Psychosocial predictors of distress in parents of children undergoing stem cell or bone marrow transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To examine psychosocial predictors of distress (mood disturbance, perceived stress, caregiver burden) in parents of children undergoing stem cell or bone marrow transplantation (BMT). METHOD: Measures of prior illness experiences, premorbid child behavior problems, family environment, social support, and parental coping behavior were obtained from the resident parents of 151 children prior to the children's admission for BMT. Parents subsequently completed assessments of their mood disturbance, perceived stress, and caregiving burden on a weekly basis through week +6 post-BMT, and then monthly through month +6 post-BMT. RESULTS: Significant changes were observed in parental distress across the course of BMT. After correcting for demographic and medical factors, several significant predictors of parental distress trajectories were identified, including prior parent and patient illness-related distress, premorbid child internalizing behavior problems, the family relationship dimensions of the family environment, and parental avoidant coping behaviors. Multivariable models were developed using a hierarchical modeling approach. The best-fit model accounted for approximately 50% of the variance in parental global distress. CONCLUSIONS: Subgroups of parents at higher risk for increased distress during the acute phase of transplant have been identified. These findings can help target parents who may be in greater need of intervention aimed at reducing transplant-related distress.     

Ontogeny of intrinsic innervation in the human kidney

We aimed to define, for the first time, the ontogeny of intrarenal innervation and to assess the distribution and nature of parenchymal nerves in the human fetal kidney. Our material consisted of routinely-processed renal tissue sections from 17 human fetuses, six of 20–24 gestational weeks (gw) and 11 of 25–40 gw, and three adults. We used immunohistochemistry with antibodies to the pan-neural markers neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilaments (NF), PGP9.5, S100, and the adrenergic marker tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). NSE-, NF-, S100-, and PGP9.5-positive nerves, associated with arterial and venous vasculature, were identified in the renal cortex from 20 gw onwards, and their density appeared to increase with gestation, reaching adult levels at 28 gw. Most of the intrarenal nerves were TH-positive. Nerve fibers extended from the corticomedullary region to the outer cortex, reaching the renal capsule in the 3rd trimester. In detail, NSE-, NF-, S100-, PGP9.5-, and TH-immunoreactive fibers were observed in close apposition to the renal artery and its branches, occasionally reaching the afferent and efferent arteriole (3rd trimester). Nerve fibers were detected in close apposition to the juxtaglomerular apparatus in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. In the renal medulla, NSE-, PGP9.5-, S100-, and TH-positive nerve fibers were detected close to tubular cells as early as 20 gw. However, their density gradually decreased during the 3rd trimester, and they were not observed in the medulla of the adult kidney. In conclusion, the human fetal kidney appears richly innervated during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. There is a progressive increase in the density of parenchymal nerve fibers towards term from the corticomedullary region to the cortex. Most intrarenal nerves are adrenergic and have a predominant perivascular distribution, implying that renal innervation plays an important functional role during intrauterine life.     

Development of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide in fetal hearts of spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats

Summary The development of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was studied in fetal hearts of spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and compared to normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. While SHR fetal hearts were noticeably less developed than those of WKY at 10 and 11 days gestation, both strains showed ANP immunoreactive cells in some but not all primitive heart tubes. At 12 days additional ANP immunoreactive cells appeared in formative trabeculae of the ventricle and atrium. ANP cells were also observed in the myogenic layer of the truncus and bulbus arteriosus and their derivatives from 11 through 16 days, but not at 18 days. In both strains, there were more ANP cells in the left ventricle than in right beginning at day 13. There were no obvious strain differences in the developmental pattern and timing of ANP producing cells. However, on the day of birth, staining was reduced in hearts from some WKY newborn pups compared with hearts from SHR newborns and ventricular staining was reduced in both strains when compared to fetal hearts. These observations indicate that ANP is one of the earliest peptide hormones produced and that the predisposition to genetic hypertension does not appear to influence the development of ANP.     

胎儿心脏外形的解剖学观测

目的:观测3~10月胎儿心脏重量及各表面结构的相关数值,探讨各结构随胎龄变化的规律和趋势。方法:取非正常分娩的、无心血管畸形的死亡胎儿心脏42例,甲醛固定后,按月龄分成8组,托盘天平称重后,测量表面各结构。结果:胎儿心脏重量为(6.31±5.53)g,其长径、宽径、前后径、周径、前室间沟径、后室间沟径、左缘径分别为(2.95±0.93)cm(、2.20±0.72)cm、(1.78±0.63)cm(、6.74±2.09)cm、(2.32±0.86)cm(、1.93±0.58)cm、(3.66±1.42)cm。结论:胎儿心脏外形各结构测量值随胎龄的增加而增大,且增大的速度不同。了解其正常数值对胎儿先天性心脏病的诊治有参考意义。     

Xenografting of fetal pig ventral mesencephalon corrects motor asymmetry in the rat model of Parkinson's disease

Summary A suspension of cells from embryonic day 21 fetal pig ventral mesencephalon was transplanted into the striatum of 20 immunosuppressed rats with 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway. Of these rats, 15 showed reduction of amphetamine-induced ipsilateral rotation by 9 weeks and complete reversal of rotation by 14–17 weeks. Animals maintained stable reversal of rotations (contralateral direction) until cessation of Cyclosporin A (CyA) treatment at 15–20 weeks. Within 4–9 weeks after CyA removal, these rats showed exclusively ipsilateral rotations during behavioral testing which were comparable to pre-transplant levels, suggesting that the grafts were rejected upon cessation of CyA treatment. Rats were sacrificed and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry was performed at several time points, both on and off CyA, to examine a possible correlation between the degree of rotational behavior and the number of TH- positive surviving grafted cells. Staining showed large numbers (230–12,329) of TH-positive surviving cells in animals displaying a high degree of rotational correction (1.6 to -9.6 net ipsilateral rotations/min) after cessation of CyA treatment. Two control groups, those transplanted with nonneuronal cells from the pig ventral mesencephalon (n=5) and those receiving only daily CyA injections (n=4) showed no significant reduction of net ipsilateral rotations throughout the experiment. No TH-positive surviving cells were seen in the one non-neuronal transplant analyzed. This data demonstrates long-term retention of xenografted tissue with immunosuppression and its concomitant restoration of normal motor behavior in the rat model of Parkinson's disease.     

Systemic and mucosal antibody responses specific to SARS-CoV-2 during mild versus severe COVID-19

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The instability of membrane markers expressed by human monocytes and macrophages in culture

Surface markers were tested on freshly isolated human monocytes and following their in vitro maturation to macrophages. The markers tested were HLA-DR antigens, receptors for the Fc of IgG and complement as well as membrane markers defined by monoclonal antibodies. The results revealed a dynamic expression of some of the markers on monocytes which was influenced by several variables. The expression of the markers was modulated by the presence of different sera, by treatment with lymphokines and interferon and following the in vitro maturation of monocytes to macrophages. The most unstable marker was found to be the HLA-DR, which was modulated by all these variables. The 63D3 was affected by different sera and culture supernatant, as well as following the maturation of monocytes to macrophages, but not by lymphokines and interferon. One of the markers, the Mac 120, was found to be relatively stable and did not change significantly following the maturation of monocytes to macrophages. The Fc and complement receptors were also stable in their expression under these conditions, but were probably partially blocked in the presence of human serum. These results indicated that at least some of the heterogeneity related to the monocyte population was probably not due to the occurrence of stable subsets of cells, but rather to reversible changes in marker expression.     

水通道蛋白3在人胎盘和胎膜中的表达及分布

目的 研究正常妊娠晚期人胎盘和胎膜水通道蛋白3(AQP3)的表达及分布.方法 收集5例正常足月妊娠剖宫分娩的胎盘和胎膜样本,用RT-PCR测定AQP3 mRNA在胎盘和胎膜组织中的表达;用Western印迹和免疫组织化学方法检测AQP3蛋白质水平在胎盘和胎膜的表达.结果 RT-PCR显示AQP3 mRNA在胎盘和胎膜组织均有表达.Western印迹结果显示胎盘组织在29 000左右有一特异性条带.免疫组织化学结果显示AQP3表达于合体滋养细胞,而在羊膜上皮细胞未见表达.结论 AQP3在胎盘母儿液体平衡中可能发挥重要作用.     

Fine structure of the carotid body of the midterm human fetus

Summary The human fetal carotid body was studied using both histochemical and electron microscopic methods. The glomus cells of a mid term fetal carotid body evidently contain catecholamines. This was demonstrated both by formaldehyder-induced fluorescence of the cells and by the presence of typical dense-cored vesicles (diameter 1430–3200 Å) in the cytoplasm of the chief cells. The glomus cells were densely innervated and the synapses found on their surface were probably cholinergic in type, containing agranular synaptic vesicles measuring 400–700 Å in diameter with a few dense-cored vesicles measuring 900 to 1300 Å. Synapses were not found in any other cell type within the glomus caroticum. The prominent feature of the glomus cell cytoplasm was the presence of the dense-cored vesicles. The density of the vesicular core varied only slightly from cell to cell. There were no perceptible differences in vesicular size between the different cells. The glomus cells were mostly surrounded by the processes of the sustentacular cells, which usually also surrounded the capillary walls. No glomus cells were ever found in direct contact with the capillary wall. The capillaries were wide and very numerous over the restricted area of the organ. They formed sinusoidal loops, probably anastomosing with each other. Finally, the features of the fine structure are discussed, correlating the present findings with our knowledge about the adult functional carotic body.