Background: Hypoxic-ischemic injury (HI) to preterm brain results in white matter loss. The endogenous oligodendroglial response to perinatal HI is characterized by increased oligodendroglial progenitor cells (OPCs). MicroRNAs (miRs) are important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, and a few miRs have been shown to regulate differentiation of OPCs into mature oligodendroglia. We tested the hypothesis that miRs play a role in the increase in OPCs in response to perinatal HI.
Methods: We inducibly deleted the miR-processing enzyme Dicer in OPCs using a tamoxifen-inducible NG2CreER(T2) transgene in Dicer(fl/fl) mice. After HI, mice were analyzed for OPC differentiation using immunofluorescence and for white matter formation by Luxol fast blue (LFB) staining. Functional recovery from injury was investigated using digital gait analysis. We also tested whether HI changed miRs known to regulate OPC differentiation using quantitative RT-PCR.
Results: Perinatal HI induced significant increases in miR-138 and miR-338, two miRs known to regulate OPC differentiation. Knockdown of Dicer increased myelin basic protein and LFB staining within the corpus callosum after HI. In addition, there was significant improvement in motor function 14 and 24 d post lesion.
Conclusion: Changes in specific mature miRs expressed in OPCs following HI may contribute to white matter injury.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/pr.2014.104 | DOI Listing |
J Reprod Infant Psychol
January 2025
Maternal Mental Health Service, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
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January 2025
Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Background: Perinatal brain injury is a leading cause of developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy. However, further work is needed to understand early brain development in the presence of brain injury. In this case report, we examine the longitudinal neuromotor development of a term infant following a significant loss of right-hemispheric brain tissue due to a unilateral ischemic stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Matern Fetal Neonatal Med
December 2025
Departamento de Ginecología y Obstetricia, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirulence
December 2025
Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.
This review summarizes key virulence factors associated with group B (GBS), a significant pathogen particularly affecting pregnant women, fetuses, and infants. Beginning with an introduction to the historical transition of GBS from a zoonotic pathogen to a prominent cause of human infections, particularly in the perinatal period, the review describes major disease manifestations caused by GBS, including sepsis, meningitis, chorioamnionitis, pneumonia, and others, linking each to specific virulence mechanisms. A detailed exploration of the genetic basis for GBS pathogenicity follows, emphasizing the roles of capsules in pathogenesis and immune evasion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Res Protoc
January 2025
Key Populations Program, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Background: In South Africa, there is no centralized HIV surveillance system where key populations (KPs) data, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, female sex workers, transgender persons, people who use drugs, and incarcerated persons, are stored in South Africa despite being on higher risk of HIV acquisition and transmission than the general population. Data on KPs are being collected on a smaller scale by numerous stakeholders and managed in silos. There exists an opportunity to harness a variety of data, such as empirical, contextual, observational, and programmatic data, for evaluating the potential impact of HIV responses among KPs in South Africa.
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