OCT4 and the acquisition of oocyte developmental competence during folliculogenesis

The role that the transcription factor OCT4 plays during oocyte growth is yet unknown. In this review, we summarise the data on its potential role in the acquisition of oocyte developmental competence in the mouse. These studies describe the presence in MII oocytes and 2-cell embryos of an OCT4 transcriptional network that might be part of the molecular signature of maternal origin on which the inner cell mass and the embryonic stem cell-associated pluripotency is assembled and shaped. The Oct4-gene regulatory network thus provides a connection between eggs, early preimplantation embryos and embryonic stem cells

Self-perceived physical level and fitness performance in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients show a higher risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular diseases due to the presence of systemic low-grade chronic inflammation. Exercise can improve cardiovascular fitness and modulate the inflammatory processes. We evaluated the physical activity (PA) level and the fitness performance of children and adolescents with IBD. Patients and methods: We considered 54 pediatric patients with IBD (14.6 ± 2.2; 22 M), including CD (n = 27) UC (n = 24) and IBD unclassified (n = 3), and 70 healthy children. In all children, the Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ-C) and the International Fitness Enjoyment Scale were self-reported and recorded. Results: PAQ-C showed significant difference in PA levels in patients with IBD compared to controls (p < 0.001). A decrease in general fitness (p = 0.003), cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.002), strength (p = 0.01), speed agility (p = 0.003), and flexibility (p = 0.01) were also detected between patients and controls. Speed agility was related to age (p = 0.02) and BMI z-score (p = 0.01), and flexibility to BMI z-score (p = 0.05). We noted a correlation between PA levels and physician global assessment (p = 0.021) and activity disease severity (p = 0.025). Conclusions: A poorer PA level and poor physical competence were found in patients with IBD compared to healthy children and adolescents. Monitored exercise could provide multiple benefits at both physical and psychological levels

PENGETAHUAN IBU HAMIL TENTANG TANDA-TANDA BAHAYA KEHAMILAN PADA TRIMESTER III

Pada umumnya kehamilan berkembang dengan normal dan menghasilkan kelahiran bayi sehat cukup bulan melalui jalan lahir namun kadang-kadang tidak sesuai dengan yang diharapkan. Sulit diketahui sebelumnya bahwa kehamilan akan menjadi masalah (Prawirohardjo, 2006).Kurangnya pengetahuan ibu dan keluarga tentang kehamilan resiko tinggi dapat meningkatkan kejadian resiko tinggi pada kehamilan. Keterlambatan dalam mengenali secara dini tanda bahaya kehamilan dapat meningkatkan kejadian resiko tinggi kehamilan karena dalam keadaan kehamilan normal pun dapat secara tiba-tiba menjadi resiko tinggi (Depkes, 2009).Tanda-tanda bahaya pada kehamilan yang terjadi pada seorang ibu hamil merupakan suatu pertanda telah terjadinya suatu masalah yang serius pada ibu atau janin yang dikandungnya. Tanda-tanda bahaya ini dapat terjadi pada awal kehamilan (hamil muda) atau pada pertengahan atau pada akhir kehamilan (hamil tua) (Depkes RI, 2009). Adapun macam-macam tanda bahaya kehamilan pada trimester tiga antara lain: Perdarahan pervaginam, keluar air ketuban sebelum waktunya, demam tinggi, bengkak dikaki, muka dan tangan, sakit kepala yang hebat, gerakan janin tidak ada atau kurang (minimal 3 kali dalam 1 jam) (Azrul, 2005).Pengetahuan ibu dan keluarga tentang tanda-tanda bahaya kehamilan dapat memberikan landasan yang kuat agar terwujudnya perilaku sehat dalam menekankan upaya kesehatan promotif selama kehamilan. Di mana pengetahuan merupakan salah satu faktor predisposisi yang dapat mempengaruhi perilaku manusia, termasuk di dalamnya adalah perilaku ibu hamil dalam memanfaatkan secara optimal fasilitas pelayanan kesehatan (Notoatmodjo, 2007).Banda Ace

Effects of an online supervised exercise training in children with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 restrictions have dramatically reduced the active lifestyle and physical activity (PA) levels in the whole population, a situation that can contribute to weight gain and to develop obesity. To improve physical fitness (PF) in children with obesity during COVID-19 restrictions, sport specialists started to deliver physical training through tele-exercise. For these reasons, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-week online supervised training program in children with obesity on different PF components and PA levels. We enrolled a total of 40 Caucasian children (9 F/31 M; aged 11 +/- 1.9 years) with obesity. The data collection consisted of a series of anthropometric measures, the PAQ-C questionnaire, and PF tests, valid and reliable tools to assess PF in children. We used a Wilcoxon's t-test and a Student's t-test, as appropriate, to assess the differences before and after the training protocol. A total of 37 patients completed the training protocol and were considered in the analysis. Our results show an improvement in all the PF tests, a reduction in the BMI z-score, the waist circumference, and in the waist-to-height ratio, and an increased PA level. In conclusion, the results of our study show that an online supervised training program is effective to promote PA, improving PF and reducing the BMI z-score in children with obesity

Combatting Sedentary Behaviors by Delivering Remote Physical Exercise in Children and Adolescents with Obesity in the COVID-19 Era: A Narrative Review

The coexistence of childhood obesity (or its risk) and COVID-19 pandemic put children and adolescents in greater risk to develop respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, the restrictions introduced to limit the spread of the virus had detrimental effects on various lifestyle components, especially in young population. This resulted in augmented levels of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors and a reduced time spent in play outdoors or sport practices. Contrariwise, the increased use of technology led clinicians, teachers, and trainers to maintain relations with obese children/adolescents so as to reduce sedentary behaviors and the associated health risks. This narrative review aims to describe the role of Telehealth and Tele-exercise as useful tools in the management of pediatric obesity during COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth and Tele-exercise were effective in promoting self-monitoring and behavioral changes, including adherence to exercise training programs in children and adolescents. Moreover, tele-exercise platforms such as applications or exergames allowed flexible scheduling, limiting the infection risks

HuD is a neural translation enhancer acting on mTORC1-responsive genes and counteracted by the Y3 small non-coding RNA

The RNA-binding protein HuD promotes neurogenesis and favors recovery from peripheral axon injury. HuD interacts with many mRNAs, altering both stability and translation efficiency. We generated a nucleotide resolution map of the HuD RNA interactome in motor neuron-like cells, identifying HuD target sites in 1,304 mRNAs, almost exclusively in the 3' UTR. HuD binds many mRNAs encoding mTORC1-responsive ribosomal proteins and translation factors. Altered HuD expression correlates with the translation efficiency of these mRNAs and overall protein synthesis, in a mTORC1-independent fashion. The predominant HuD target is the abundant, small non-coding RNA Y3, amounting to 70% of the HuD interaction signal. Y3 functions as a molecular sponge for HuD, dynamically limiting its recruitment to polysomes and its activity as a translation and neuron differentiation enhancer. These findings uncover an alternative route to the mTORC1 pathway for translational control in motor neurons that is tunable by a small non-coding RNA

Extracellular serine empowers epidermal proliferation and psoriasis-like symptoms

The contribution of nutrient availability to control epidermal cell proliferation, inflammation, and hyperproliferative diseases remains unknown. Here, we studied extracellular serine and serine/glycine metabolism using human keratinocytes, human skin biopsies, and a mouse model of psoriasis-like disease. We focused on a metabolic enzyme, serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), that converts serine into glycine and tetrahydrofolate-bound one‑carbon units to support cell growth. We found that keratinocytes are both serine and glycine auxotrophs. Metabolomic profiling and hypoxanthine supplementation indicated that SHMT silencing/inhibition reduced cell growth through purine depletion, leading to nucleotide loss. In addition, topical application of an SHMT inhibitor suppressed both keratinocyte proliferation and inflammation in the imiquimod model and resulted in a decrease in psoriasis-associated gene expression. In conclusion, our study highlights SHMT2 activity and serine/glycine availability as an important metabolic hub controlling both keratinocyte proliferation and inflammatory cell expansion in psoriasis and holds promise for additional approaches to treat skin diseases

A Systematic Review of Gastrointestinal Manifestations in Children Presenting with COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 infection commonly presents with mild to severe respiratory symptoms and possibly other organs involvement. Gastrointestinal manifestations have been frequently documented in adult patients whilst their occurrence in children is uncertain. This study aimed to perform a Systematic Review of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to compare these clinical findings with those reported in a cohort of Italian children in the early phase of pandemic. Methods: Literature search was conducted using the Cochrane Library and MEDLINE (via Pubmed) databases from 1st December 2019 to 28th April 2020, according to the PRISMA guidelines. The following search terms were inserted: "Coronavirus" OR "COVID-19" OR "SARS-CoV-2" AND "gastrointestinal" or "diarrhea". Only papers including children (0-18 years) and gastrointestinal symptoms were considered as eligible. Data records of children living in Lombardy, Italy, with infection of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosed by rRT-PCR on pharyngeal swabs, from 1st March to 28th April were also collected, analyzed and compared. Results: The Systematic Review showed that only a minority of studies assessed gastrointestinal symptoms in children. However, diarrhea accounted for 0-50%, vomit 5-67% and abdominal pain 5.8-33.3% of infected children and gastrointestinal symptoms may represent the sole feature of COVID-19. Gastrointestinal symptoms were reported in 51/116 (44%) Italian children with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Poor feeding was present in 23.3% of children, diarrhea (median duration 2.3 days, range 1-5 days) in 22.4%, vomit in 10.4% and abdominal pain in 6.9% of cases. Respiratory symptoms were reported in 35.3% of children with gastrointestinal symptoms that represented the first clinical manifestation of COVID-19 in 25% of all patients. Conclusions: We found that gastrointestinal symptoms are common in children with COVID-19 and, in some cases, they may represent the first and the sole clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Health care professionals must be aware of the frequent gastrointestinal involvement in children to assure an accurate diagnosis and therapeutic management. The correct identification of children with COVID-19 is also crucial to adopt preventive measures and to limit the transmission of the virus

Transcriptome based identification of mouse cumulus cell markers that predict the developmental competence of their enclosed antral oocytes

BACKGROUND: The cumulus cells (CCs) enveloping antral and ovulated oocytes have been regarded as putative source of non-invasive markers of the oocyte developmental competence. A number of studies have indeed observed a correlation between CCs gene expression, embryo quality, and final pregnancy outcome. Here, we isolated CCs from antral mouse oocytes of known developmental incompetence (NSN-CCs) or competence (SN-CCs) and compared their transcriptomes with the aim of identifying distinct marker transcripts. RESULTS: Global gene expression analysis highlighted that both types of CCs share similar transcriptomes, with the exception of 422 genes, 97.6% of which were down-regulated in NSN-CCs vs. SN-CCs. This transcriptional down-regulation in NSN-CCs was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis of CC-related genes (Has2, Ptx3, Tnfaip6 and Ptgs2). Only ten of the 422 genes were up-regulated with Amh being the most up-regulated in NSN-CCs, with an average 4-fold higher expression when analysed by qRT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: The developmental incompetence (NSN) or competence (SN) of antral oocytes can be predicted using transcript markers expressed by their surrounding CCs (i.e., Has2, Ptx3, Tnfaip6, Ptgs2 and Amh). Overall, the regulated nature of the group of genes brought out by whole transcriptome analysis constitutes the molecular signature of CCs associated either with developmentally incompetent or competent oocytes and may represent a valuable resource for developing new molecular tools for the assessment of oocyte quality and to further investigate the complex bi-directional interaction occurring between CCs and oocyte

Multicentre Italian study of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents, preliminary data as at 10 April 2020

Data on features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children and adolescents are scarce. We report preliminary results of an Italian multicentre study comprising 168 laboratory-confirmed paediatric cases (median: 2.3 years, range: 1 day-17.7 years, 55.9% males), of which 67.9% were hospitalised and 19.6% had comorbidities. Fever was the most common symptom, gastrointestinal manifestations were frequent; two children required intensive care, five had seizures, 49 received experimental treatments and all recovered