Emerging and Traditional Organic Markers in Areas with Multiple Anthropogenic Activities: Development of an Analytical Protocol and Its Application in Environmental Assessment Studies

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - This work describes the development of an analytical protocol combining cleanup by liquid–solid extraction and GC–MS for the...     

Does stroke impair academic achievement in children? The role of metacognition in math and spelling outcomes following pediatric stroke

Introduction: Current research suggests that pediatric stroke is associated with a reduction in intellectual functioning. However, less is known about academic achievement and the contribution of specific executive functions to math and literacy in this population. The current study investigates behavioral ratings of executive functioning and their relationship to math and spelling performance in children with a history of unilateral arterial ischemic stroke.

Method: Thirty-two pediatric patients with stroke (M_age = 9.5 ± 2.7 years) and 32 demographically equivalent, healthy controls were tested on standardized measures of arithmetic, spelling, and intelligence. Executive functioning data were collected via standardized parent questionnaire.

Results: Relative to controls, stroke participants demonstrated significantly poorer functioning in math, spelling, metacognition, and behavioral-regulation. Pencil and paper arithmetic was particularly challenging for the stroke group, with 40% of patients reaching levels of clinical impairment. Hierarchical regression in stroke participants further revealed that metacognition was a robust predictor of academic deficits. Stroke occurring in later childhood and affecting cortical and subcortical brain regions also presented as potential clinical risk factors.

Conclusions: Children with stroke were especially vulnerable to math achievement deficits. Metacognition made a substantial contribution to academic achievement abilities among stroke patients, and results underscore the importance of early metacognitive skills in the completion of schoolwork. Results also emphasize that pediatric stroke patients are a heterogeneous group with regard to functioning and that there is value in examining standard score distributions of clinical participant samples.     

The second round of the Dutch colorectal cancer screening program: Impact of an increased fecal immunochemical test cut-off level on yield of screening

The Dutch colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program started in 2014, inviting the target population biennially to perform a fecal immunochemical test (FIT). We obtained prospectively collected data from the national screening information-system to present the results of the second round (2016) and evaluate the impact of increasing the FIT cut-off halfway through the first round from 15 to 47 μg Hb/g feces on outcomes in the second round. Second round screening was done with a 47 μg Hb/g feces FIT cut-off. Participants were classified based on first round participation status as either FIT (15,47) or FIT (47,47) participants, and previous nonparticipants. In total, 348,891 (75.9%) out of 459,740 invitees participated in the second round. Participation rates were 93.4% among previous participants and 21.0% among previous non-participants. FIT(47,47) participants had a significantly higher detection rate of AN (15.3 vs. 10.4 per 1,000 participants) compared to FIT(15,47) participants in the second round, while their cumulative detection rate of AN over two rounds was significantly lower (45.6 vs. 52.6 per 1,000 participants). Our results showed that participation in the Dutch CRC screening program was consistently high and that second round detection rates depended on the first round FIT cut-off. The cumulative detection over two rounds was higher among FIT(15,47) participants. These findings suggest that a substantial part of, but not all the missed findings in the first round due to the increased FIT cut-off were detected in the subsequent round.     

FGF13 promotes metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents 10–20% of all human ductal adenocarcinomas and has a poor prognosis relative to other subtypes, due to the high propensity to develop distant metastases. Hence, new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention are needed for TNBC. We recently conducted a rigorous phenotypic and genomic characterization of four isogenic populations of MDA-MB-231 human triple-negative breast cancer cells that possess a range of intrinsic spontaneous metastatic capacities in vivo, ranging from nonmetastatic (MDA-MB-231_ATCC) to highly metastatic to lung, liver, spleen and spine (MDA-MB-231_HM). Gene expression profiling of primary tumours by RNA-Seq identified the fibroblast growth factor homologous factor, FGF13, as highly upregulated in aggressively metastatic MDA-MB-231_HM tumours. Clinically, higher FGF13 mRNA expression was associated with significantly worse relapse free survival in both luminal A and basal-like human breast cancers but was not associated with other clinical variables and was not upregulated in primary tumours relative to normal mammary gland. Stable FGF13 depletion restricted in vitro colony forming ability in MDA-MB-231_HM TNBC cells but not in oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 or MDA-MB-361 cells. However, despite augmenting MDA-MB-231_HM cell migration and invasion in vitro, FGF13 suppression almost completely blocked the spontaneous metastasis of MDA-MB-231_HM orthotopic xenografts to both lung and liver while having negligible impact on primary tumour growth. Together, these data indicate that FGF13 may represent a therapeutic target for blocking metastatic outgrowth of certain TNBCs. Further evaluation of the roles of individual FGF13 protein isoforms in progression of the different subtypes of breast cancer is warranted.     

Bioengineering and in utero transplantation of fetal skin in the sheep model: A crucial step towards clinical application in human fetal spina bifida repair

An intricate problem during open human fetal surgery for spina bifida regards back skin closure, particularly in those cases where the skin defect is much too large for primary closure. We hypothesize that tissue engineering of fetal skin might provide an adequate autologous skin substitute for in utero application in such situations. Eight sheep fetuses of four time‐mated ewes underwent fetoscopic skin biopsy at 65 days of gestation. Fibroblasts and keratinocytes isolated from the biopsy were used to create fetal dermo‐epidermal skin substitutes. These were transplanted on the fetuses by open fetal surgery at 90 days of gestation on skin defects (excisional wounds) created during the same procedure. Pregnancy was allowed to continue until euthanasia at 120 days of gestation. The graft area was analyzed macroscopically and microscopically. The transplanted fetal dermo‐epidermal skin substitutes was well discernable in situ in three of the four fetuses available for analysis. Histology confirmed healed grafts with a close to natural histological skin architecture four weeks after in utero transplantation. This experimental study generates evidence that laboratory grown autologous fetal skin analogues can successfully be transplanted in utero. These results have clinical implications as an analogous procedure might be applied in human fetuses undergoing prenatal repair to facilitate primary skin closure. Finally, this study may also fertilize the field of fetal tissue engineering in general, particularly when more interventional, minimally invasive, and open fetal surgical procedures become available.     

The awareness of the scared - context dependent influence of oxytocin on brain function

Brain Imaging and Behavior - Oxytocin is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter and has been originally recognized for its role in childbirth and lactation. Later, it became widely known as a...     

Tumor control of cervical lymph node metastases of unknown primary origin: the impact of the radiotherapy target volume

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Debate on the extent of treatment of neck metastasis of cancer of unknown primary tumors (CUPs) is still ongoing. In two Dutch tertiary referral...     

Neighbourhood Influences on Children's Weight-related Behaviours and Body Mass Index

IntroductionNeighbourhood contextual factors such as accessibility of food shops and green spaces are associated with adult bodyweight but not necessarily weight-related behaviours. Whether these associations are replicated amongst children is unknown.AimTo understand which aspects of childrens'' neighbourhoods are associated with unhealthy weight and weight-related behaviours.MethodsIndividual-level data for children from the 2006/7 New Zealand Health Survey (of Body Mass Index (BMI), dietary indicators and socioeconomic variables) were linked with geographic level data on neighbourhood deprivation, rural/urban status, percentage of community engaged in active travel, access to green space, food shops and sports/leisure facilities. Logistic regression models were fitted for measures of BMI and weight-related behaviours; sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption; fast-food consumption; and television viewing.ResultsIncreased community engagement in active transport was, counterintuitively, the only neighbourhood contextual factor associated with unhealthy weight amongst children. After adjustment for socioeconomic and environmental variables, greater access to green space appeared to have a protective effect on SSB consumption and neighbourhood deprivation was associated with all three unhealthy weight-related behaviours (SSB and fast-food consumption and television viewing).ConclusionsAlthough further research is needed, evidence from the current study suggests that a repertoire of health promotion interventions and policies to change unhealthy weight-related behaviours in high deprivation neighbourhoods may be required to address childhood obesity.