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ImportanceMost research to understand postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID, has focused on adults, with less known about this complex condition in children. Research is needed to characterize pediatric PASC to enable studies of underlying mechanisms that will guide future treatment.ObjectiveTo identify the most common prolonged symptoms experienced by children (aged 6 to 17 years) after SARS-CoV-2 infection, how these symptoms differ by age (school-age [6-11 years] vs adolescents [12-17 years]), how they cluster into distinct phenotypes, and what symptoms in combination could be used as an empirically derived index to assist researchers to study the likely presence of PASC.Design, setting, and participantsMulticenter longitudinal observational cohort study with participants recruited from more than 60 US health care and community settings between March 2022 and December 2023, including school-age children and adolescents with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection history.ExposureSARS-CoV-2 infection.Main outcomes and measuresPASC and 89 prolonged symptoms across 9 symptom domains.ResultsA total of 898 school-age children (751 with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection [referred to as infected] and 147 without [referred to as uninfected]; mean age, 8.6 years; 49% female; 11% were Black or African American, 34% were Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish, and 60% were White) and 4469 adolescents (3109 infected and 1360 uninfected; mean age, 14.8 years; 48% female; 13% were Black or African American, 21% were Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish, and 73% were White) were included. Median time between first infection and symptom survey was 506 days for school-age children and 556 days for adolescents. In models adjusted for sex and race and ethnicity, 14 symptoms in both school-age children and adolescents were more common in those with SARS-CoV-2 infection history compared with those without infection history, with 4 additional symptoms in school-age children only and 3 in adolescents only. These symptoms affected almost every organ system. Combinations of symptoms most associated with infection history were identified to form a PASC research index for each age group; these indices correlated with poorer overall health and quality of life. The index emphasizes neurocognitive, pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms in school-age children but change or loss in smell or taste, pain, and fatigue/malaise-related symptoms in adolescents. Clustering analyses identified 4 PASC symptom phenotypes in school-age children and 3 in adolescents.Conclusions and relevanceThis study developed research indices for characterizing PASC in children and adolescents. Symptom patterns were similar but distinguishable between the 2 groups, highlighting the importance of characterizing PASC separately for these age ranges.

IMPORTANCE: The prevalence, pathophysiology, and long-term outcomes of COVID-19 (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 [PASC] or Long COVID) in children and young adults remain unknown. Studies must address the urgent need to define PASC, its mechanisms, and potential treatment targets in children and young adults. OBSERVATIONS: We describe the protocol for the Pediatric Observational Cohort Study of the NIHs REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative. RECOVER-Pediatrics is an observational meta-cohort study of caregiver-child pairs (birth through 17 years) and young adults (18 through 25 years), recruited from more than 100 sites across the US. This report focuses on two of four cohorts that comprise RECOVER-Pediatrics: 1) a de novo RECOVER prospective cohort of children and young adults with and without previous or current infection; and 2) an extant cohort derived from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (n = 10,000). The de novo cohort incorporates three tiers of data collection: 1) remote baseline assessments (Tier 1, n = 6000); 2) longitudinal follow-up for up to 4 years (Tier 2, n = 6000); and 3) a subset of participants, primarily the most severely affected by PASC, who will undergo deep phenotyping to explore PASC pathophysiology (Tier 3, n = 600). Youth enrolled in the ABCD study participate in Tier 1. The pediatric protocol was developed as a collaborative partnership of investigators, patients, researchers, clinicians, community partners, and federal partners, intentionally promoting inclusivity and diversity. The protocol is adaptive to facilitate responses to emerging science. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: RECOVER-Pediatrics seeks to characterize the clinical course, underlying mechanisms, and long-term effects of PASC from birth through 25 years old. RECOVER-Pediatrics is designed to elucidate the epidemiology, four-year clinical course, and sociodemographic correlates of pediatric PASC. The data and biosamples will allow examination of mechanistic hypotheses and biomarkers, thus providing insights into potential therapeutic interventions. CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT05172011.

Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is the most common congenital lesion detected in the neonatal lung, which may lead to respiratory distress, infection, and pneumothorax. CPAM is thought to result from abnormal branching morphogenesis during fetal lung development, arising from different locations within the developing respiratory tract. However, the pathogenic mechanisms are unknown, and previous studies have focused on abnormalities in airway epithelial cells. We have analyzed 13 excised lung specimens from infants (age

Lung alveolarization requires precise coordination of cell growth with extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and deposition. The role of extracellular matrices in alveogenesis is not fully understood, because prior knowledge is largely extrapolated from two-dimensional structural analysis. Herein, we studied temporospatial changes of two important ECM proteins, laminin and elastin that are tightly associated with alveolar capillary growth and lung elastic recoil respectively, during both mouse and human lung alveolarization. By combining protein immunofluorescence staining with two- and three-dimensional imaging, we found that the laminin network was simplified along with the thinning of septal walls during alveogenesis, and more tightly associated with alveolar endothelial cells in matured lung. In contrast, elastin fibers were initially localized to the saccular openings of nascent alveoli, forming a ring-like structure. Then, throughout alveolar growth, the number of such alveolar mouth ring-like structures increased, while the relative ring size decreased. These rings were interconnected via additional elastin fibers. The apparent patches and dots of elastin at the tips of alveolar septae found in two-dimensional images were cross sections of elastin ring fibers in the three-dimension. Thus, the previous concept that deposition of elastin at alveolar tips drives septal inward growth may potentially be conceptually challenged by our data.

A paradox is a seemingly absurd or impossible concept, proposition, or theory that is often difficult to understand or explain, sometimes apparently self-contradictory, and yet ultimately correct or true. How is it possible, for example, that oxygen "a toxic environmental poison" could be also indispensable for life (Beckman and Ames Physiol Rev 78(2):547-81, 1998; Stadtman and Berlett Chem Res Toxicol 10(5):485-94, 1997)?: the so-called Oxygen Paradox (Davies and Ursini 1995; Davies Biochem Soc Symp 61:1-31, 1995). How can French people apparently disregard the rule that high dietary intakes of cholesterol and saturated fats (e.g., cheese and paté) will result in an early death from cardiovascular diseases (Renaud and de Lorgeril Lancet 339(8808):1523-6, 1992; Catalgol et al. Front Pharmacol 3:141, 2012; Eisenberg et al. Nat Med 22(12):1428-1438, 2016)?: the so-called, French Paradox. Doubtless, the truth is not a duality and epistemological bias probably generates apparently self-contradictory conclusions. Perhaps nowhere in biology are there so many apparently contradictory views, and even experimental results, affecting human physiology and pathology as in the fields of free radicals and oxidative stress, antioxidants, foods and drinks, and dietary recommendations; this is particularly true when issues such as disease-susceptibility or avoidance, "healthspan," "lifespan," and ageing are involved. Consider, for example, the apparently paradoxical observation that treatment with low doses of a substance that is toxic at high concentrations may actually induce transient adaptations that protect against a subsequent exposure to the same (or similar) toxin. This particular paradox is now mechanistically explained as "Adaptive Homeostasis" (Davies Mol Asp Med 49:1-7, 2016; Pomatto et al. 2017a; Lomeli et al. Clin Sci (Lond) 131(21):2573-2599, 2017; Pomatto and Davies 2017); the non-damaging process by which an apparent toxicant can activate biological signal transduction pathways to increase expression of protective genes, by mechanisms that are completely different from those by which the same agent induces toxicity at high concentrations. In this review, we explore the influences and effects of paradoxes such as the Oxygen Paradox and the French Paradox on the etiology, progression, and outcomes of many of the major human age-related diseases, as well as the basic biological phenomenon of ageing itself.

BackgroundAdenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) is a tumor suppressor that inhibits Wnt/Ctnnb1. Mutations of Apc will not only lead to familial adenomatous polyposis with associated epithelial lesions, but will also cause aggressive fibromatosis in mesenchymal cells. However, the roles of Apc in regulating mesenchymal cell biology and organogenesis during development are unknown.ResultsWe have specifically deleted the Apc gene in lung mesenchymal cells during early lung development in mice. Loss of Apc function resulted in immediate mesenchymal cell hyperproliferation through abnormal activation of Wnt/Ctnnb1, followed by a subsequent inhibition of cell proliferation due to cell cycle arrest at G0/G1, which was caused by a mechanism independent of Wnt/Ctnnb1. Meanwhile, abrogation of Apc also disrupted lung mesenchymal cell differentiation, including decreased airway and vascular smooth muscle cells, the presence of Sox9-positive mesenchymal cells in the peripheral lung, and excessive versican production. Moreover, lung epithelial branching morphogenesis was drastically inhibited due to disrupted Bmp4-Fgf10 morphogen production and regulation in surrounding lung mesenchyme. Lastly, lung mesenchyme-specific Apc conditional knockout also resulted in altered lung vasculogenesis and disrupted pulmonary vascular continuity through a paracrine mechanism, leading to massive pulmonary hemorrhage and lethality at mid-gestation when the pulmonary circulation should have started.ConclusionsOur study suggests that Apc in lung mesenchyme plays central roles in coordinating the proper development of several quite different cellular compartments including lung epithelial branching and pulmonary vascular circulation during lung organogenesis.

Kenneth Hirth. 2020. The organization of ancient economies: a global perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 978-1-109-49470-0 hardback 29.99 [pounds sterling]. Ostensibly, this is a rather ambitious attempt to grasp the [...]

Recent experimental work has described an elegant pattern of branching in the development of the lung. Multiple forms of branching have been identified, including side branching and tip bifurcation. A particularly interesting feature is the phenomenon of 'orthogonal rotation of the branching plane'. The lung must fill 3D space with the essentially 2D phenomenon of branching. It accomplishes this by rotating the branching plane by 90° with each generation. The mechanisms underlying this rotation are not understood. In general, the programmes that underlie branching have been hypothetically attributed to genetic 'subroutines' under the control of a 'global master routine' to invoke particular subroutines at the proper time and location, but the mechanisms of these routines are not known. Here, we demonstrate that fundamental mechanisms, the reaction and diffusion of biochemical morphogens, can create these patterns. We used a partial differential equation model that postulates three morphogens, which we identify with specific molecules in lung development. We found that cascades of branching events, including side branching, tip splitting and orthogonal rotation of the branching plane, all emerge immediately from the model, without further assumptions. In addition, we found that one branching mode can be easily switched to another, by increasing or decreasing the values of key parameters. This shows how a 'global master routine' could work by the alteration of a single parameter. Being able to simulate cascades of branching events is necessary to understand the critical features of branching, such as orthogonal rotation of the branching plane between successive generations, and branching mode switch during lung development. Thus, our model provides a paradigm for how genes could possibly act to produce these spatial structures. Our low-dimensional model gives a qualitative understanding of how generic physiological mechanisms can produce branching phenomena, and how the system can switch from one branching pattern to another using low-dimensional 'control knobs'. The model provides a number of testable predictions, some of which have already been observed (though not explained) in experimental work.

Abstract Background Reciprocal interactions between lung mesenchymal and epithelial cells play essential roles in lung organogenesis and homeostasis. Although the molecular markers and related animal models that target lung epithelial cells are relatively well studied, molecular markers of lung mesenchymal cells and the genetic tools to target and/or manipulate gene expression in a lung mesenchyme-specific manner are not available, which becomes a critical barrier to the study of lung mesenchymal biology and the related pulmonary diseases. Results We have identified a mouse Tbx4 gene enhancer that contains conserved DNA sequences across many vertebrate species with lung or lung-like gas exchange organ. We then generate a mouse line to express rtTA/LacZ under the control of the Tbx4 lung enhancer, and therefore a Tet-On inducible transgenic system to target lung mesenchymal cells at different developmental stages. By combining a Tbx4-rtTA driven Tet-On inducible Cre expression mouse line with a Cre reporter mouse line, the spatial-temporal patterns of Tbx4 lung enhancer targeted lung mesenchymal cells were defined. Pulmonary endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells were targeted by the Tbx4-rtTA driver line prior to E11.5 and E15.5, respectively, while other subtypes of lung mesenchymal cells including airway smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, pericytes could be targeted during the entire developmental stage. Conclusions Developmental lung mesenchymal cells can be specifically marked by Tbx4 lung enhancer activity. With our newly created Tbx4 lung enhancer-driven Tet-On inducible system, lung mesenchymal cells can be specifically and differentially targeted in vivo for the first time by controlling the doxycycline induction time window. This novel system provides a unique tool to study lung mesenchymal cell lineages and gene functions in lung mesenchymal development, injury repair, and regeneration in mice.

ObjectiveTo determine whether epigenetic changes occur during cyclophosphamide-induced chronic bladder inflammation in mice.Materials and methodsEpigenetic changes play a role in the regulation of inflammatory genes in noncancer diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, epigenetic (deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA] methylation) changes during chronic bladder inflammation have not been previously described. Chronic cystitis was induced in 3 groups of adult CD-1 male mice using multiple weight-based intraperitoneal cyclophosphamide injections during a 3-month period. Histopathologic and MethyLight assays were performed on specimens with chronic bladder inflammation at multiple points to monitor cystitis progression and DNA methylation changes compared with the control specimens.ResultsHistopathologic analysis showed the most extensive edema and urothelial sloughing at the 1-month point. MethyLight analyses revealed statistically significant changes in DNA methylation associated with the Calca, Timp3, Mmp2, and Igf2r genes in the chronic bladder injury model. The changes in DNA methylation associated with chronic cystitis were DNA hypomethylation of the Calca gene in the control tissue and DNA hypermethylation for the Calca, Timp3, Mmp2, and Igf2r genes compared with that in the control tissue.ConclusionDNA methylation changes were noted in the Calca, Timp3, Mmp2, and Igf2r genes during chronic cystitis in a murine model. Epigenetic changes appear to play a role in the regulation of inflammatory bladder genes during chronic cystitis; however, additional studies are needed to elucidate the pathways associated with these genes.

JOYCE C. WHITE & ELIZABETH G. HAMILTON (ed.). Ban Chiang, northeast Thailand, volume 2A: background to the study of the metal remains (University Museum Monograph 149). 2018. Philadelphia: University of [...]

In 2019, a domestic raw coal ban (RCB) was introduced in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Coal-briquettes have since been promoted in Ger district households, however implications for carbon monoxide (CO) exposure remains uncertain. We obtained 48-hour indoor CO concentrations in 23 Ger district households and compared these to 10 raw-coal households. Information on household characteristics, fuel use behaviour and stove venting practices was collected by survey. Mean 48-hour CO concentrations in coal-briquette households was 6.1 ppm (range 1.5–35.8 ppm) with no signfiicant differences by household, stove or venting factors. Peak time-weighted average CO concentrations exceeded WHO Indoor Air Quality guidelines in 9 (39%) households; with all surpassing the 8-hour guideline (>8.6 ppm); 3(13%) the 24-hour guideline (>6 ppm) and 2(9%) the 1-hour guideline (>30 ppm). Median CO levels were significantly lower in coal-briquette compared to raw coal households (p = 0.049). Indoor CO reduction was associated with RCB implementation although hazardous levels persist in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BRIAN MUHS. The ancient Egyptian economy 3000-30 BCE. 2016. New York: Cambridge University Press; 978-1-107-11336-7 $99.99. EMILY S.K. ANDERSON. Seals, craft and community in Bronze Age Crete. 2016. New York: [...]