From early stress to 12-month development in very preterm infants: Preliminary findings on epigenetic mechanisms and brain growth

Very preterm (VPT) infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are at risk for altered brain growth and less-than-optimal socio-emotional development. Recent research suggests that early NICU-related stress contributes to socio-emotional impairments in VPT infants at 3 months through epigenetic regulation (i.e., DNA methylation) of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4). In the present longitudinal study we assessed: (a) the effects of NICU-related stress and SLC6A4 methylation variations from birth to discharge on brain development at term equivalent age (TEA); (b) the association between brain volume at TEA and socio-emotional development (i.e., Personal-Social scale of Griffith Mental Development Scales, GMDS) at 12 months corrected age (CA). Twenty-four infants had complete data at 12-month-age. SLC6A4 methylation was measured at a specific CpG previously associated with NICU-related stress and socio-emotional stress. Findings confirmed that higher NICU-related stress associated with greater increase of SLC6A4 methylation at NICU discharge. Moreover, higher SLC6A4 discharge methylation was associated with reduced anterior temporal lobe (ATL) volume at TEA, which in turn was significantly associated with less-than-optimal GMDS Personal-Social scale score at 12 months CA. The reduced ATL volume at TEA mediated the pathway linking stress-related increase in SLC6A4 methylation at NICU discharge and socio-emotional development at 12 months CA. These findings suggest that early adversity-related epigenetic changes might contribute to the long-lasting programming of socio-emotional development in VPT infants through epigenetic regulation and structural modifications of the developing brain

Correlazione tra anosognosia e rischio di cadute nel paziente cerebroleso postacuto

Introduzione L\u2019anosognosia per l\u2019emiplegia \ue8 un disturbo neuropsicologico derivante da una lesione cerebrale che comporta l\u2019inconsapevolezza del deficit motorio. Il paziente inconsapevole del proprio deficit motorio \ue8 esposto a comportamenti talora pericolosi che potrebbero aumentare il rischio di caduta. Lo studio si propone d\u2019identificare la presenza di anosognosia nei pazienti con lesione cerebrale in fase post-acuta, di valutare la possibile correlazione tra il grado di anosognosia e il deficit motorio acquisito e tra il grado di anosognosia e il rischio di caduta. Materiali e metodi E\u2019 stato condotto uno studio osservazionale su 16 pazienti con lesione cerebrale conseguente a ictus ischemico o emorragico in fase post-acuta. Ciascun paziente \ue8 stato sottoposto al Visual Analogue Test for Anosognosia for motor Impairment (VATAm) e valutato con la scala per l\u2019anosognosia per l\u2019emiplegia di Bisiach per l\u2019eventuale deficit di consapevolezza corporea, con la National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) per quantificare il deficit neurologico, con la Motricity Index Scale (MIS) per valutare le capacit\ue0 motorie e con la Morse Fall Scale per il rischio di caduta. Per l'analisi statistica delle variabili oggetto dello studio \ue8 stato utilizzato un test non parametrico (Indice di correlazione di Spearman). Risultati Cinque dei 16 pazienti esaminati sono risultati anosognosici (31 %). Tre pazienti (60%) avevano una lesione emisferica destra, mentre due (40%) una lesione emisferica sinistra. Tutti i pazienti anosognosici avevano un deficit di sensibilit\ue0 e nel 40% dei casi anche eminattenzione. Dall\u2019analisi statistica \ue8 emerso che nel campione esaminato l\u2019anosognosia \ue8 correlata alla gravit\ue0 del deficit motorio dell'arto superiore (MIS AS, p = 0,0014), ma non alla gravit\ue0 del deficit motorio dell'arto inferiore (MIS AI, p = 0,25). Inoltre l'anosognosia \ue8 risultata fortemente correlata al rischio di caduta (p < 0,0001), mentre il rischio di caduta \ue8 correlato al deficit motorio dell'arto superiore (MIS AS, p = 0,04), ma non dell'arto inferiore (MIS AI, p = 0,1). Conclusioni Da questi risultati emerge che la presenza di anosognosia aumenta il rischio di caduta indipendente-mente dalla gravit\ue0 del deficit motorio e ci\uf2 pu\uf2 influenzare negativamente l'outcome funzionale e allungare i tempi di degenza. In particolare, la correlazione tra il grado di anosognosia e la gravit\ue0 del deficit motorio dell\u2019arto superiore, ma non dell\u2019arto inferiore, suggerisce che i pazienti a maggior rischio di caduta sono quelli non consapevoli del deficit motorio, in grado per\uf2 di mobilizzarsi e, per il deficit dell'arto superiore, con ridotte reazioni anticipatorie e posturali di difesa

The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Narrative Abilities in a Group of Italian Normally Developing Children

OBJECTIVE: Only limited and conflicting information is available regarding the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and narrative abilities. Besides, the role fathers' SES plays in the development of their children's narrative abilities has never been investigated. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between fathers' and mothers' SES and narrative abilities of their children assessed with the Italian version of the Bus Story Test (I-BST). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 505 normally developing Italian children were enrolled in the study. Information regarding parents' educational level and employment was collected for each child. Narrative abilities were evaluated using the I-BST. The relationships between parents' employment, educational level, and I-BST scores were analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, both fathers' and mothers' education and employment were associated with most I-BST subscale scores, especially when higher educational and employment levels were contrasted with the lowest educational and employment levels. In multiple regression analysis, significant associations were found only between the fathers' working status and educational level and I-BST subscale scores. CONCLUSIONS: Parental education and employment might impact narrative abilities of children. When both fathers' and mothers' SES variables are considered together, only fathers' education and working status seemed to be associated with I-BST scores

Multiresolution analysis of the two-dimensional free decaying turbulence in a pure electron plasma

The two-dimensional (2D) freely decaying turbulence is investigated experimentally in an electron plasma confined in a Malmberg\u2013Penning trap and studied using a wavelet-based multiresolution analysis. The coherent and incoherent parts of the flow are extracted using a recursive denoising algorithm with an adaptive self-consistent threshold. Only a small number of wavelet coefficients (but corresponding to the greatest part of the enstrophy or energy contents) turns out to be necessary to represent the coherent component. The remaining small amplitude coefficients represent the incoherent component, which is characterized by a near Gaussian vorticity PDF. Scale contributions to the measured enstrophy and energy distributions are inferred, and the results are compared with recent experiments and theoretical pictures of the 2D turbulence. The results suggest that the computational complexity of 2D turbulent flows may be reduced in simulations by considering only coherent structures interacting with a statistically modeled background

Excitation of the l=3 diocotron mode in a pure electron plasma by means of a rotating electric field

The l=3 diocotron mode in an electron plasma confined in a Malmberg–Penning trap has been resonantly excited by means of a rotating electric field applied on an azimuthally four-sectored electrode. The experimental observations are interpreted with a theory based on the linearization of the drift-Poisson equations and by means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The experimental technique presented in this paper is able to selectively excite different diocotron perturbations and can be efficiently used for electron or positron plasma control and manipulation

Diocotron modulation in an electron plasma through continuous radio-frequency excitation

The application of a radio-frequency (RF) excitation to any electrode of a Penning-Malmberg trap may result in significant electron heating and ionization of the residual gas with the formation of a plasma column when the RF frequency is of the order or larger than the typical axial bounce frequencies of few-eV electrons. The use of a quadrupolar excitation can induce additional phenomena, like formation of dense, narrow-cross section columns which exhibit an m\u3b8 = 1 diocotron mode, i.e., a rotation of their center around the trap axis. A series of experiments is presented and discussed showing that the continuous application of such excitation causes a dramatic perturbation of the plasma equilibrium also involving continuous production and loss of particles in the trapping region. In particular, the growth of the first diocotron mode is suppressed even in the presence of ion resonance and resistive instability and the mode exhibits steady-state or underdamped amplitude and frequency modulations, typically in the Hertz range

Impact of Thoracoscopic Pulmonary Vein Isolation on Right Ventricular Function:A Pilot Study

Objective. Thoracoscopic surgical pulmonary vein isolation (sPVI) has been added to the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), showing excellent efficacy outcomes. However, data on right ventricular (RV) function following sPVI has never been studied. Our aim was to investigate RV function following sPVI and compare it to patients who underwent endocardial cryoballoon PVI. Methods. 25 patients underwent sPVI and were pair-matched according to age, sex, and AF type with 21 patients who underwent cryoballoon PVI. RV function was measured using tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and RV strain with 2D speckle tracking. Echocardiography was performed at baseline and at median 6-month follow-up. Results. Age was 54 ± 9 years and 84% were male; AF was paroxysmal in 92%. In the sPVI group, TAPSE was reduced with 31% at follow-up echocardiography (p<0.001) and RV strain showed a 25% reduction compared to baseline (p=0.018). In the control group, TAPSE and RV strain did not change significantly (−3% and +13%, p=0.410 and p=0.148). Change in TAPSE and RV strain was significantly different between groups (p≤0.001 and p=0.005). Conclusions. This study shows that RV function is significantly decreased following sPVI. This effect was not observed in the cryoballoon PVI control group

Ancient Evolution of Mammarenaviruses: Adaptation via Changes in the L Protein and No Evidence for Host-Virus Codivergence

The Mammarenavirus genus includes several pathogenic species of rodent-borne viruses. Old World (OW) mammarenaviruses infect rodents in the Murinae subfamily and are mainly transmitted in Africa and Asia; New World (NW) mammarenaviruses are found in rodents of the Cricetidae subfamily in the Americas. We applied a selection-informed method to estimate that OW and NW mammarenaviruses diverged less than 3c45,000\u2009years ago (ya). By incorporating phylogeographic inference, we show that NW mammarenaviruses emerged in the Latin America-Caribbean region 3c41,400-3,300 ya, whereas OW mammarenaviruses originated 3c23,100-1,880 ya, most likely in Southern Africa. Cophylogenetic analysis indicated that cospeciation did not contribute significantly to mammarenavirus-host associations. Finally, we show that extremely strong selective pressure on the viral polymerase accompanied the speciation of NW viruses. These data suggest that the evolutionary history of mammarenaviruses was not driven by codivergence with their hosts. The viral polymerase should be regarded as a major determinant of mammarenavirus adaptation

Excitation of the l=2 diocotron mode with a resistive load

The resistive wall instability of the l=2 diocotron mode in a pure electron plasma has been investigated with a systematic variation of the parameters of the external impedance connected to a pair of sectored electrodes. The measured growth rate is well described by a linear perturbation theory of the two-dimensional drift-Poisson system