Early Career Investigator

Congratulations to Wissam Shalish, the Early Career Investigator for our May issue. In his Commentary, he describes growing up in Montreal and the mentors he found along the way, his decision to earn a PhD, and his experience at the hub of a multicenter project. In a study reported in this issue, he and colleagues examined patterns of reintubation in premature infants after planned extubation. See pages 917 and 969

Wolfram syndrome, a devastating neurodegenerative disease

In their review, Rigoli et al. describe the various forms of Wolfram syndrome, with an emphasis on WS1. The gene for WS1 encodes wolframin, which is highly expressed in brain tissue and is located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). ER stress and perturbed ER calcium levels are thought to be the major cause of Wolfram symptoms. Based on these mechanisms, the authors propose several potential interventions. See page 921

Neither avoidance nor smoking rules protect infants from paternal smoking

Environmental tobacco smoke exposure is a known risk factor for many diseases. Wang et al. found that neither maternal protective measures nor smoke-free home rules were associated with lower cotinine levels in infants. See page 936

rhGH therapy improves cardiovascular risk factors

Chen et al. investigated whether recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) replacement therapy would have an impact on cardiovascular health in growth-deficient Chinese children. Two groups received different doses of rhGH; both groups exhibited improvement in all risk factors measured. See page 954

Potential biomarkers for clinical status of progeria

Gordon et al. used a multianalyte, microsphere-based immunofluorescent assay to examine the relationship of 66 plasma proteins with progeria. Compared with controls, the levels of 23 proteins in progeria patients were lower and those of 7 proteins were higher. The levels of 6 of the proteins that had been lower normalized with lonafarnib therapy. See page 982

Increases in TLR4 a therapeutic target for NEC

Two papers in this issue report that increases in toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression were associated with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and that interventions that reduced TLR4 expression were protective of NEC. Shi et al. used vitamin D to promote the vitamin D receptor and suppress TLR4 expression. Huang et al. used lithocholic acid to activate the pregnane X receptor and suppress TLR4 expression. Who will be first to try a combination of the two approaches? See page 1024 and 1031

HMGB1 may be a therapeutic target for RSV

Manti et al. explored the relationship between high-mobility group box type 1 (HMGB1) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection of primary and immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells and in rat pup lungs. Their findings suggest that HMGB1 may be both a biomarker and a therapeutic target for RSV. See page 1049