Persistent pulmonary hypertension
Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and rho-kinase (ROCK) increase vascular tone in experimental persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). In a study involving pulmonary arterial endothelial cells, Gien and colleagues found that ET-1 activation of ROCK impairs angiogenesis and might thereby contribute to the inhibition of vascular growth in PPHN.
Proteome changes in NEC
Changes in the intestinal and colonic proteome in newborns with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) may help researchers to characterize the disease’s pathology and identify new biomarkers and treatment targets. Using gel-based proteomics, Jiang et al. compared proteins in NEC-affected intestinal and colonic sections with those in adjacent, near-normal tissue sections in the same patients. Their findings suggest that the identified secretory proteins should be investigated as possible circulating markers of NEC progression in different gut regions.
See Intestinal proteome changes during infant necrotizing enterocolitis
Iron and fetal growth restriction
In their in-depth study of the effects of maternal and fetal iron metabolism in intrauterine growth–restricted sheep, Sun and coauthors hypothesized that constrained placental development lowers fetal iron tissue by downregulating expression of both placental transferring receptor and endothelial nitric oxide synthase. In an ovine surgical uterine space–restriction model, they found that fetal iron was regulated in an organ-specific fashion.
Sertraline and the developing heart
Sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is commonly prescribed for depression. However, intrauterine SSRI exposure has been linked to decreased fetal growth, altered autonomic regulation, and cardiac malformations. Haskell and coinvestigators found that early postnatal SSRI exposure impairs cardiomyocyte growth and central serotonin signaling, leading to small left heart syndrome in adult mice.
See Sertraline exposure leads to small left heart syndrome in adult mice
Microglia and periventricular white matter
The periventricular white matter (PVWM) of the immature preterm brain is selectively vulnerable to a spectrum of injury. Although essential for normal brain development, the presence of resident microglia may exacerbate PVWM injury. Supramaniam et al. found increased microglial activation in PVWM adjacent to isolated germinal matrix hemorrhage or intraventricular hemorrhage without obvious white matter injury.
See Microglia activation in the extremely preterm human brain
Kawasaki disease and vasculitis
Reindel and coinvestigators previously found that subacute/chronic vasculitis begins early in Kawasaki disease (KD), with proliferation of smooth muscle cell–derived myofibroblasts in a complex extracellular matrix. In their present study, they observed upregulation of integrins, collagen 1A1, and matrix metalloproteinase 7 in coronary arteries of patients with KD. This might contribute to inflammation of coronary vessels and subsequent muscle-cell changes.
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Editor’s Focus. Pediatr Res 73, 251 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2013.12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2013.12