ZnPP-Lipid in the heme-loaded mouse

Inhibition of heme oxygenase (HO) by metalloporphyrins may be an ideal preventive strategy for neonatal hemolytic disease. Fujioka and coauthors recently designed a lipid-based ZnPP formulation (ZnPP-Lipid), which is orally absorbed by newborn mice. They evaluated the efficacy of ZnPP-Lipid in heme-loaded newborn mice, a model analogous to hemolytic infants. Twenty-four hours after heme administration, 3-d-old mice were given ZnPP-Lipid via intragastric injections. Three hours later, liver activity was inhibited whereas brain activity was not. See Inhibition of heme oxygenase activity using a microparticle formulation of zinc protoporphyrin in an acute hemolytic newborn mouse model

Idiopathic short stature

Animal models and gene deletions in humans suggest that alterations of HMGA2 might be relevant in causing short stature. Fusco and colleagues investigated the involvement of HMGA2 in idiopathic short stature (ISS) through an association study and mutation screening. They analyzed 155 ISS patients and 318 normal-stature controls using direct sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Their findings indicate that HMGA2 might not have a significant impact on the monogenic form of short stature. See page Variations in the high-mobility group-A2 gene (HMGA2) are associated with idiopathic short stature

Postnatal effects of maternal diet in rats

Griffiths and coinvestigators have previously shown a significant correlation between early abnormalities of lipid and glucose metabolism and childhood asthma. The current study’s specific aim was to determine whether maternal nutrition in pregnancy affects postnatal metabolic and respiratory outcomes in rat offspring. On gestational day 1, dams were switched from standard chow to either a high-fat hypercaloric diet (HFD) or a control diet. Cytokine expression analysis of lung tissues from newborns of the HFD dams revealed a strong proinflammatory pattern. The results indicate that maternal nutrition in pregnancy is a critical determinant of airway inflammation and hyperreactivity in their offspring. See Maternal high-fat hypercaloric diet during pregnancy results in persistent metabolic and respiratory abnormalities in offspring

Surgical bleeding and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DS) is the second most common genetic risk factor for congenital heart defects. Brenner et al. performed a case–control study of 91 pediatric patients who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Patients with 22q11.2 DS had larger platelets and lower platelet counts, bled more excessively, and received more packed red blood cells in the early postoperative period relative to control patients. Presurgical genetic testing for 22q11.2 DS may help to identify pediatric cardiac surgery patients who are at higher risk for excessive bleeding and who may require more transfusion support in the postoperative period. See Effect of 22q11.2 deletion on bleeding and transfusion utilization in children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery

Pacifier use in preterm infants

Horne and coauthors assessed the effects of dummy/pacifier use on blood pressure, cerebral oxygenation, and heart rate control in preterm infants over the first 6 months of life after term-corrected age, when the risk of sudden infant death syndrome is greatest. A total of 35 preterm infants were studied longitudinally at 2–4 weeks, 2–3 months, and 5–6 months corrected age. Dummy/pacifier use increased blood pressure during sleep, and low-frequency heart rate variability was elevated, suggesting that it alters cardiac control in preterm infants. See Dummy/pacifier use in preterm infants increases blood pressure and improves heart rate control

Fast Doppler for cerebral perfusion

Peeples and colleagues hypothesized that fast Doppler imaging could provide a reproducible bedside estimation of cerebral perfusion and autoregulation in preterm infants. They found significant and independent correlations between systolic blood flow velocity and both systolic blood pressure and heart rate in 26- to 28-week gestational age infants in the first 48 hours of life. See Fast Doppler as a novel bedside measure of cerebral perfusion in preterm infants