Preventing the overdiagnosis of chest sepsis in children: A quality improvement project.

Rationale: Respiratory infections in children are one of the most common causes of hospital attendances and a common cause of sepsis. Most of these infections turn out to be viral in nature. However, the overuse of antibiotics is common and with increasing problems with antimicrobial resistance, changes to antibiotic prescribing practices need to be implemented urgently.

Oxidative stress induces overgrowth of the Drosophila neuromuscular junction.

Synaptic terminals are known to expand and contract throughout an animal's life. The physiological constraints and demands that regulate appropriate synaptic growth and connectivity are currently poorly understood. In previous work, we identified a Drosophila model of lysosomal storage disease (LSD), spinster (spin), with larval neuromuscular synapse overgrowth.

Oxidative stress in synapse development and function.

Oxidative stress, caused by increased levels of reactive oxidative species (ROS), is considered a major contributor to the aging process. How oxidative stress may bring about changes to structures and function in the aging brain is poorly understood. Oxidative stress activates a number of cellular responses, including activation of the Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway and autophagy.