Editor's Focus

The presence of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) Long (L) allele with exposure to prenatal smoke predisposes to sudden fetal and infant death along with morphological developmental defects of the raphé nuclei.

Figure

Figure 1

No caption available.

See page 22

SLC25A29 transporter is the third human mitochondrial ornithine transporter designated as ORNT3 with a potential role in fatty acid oxidation, ornithine degradation and possibly in the urea cycle. Mutations of this member may contribute to the milder and variable phenotype seen in patients with the hyperornithinemia-hyperammonemia- homocitrullinuria syndrome.

Figure

Figure 2

No caption available.

See page 35

In the uterine artery ligation rat model of intrauterine growth restriction, reduced pancreatic β-islet vascularity predates deterioration in β-cell mass. Exendin-4 – a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist – normalized vascular endothelial growth factor expression and islet vascularity. Islet vascularity is an early determinant of pancreatic β islet cell mass serving as a potential interventional target for preventing diabetes.

Figure

Figure 3

No caption available.

See page 42

Neonatal dexamethasone affects normal heart growth resulting in cellular hypertrophy and increased collagen deposition seen in the adult stage. These observations, along with premature demise reported previously, supports long-term cardiovascular follow up of glucocorticoid treated infants.

Figure

Figure 4

No caption available.

See page 74

Conventional and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging demonstrates postnatal pattern of maturational changes in the immature ferret to mimick that observed in the human thereby providing a venue for translational studies.

Figure

Figure 5

No caption available.

See page 80

Severe supratentorial intraventricular hemorrhage in premature neonates was associated with abnormal cerebellar development as gauged by diffusion tensor imaging.

Figure

Figure 6

No caption available.

See page 102