Functional near-infrared spectroscopy studies in children

Psychosomatic and developmental behavioral medicine in pediatrics has been the subject of significant recent attention, with infants, school-age children, and adolescents frequently presenting with psychosomatic, behavioral, and psychiatric symptoms. These may be a consequence of insecurity of attachment, reduced self-confidence, and peer -relationship conflicts during their developmental stages. Developmental cognitive neuroscience has revealed significant associations between specific brain lesions and particular cognitive dysfunctions. Thus, identifying the biological deficits underlying such cognitive dysfunction may provide new insights into therapeutic prospects for the management of those symptoms in children. Recent advances in noninvasive neuroimaging techniques, and especially functional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), have contributed significant findings to the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience in pediatrics. We present here a comprehensive review of functional NIRS studies of children who have developed normally and of children with psychosomatic and behavioral disorders

Successful treatment of congestive heart failure with concomitant administration of tolvaptan to enhance the effects of furosemide

AbstractTolvaptan (TLV), which is an antagonist to the vasopressin V2 receptor, was approved by Japanese authorities for the treatment of “volume overload in heart failure when adequate response is not obtained with other diuretics (e.g. loop diuretics)”. An 82-year-old female Japanese patient was admitted to our hospital due to congestive heart failure (CHF) and exacerbation of type 2 chronic respiratory failure, which improved with ventilator support and treatment with furosemide; however, the CHF worsened again due to anemia and undernutrition. TLV (7.5 mg/day) was given. The free-water clearance value showed the efficacy of TLV; it was −0.04 before and 0.39 six hours after TLV administration. The administration of TLV was continued for five consecutive days, and the fractional excretion of sodium showed the efficacy of furosemide; it was 1.7% before and 5.2% five days after TLV administration. It is known that the long-term usage of loop diuretics causes tolerance because it promotes sodium re-absorption through the proximal renal tubules by activating the renin–angiotensin-aldosterone system. A patient with CHF was treated successfully by concomitant administration of TLV with furosemide. TLV worked both directly and indirectly; it promoted free-water filtration as its direct effect and sodium filtration as its indirect effect.<Learning objective: Tolvaptan is a new type drug for heart failure that promotes water diuresis by selectively inhibiting the vasopressin V2 receptors in collecting tubules. Concomitant use of tolvaptan with loop diuretics, such as furosemide, enhances the diuretic action. The mechanism of enhanced diuretic action induced by the concomitant use of tolvaptan with loop diuretics not only promotes water diuresis, known as tolvaptan's primary function, but may also enhance natriuresis induced by loop diuretics.

Distinctive Tooth‐Extraction Socket Healing: Bisphosphonate Versus Parathyroid Hormone Therapy

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142106/1/jper0024.pd

The Fragility of Cryopreserved Insulin-producing Cells Differentiated from Adipose-tissue-derived Stem Cells

The aim of our study is to determine whether insulin-producing cells (IPCs) differentiated from adipose-tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be cryopreserved. Human ADSCs were differentiated into IPCs using our two-step protocol encompassing a three-dimensional culture and xenoantigen-free method. Thereafter, IPCs were frozen using three different methods. First, IPCs were immediately frozen at −80°C (−80°C group). Second, IPCs were initially placed into a Bicell freezing container before freezing at −80°C (BICELL group). Third, a vitrification method for oocytes and embryos was used (CRYOTOP group). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay showed that cell viability was decreased in all groups after cryopreservation (P < 0.01). Corroboratively, the amount of adenosine triphosphate was markedly decreased after cryopreservation in all groups (P < 0.01). Immunofluorescence staining showed a reduced positive staining area for insulin in all cryopreservation groups. Furthermore, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and merged immunofluorescence images showed that cryopreserved cells appeared to be randomly reduced in the −80°C group and CRYOTOP group, while only the central region was visibly reduced in the BICELL group. Using immunohistochemical staining, IPCs after cryopreservation were shown to be positive for cleaved caspase-3 antibody in all groups. Finally, insulin secretion following glucose stimulation was significantly reduced in IPCs from all groups after cryopreservation (P < 0.01). In conclusion, IPCs may be too fragile for cryopreservation with accomplished methods and further investigations for a suitable preservation method are required