Comparison of the Idaho Technology FilmArray system to real-time PCR for detection of respiratory pathogens in children.

The FilmArray Respiratory Panel (RP) multiplexed nucleic acid amplification test (Idaho Technology, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT) was compared to laboratory-developed real-time PCR assays for the detection of various respiratory viruses and certain bacterial pathogens. A total of 215 frozen archived pediatric respiratory specimens previously characterized as either negative or positive for one or more pathogens by real-time PCR were examined using the FilmArray RP system.

Atypical mechanism of NF-κB activation by TRE17/ubiquitin-specific protease 6 (USP6) oncogene and its requirement in tumorigenesis.

The NF-κB transcription factor has a central role in diverse processes, including inflammation, proliferation and cell survival, and its activity is dysregulated in diseases such as autoimmunity and cancer. We recently identified the TRE17/ubiquitin-specific protease 6 (USP6) oncogene as the first de-ubiquitinating enzyme to activate NF-κB. TRE17/USP6 is translocated and overexpressed in aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC), a pediatric tumor characterized by extensive bone degradation and inflammatory recruitment.

Infant feeding practices and subsequent development of adipose tissue.

The main aspects of infant feeding that have been studied in humans in association with the subsequent development of adipose tissue include breastfeeding, rapid infancy weight gain, and weaning practices. While observational studies have consistently shown a protective effect of breastfeeding on the development of obesity, these studies may be confounded by unmeasured or unknown factors, as suggested by one study using a sibling design and one study using a randomized breastfeeding promotion intervention design. Observational studies and findings from a limited number of experimental studies suggest that rapid weight gain during infancy may be associated with an increased risk for obesity in childhood and adulthood.

Helios expression is a marker of T cell activation and proliferation.

Foxp3+ T-regulatory cells (Tregs) normally serve to attenuate immune responses and are key to maintenance of immune homeostasis. Over the past decade, Treg cells have become a major focus of research for many groups, and various functional subsets have been characterized. Recently, the Ikaros family member, Helios, was reported as a marker to discriminate naturally occurring, thymic-derived Tregs from those peripherally induced from naïve CD4+ T cells.

Rationale for HDAC inhibitor therapy in autoimmunity and transplantation.

While there are currently more than 70 ongoing clinical trials of inhibitors of so-called classical HDACs (HDACi) as anticancer therapies, given their potency as antiproliferative and angiostatic agents, HDACi also have considerable therapeutic potential as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs. The utility of HDACi as anti-inflammatory agents is dependent upon their proving safe and effective in experimental models. Current pan-HDACi compounds are not well suited to this role, given the broad distribution of target HDACs and their complex and multifaceted mechanisms of action.

Prospective randomized observer-blinded study comparing the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided rectus sheath block and local anaesthetic infiltration for umbilical hernia repair.

Background: Umbilical hernia repair, a common day-surgery procedure in children, is associated with considerable postoperative discomfort. Possible modes of postoperative analgesia for umbilical hernia repair are rectus sheath block (RSB) and local anaesthetic infiltration of the surgical site (LAI).

Methods: We undertook an observer-blinded, randomized, prospective, observational study to compare the efficacy of ultrasound-guided RSB and LAI in providing postoperative analgesia for umbilical hernia repair.

Lymphocyte signaling converges on microtubules.

Movement of immunoreceptor microclusters tunes lymphocyte activation, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this issue of Immunity, Schnyder et al. (2011) and Hashimoto-Tane et al.

Screening and Referral for Postpartum Depression among Low-Income Women: A Qualitative Perspective from Community Health Workers.

Postpartum depression is a serious and common psychiatric illness. Mothers living in poverty are more likely to be depressed and have greater barriers to accessing treatment than the general population. Mental health utilization is particularly limited for women with postpartum depression and low-income, minority women.

Vector characterization methods for quality control testing of recombinant adeno-associated viruses.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based vectors expressing therapeutic gene products have shown great promise for human gene therapy. A major challenge for translation of promising research to clinical development is the establishment of appropriate quality control (QC) test methods to characterize clinical grade AAV vectors. This chapter focuses on QC testing, providing an overview of characterization methods appropriate for clinical vectors prepared for early phase clinical studies, and detailed descriptions for selected assays that are useful to assess AAV vector safety, potency, and purity.

Histone deacetylase 6 and heat shock protein 90 control the functions of Foxp3(+) T-regulatory cells.

Foxp3(+) T-regulatory cells (Tregs) are key to immune homeostasis such that their diminished numbers or function can cause autoimmunity and allograft rejection. Foxp3(+) Tregs express multiple histone/protein deacetylases (HDACs) that regulate chromatin remodeling, gene expression, and protein function. Pan-HDAC inhibitors developed for oncologic applications enhance Treg production and Treg suppression function but have limited nononcologic utility given their broad actions and various side effects.

The decision making control instrument to assess voluntary consent.

Background: The decision to participate in a research intervention or to undergo medical treatment should be both informed and voluntary.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to develop an instrument to measure the perceived voluntariness of parents making decisions for their seriously ill children.

Methods: A total of 219 parents completed questionnaires within 10 days of making such a decision at a large, urban tertiary care hospital for children.

Hematopoietic lineage cell-specific protein 1 functions in concert with the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein to promote podosome array organization and chemotaxis in dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional APCs that reside in peripheral tissues and survey the body for pathogens. Upon activation by inflammatory signals, DCs undergo a maturation process and migrate to lymphoid organs, where they present pathogen-derived Ags to T cells. DC migration depends on tight regulation of the actin cytoskeleton to permit rapid adaptation to environmental cues.

Review of Interventions for Parental Depression from Toddlerhood to Adolescence.

Because of the recurrent course, significant burden, and intergenerational impact of depression, there is a great need for interventions for depressed parents and their children. This article reviews eight interventions that 1) aim to impact the functioning and well-being of 18-month to 18-year old children of depressed parents and 2) have been evaluated in controlled studies. The interventions are described and the empirical evidence of their efficacy is reviewed and critiqued.

Neurodevelopmental manifestations of mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondrial disease is an increasingly recognized but widely heterogeneous group of multisystemic disorders that commonly involve severe neurodevelopmental manifestations in childhood. This review explores the presentation, genetic basis, and diagnostic evaluation of primary mitochondrial disease. Emphasis is placed on neurodevelopmental findings that may be encountered by a Developmental Pediatrician that should provoke consideration of a mitochondrial disorder.

Ezrin is highly expressed in early thymocytes, but dispensable for T cell development in mice.

Background: Ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins are highly homologous proteins that function to link cargo molecules to the actin cytoskeleton. Ezrin and moesin are both expressed in mature lymphocytes, where they play overlapping roles in cell signaling and polarity, but their role in lymphoid development has not been explored.

Methodology/principal Findings: We characterized ERM protein expression in lymphoid tissues and analyzed the requirement for ezrin expression in lymphoid development.

A strategy for single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of chimerism for somatic cell therapy.

Background Aims: Chimerism is an important outcome measure in hematopoietic cell transplantation as well as somatic cell therapy. Commonly used methods to estimate chimerism are restricted by either gender or inefficient sensitivity. In principle, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays can be used to assess single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), which are a vast resource of molecular markers, and such assays demonstrate a substantially higher sensitivity (0.

A meta-systems approach to evidence-based practice for children and adolescents.

Improving outcomes for children and adolescents with mental health needs demands a broad meta-systemic orientation to overcome persistent problems in current service systems. Improving outcomes necessitates inclusion of current and emerging evidence about effective practices for the diverse population of youth and their families. Key components of the meta-system for children with emotional or behavioral needs include families, cultural norms and values, and service sectors such as schools, pediatric health centers, specialty mental health systems, juvenile justice systems, child protection services, and substance use treatment systems.

Mechanisms of mosaicism, chimerism and uniparental disomy identified by single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis.

Mosaic aneuploidy and uniparental disomy (UPD) arise from mitotic or meiotic events. There are differences between these mechanisms in terms of (i) impact on embryonic development; (ii) co-occurrence of mosaic trisomy and UPD and (iii) potential recurrence risks. We used a genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array to study patients with chromosome aneuploidy mosaicism, UPD and one individual with XX/XY chimerism to gain insight into the developmental mechanism and timing of these events.

A Review of Existing Relational Aggression Programs: Strengths, Limitations, and Future Directions.

Research suggests that involvement in relational aggression is associated with serious adjustment problems, including concurrent and future social maladjustment (e.g., problematic friendships; rejection), internalizing problems (e.

A pilot investigation of the rates and predictors of mental health services utilization among depressed African American mothers and their children.

Objective: Depressed mothers, especially those who are African American, are likely to underutilize mental health services. Children of depressed mothers are an at-risk population with mental health needs that are often unmet. This prospective pilot study examined 3-month frequency rates and predictors of mental health utilization for a sample of African American depressed mothers and their children.