Recovery of White Matter following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Depends on Injury Severity.

Previous studies in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been variable in describing the effects of injury severity on white-matter development. The present study used diffusion tensor imaging to investigate prospective sub-acute and longitudinal relationships between early clinical indicators of injury severity, diffusion metrics, and neuropsychological outcomes. Pediatric patients with TBI underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (n = 78, mean [M] = 10.

In vitro metabolism of specific CYP2D and CYP3A opioid substrates using rat liver S9 fractions and mass spectrometry reveal a severe metabolic impairment with increasing age.

Codeine and oxycodone are opioids used to alleviate pain. The outcome of the treatment is ultimately related to their metabolism by Cytochromes P450 (CYPs). Depending on the drugs used, alterations in the metabolism of drugs by CYPs can lead to severe consequences including alterations in their efficacy, safety and toxicity.

Overweight during childhood and internalizing symptoms in early adolescence: The mediating role of peer victimization and the desire to be thinner.

Background: Overweight is associated with depression and anxiety among adults. It is unclear whether this association begins in childhood. Overweight among children is associated with a higher risk of peer victimization, and may mediate an association between overweight and internalizing symptoms.

Cocaine cue-induced dopamine release in the human prefrontal cortex.

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that drug-related cues can induce dopamine (DA) release in the striatum of substance abusers. Whether these same cues provoke DA release in the human prefrontal cortex remains unknown.

Methods: We used high-resolution positron emission tomography with [18F]fallypride to measure cortical and striatal DA D2/3 receptor availability in the presence versus absence of drug-related cues in volunteers with current cocaine dependence.

The content of recurrent dreams in young adolescents.

Studies on children's recurrent dreams have been largely anecdotal and based on adults' recollections of dreams experienced during childhood. We collected 102 reports of recurrent dreams from a sample of young adolescents aged between 11 and 15years and scored the narratives using a range of content measures, including in relation to the threat simulation theory (TST) of dreaming. The most frequently reported themes involved confrontations with monsters or animals, followed by physical aggressions, falling and being chased.

Early Risk Factors of Overweight Developmental Trajectories during Middle Childhood.

Background: Research is needed to identify early life risk factors associated with different developmental paths leading to overweight by adolescence.

Objectives: To model heterogeneity in overweight development during middle childhood and identify factors associated with differing overweight trajectories.

Methods: Data was drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD; 1998-2010).

Sleep-Wake Disturbances and Fatigue after Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Sleep-wake disturbances (SWD) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are frequently reported and can persist several years post-injury. The adult literature covering this topic is exhaustive; numerous robust studies using objective measures of sleep and advanced methodologies support the presence of SWD post-TBI. Despite being the leading cause of morbidity in children and adolescents, however, relatively few studies exist investigating SWD and symptoms of fatigue after pediatric TBI.

A new template to study callosal growth shows specific growth in anterior and posterior regions of the corpus callosum in early childhood.

Most of the studies conducted on the development of the corpus callosum (CC) have been limited to a relatively simple assessment of callosal area, providing an estimation of the size of the CC in two dimensions rather than its actual measurement. The goal of this study was to revisit callosal development in childhood and adolescence by using a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging template of the CC that considers the horizontal width of the CC and compares this with the two-dimensional (2D) callosal area. We mapped callosal growth in a large sample of youths followed longitudinally (N = 370 at T1; N = 304 at T2; and N = 246 at T3).

The developmental origins of chronic physical aggression: biological pathways triggered by early life adversity.

Longitudinal epidemiological studies with birth cohorts have shown that physical aggression in humans does not appear suddenly in adolescence as commonly thought. In fact, physically aggressive behaviour is observed as early as 12 months after birth, its frequency peaks around 2-4 years of age and decreases in frequency until early adulthood. However, a minority of children (3-7%) maintain a high frequency of physical aggression from childhood to adolescence and develop serious social adjustment problems during adulthood.

Prevalence and correlates of disturbed dreaming in children.

Relatively little is known about nightmares and other forms of disturbed dreaming in children. This article reviews the literature on the prevalence and correlates of nightmares in children and highlights key methodological issues in the field. Results show that regardless of how they are defined and measured, nightmares affect a significant proportion of children of all ages and there is some evidence to suggest that nightmare frequency may peak around the age of 10.

DNA methylation signature of childhood chronic physical aggression in T cells of both men and women.

Background: High frequency of physical aggression is the central feature of severe conduct disorder and is associated with a wide range of social, mental and physical health problems. We have previously tested the hypothesis that differential DNA methylation signatures in peripheral T cells are associated with a chronic aggression trajectory in males. Despite the fact that sex differences appear to play a pivotal role in determining the development, magnitude and frequency of aggression, most of previous studies focused on males, so little is known about female chronic physical aggression.

A longitudinal twin study of physical aggression during early childhood: evidence for a developmentally dynamic genome.

Background: Physical aggression (PA) tends to have its onset in infancy and to increase rapidly in frequency. Very little is known about the genetic and environmental etiology of PA development during early childhood. We investigated the temporal pattern of genetic and environmental etiology of PA during this crucial developmental period.

Differential DNA methylation regions in cytokine and transcription factor genomic loci associate with childhood physical aggression.

Background: Animal and human studies suggest that inflammation is associated with behavioral disorders including aggression. We have recently shown that physical aggression of boys during childhood is strongly associated with reduced plasma levels of cytokines IL-1α, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, later in early adulthood. This study tests the hypothesis that there is an association between differential DNA methylation regions in cytokine genes in T cells and monocytes DNA in adult subjects and a trajectory of physical aggression from childhood to adolescence.

Coordinate regulation of estrogen receptor β degradation by Mdm2 and CREB-binding protein in response to growth signals.

The biological actions of estrogen are mediated via estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ. Yet, other cellular signaling events that also impact ER functions have an important role in breast carcinogenesis. Here, we show that activation of ErbB2/ErbB3 tyrosine kinase receptors with growth factor heregulin-β prompts ERβ degradation by the 26S proteasome, a mechanism that requires the coactivator cAMP response element-binding (CREB)-binding protein (CBP).

The case for locus-specific databases.

Locus-specific databases are the most useful repositories of the sequence information underlying medical genetic conditions and, for this reason, they need our continued support.

Challenging estrogen receptor beta with phosphorylation.

From classical gland-based endocrinology to nuclear hormone receptor biology, tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of hormone responses underlying cellular communication. Estrogen elicits a myriad of biological processes in reproductive and peripheral target tissues through its interaction with the estrogen receptors ERalpha and ERbeta. However, our knowledge of estrogen-dependent and independent action has mainly focused on ERalpha, leaving the role of ERbeta obscure.

Recurrent Dreams and Psychosocial Adjustment in Preteenaged Children.

Research indicates that recurrent dreams in adults are associated with impoverished psychological well-being. Whether similar associations exist in children remains unknown. The authors hypothesized that children reporting recurrent dreams would show poorer psychosocial adjustment than children without recurrent dreams.

Decreased levels of circulating IL-21 in HIV-infected AIDS patients: correlation with CD4+ T-cell counts.

IL-21 is a relatively newly discovered multifunctional and pleiotropic cytokine. It is produced primarily by CD4(+) T cells, the principal targets of the virus, and therefore this cytokine has special relevance to HIV infection. Here we show for the first time that serum levels of this cytokine are significantly reduced in HIV-infected AIDS patients and correlate significantly with their CD4(+) T-cell counts.

Requirement of TLR2-mediated signaling for the induction of IL-15 gene expression in human monocytic cells by HSV-1.

Exposure of human monocytic cells to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) results in immediate up-regulation of interleukin (IL)-15 gene expression. However, the receptor involved in this induction is not known. Here, we provide evidence that this induction depends on TLR2-mediated signaling pathway.

Role of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in the efficacy of therapeutic anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies.

In recent years, interest in anti-cancer therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) has been renewed. Several of these reagents have been approved for therapy in a variety of cancer patients and many others are in different stages of development. It is believed that multiple mechanisms are involved in the anti-cancer effects of these reagents.

Viral strategies for evading antiviral cellular immune responses of the host.

The host invariably responds to infecting viruses by activating its innate immune system and mounting virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. These responses are aimed at controlling viral replication and eliminating the infecting virus from the host. However, viruses have evolved numerous strategies to counter and evade host's antiviral responses.

IL-15 and HIV infection: lessons for immunotherapy and vaccination.

IL-15 is a pleiotropic and multifunctional cytokine that has a diverse array of distinct biological effects in the body. It plays a crucial role in host defense from viral and non-viral intracellular pathogens. The cytokine is essential for the development and differentiation of NK cells and for homeostatic expansion of CD8+ memory T cells, NKT cells and certain subsets of intestinal intra-epithelial lymphocytes (iIEL).

Selective hormone-dependent repression of estrogen receptor beta by a p38-activated ErbB2/ErbB3 pathway.

Deregulated signaling of ErbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase is often associated with hormone resistance in estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)-positive breast cancers, establishing a relationship between ErbB2 and ERalpha pathways. Although ERalpha and ERbeta are expressed in many breast cancer cells, the response of ERbeta to ErbB2 signaling is less well defined. In the present study, we demonstrate that ERbeta activity can be modulated by ErbB2 signaling in ER-expressing breast cancer cells.

Freeze lesion-induced focal cortical dysplasia predisposes to atypical hyperthermic seizures in the immature rat.

Purpose: To determine the effects of focal cortical dysplasia on the behavioral and electrographic features of hyperthermia-induced seizures (HSs) in rats.

Methods: A right sensorimotor cortex freeze lesion was induced in postnatal day 1 (P1) rat pups, and HSs were provoked at P10 under continuous monitoring of core temperature; EEGs were recorded from the right amygdala during and after hyperthermia. Controls included both sham-operated at P1 and naïve rats.

Modulation of muscarinic facilitation of epileptiform discharges in immature rat neocortex.

We examined the cholinergic effects on epileptiform discharge generation in immature (postnatal days 10-20) rat neocortex. Evoked and spontaneous field potentials were recorded from the deep layers of neocortical slices during GABA(A) receptor blockade by bicuculline methiodide (BMI, 50 microM). The anticholinesterase eserine (10 microM) as well as the ACh-analog carbamylcholine chloride (CCh, 25 microM) decreased the amplitude and duration of evoked field potentials and in parallel, increased significantly the rate of occurrence of spontaneous discharges.