this time. Adult research suggests that telomere length is influenced by psychological characteristics.

Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular aging.

A hallmark of eukaryotic aging is a loss of epigenetic information, a process that can be reversed. We have previously shown that the ectopic induction of the Yamanaka factors OCT4, SOX2, and KLF4 (OSK) in mammals can restore youthful DNA methylation patterns, transcript profiles, and tissue function, without erasing cellular identity, a process that requires active DNA demethylation. To screen for molecules that reverse cellular aging and rejuvenate human cells without altering the genome, we developed high-throughput cell-based assays that distinguish young from old and senescent cells, including transcription-based aging clocks and a real-time nucleocytoplasmic compartmentalization (NCC) assay.

Risk for internalizing symptom development in young children: Roles of child parasympathetic reactivity and maternal depression and anxiety exposure in early life.

Intergenerational transmission of internalizing disorders (anxiety and depression) is well documented, but the responsible pathways are underspecified. One possible mechanism is via programming of the child's parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). For example, maternal depression and anxiety, via multiple pathways, may heighten child PNS reactivity, which has been linked to increased risk for internalizing disorders.

Mucociliary Clearance Augmenting Drugs Block SARS-Cov-2 Replication in Human Airway Epithelial Cells.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, is devastatingly impacting human health. A prominent component of COVID-19 is the infection and destruction of the ciliated respiratory cells, which perpetuates dissemination and disrupts protective mucociliary transport (MCT) function, an innate defense of the respiratory tract. Thus, drugs that augment MCT could improve barrier function of the airway epithelium, reduce viral replication and, ultimately, COVID-19 outcomes.

Patient Perceptions of Retinal Detachment Management and Recovery through Social Media.

Purpose: Social media support groups can provide accessibility to advice and emotional regarding medical topics, such as retinal detachment repair, but this is almost universally provided by laypersons. We sought to determine how topics related to retinal detachment repair are associated with various emotional responses and the spread of misinformation, as identified through an online social media support group.

Methods: Retrospective observational study of the largest Facebook support group for retinal detachment from 03/19/2021 to 07/19/2021.

The IL-4Rα Q576R polymorphism is associated with increased severity of atopic dermatitis and exaggerates allergic skin inflammation in mice.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by T2-dominated skin inflammation and systemic response to cutaneously encountered antigens. The T2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 play a critical role in the pathogenesis of AD. The Q576->R576 polymorphism in the IL-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα) chain common to IL-4 and IL-13 receptors alters IL-4 signaling and is associated with asthma severity.

Effects of Maternal and Child Lifetime Traumatic Stress Exposures, Infant Temperament, and Caregiving Quality on Preschoolers' Executive Functioning.

We examined effects of maternal and child lifetime traumatic stress exposures, infant temperament, and caregiving quality on parent ratings of preschoolers' executive functioning (EF). Maternal lifetime trauma was associated with preschoolers' EF problems; this association was mediated by greater child trauma exposure. Infant temperament was associated with EF abilities, particularly among females.

Longitudinal assessment of preparation for care transition among adolescents and young adults with rheumatologic disease: a single-center pilot study.

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with rheumatologic diseases are at high risk for poor outcomes and gaps in care when transitioning from pediatric to adult care. However, tools for evaluating transition readiness and assessing the impact of transition interventions are limited. We implemented a written transition policy at our pediatric rheumatology center and evaluated preparation for transition among AYA 16 and older before and after distribution.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and Mental Health-Related School-Nurse Visits in United States Schools.

Objective: No studies have examined school-nurse visits related to mental health (MH) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We examined changes in the rate of MH-related school-nurse visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We analyzed school-nurse visit data (n = 3,445,240) for subjects Grade K-12 in US public schools using electronic health record software (SchoolCare, Ramsey, NJ).

Determinants of lung function across childhood in the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) 3.

Background: Children with asthma are at risk for low lung function extending into adulthood, but understanding of clinical predictors is incomplete.

Objective: We sought to determine phenotypic factors associated with FEV throughout childhood in the Severe Asthma Research Program 3 pediatric cohort.

Methods: Lung function was measured at baseline and annually.

A common IL-4 receptor variant promotes asthma severity via a T cell GRB2-IL-6-Notch4 circuit.

Background: The mechanisms by which genetic and environmental factors interact to promote asthma remain unclear. Both the IL-4 receptor alpha chain R576 (IL-4RαR576) variant and Notch4 license asthmatic lung inflammation by allergens and ambient pollutant particles by subverting lung regulatory T (T ) cells in an IL-6-dependent manner.

Objective: We examined the interaction between IL-4RαR576 and Notch4 in promoting asthmatic inflammation.

Associations among maternal lifetime trauma, psychological symptoms in pregnancy, and infant stress reactivity and regulation.

Maternal trauma has intergenerational implications, including worse birth outcomes, altered brain morphology, and poorer mental health. Research investigating intergenerational effects of maternal trauma on infant stress reactivity and regulation is limited. Maternal mental health during pregnancy may be a contributor: psychopathology is a sequela of trauma exposure and predictor of altered self-regulatory capacity in offspring of affected mothers.

Factors Influencing Classroom Exposures to Fine Particles, Black Carbon, and Nitrogen Dioxide in Inner-City Schools and Their Implications for Indoor Air Quality.

Background: School classrooms, where students spend the majority of their time during the day, are the second most important indoor microenvironment for children.

Objective: We investigated factors influencing classroom exposures to fine particulate matter (), black carbon (BC), and nitrogen dioxide () in urban schools in the northeast United States.

Methods: Over the period of 10 y (2008-2013; 2015-2019) measurements were conducted in 309 classrooms of 74 inner-city schools during fall, winter, and spring of the academic period.

HEPA filtration intervention in classrooms may improve some students' asthma.

Objective: The School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study 2 (SICAS 2) tested interventions to reduce exposures in classrooms of students with asthma. The objective of this analysis was limited to evaluating the effect of high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filtration interventions on mold levels as quantified using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) and the possible improvement in the students' asthma, as quantified by spirometry testing.

Methods: Pre-intervention dust samples were collected at the beginning of the school year from classrooms and corresponding homes of students with asthma ( = 150).

Comorbidities Associated with Hospitalization and Progression Among Adolescents with Symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Objective: To identify subgroups likely to benefit from monoclonal antibody and antiviral therapy by evaluating the relationship between comorbidities and hospitalization among US adolescents with symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Study Design: We analyzed the relationship between presence of comorbidities and need for hospitalization within 28 days of COVID-19 diagnosis for adolescents aged 12-17 years listed in the Pediatric COVID-19 US registry, a multicenter retrospective cohort of US pediatric patients with COVID-19. Comorbidities assessed included obesity, chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes, immunosuppressive disease or treatment, sickle cell disease (SCD), heart disease, neurologic disease/neurodevelopmental disorders, and pulmonary disease (excluding patients with mild asthma).