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Teresa Serrano,1 Paula Pierozan,2 Esteban Alberti,1 Lisette Blanco,1 Karelys de la Cuétara Bernal,1 María E González,1 Nancy Pavón,1 Lourdes Lorigados,1 María A Robinson-Agramonte,1 Jorge A Bergado1 1International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN), La Habana, Cuba; 2Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Abstract: This article investigates the possible effects of transplantation of mononuclear bone marrow cells (mBMCs) to ameliorate or prevent the behavioral impairments and the cellular damage observed in a quinolinic acid (QA) model of Huntington’s disease. mBMCs were isolated using a standard procedure and implanted within the QA-lesioned striatum. Behavior was explored using motor (beam test) and memory (object recognition and Morris water maze) tests. Morphology was evaluated using conventional histology (cresyl violet), bisbenzimide (to evaluate cell vitality), and immunohystochemistry to identify neurons or glia. mBMC-transplanted animals showed improvements in motor coordination (beam test). Regarding memory, object recognition was significantly improved in transplanted animals, while spatial memory (Morris water maze test) was not severely affected by QA and, therefore, the results after transplantation were significant only in the probe-trial retention test. In samples taken from the animals that participated in the behavioral tests, a preserved morphology of striatal neurons and a reduced glial reaction indicated a possible neuroprotective effect of the transplanted mBMCs. A parallel study confirmed that the transplanted mBMCs have a long survival period (1 year follow-up). The results presented confirm the possibility that mBMC transplantation may be a viable therapeutic option for Huntington’s disease. Keywords: mononuclear bone marrow cells, Huntington’s disease, quinolinic acid, transplant, Fluoro-Jade C, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neuronal nuclear marker

This article discusses a retrospective case-control study that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of valacyclovir in preventing congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy. The study included 80 pregnant women with primary CMV infection, divided into two groups: one group received valacyclovir during pregnancy, while the other did not. The results showed that the presence of CMV DNA in the amniotic fluid was significantly lower in the group that received valacyclovir. Additionally, ultrasound anomalies and anomalies on fetal echocardiography were also lower in the valacyclovir group. The study concludes that valacyclovir is effective and safe in preventing congenital CMV infection. [Extracted from the article]

This article presents a new artificial intelligence (AI) method for analyzing ultrasound videos of the fetal heart. The method automatically segments the three-vessel view (3VV) and characterizes its structures by analyzing morphological features. The researchers manually segmented the pulmonary artery (PA), aorta (Ao), and superior vena cava (SVC) in a set of frames to support the understanding of morphology. The results show that the method achieves accurate segmentations and performs at a high frame rate, making it suitable for real-time implementation. This technology could be used to detect congenital heart defects in ultrasound videos of the fetal heart. [Extracted from the article]

This article, titled "OC06.02: Impact of an early detailed ultrasound following a high‐risk cell‐free DNA: a systematic review and meta‐analysis," examines the performance of a detailed ultrasound (US) performed within 14 weeks after a high-risk cell-free DNA (cfDNA) test for trisomy 21 (T21), 18 (T18), and 13 (T13). The study included six studies reporting on 691 early thorough scans after high-risk cfDNA for T21, T18, and T13. The results showed that an early detailed US had higher sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio in fetuses at high risk for T13/T18, supporting the use of chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis (AC) in case of abnormal and normal scans, respectively. However, the performance of the US was suboptimal in detecting false positive T21 cases within 14 weeks. The authors suggest that future studies with unblinded clinicians to cfDNA results are needed. [Extracted from the article]

This article, titled "OP16.07: Outcomes of twin pregnancies complicated by prelabour rupture of membranes before 26 weeks of gestation: systematic review and meta-analysis," examines the obstetric and perinatal outcomes of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) in twin pregnancies occurring before 26 weeks. The study analyzed eight studies with a total of 227 twin pregnancies. The findings showed that the rate of termination of pregnancy (TOP) was 4.6%, while the rate of selective TOP (sTOP) was 24.5%. The overall rate of spontaneous miscarriage or fetal demise was 20.9%, and the live birth rate of at least one twin was 71.6%. Neonatal mortality was 26.4%, but pregnancies undergoing sTOP had a higher live birth rate of 87.7%. The study concludes that PROM in twins before 26 weeks is associated with high rates of adverse outcomes and calls for larger prospective studies with unified protocols for antenatal surveillance and management. [Extracted from the article]

This article, titled "OC20.01: Twin versus singleton growth charts in the diagnosis of small for gestational age in twin pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis," examines the use of singleton and twin growth charts in diagnosing small for gestational age (SGA) in twin pregnancies. The study found that using twin charts to diagnose SGA in twins resulted in a lower rate of SGA compared to using singleton charts. Additionally, SGA twins diagnosed with twin charts had a higher risk of adverse neonatal outcomes compared to those diagnosed with singleton charts. The authors suggest that twin charts may be more specific in identifying SGA twins at higher risk of adverse outcomes, but further research is needed to determine the most accurate method for growth assessment and prediction of adverse outcomes in twins. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this study was to characterize the pacemaker activity and inhibitory neurotransmission in the colon of Ws/Ws mutant rats, which harbor a mutation in the c-kit gene that affects development of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). In Ws/Ws rats, the density of KIT-positive cells was markedly reduced. Wild-type, but not Ws/Ws, rats showed low- and high-frequency cyclic depolarization that were associated with highly regular myogenic motor patterns at the same frequencies. In Ws/Ws rats, irregular patterns of action potentials triggered irregular muscle contractions occurring within a bandwidth of 10-20 cycles/min. Spontaneous activity of nitrergic nerves caused sustained inhibition of muscle activity in both wild-type (+/+) and Ws/Ws rats. Electrical field stimulation of enteric nerves, after blockade of cholinergic and adrenergic activity, elicited inhibition of mechanical activity and biphasic inhibitory junction potentials both in wild-type and Ws/Ws rats. Apamin-sensitive, likely purinergic, inhibitory innervation was not affected by loss of ICC. Variable presence of nitrergic innervation likely reflects the presence of direct nitrergic innervation to smooth muscle cells as well as indirect innervation via ICC. In summary, loss of ICC markedly affects pacemaker and motor activities of the rat colon. Inhibitory innervation is largely maintained but nitrergic innervation is reduced possibly related to the loss of ICC-mediated relaxation. c-kit; slow waves; interstitial cells of Cajal; inhibitory junction potential; stereology; fast Fourier transform; colonic motility doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00136.2006