Prenatal environmental stressors impair postnatal microglia function and adult behavior in males.

Gestational exposure to environmental toxins and socioeconomic stressors is epidemiologically linked to neurodevelopmental disorders with strong male bias, such as autism. We model these prenatal risk factors in mice by co-exposing pregnant dams to an environmental pollutant and limited-resource stress, which robustly activates the maternal immune system. Only male offspring display long-lasting behavioral abnormalities and alterations in the activity of brain networks encoding social interactions. Cellularly, prenatal stressors diminish microglial function within the anterior cingulate cortex, a central node of the social coding network, in males during early postnatal development. Precise inhibition of microglial phagocytosis within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of wild-type (WT) mice during the same critical period mimics the impact of prenatal stressors on a male-specific behavior, indicating that environmental stressors alter neural circuit formation in males via impairing microglia function during development.

Endosteal plating in proximal humerus fractures: a novel technique and alternative to fibular strut allograft for medial column support.

Hypothesis: The purpose of this retrospective study is to investigate the clinical and radiographic outcomes associated with the use of a standard metal plate as an endosteal implant in combination with a lateral locking plate to treat 4 patients with displaced proximal humerus fractures. Methods: A retrospective case series study design was utilized, and the medical records of 4 patients with displaced, 3-part proximal humerus fractures treated using this technique between January 2019 and July 2021 were reviewed for this study. The mean age was 52 years (range, 44-57 years). The radiographic outcome of interest was humeral neck-shaft angle preoperatively, intraoperatively, and at the latest follow-up. The average follow-up duration was 62 weeks (range, 12-161 weeks). Results: All fractures healed without loss of reduction or neurovascular deficits. Avascular necrosis was not observed in the 2 patients with sufficient follow-up time to make such an evaluation. The average neck-shaft angles preoperatively, intraoperatively, and at the latest follow-up were 104.8°, 139.8°, and 137°, respectively. Conclusion: Locking plate technology augmented with an endosteal plate provided stable reduction and restoration of physiologic alignment in a small number of patients with displaced proximal humerus fractures. This construct creates a second column of fixation, providing medial column support, and could be removed in the event of a future revision to a reverse shoulder arthroplasty.