H4 Histamine Receptors Mediate Cell Cycle Arrest in Growth Factor-Induced Murine and Human Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

The most recently characterized H4 histamine receptor (H4R) is expressed preferentially in the bone marrow, raising the question of its role during hematopoiesis. Here we show that both murine and human progenitor cell populations express this receptor subtype on transcriptional and protein levels and respond to its agonists by reduced growth factor-induced cell cycle progression that leads to decreased myeloid, erythroid and lymphoid colony formation. H4R activation prevents the induction of cell cycle genes through a cAMP/PKA-dependent pathway that is not associated with apoptosis. It is mediated specifically through H4R signaling since gene silencing or treatment with selective antagonists restores normal cell cycle progression. The arrest of growth factor-induced G1/S transition protects murine and human progenitor cells from the toxicity of the cell cycle-dependent anticancer drug Ara-C in vitro and reduces aplasia in a murine model of chemotherapy. This first evidence for functional H4R expression in hematopoietic progenitors opens new therapeutic perspectives for alleviating hematotoxic side effects of antineoplastic drugs

Trouble du spectre de l'autisme ou spectre des troubles du neurodéveloppement: Quels repères pour un diagnostic utile pour l'intervention.

International audienc

Electrophysiological characterisation of myoclonic-atonic seizures in symptomatic continuous spike-waves during slow sleep syndrome.

Sudden epileptic falls are frequently reported in continuous spike-waves during slow sleep (CSWS) syndrome. Inhibitory seizures are usually considered as the underlying mechanism. However, published polygraphic recordings are rare. We report the case of a 22 month-old boy suffering from a symptomatic CSWS syndrome associated with a perinatal stroke involving the right middle cerebral artery territory. He presented with psychomotor regression and daily multiple falls related to myoclonic-atonic seizures. Neurophysiological examination showed secondary generalized myoclonus systematically correlated with a bilateral spike spreading from the right central area. This confirms that positive myoclonus, in addition to negative myoclonus, may be responsible for epileptic falls in CSWS syndrome. [Published with video sequences]

Impact of Belgian COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on autistic individuals’ socio-communicative behaviors and their parents’ quality of life

BackgroundIn the spring of 2020, Belgian authorities enforced a full lockdown period to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This lockdown drastically disrupted the daily life of autistic individuals’ and that of their families. In the midst of these extraordinary circumstances, we assessed the impact of social restrictions on autistic individuals’ behavior and their parents’ or caregivers’ quality of life; we also sought to identify individual characteristics that may influence such changes.MethodsWe designed an online survey targeting caregivers living with an autistic child or adult. The questionnaire included 125 five-point Likert questions which targeted changes in families’ quality of life and in autistic individuals’ behavior, as well as factors likely to influence the extent and direction of these changes.ResultsWe collected data from 209 French-speaking Belgian respondents. Respondents reported that the lockdown brought about a higher frequency of nonfunctional socio-communicative behaviors, as well as a decrease in families’ quality of life. Parents who had less access to respite care experienced a steeper decrease in their quality of life. Autistic individuals with comorbidities, and whose parents had less access to respite care and implemented fewer rules at home during lockdown were more likely to display nonfunctional socio-communicative behaviors.ConclusionCOVID-19 lockdown restrictions had a negative impact on both autistic individuals and their parents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Acute transverse myelitis in children: clinical course and prognostic factors.

The objective of this study was to describe the clinical course of acute transverse myelitis in children, to identify prognostic factors, and to compare our findings with published data Twenty-four children, aged 2 to 14 years and admitted with a diagnosis of acute transverse myelitis, were studied. Clinical features and results of investigations were collected at admission and during the course of the disease. Motor, sphincter, and global outcomes were compared with those in the main adult and pediatric series. During the initial phase, the most common presenting symptoms were pain (88%) and fever (58%). Motor loss preceded sphincter dysfunction in two thirds of patients and became bilateral in half of the patients. When maximal deficit was achieved (plateau), the patients presented a combination of sensory, motor, and sphincter dysfunctions without radicular involvement The motor loss consistently involved the lower limbs but was inconsistent and moderate in the upper limbs. The mean duration of the plateau was 1 week. The recovery phase was characterized by a progressive improvement of all deficits. Sphincter dysfunction improved more slowly than did the other deficits. A full recovery was achieved by 31% of the patients; minimal sequelae were present in 25% and mild to severe sequelae in 44%. An unfavorable outcome was associated with complete paraplegia (P = .03) and/or a time to maximal deficit shorter than 24 hours (P = .005). A favorable outcome was associated with a plateau shorter than 8 days (P = .03), the presence of supraspinal symptoms (P = .01), and a time to independent walking shorter than 1 month (P = .01). The course of acute transverse myelitis in children proceeds through three stages, an initial phase, a plateau, and a recovery phase, each characterized by specific clinical features. The global outcome was favorable in 56% of patients. Several prognostic factors were identified

Assessment of melanoma extent and melanoma metastases invasion using electron paramagnetic resonance and bioluminescence imaging

The clinical outcome of melanoma depends on the local and distant spread of the disease at the time of diagnosis, as the estimated 5-year survival rate is about 100% for superficial melanoma diagnosed early, but less than 10% for melanoma that has disseminated to major organs such as lungs. There is a crucial need for new effective methods for the detection and the characterization of melanomas. In the pre-clinical setting, this will help to understand the factors that contribute to the malignancy while the transfer into the clinic will contribute to an early effective treatment of patients. Melanoma lesions can be detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) using paramagnetic properties of melanin pigments. As part of the development of EPR imaging to characterize melanomas, we evaluated in the present study the usefulness of EPR to report on the extension of lung metastases by comparing the method with bioluminescence imaging using B16 melanoma cells expressing luciferase. B16 melanoma cells were injected subcutaneously or intravenously in C57/BL6 mice. The primary tumors or the lung colonization by melanoma cells was measured after several delay periods to obtain several degrees of invasiveness. The animals were measured in-vivo with bioluminescence after i.v. injection of luciferin. The primary tumors or lungs were then excised. After freeze-drying, the content of melanin in lungs was measured and imaged by EPR at 9 GHz. We observed a direct relationship between the EPR intensity and the bioluminescence intensity. Another tumor model (KHT sarcoma), non-pigmented but expressing luciferase, was used to confirm that the EPR signal was directly linked to the melanin pigment present in the tumors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Intraoperative recruitment does not affect postoperative restrictive pulmonary syndrome and hypoxaemia after laparoscopic gastric by-pass in morbidly obese patients: A randomised controlled study

peer reviewed[No abstract available

Neuroendocrine-Immunology: from systemic interactions to the immune tolerance of self neuroendocrine functions

In recent years, it appeared more and more that the three major integrating and adaptive systems of intercellular communication, nervous, endocrine, and immune systems, are closely interconnected. Through these interactions, psychological and neurological influences can modulate the immune response (neuroimmunomodulation), while immune cells may communicate to the neuroendocrine system by a regulatory feedback loop. On the basis of our own observations, it has been shown that the neuroendocrine-immune dialogue occurs in the thymus during the early steps of T-cell differentiation, and could be involved both in T-cell positive as well as negative selections