Neural stem cell quiescence and stemness are molecularly distinct outputs of the notch3 signalling cascade in the vertebrate adult brain

International audienceNeural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult vertebrate brain are found in a quiescent state and can preserve long-lasting progenitor potential (stemness). Whether and how these two properties are linked, and to what extent they can be independently controlled by NSC maintenance pathways, is unresolved. We have previously identified Notch3 signalling as a major quiescence-promoting pathway in adult NSCs of the zebrafish pallium. We now show that Notch3 also controls NSC stemness. Using parallel transcriptomic characterizations of notch3 mutant NSCs and adult NSC physiological states, we demonstrate that a set of potentially direct Notch3 target genes distinguishes quiescence and stemness control. As a proof of principle, we focus on one 'stemness' target, encoding the bHLH transcription factor Hey1, that has not yet been analysed in adult NSCs. We show that abrogation of Hey1 function in adult pallial NSCs in vivo, including quiescent NSCs, leads to their differentiation without affecting their proliferation state. These results demonstrate that quiescence and stemness are molecularly distinct outputs of Notch3 signalling, and identify Hey1 as a major Notch3 effector controlling NSC stemness in the vertebrate adult brain

Ol-insm1b, a SNAG family transcription factor involved in cell cycle arrest during medaka development

AbstractThrough whole-mount in situ hybridisation screen on medaka (Oryzias latipes) brain, Ol-insm1b, a member of the Insm1/Mlt1 subfamily of SNAG-domain containing genes, has been isolated. It is strongly expressed during neurogenesis and pancreas organogenesis, with a pattern that suggests a role in cell cycle exit. Here, we describe Ol-insm1b expression pattern throughout development and in adult brain, and we report on its functional characterisation. Our data point to a previously unravelled role for Ol-insm1b as a down-regulator of cell proliferation during development, as it slows down the cycle without triggering apoptosis. Clonal analysis demonstrates that this effect is cell-autonomous, and, through molecular dissection studies, we demonstrate that it is likely to be non-transcriptional, albeit mediated by zinc-finger domains. Additionally, we report that Ol-insm1b mRNA, when injected in one cell of two-cell stage embryos, exhibits a surprising behaviour: it does not spread uniformly amongst daughter cells but remains cytoplasmically localised in the progeny of the injected blastomere. Our experiments suggest that Insm1 is a negative regulator of cell proliferation, possibly through mechanisms that do not involve modulation of transcription

Successful Percutaneous Retrieval of an Embolized Left Atrial Appendage Occluder

A 75-year-old man with a previous mitral valve repair experienced embolization of a left atrial appendage occlusion device in the left atrium. The device was successfully retrieved using a double snaring technique, without the need for open surgery. This is an unusual report of left atrial appendage occluder retrieval, confirming the feasibility of the technique and the high flexibility of the device. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.

Evaluation of vestibular function in patients affected by obstructive sleep apnea performing functional head impulse test (fHIT)

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common disease with significantly related complications. Since a connection between the vestibular nucleus and sleep regulator pathways has been demonstrated, vestibular evaluation in OSA patients was partially studied and none used functional head impulse test (fHIT) for this purpose. This paper aimed at evaluating the vestibular function in patients affected by OSA using fHIT, selecting patients who did not present any other related to cardiovascular, neurological, or metabolic diseases. Patients and Methods: Patients enrolled had a diagnosis of OSA by polysomnography type III and were cataloged according to American Association of Sleep Medicine criteria. Each patient underwent fHIT. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 85 patients were enrolled in the study of which 50 had a diagnosis of OSA and were included in the case group, while 35 belonged to the control group. In 88.6% of subjects of the case group was evidenced a vestibular impairment with a substantial difference between the two study groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results show that the incidence of vestibular lesions in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea is underestimated and that fHIT can identify these lesions early

Health Management in Italian Prisons during {COVID}-19 Outbreak: A Focus on the Second and Third Wave

The SARS-CoV-2 spread is a threatening and challenging issue for correctional systems worldwide because of many factors, particularly overcrowding and of the intrinsic characteristics of the population. The prevention measures adopted by the Italian Government were aimed to protect and preserve both inmates’ and prison workers’ health. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the adopted strategies. Methods: Data regarding Italian prisons’ occupation and prisoners’ population from January 2019 to June 2021, as well as the cumulative weekly increase of confirmed cases and the number of doses of vaccine administered among the population of inmates, the prison workers, and Italian population from November 2020 to the end of June 2021, were collected. Results: Prisons’ occupation dropped from 120% to 106% after the beginning of the pandemics. The confirmed cases between inmates were consistently lower than among the Italian population and prison workers. A time-series chart showed a time lag of one week between the peaks of the different population. Conclusions: The containing strategies adopted by the Italian correctional system have proved their effectiveness in terms of the prevention and protection of both inmate and staff health

Acute Modification of Hemodynamic Forces in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the established first-line treatment for patient with severe aortic stenosis not suitable for surgery. Echocardiographic evaluation of hemodynamic forces (HDFs) is a growing field, holding the potential to early predict improvement in LV function. A prospective observational study was conducted. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed before and after TAVI. HDFs were analyzed along with traditional left ventricular (LV) function parameters. Twenty-five consecutive patients undergoing TAVI were enrolled: mean age 83 +/- 5 years, 74.5% male, mean LV Ejection Fraction (LVEF) at baseline 57 +/- 8%. Post-TAVI echocardiographic evaluation was performed 2.4 +/- 1.06 days after the procedure. HDF amplitude parameters improved significantly after the procedure: LV Longitudinal Forces (LF) apex-base [mean difference (MD) 1.79%; 95% CI 1.07-2.5; p-value < 0.001]; LV systolic LF apex-base (MD 2.6%; 95% CI 1.57-3.7; p-value < 0.001); LV impulse (LVim) apex-base (MD 2.9%; 95% CI 1.48-4.3; p-value < 0.001). Similarly, HDFs orientation parameters improved: LVLF angle (MD 1.5 degrees; 95% CI 0.07-2.9; p-value = 0.041); LVim angle (MD 2.16 degrees; 95% CI 0.76-3.56; p-value = 0.004). Conversely, global longitudinal strain and LVEF did not show any significant difference before and after the procedure. Echocardiographic analysis of HDFs could help differentiate patients with LV function recovery after TAVI from patients with persistent hemodynamic dysfunction

Obstructive sleep apnoea patients vs laryngopharyngeal reflux disease: Non-invasive evaluation with NBI and pepsin detection in tears

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR) are two common diseases that lower patients' quality of life. OSA is defined by cyclic events of airflow obstruction that occur during sleep, while LPR is characterized by upper airway inflammatory signs and symptoms due to the return of gastroduodenal gaseous and liquid elements. pH-metry is the gold standard in LPR diagnosis, but considering its invasiveness among other negative traits, questionnaires that catalog symptoms and signs of the disease such as Reflux Symptoms Index (RSI) and Reflux Finding Score (RFS) are preferred. Moreover, LPR can be evaluated by testing the presence of pepsin in tears, and Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) has been introduced for the early diagnosis of larynx oncological disease. This paper aims to test whether LPR is more frequent in OSA patients than in control ones, performing a non-invasive protocol composed of RSI, RFS test (with light vs. NBI techniques), followed by pepsin detection in tears. 68 LPR patients were enrolled in the study (45 with OSA and 23 without OSA). A strong linear relationship between Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) was found, and patients who presented pepsin in tears had higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to patients without it. Pathological RFS and NBI showed higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to the control group. Furthermore, pathological RSI showed higher values of AHI and ODI in comparison to the control group. In conclusion, this diagnostic combined non-invasive protocol may be a good method to perform an early diagnosis of LPR