Primary spinal tumors in childhood: A single institution 15 year experience.

Background: Pediatric primary spinal tumors (PST) are fairly uncommon, with little available data regarding incidence and outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the 22 consecutive patients less than 18 years old diagnosed with PST between March 1997 and May 2011 and treated at Chang Gung Children Hospital. All patients had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for pre-operative evaluation and operations for PST.

Prenatal Dexamethasone and Postnatal High-Fat Diet Decrease Interferon Gamma Production through an Age-Dependent Histone Modification in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Overexposure to prenatal glucocorticoid (GC) disturbs hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolism and susceptibility to metabolic syndrome. A high-fat (HF) diet is a major environmental factor that can cause metabolic syndrome. We aimed to investigate whether prenatal GC plus a postnatal HF diet could alter immune programming in rat offspring.

Melatonin Alleviates Liver Apoptosis in Bile Duct Ligation Young Rats.

Bile duct ligation (BDL)-treated rats display cholestasis and liver damages. The potential protective activity of melatonin in young BDL rats in terms of apoptosis, mitochondrial function, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis has not yet been evaluated. Three groups of young male Sprague-Dawley rats were used: one group received laparotomy (Sham), a second group received BDL for two weeks (BDL), and a third group received BDL and intraperitoneal melatonin (100 mg/day) for two weeks (BDL + M).

Prenatal Dexamethasone Exposure Programs the Development of the Pancreas and the Secretion of Insulin in Rats.

Background: There is increasing epidemiological evidence indicating that many chronic diseases originate during early life, even before birth, through what are termed fetal programming effects. Prenatal glucocorticoid is frequently used clinically to accelerate the maturation of the lung, but its long-term effects remain unclear.

Methods: We gave pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats either intraperitoneal dexamethasone (0.

Combined Intraperitoneal and Intrathecal Etanercept Reduce Increased Brain Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha and Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Levels and Rescues Spatial Deficits in Young Rats after Bile Duct Ligation.

Background: Rats subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL) exhibit increased systemic oxidative stress and brain dysfunction characteristic of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), including fatigue, neurotransmitter alterations, cognitive and motor impairment, and brain inflammation. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) are both increased in plasma and brain in encephalopathy induced by chronic liver failure. This study first determined the temporal profiles of TNF-α and ADMA in the plasma, brain cortex, and hippocampus in young BDL rats.

Dynamic and diverse sugar signaling.

Sugars fuel life and exert numerous regulatory actions that are fundamental to all life forms. There are two principal mechanisms underlie sugar 'perception and signal transduction' in biological systems. Direct sensing and signaling is triggered via sugar-binding sensors with a broad range of affinity and specificity, whereas sugar-derived bioenergetic molecules and metabolites modulate signaling proteins and indirectly relay sugar signals.

Rebound Thymic Hyperplasia after Chemotherapy in Children with Lymphoma.

Background: Development of mediastinal masses after completion of chemotherapy in pediatric patients with malignant lymphoma is worrisome and challenging to clinicians.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 67 patients with lymphoma treated at our hospital from January 1, 2001 to June 1, 2013. Patients who received at least two chest computed tomography (CT) examinations after complete remission (CR) was achieved were further analyzed.

Sex Differences in the Prevalence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder During Middle Childhood: a Meta-Analysis.

This review provides a meta-analysed male:female prevalence ratio of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) during middle childhood in non-referred children. It also analyses sex differences in prevalence across cultures and over time. A systematic search for studies via the following sources was conducted: PsycInfo, Web of Knowledge, Medline Complete, Scopus, EMBASE, InfoRMIT, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Collection, Cochrane Library, PubMed and ProQuest Health.

Postnatal high-fat diet leads to spatial deficit, obesity, and central and peripheral inflammation in prenatal dexamethasone adult offspring rats.

Synthetic glucocorticoids are frequently used in clinical practice for treating pregnant women at risk of preterm delivery, but their long-term effects on the infant brain are largely unknown. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered vehicle or dexamethasone between gestational days 14 and 21. Male offspring were then weaned onto either a standard chow or a high-fat diet.

Early postnatal treatment with soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor or 15-deoxy-Δ(12,14)-prostagandin J2 prevents prenatal dexamethasone and postnatal high saturated fat diet induced programmed hypertension in adult rat offspring.

Prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) exposure, postnatal high-fat (HF) intake, and arachidonic acid pathway are closely related to hypertension. We tested whether a soluble epoxide hydrolase (SEH) inhibitor, 12-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-dodecanoic acid (AUDA) or 15-deoxy-Δ(12,14)-prostagandin J2 (15dPGJ2) therapy can rescue programmed hypertension in the DEX+HF two-hit model. Four groups of Sprague Dawley rats were studied: control, DEX+HF, AUDA, and 15dPGJ2.

Hepcidin-Induced Iron Deficiency Is Related to Transient Anemia and Hypoferremia in Kawasaki Disease Patients.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a type of systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children under the age of five years old. For sufferers of KD, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been found to successfully diminish the occurrence of coronary artery lesions. Anemia is commonly found in KD patients, and we have shown that in appropriately elevated hepcidin levels are related to decreased hemoglobin levels in these patients.

Graduate nurse experiences of support: A review.

Unlabelled: The first year of practice as a nurse is recognized as stressful. Graduate nurses (GNs) report gaps in their education, reality shock, burnout and other negative experiences that influence their intentions to remain in nursing.

Objectives: The aim of this literature review was to gain a greater understanding of the experiences of GNs.

Programming Effects of Prenatal Glucocorticoid Exposure with a Postnatal High-Fat Diet in Diabetes Mellitus.

Increasing evidence has shown that many chronic diseases originate from early life, even before birth, through what are termed as fetal programming effects. Glucocorticoids are frequently used prenatally to accelerate the maturation of the lungs of premature infants. High-fat diets are associated with insulin resistance, but the effects of prenatal glucocorticoid exposure plus a postnatal high-fat diet in diabetes mellitus remain unclear.

Early and late effects of prenatal corticosteroid treatment on the microRNA profiles of lung tissue in rats.

Glucocorticoids have been administered to mothers at risk of premature delivery to induce maturation of preterm fetal lungs and prevent the development of respiratory distress syndrome. Micro (mi)RNAs serve various crucial functions in cell proliferation, differentiation and organ development; however, few studies have demonstrated an association between miRNAs and lung development. The aim of the present study was to investigate alterations in the miRNA profiles of rat lung tissue following prenatal glucocorticoid therapy for fetal lung development.

Postnatal High-Fat Diet Increases Liver Steatosis and Apoptosis Threatened by Prenatal Dexamethasone through the Oxidative Effect.

The objective of this study was to investigate cellular apoptosis in prenatal glucocorticoid overexposure and a postnatal high fat diet in rats. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats at gestational days 14 to 21 were administered saline (vehicle) or dexamethasone and weaned onto either a normal fat diet or a high fat diet for 180 days; in total four experimental groups were designated, i.e.

The Anti-Atherosclerotic Effect of Naringin Is Associated with Reduced Expressions of Cell Adhesion Molecules and Chemokines through NF-κB Pathway.

Naringin has been reported to have an anti-atherosclerosis effect but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of naringin on the TNF-α-induced expressions of cell adhesion molecules, chemokines and NF-κB signaling pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The experiments revealed that naringin, at concentrations without cytotoxicity, dose-dependently inhibited the adhesion of THP-1 monocytes to the TNF-α-stimulated HUVECs.

Maternal N-acetylcysteine therapy regulates hydrogen sulfide-generating pathway and prevents programmed hypertension in male offspring exposed to prenatal dexamethasone and postnatal high-fat diet.

Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) pathways are involved in the development of hypertension, a condition that can originate from early life. We examined whether asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor)/NO and H2S generating pathway contributed to programmed hypertension in offspring exposed to prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) and postnatal high-fat (HF) and whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) therapy prevented this process. We examined 16-week-old male rat offspring from five groups: control, DEX (0.

Outcomes Following Discontinuation of E. coli l-Asparaginase Upon Severe Allergic Reactions in Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Background: Discontinuation of E. coli l-asparaginase in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is unavoidable upon severe allergic reaction. We sought to examine outcomes following E.

Maternal Melatonin Therapy Rescues Prenatal Dexamethasone and Postnatal High-Fat Diet Induced Programmed Hypertension in Male Rat Offspring.

Prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) exposure and high-fat (HF) intake are linked to hypertension. We examined whether maternal melatonin therapy prevents programmed hypertension synergistically induced by prenatal DEX plus postnatal HF in adult offspring. We also examined whether DEX and melatonin causes renal programming using next-generation RNA sequencing (NGS) technology.

Novel links in the plant TOR kinase signaling network.

Nutrient and energy sensing and signaling mechanisms constitute the most ancient and fundamental regulatory networks to control growth and development in all life forms. The target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase is modulated by diverse nutrient, energy, hormone and stress inputs and plays a central role in regulating cell proliferation, growth, metabolism and stress responses from yeasts to plants and animals. Recent chemical, genetic, genomic and metabolomic analyses have enabled significant progress toward molecular understanding of the TOR signaling network in multicellular plants.

Effects of complement activation on allograft injury.

Purpose Of Review: To summarize the current knowledge regarding mechanisms linking the complement system to transplant injury, highlighting findings reported since 2013.

Recent Findings: Building upon the documentation that complement activation is a pathogenic mediator of posttransplant ischemia-reperfusion injury, emerging evidence from animal models indicates that blocking either the classical or lectin pathways attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury. Immune cell-derived and locally activated complement, including intracellular C3, positively modulates alloreactive T-cell activation and expansion, whereby simultaneously inhibiting regulatory T-cell induction and function, and together promoting transplant rejection.

Prenatal dexamethasone-induced programmed hypertension and renal programming.

Aims: Antenatal glucocorticoids can induce long-term effects on offspring health, including hypertension. Programmed hypertension has been observed in a prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) exposure model. However, how renal programming responds to prenatal DEX at different stages of development and the impact of DEX on programmed hypertension remain unclear.

Targeted plant genome editing via the CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Targeted modification of plant genome is key for elucidating and manipulating gene functions in basic and applied plant research. The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) technology is emerging as a powerful genome editing tool in diverse organisms. This technology utilizes an easily reprogrammable guide RNA (gRNA) to guide Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 endonuclease to generate a DNA double-strand break (DSB) within an intended genomic sequence and subsequently stimulate chromosomal mutagenesis or homologous recombination near the DSB site through cellular DNA repair machineries.

Pathogen-secreted proteases activate a novel plant immune pathway.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades play central roles in innate immune signalling networks in plants and animals. In plants, however, the molecular mechanisms of how signal perception is transduced to MAPK activation remain elusive. Here we report that pathogen-secreted proteases activate a previously unknown signalling pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana involving the Gα, Gβ, and Gγ subunits of heterotrimeric G-protein complexes, which function upstream of an MAPK cascade.

Effects of melatonin on prenatal dexamethasone-induced epigenetic alterations in hippocampal morphology and reelin and glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 levels.

Prenatal glucocorticoid exposure causes brain damage in adult offspring; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Melatonin has been shown to have beneficial effects in compromised pregnancies. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered vehicle (VEH) or dexamethasone between gestation days 14 and 21.