Cerebellar peduncle damage in Langerhans cell histiocytosis-associated neurodegenerative disease revealed by diffusion tensor imaging.

PURPOSE: To confirm the hypothesis that brain white matter damage is involved in the pathogenesis and disease progression of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH)-associated neurodegenerative disease (ND), we aimed to analyze pediatric patients with LCH using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS: We enrolled 33 patients with LCH and obtained 33 DTI datasets. Using DTI-based tractography, fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were measured in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter tracts. The participants were divided into three groups-non-ND, ND without clinical symptoms (r-ND), and ND with clinical symptoms (c-ND)-according to their clinical status during the examination with DTI. We compared the DTI parameters in white matter tracts were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: In the order of non-ND, r-ND, and c-ND groups, the FA in superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) and middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) significantly decreased, the ADC, AD, and RD of MCP, and the RD of SCP were significantly elevated (FA-SCP; p < 0.001, FA-MCP; p = 0.026, ADC-MCP; p < 0.001, AD-MCP; p = 0.002, RD-MCP; p = 0.003, and RD-SCP; p = 0.018). Furthermore, in the simple linear regression analysis, the FA, ADC, AD, and RD values in the MCP and the FA value in the SCP were significantly influenced by the presence of neurological symptoms and ND findings on MRI (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In LCH-ND, we identified microstructural damage in the SCP and MCP. DTI parameters in these tracts may help monitor LCH-ND; therefore, future studies are required to validate these results in a large cohort.

Analgesic effect of voluntary exercise in a rat model of persistent pain via suppression of microglial activation in the spinal cord.

In this study, we employed a rodent model for persistent allodynia and hyperalgesia to determine whether voluntary exercise could exert analgesic effects on these pain symptoms. Rats were subcutaneously injected with formalin into the plantar surface of the right hind paw to induce mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia. We assessed the analgesic effects of a voluntary wheel running (VWR) using the von Frey test and investigated microglial proliferation in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. We also determined the effect of formalin and VWR on the protein expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its receptor TrkB, and K+-Cl- cotransporter 2 (KCC2), which play a key role in inducing allodynia and hyperalgesia. Rats with access to the running wheels showed beneficial effects on persistent formalin-induced mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia. The effects of VWR were elicited through the suppression of formalin-induced microglial proliferation, TrkB up-regulation, and KCC2 down-regulation in the spinal cord. BDNF, however, might not contribute to the beneficial effects of VWR. Our results show an analgesic effect of voluntary physical exercise in a rodent model with persistent pain, possibly through the regulation of microglial proliferation and TrkB and KCC2 expression in the spinal cord.

Low-grade IVH in preterm infants causes cerebellar damage, motor, and cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the effect of low-grade intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) on the white matter in the cerebellum and its association with neurodevelopment. We evaluated cerebellar white matter at term-equivalent age (TEA) in preterm infants with low-grade IVH. Furthermore, we assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3 years of age to examine the influence of low-grade IVH on neurodevelopment. METHODS: Thirteen infants with low-grade IVH and 26 without IVH, born at <30 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA), were enrolled in this study. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters, including fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the middle and superior cerebellar peduncles (SCP), were measured. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at three years of age were assessed and the correlation between DTI parameters and developmental quotient (DQ) was analyzed. RESULTS: Preterm infants with IVH showed lower FA values (P < 0.01) and higher ADC values (P < 0.05) in the SCP at TEA than the no-IVH group. Lower Postural-Motor and Cognitive-Adaptive DQ at 3 years of age were observed in the IVH compared to the no-IVH group. A significant correlation between the FA values in the SCP at TEA and the Posture-Motor DQ was observed at three years of age (P = 0.043, r = 0.50). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that low-grade IVH in preterm infants affects the SCP at TEA and that impaired cerebellar white matter correlates with poor motor development at three years of age.

Early-onset parkinsonism in a pedigree with phosphoglycerate kinase deficiency and a heterozygous carrier: do PGK-1 mutations contribute to vulnerability to parkinsonism?

Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK-1) is a glycolytic enzyme encoded by PGK-1, which maps to the X chromosome. PGK-1 deficiency causes X-linked recessive hereditary chronic hemolytic anemia, myopathy, and neurological disorders due to insufficient ATP regeneration. Early-onset parkinsonism has occasionally been reported as a neurological complication of this condition. However, heterozygous carriers of PGK-1 deficiency were thought to be neurologically asymptomatic. Here, we report a boy with PGK-1 deficiency and his mother, a carrier of a heterozygous mutation in PGK-1, both of whom presented with early-onset parkinsonism. The boy developed parkinsonism at 9 years of age. His parkinsonism partially responded to levodopa treatment. 123l-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake was normal. His mother, who exhibited normal PGK-1 activity in erythrocytes, developed parkinsonism at 36 years of age. Her symptoms were undistinguishable from those of Parkinson's disease (PD), despite her normal uptake of MIBG. Neither a point mutation in nor multiplication of SNCA was found. Additionally, hotspots of LRRK2 and GBA were not mutated. To our knowledge, this report provides the first description of parkinsonism in a carrier of PGK-1 deficiency. Interestingly, PGK-1 is located within the confirmed susceptibility locus for PD known as PARK12. These observations suggest that PGK-1 mutations confer susceptibility to PD.

Saffold Cardiovirus Infection in a 2-Year-Old Boy with Acute Pancreatitis.

Saffold cardiovirus (SAFV), first identified in a stool sample in 2007, is thought to be associated with respiratory disease and gastroenteritis. On the other hand, animal experiments suggested that the major viral load, following intraperitoneal inoculation of SAFV in mice, may be detected in the pancreas. However, until now, no cases of SAFV in patients with pancreatitis have been reported. This report presents a unique case in a patient who developed relapsing acute pancreatitis (AP) after hand, foot, and mouth disease, and was suspected to have SAFV-1 infection. A 2-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital because of severe abdominal pain. His serum amylase and lipase levels were elevated. Enhanced computed tomography showed pancreatic swelling and dilation of the main pancreatic duct, leading to a diagnosis of severe AP. The viral genome of SAFV-1 was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction from fecal samples. Furthermore, the serum neutralization titer for SAFV was elevated during AP, but decreased after 1 year. These findings strongly suggest the patient developed SAFV-1 infection concurrent with AP. Therefore, we propose that a cohort study is required to clarify the relationship between SAFV and AP.

[A single administration of morphine suppresses the reduction of the systemic immune activity caused by acute inflammatory pain in rats].

BACKGROUND: Pain accompanying various diseases as well as invasion and postoperative pain reduce immune activities, and affect the prognosis of diseases and recovery after surgery (metastasis and relapse). While, some anesthetics and synthetic narcotics used to reduce pain are reported to suppress immune activities depending on the kind of medication and the dosing strategy. However, it is not clear how the single use of narcotics affects the immune activity at the acute stage of severe inflammatory pain. This study is undertaken to examine the effect of a single administration of morphine on the splenic NK cell activity in the acute inflammatory pain model rats. METHODS: Rats received a 50 microl s.c. injection of 4% formaldehyde into the plantar surface of the right hindpaw. The spleen was removed 2 hours later and the splenic NK-cell activity was measured by 51Cr release assay. RESULTS: Acute pain significantly reduced the splenic NK cell activity, but the single administration of morphine suppressed its reduction. CONCLUSIONS: It was indicated that the single administration of morphine could suppress the reduction of the systemic immune activity caused by acute inflammatory pain.

Modulation of eosinophil survival by epinastine hydrochloride, an H1 receptor antagonist, in vitro.

The influence of epinastine hydrochloride (EP) on eosinophil survival was examined by an in vitro cell culture technique. Nasal epithelial cells (NECs) were stimulated with 25 ng/ml TNF-alpha in the presence of EP (10 to 30 ng/ml). After 24 h, the culture supernatants were obtained and used as conditioned media of NECs (CM). Eosinophils (1 x 10(3) cells/ml) prepared from healthy human peripheral blood were incubated with 25% CM and eosinophil survival was assessed by trypan blue dye exclusion test 48 h later. CM prepared from NEC cultures pre-treated with TNF-alpha and EP caused a decrease in eosinophil survival as compared with that from NEC cells pre-treated with TNF-alpha alone. The minimum concentration of EP that caused a significant decrease in eosinophil survival was 25 ng/ml. The addition of EP into eosinophil cultures did not cause inhibition of eosinophil survival, which was prolonged by stimulation with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), even when 40 ng/ml EP was added to cell cultures. We then examined the levels of GM-CSF in CM by ELISA. Treatment of NECs with EP at more than 25 ng/ml, reduced the ability of NECs to produce GM-CSF in response to TNF-alpha stimulation. These results may suggest that EP suppresses eosinophil survival through the suppression of GM-CSF production from NECs induced by inflammatory stimulation and that this suppressive effect contributes, in part, to the therapeutic mode of action of EP on allergic diseases.