Chlorhexidine inhibits neurite outgrowth

Milstone and colleagues assessed the potential neurotoxicity of chlorhexidine on the developing central nervous system using a well-established in vitro model of neurite outgrowth. It was found that chlorhexidine at concentrations detected in the blood following topical application in preterm infants specifically inhibited L1-mediated neurite outgrowth of cerebellar granule neurons.

See Chlorhexidine inhibits L1 cell adhesion molecule–mediated neurite outgrowth in vitro

Cholangitis in Reo-2-infected mice

Reovirus is a proposed cause of infantile biliary atresia, but mechanistic insight regarding Reo-2 as a potential cholangiotropic virus is lacking. Nakashima and colleagues analyzed lesions of bile ducts in newborn DBA/1J mice infected with Reo-2 and found that Reo-2 infection induced T-helper cell type 1–dependent injury to bile ducts in weaning mice.

See Reovirus type-2–triggered autoimmune cholangitis in extrahepatic bile ducts of weanling DBA/1J mice

Pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis

The pathophysiology that results in cerebral edema in pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is unknown. To investigate changes in white matter microstructure in this disease, Dervan et al. measured diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in children with DKA at two time points during treatment. Their findings support an association between clinical illness and DTI markers of microstructural change in white matter.

See Change in fractional anisotropy during treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis in children

Lipopolysaccharide and inflammation

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin of Gram-negative bacteria, has been implicated as a factor triggering preterm labor and systemic complications. Martinez-Lopez et al. explored LPS levels in the cord blood of term and preterm infants. The findings suggest that LPS is indeed associated with both preterm labor and inflammation.

See Lipopolysaccharide and soluble CD14 in cord blood plasma are associated with prematurity and chorioamnionitis

Body composition and asthma

Jensen and coauthors investigated whether BMI z-score and body composition were associated with lung function in asthmatic children. Clinical assessment of 48 asthmatic children indicated that lean mass, but not fat mass, is associated with respiratory function in children with asthma.

See Lean mass, not fat mass, is associated with lung function in male and female children with asthma

Lectin pathway

Deficiencies within the innate immunity lectin pathway of complement activation have been implicated in a child’s vulnerability to infections, but their role during critical illness remains unclear. Ingels and coinvestigators studied protein levels in 130 healthy children and 700 critically ill children upon admission to an intensive-care unit (ICU). Low levels of MASP-3 (mannose-binding lectin–associated serine protease 3) were independently associated with both subsequent acquisition of infection and prolonged ICU stay in critically ill children.

See Lectin pathway of complement activation and relation with clinical complications in critically ill children