Involvement of NMDA receptor complex in the anxiolytic-like effects of chlordiazepoxide in mice

In the present study, we demonstrated that low, ineffective doses of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonists [competitive NMDA antagonist, CGP 37849, at 0.312 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.), antagonist of the glycineB sites, L-701,324, at 2 mg/kg i.p., partial agonist of glycineB sites, d-cycloserine, at 2.5 mg/kg i.p.] administered jointly with an ineffective dose of the benzodiazepine, chlordiazepoxide (CDP, 2.5 mg/kg i.p.), significantly increased the percentage of time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus-maze (index of anxiolytic effect). Furthermore, CDP-induced anxiolytic-like activity (5 mg/kg i.p.) was antagonized by NMDA (75 mg/kg i.p.) and by an agonist of glycineB sites of the NMDA receptor complex, d-serine [100 nmol/mouse intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.)]. The present study showed a positive interaction between γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate neurotransmission in the anxiolytic-like activity in the elevated plus-maze test in mice and this activity seems to particularly involve the NMDA receptors

Unresectable hepatoblastoma: current perspectives

Angela D Trobaugh-Lotrario,1 Rebecka L Meyers,2 Allison F O’Neill,3 James H Feusner4 1Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, Spokane, WA, 2Primary Children’s Hospital, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 3Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University, Boston, MA, 4Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, Oakland, CA, USA Abstract: Although rare, hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric liver tumor. Complete resection is a critical component for cure; however, most patients will have tumors that are not resected at diagnosis. For these patients, administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy renders tumors resectable in most patients. For patients whose tumors remain unresectable after chemotherapy, liver transplantation is indicated (in the absence of active unresectable metastatic disease). In patients whose tumors remain unresectable after conventional chemotherapy, interventional techniques may serve as a promising option to reduce tumor size, decrease systemic toxicity, decrease need for liver transplantation, and increase feasibility of tumor resection. Keywords: hepatoblastoma, unresectable, pediatri

Fetal growth and body size genes and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Accumulating evidence suggests that childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may be initiated in utero or early in the postnatal period. High birth weight (or rapid fetal growth) is associated with risk of ALL, but the mechanisms are not understood. I

Predictors of thrombohemorrhagic early death in children and adolescents with t(15;17)-positive acute promyelocytic leukemia treated with ATRA and chemotherapy

Clinical trials on childhood acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) report early death (ED) rates of 3-8%, but predictors of thrombohemorrhagic (TH)-ED are not well understood. In a retrospective study, we aimed to determine the incidence and predictors of TH-ED in childhood APL. Data were analyzed from children and adolescents with t(15;17)-positive APL (n = 683) who started treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and chemotherapy in different international studies. Demographic data; initial white blood cell (WBC), peripheral blood (PB) blast, and platelet counts; hemoglobin value; coagulation parameters; morphologic variant (M3 or M3v); and induction details were analyzed. Early death was defined as death occurring within 30 days of presentation. The incidence of ED was 4.7% (32 of 683 patients). Predictors of TH-ED were identified by univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses (n = 25). In univariable analysis, high WBC (>10 × 109/L) (P 30 × 109/L) (P < 0.001), M3v (P < 0.01), and black ethnicity (P < 0.001) were independent predictors of TH-ED. In multivariable analysis, high WBC count (P < 0.01) and obesity (i.e., body mass index ≥95th percentile for age) (P = 0.03) were predictors of TH-ED. Initial high WBC counts and obesity are likely predictors of TH-ED in childhood APL. The efficacy of novel drugs for APL-associated coagulopathy or of frontline arsenic trioxide and ATRA combination regimens in reducing ED rates in childhood APL remains to be established