Reconstructing Native American Population History

The peopling of the Americas has been the subject of extensive genetic, archaeological and linguistic research; however, central questions remain unresolved1–5. One contentious issue is whether the settlement occurred via a single6–8 or multiple streams of migration from Siberia9–15. The pattern of dispersals within the Americas is also poorly understood. To address these questions at higher resolution than was previously possible, we assembled data from 52 Native American and 17 Siberian groups genotyped at 364,470 single nucleotide polymorphisms. We show that Native Americans descend from at least three streams of Asian gene flow. Most descend entirely from a single ancestral population that we call “First American”. However, speakers of Eskimo-Aleut languages from the Arctic inherit almost half their ancestry from a second stream of Asian gene flow, and the Na-Dene-speaking Chipewyan from Canada inherit roughly one-tenth of their ancestry from a third stream. We show that the initial peopling followed a southward expansion facilitated by the coast, with sequential population splits and little gene flow after divergence, especially in South America. A major exception is in Chibchan-speakers on both sides of the Panama Isthmus, who have ancestry from both North and South America

Hypothalamic hamartoma in paediatric patients: Clinical characteristics, outcomes and review of the literature

Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical-electroencephalographic characteristics, and associated morbidity of patients with hypothalamic hamartoma, as well as the treatment followed and outcomes. Patients and methods: We have retrospectively reviewed the medical histories of 10 patients diagnosed with hypothalamic hamartoma by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over the last 20 years. Results: The age of onset of epilepsy in patients with hypothalamic hamartoma in our series was between the first days of life and 2 years. Of the 10 total patients, 8 had epileptic seizures during its progress. All of them had gelastic seizures, in addition to other types of seizures, with the most common being partial simple seizures. The electroencephalographic findings recorded were highly variable. One of the patients developed epileptic encephalopathy. Five patients had some kind of conduct disorder. Five patients had cognitive problems. At least 2 different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were measured in 8 of the patients who had seizures, and in 6 of these some type of non-pharmacological treatment had been used with the objective of seizure control. Acceptable control over epilepsy has only been achieved in 3 of the 8 patients. Five patients of the series developed precocious puberty. The average time of follow-up of the series was approximately 6 years. Conclusions: Epilepsy is the most frequent manifestation of hypothalamic hamartomas. Most cases were drug-resistant, which led to difficulties in the management of these patients, requiring surgery for their control on many occasions. Psychiatric comorbidity and cognitive impairment are common. Resumen: Objetivos: Describir las características epidemiológicas, clínico-electroencefalográficas y la morbilidad asociada de los pacientes con hamartoma hipotalámico, así como la evolución y el tratamiento seguido. Pacientes y métodos: Se han revisado retrospectivamente las historias clínicas de 10 pacientes diagnosticados de hamartoma hipotalámico por resonancia magnética en los últimos 20 años. Resultados: La edad de debut de la epilepsia en los pacientes con hamartoma hipotalámico en nuestra serie está comprendida entre los primeros días de vida y los 2 años. De los 10 pacientes totales, 8 tuvieron crisis epilépticas en su evolución. Todos ellos presentaron crisis gelásticas, además de otros tipos de crisis, siendo las más frecuentes las parciales simples. Los hallazgos electroencefalográficos registrados fueron muy variables. Uno de los pacientes desarrolló encefalopatía epiléptica. Cinco pacientes presentaron algún tipo de trastorno de conducta. Cinco pacientes presentaron problemas cognitivos. En los 8 pacientes que presentaron crisis se ensayaron al menos 2 fármacos antiepilépticos diferentes y en 6 pacientes de estos se recurrió a alguna modalidad de tratamiento no farmacológica con el objetivo del control de las crisis. Solo en 3 de los 8 pacientes se ha conseguido aceptable control de su epilepsia. Cinco pacientes de la serie desarrollaron pubertad precoz. El tiempo medio de seguimiento de la serie es de 6 años. Conclusiones: La epilepsia es la manifestación más frecuente de los hamartomas hipotalámicos, siendo en la mayoría de los casos farmacorresistente, lo que conlleva dificultades en el manejo de estos pacientes, precisando en muchas ocasiones cirugía para su control. Es frecuente la aparición de comorbilidad psiquiátrica y afectación cognitiva. Keywords: Behavioural disorders, Cognitive difficulties, Gelastic seizures, Precocious puberty, Tumour resection surgery, Palabras clave: Cirugía de resección tumoral, Crisis gelásticas, Dificultades cognitivas, Pubertad precoz, Trastornos de conduct

Hamartoma hipotalámico en la edad pediátrica: características clínicas, evolución y revisión de la literatura

Resumen: Objetivos: Describir las características epidemiológicas, clínico-electroencefalográficas y la morbilidad asociada de los pacientes con hamartoma hipotalámico, así como la evolución y el tratamiento seguido. Pacientes y métodos: Se han revisado retrospectivamente las historias clínicas de 10 pacientes diagnosticados de hamartoma hipotalámico por resonancia magnética en los últimos 20 años. Resultados: La edad de debut de la epilepsia en los pacientes con hamartoma hipotalámico en nuestra serie está comprendida entre los primeros días de vida y los 2 años. De los 10 pacientes totales, 8 tuvieron crisis epilépticas en su evolución. Todos ellos presentaron crisis gelásticas, además de otros tipos de crisis, siendo las más frecuentes las parciales simples. Los hallazgos electroencefalográficos registrados fueron muy variables. Uno de los pacientes desarrolló encefalopatía epiléptica. Cinco pacientes presentaron algún tipo de trastorno de conducta. Cinco pacientes presentaron problemas cognitivos. En los 8 pacientes que presentaron crisis se ensayaron al menos 2 fármacos antiepilépticos diferentes y en 6 pacientes de estos se recurrió a alguna modalidad de tratamiento no farmacológica con el objetivo del control de las crisis. Solo en 3 de los 8 pacientes se ha conseguido aceptable control de su epilepsia. Cinco pacientes de la serie desarrollaron pubertad precoz. El tiempo medio de seguimiento de la serie es de 6 años. Conclusiones: La epilepsia es la manifestación más frecuente de los hamartomas hipotalámicos, siendo en la mayoría de los casos farmacorresistente, lo que conlleva dificultades en el manejo de estos pacientes, precisando en muchas ocasiones cirugía para su control. Es frecuente la aparición de comorbilidad psiquiátrica y afectación cognitiva. Abstract: Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical-electroencephalographic characteristics, and associated morbidity of patients with hypothalamic hamartoma, as well as the treatment followed and outcomes Patients and methods: We have retrospectively reviewed the medical histories of 10 patients diagnosed with hypothalamic hamartoma by magnetic resonance imaging over the last 20 years. Results: The age of onset of epilepsy in patients with hypothalamic hamartoma in our series was between the first days of life and 2 years. Of the 10 total patients, 8 had epileptic seizures during its progress. All of them had gelastic seizures, in addition to other types of seizures, with the most common being partial simple seizures. The electroencephalographic findings recorded were highly variable. One of the patients developed epileptic encephalopathy. Five patients had some kind of conduct disorder. Five patients had cognitive problems. At least 2 different antiepileptic drugs were measured in 8 of the patients who had seizures, and in 6 of these some type of non-pharmacological treatment had been used with the objective of seizure control. Only in 3 of 8 patients has been achieved Acceptable control of epilepsy had only been achieved in 3 out the 8 patients. Five patients of the series developed precocious puberty. The average time of follow-up of the series was approximately 6 years. Conclusions: Epilepsy is the most frequent manifestation of hypothalamic hamartomas. Most cases were drug-resistant, which led to difficulties in the management of these patients, requiring surgery for their control on many occasions. Psychiatric comorbidity and cognitive impairment is common. Palabras clave: Cirugía de resección tumoral, Crisis gelásticas, Dificultades cognitivas, Pubertad precoz, Trastornos de conducta, Keywords: Behavioural disorders, Cognitive difficulties, Gelastic seizures, Precocious puberty, Tumour resection surger

Expression Suppression and Activity Inhibition of TRPM7 Regulate Cytokine Production and Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome During Endotoxemia: A New Target for Sepsis

Background: Main pathological features detected during sepsis and endotoxemia include over-secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Unfortunately, current clinical efforts to treat sepsis are unsatisfactory, and mortality remains high. Interestingly, transient receptor potential (TRP) melastatin 7 (TRPM7) ion channel controlling Ca2+ and Mg2+ permeability is involved in cytokine production and inflammatory response. Furthermore, TRPM7 downregulation has been shown to alleviate local symptoms in some models of sepsis, but its effects at a systemic level remain to be explored. Objective: To test whether TRPM7 mediates cytokine production and MODS during endotoxemia. Methods: Endotoxemic and sham-endotoxemic rats were subjected to pharmacological inhibition of TRPM7 using carvacrol, or to expression suppression by adenovirus delivery of shRNA (AdV(shTRPM7)). Then, cytokine and MODS levels in the blood were measured. Results: Inhibition of TRPM7 with carvacrol and suppression with AdV(shTRPM7 )were both efficient in inhibiting the over-secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-12 in endotoxemic rats, without inducing downregulation in blood levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-4. Additionally, the use of carvacrol and AdV(shTRPM7) significantly prevented liver and pancreas dysfunction, altered metabolic function, and hypoglycemia, induced by endotoxemia. Furthermore, muscle mass wasting and cardiac muscle damage were also significantly reduced by the use of carvacrol and AdV(shTRPM7) in endotoxemic rats. Conclusion: Our results indicate TRPM7 ion channel as a key protein regulating inflammatory responses and MODS during sepsis. Moreover, TRPM7 appears as a novel molecular target for the management of sepsis