Pediatric sleep difficulties after moderate–severe traumatic brain injury

The objective of this study is to systematically investigate sleep following moderate–severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). School-aged children with moderate–severe TBI identified via hospital records were invited to participate, along with a school-age sibling. Subjective reports and objective actigraphy correlates of sleep were recorded: Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), Sleep Self-Report questionnaire (SSR), and 5-night actigraphy. TBI participants (n = 15) and their siblings (n = 15) participated. Significantly more sleep problems were parent-reported (CSHQ: p = 0.003; d = 1.57), self-reported (SSR: p = 0.003; d = 1.40), and actigraph-recorded in the TBI group (sleep efficiency: p = 0.003; d = 1.23; sleep latency: p = 0.018; d = 0.94). There was no evidence of circadian rhythm disorders, and daytime napping was not prevalent. Moderate–severe pediatric TBI was associated with sleep inefficiency in the form of sleep onset and maintenance problems. This preliminary study indicates that clinicians should be aware of sleep difficulties following pediatric TBI, and their potential associations with cognitive and behavioral problems in a group already at educational and psychosocial risk

Studies on the sulfation of cellulose α-lipoate and ability of the sulfated product to stabilize colloidal suspensions of gold nanoparticles

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. A versatile method for the synthesis of cellulose α-lipoate with a low degree of substitution (DS) has been developed using N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA)/LiCl as a solvent and N,N′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) as an esterification reagent. The cellulose α-lipoate with DS of α-lipoate groups of 0.26 was converted with sulfur trioxide-pyridine complex in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent. The sulfation is accompanied by an unexpected partial oxidation of the disulfide moiety leading to the formation of the corresponding stereoisomers of S-oxides. The resulting mixture of water-soluble cellulose α- and β-lipoate sulfate possesses a DS of sulfuric acid half ester groups of 1.78. This cellulose-α/β-lipoate sulfate derivative can be used as an effective stabilizer and solubilizer for the formation of colloidal suspensions of gold nanoparticles formed in situ in aqueous solution

Genome-wide linkage scan for loci associated with epilepsy in Belgian shepherd dogs.

BackgroundIdiopathic epilepsy in the Belgian shepherd dog is known to have a substantial genetic component. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with the expression of generalized seizures in the Belgian Tervuren and Sheepdog.ResultsDNA from 366 dogs, of which 74 were classified as epileptic, representing two extended families were subjected to a genome-wide linkage scan using 410 microsatellite markers yielding informative coverage averaging 5.95 +/- 0.21 Mb. Though previous studies based on pedigree analyses proposed a major gene of influence, the present study demonstrated the trait to be highly polygenic. Studies of complex disorders in humans indicate that a liberal composite evaluation of genetic linkage is needed to identify underlying quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Four chromosomes yielded tentative linkage based upon LOD scores in excess of 1.0. Possible QTLs within these regions were supported also by analyses of multipoint linkage, allele frequency, TDT, and transmission of haplotype blocks.ConclusionsTaken together the data tentatively indicate six QTLs, three on CFA 2, and one on each of CFA 6, 12, and 37, that support fine mapping for mutations associated with epilepsy in the Belgian shepherd. The study also underscores the complexity of genomic linkage studies for polygenic disorders