The association between motor capacity and motor performance in school-aged children with cerebral palsy: An observational study

Background This study aimed to investigate the association between motor capacity and motor performance in children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 6–12 years with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to III. Methods Forty-six children with CP (24 boys and 22 girls) classified as GMFCS levels Ⅰ, Ⅱ, or Ⅲ were included. Motor capacity was measured by the Gross motor function measure (GMFM), Pediatric balance scale (PBS), Timed up and go (TUG), and 6-min walk test (6MWT). Motor performance was measured by triaxial accelerometers. Estimations of physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) (kcal/kg/day), percentage of time spent on physical activity (% sedentary physical activity; %SPA; % light physical activity, %LPA; % moderate physical activity, %MPA; % vigorous physical activity %VPA; and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, %MVPA), and activity counts (counts/minute) were obtained. Results Children with GMFCS level I showed a significantly higher motor capacity (GMFM-66, GMFM-88, D-dimension and E-dimension, PBS and 6MWT) than those with level II or III. Children with GMFCS level II and/or III had significantly lower physical activity (PAEE, % MPA, % VPA, %MVPA, and activity counts) than children with GMFCS level I. Multiple linear regression analysis (dependent variable, GMFM-66) showed that %MVPA was positively associated with GMFM-66 in the GMFCS level II & III children but not in GMFCS level I children

Non-Functional Parathyroid Adenoma Presenting as a Massive Cervical Hematoma: A Case Report

Parathyroid adenoma usually manifests with symptoms related to hypercalcemia, such as urinary stone and bone fracture. It may also present with asymptomatic hypercalcemia. However, spontaneous cervical hematoma may occur very rarely as a result of extracapsular hemorrhage of a cervical parathyroid adenoma causing acute painful cervical swelling, bruising, dyspnea, hoarseness and dysphagia. We report a 44-year-old woman who manifested as a spontaneous cervical hematoma without any clinical evidence of hyperparathyroidism

Cordycepin inhibits human ovarian cancer by inducing autophagy and apoptosis through Dickkopf-related protein 1/β-catenin signaling

Cordycepin, the major active component from Cordyceps militaris, has been reported to significantly inhibit some types of cancer; however, its effects on ovarian cancer are still not well understood. In this study, we treated human ovarian cancer cells with different doses of cordycepin and found that it dose-dependently reduced ovarian cancer cell viability, based on Cell counting kit-8 reagent. Immunoblotting showed that cordycepin increased Dickkopf-related protein 1 (Dkk1) levels and inhibited β-catenin signaling. Atg7 knockdown in ovarian cancer cells significantly inhibited cordycepin-induced apoptosis, whereas β-catenin overexpression abolished the effects of cordycepin on cell death and proliferation. Furthermore, we found that Dkk1 overexpression by transfection downregulated the expression of c-Myc and cyclin D1. siRNA-mediated Dkk1 silencing downregulated the expression of Atg8, beclin, and LC3 and promoted β-catenin translocation from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. These results suggest that cordycepin inhibits ovarian cancer cell growth, possibly through coordinated autophagy and Dkk1/β-catenin signaling. Taken together, our findings provide new insights into the treatment of ovarian cancer using cordycepin

Unusual Thymic Hyperplasia Mimicking Lipomatous Tumor in an Eight-Year-Old Boy with Concomitant Pericardial Lipomatosis and Right Facial Hemihypertrophy

We report a case of thymic hyperplasia accompanied by pericardial lipomatosis and right facial hemihypertrophy in an 8-year-old boy. On imaging studies, the hyperplastic thymus had prominent curvilinear and nodular fatty areas simulating a fat-containing anterior mediastinal mass, which is an unusual finding in children. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a child with a combination of thymic hyperplasia, pericardial lipomatosis, and right facial hemihypertrophy. The radiologic findings are presented with a brief discussion

Natural Form of Noncytolytic Flexible Human Fc as a Long-Acting Carrier of Agonistic Ligand, Erythropoietin

Human IgG1 Fc has been widely used as a bioconjugate, but exhibits shortcomings, such as antibody- and complement-mediated cytotoxicity as well as decreased bioactivity, when applied to agonistic proteins. Here, we constructed a nonimmunogenic, noncytolytic and flexible hybrid Fc (hyFc) consisting of IgD and IgG4, and tested its function using erythropoietin (EPO) conjugate, EPO-hyFc. Despite low amino acid homology (20.5%) between IgD Fc and IgG4 Fc, EPO-hyFc retained “Y-shaped” structure and repeated intravenous administrations of EPO-hyFc into monkeys did not generate EPO-hyFc-specific antibody responses. Furthermore, EPO-hyFc could not bind to FcγR I and C1q in contrast to EPO-IgG1 Fc. In addition, EPO-hyFc exhibited better in vitro bioactivity and in vivo bioactivity in rats than EPO-IgG1 Fc, presumably due to the high flexibility of IgD. Moreover, the mean serum half-life of EPO-hyFc(H), a high sialic acid content form of EPO-hyFc, was approximately 2-fold longer than that of the heavily glycosylated EPO, darbepoetin alfa, in rats. More importantly, subcutaneous injection of EPO-hyFc(H) not only induced a significantly greater elevation of serum hemoglobin levels than darbepoetin alfa in both normal rats and cisplatin-induced anemic rats, but also displayed a delayed time to maximal serum level and twice final area-under-the-curve (AUClast). Taken together, hyFc might be a more attractive Fc conjugate for agonistic proteins/peptides than IgG1 Fc due to its capability to elongate their half-lives without inducing host effector functions and hindering bioactivity of fused molecules. Additionally, a head-to-head comparison demonstrated that hyFc-fusion strategy more effectively improved the in vivo bioactivity of EPO than the hyperglycosylation approach

Survival and Development Strategies of Cyanobacteria through Akinete Formation and Germination in the Life Cycle

Eutrophic freshwater ecosystems are vulnerable to toxin-producing cyanobacteria growth or harmful algal blooms. Cyanobacteria belonging to the Nostocales order form akinetes that are similar to the seeds of vascular plants, which are resting cells surrounded by a thick membrane. They overwinter in sediment and germinate when conditions become favorable, eventually developing into vegetative cells and causing blooms. This review covers the cyanobacterial akinete of the Nostocales order and summarizes the environmental triggers and cellular responses involved in akinete germination and formation based on data from the literature. It also emphasizes the intimate and dynamic relationship that exists between the germination and formation of akinete in the annual life cycle of cyanobacteria. After comparing many published data, it is found that the tolerance ranges for factors affecting both akinete germination and formation do not differ significantly and are broadly consistent with the tolerance ranges for vegetative cell growth. However, the optimal range varies with different species and strains of cyanobacteria. The life cycle of cyanobacteria, as a result of akinete germination and formation, has a seasonal periodicity and spatial connectivity between the water column and the sediment. However, during the summer growing season, intimate coupling between akinete formation and germination can occur in the water column, and this can contribute to high population densities being maintained in the water column. During this time, shallow sediment could also provide suitable conditions for akinete germination, thereby contributing to the establishment of water column populations. The information summarized in this review is expected to help improve our shared understanding of the life cycle of the Nostocales cyanobacteria while also providing insights into the monitoring and management of harmful algal blooms

Comparison of Changes in GAD65 and GAD67 Immunoreactivity and Levels in the Gerbil Main Olfactory Bulb Induced by Transient Ischemia

In the present study, we investigated changes in glutamate decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) and GAD67 immunoreactivity and protein levels in the main olfactory bulb (MOB) after 5 min of transient forebrain ischemia in gerbils. GAD65 immunoreactivity in the sham-operated group was shown in neurons and neuropil except for the somata of granule cells. GAD65 immunoreactivity was increased in neurons in the external plexiform layer 60 days after ischemia, and in mitral cells 30 and 60 days after ischemia. GAD67 immunoreactivity in the sham-operated group was shown in periglomerular cells, neuron in the external plexiform layer and granule cells with neuropil. GAD67 immunoreactivity in periglomerular cells was increased 10, 45 and 60 days after ischemia. GAD67 immunoreactivity in neurons in the external plexiform layer was increased 10 and 15 days after ischemia. Mitral cells showed strong GAD67 immunoreactivity 10 days after ischemia. However, GAD67 immunoreactivity in the granule cells was not changed with time after ischemia. In Western blot analysis for GAD65 and GAD67 protein levels in the ischemic gerbil MOB, GAD65 level was not changed after ischemia; GAD67 level was increased 10 days after ischemia. These results suggest that transient ischemia causes changes in GAD65 and GAD67 immunoreactivity in the gerbil MOB, and this change may induce a malfunction in olfaction after an ischemic insult.The authors would like to thank Mr. Seok Han, Mr. Seung Uk Lee and Ms. Hyun Sook Kim for their technical help in this study. This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD, Basic Research Promotion Fund) (KRF-2003–015- E0010)