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Aims: To investigate blood pressure (BP) in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Methods: BP was measured during single night polysomnography in 23 suspected SDB child patients with adenotonsillar hypertrophy, [...]

To determine the involvement of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) in conditions of neurological impairment, detection of CMV DNA was attempted in cerebrospinal fluid obtained from 45 neurologically affected children aged from 1 month to 17 years by means of the polymerase chain reaction. Four patients (congenital CMV encephalopathy with West's syndrome, acute encephalitis, chronic epileptic encephalopathy, and lissencephaly) had CMV DNA in their cerebrospinal fluid. CMV DNA was absent in the cerebrospinal fluid of 11 neurologically unaffected controls aged from 1 month to 11 years. Three patients with acute CMV hepatitis had no CMV DNA in their cerebrospinal fluid. Among the four patients who had CMV DNA in their cerebrospinal fluid, two did not excrete CMV DNA or CMV antigen in the urine. The possible pathogenetic significance of CMV DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid is discussed. By applying the polymerase chain reaction to cerebrospinal fluid, the mode of brain invasion by CMV can be clarified further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bone marrow stromal cells are able to differentiate into adipogenic, chondrogenic, myogenic, osteogenic, and cardiomyogenic lineages, all of which are limited to a mesoderm-derived origin. In this study, we showed that neurons, which are of an ectoderm-origin, could be generated from marrow-derived stromal cells by specific inducers, fibronectin/ornithine coating, and neurosphere formation. The neurons generated from marrow stroma formed neurites, expressed neuron-specific markers and genes, and started to respond to depolarizing stimuli as functional mature neurons. Among stromal cells, isolated mature osteoblasts which had strong in vivo osteogenic activity could be efficiently converted into functional neurons. This transdifferentiation or meta-differentiation was enhanced by Noggin, an inhibitor of bone morphogenetic proteins, in comparison with 5-azacytidine, a demethylating agent capable of altering the gene expression pattern. Marrow stroma is therefore a potential source of cells for neural cell transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant number of adolescents experience sleepiness, primarily due to sleep deprivation. The detrimental effects of inadequate sleep on both physical and mental health are well documented, particularly during adolescence-a critical developmental stage that has far-reaching implications for later life outcomes. The International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision recently introduced the disorder termed 'insufficient sleep syndrome,' characterized by a persistent reduction in sleep quantity. However, diagnosing this condition based solely on sleep duration is challenging due to significant individual variation in what constitutes optimal sleep. Despite this, managing sleep debt remains difficult without a clear understanding of individual optimal sleep needs. This review aims to reassess recommended sleep durations, with a focus on enhancing sleep literacy. Beginning with an exploration of insufficient sleep syndrome, this review delves into research on optimal sleep duration and examines foundational studies on sleep debt's impact on the developing brain. Finally, it addresses the challenges inherent in sleep education programs from the perspective of sleep literacy. By doing so, this review seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of the chronic sleep debt issues faced by adolescents, particularly those affected by insufficient sleep syndrome.

The transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has shown promise in spinal cord injury (SCI) model animals. Establishing a functional synaptic connection between the transplanted and host neurons is crucial for motor function recovery. To boost therapeutic outcomes, we developed an ex vivo gene therapy aimed at promoting synapse formation by expressing the synthetic excitatory synapse organizer CPTX in hiPSC-NS/PCs. Using an immunocompromised transgenic rat model of SCI, we evaluated the effects of transplanting CPTX-expressing hiPSC-NS/PCs using histological and functional analyses. Our findings revealed a significant increase in excitatory synapse formation at the transplantation site. Retrograde monosynaptic tracing indicated extensive integration of transplanted neurons into the surrounding neuronal tracts facilitated by CPTX. Consequently, locomotion and spinal cord conduction significantly improved. Thus, ex vivo gene therapy targeting synapse formation holds promise for future clinical applications and offers potential benefits to individuals with SCI., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests H.O. and M.N. are compensated scientific consultants from K Pharma, and H.O. is also a compensated scientific consultant from San Bio. No management, preparation, analysis, interpretation, or review of data were performed by the funding sources., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bone marrow endothelial cells (BMECs) play a key role in bone formation and haematopoiesis. Although recent studies uncovered the cellular taxonomy of stromal compartments in the bone marrow (BM), the complexity of BMECs is not fully characterized. In the present study, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we defined a spatial heterogeneity of BMECs and identified a capillary subtype, termed type S (secondary ossification) endothelial cells (ECs), exclusively existing in the epiphysis. Type S ECs possessed unique phenotypic characteristics in terms of structure, plasticity and gene expression profiles. Genetic experiments showed that type S ECs atypically contributed to the acquisition of bone strength by secreting type I collagen, the most abundant bone matrix component. Moreover, these cells formed a distinct reservoir for haematopoietic stem cells. These findings provide the landscape for the cellular architecture in the BM vasculature and underscore the importance of epiphyseal ECs during bone and haematopoietic development., (© 2023. The Author(s).)