De novo heterozygous variants in KIF5B cause kyphomelic dysplasia.

Kyphomelic dysplasia is a heterogeneous group of skeletal dysplasias characterized by severe bowing of the limbs associated with other variable findings, such as narrow thorax and abnormal facies. We searched for the genetic etiology of this disorder. Four individuals diagnosed with kyphomelic dysplasia were enrolled. We performed whole-exome sequencing and evaluated the pathogenicity of the identified variants. All individuals had de novo heterozygous variants in KIF5B encoding kinesin-1 heavy chain: two with c.272A>G:p.(Lys91Arg), one with c.584C>A:p.(Thr195Lys), and the other with c.701G>T:p.(Gly234Val). All variants involved conserved amino acids in or close to the ATPase activity-related motifs in the catalytic motor domain of the KIF5B protein. All individuals had sharp angulation of the femora and humeri, distinctive facial features, and neonatal respiratory distress. Short stature was observed in three individuals. Three developed postnatal osteoporosis with subsequent fractures, two showed brachycephaly, and two were diagnosed with optic atrophy. Our findings suggest that heterozygous KIF5B deleterious variants cause a specific form of kyphomelic dysplasia. Furthermore, alterations in kinesins cause various symptoms known as kinesinopathies, and our findings also extend the phenotypic spectrum of kinesinopathies.

A Novel α-Spectrin Pathogenic Variant in Trans to α-Spectrin LELY Causing Neonatal Jaundice With Hemolytic Anemia From Hereditary Pyropoikilocytosis Coexisting With Gilbert Syndrome.

Hereditary pyropoikilocytosis is a subtype of hereditary elliptocytosis because of biallelic mutations of SPTA1, SPTB, and EPB41. The authors present a proband with neonatal jaundice and hemolytic anemia, with poikilocytosis in the blood film. Targeted next-generation sequencing identified Q267del trans to the αLELY allele in SPTA1. In addition, the proband presented coexisting Gilbert syndrome as determined by homozygous mutation of UGT1A1. Investigation of 13 relatives and his sibling revealed that only his sibling showed the same phenotype and genotype as the proband. This is the first report of molecular confirmation of coexisting hereditary pyropoikilocytosis and Gilbert syndrome and a novel mutation in SPTA1.

Management of infants born to mothers with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in the delivery room: A tentative proposal 2020.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide within a short period, and there is still no sign of an end to the pandemic. Management of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected pregnant women at the time of delivery presents a unique challenge. To fulfill the goal of providing adequate management of such women and their infants, and to decrease the risk of exposure of the healthcare providers, tentative guidelines are needed until more evidence is collected. Practical preventative action is required that takes into account the following infection routes: (i) aerosol transmission from mothers to healthcare providers, (ii) horizontal transmission to healthcare providers from infants infected by their mothers, and (iii) horizontal transmission from mothers to infants. To develop standard operating procedures, briefings/training simulations should be carried out, taking into account the latest information. Briefings should be carefully conducted to clarify the role and procedures. Healthcare providers should wear personal protective equipment. If it is physically possible, neonatal resuscitation should be performed in a separate area next to the delivery room. If a separate area is not available, the infant warmer should be placed at least 2 m away from the delivery table, or partitioned off in the same room. A minimum number of skilled personnel should participate in resuscitation using the latest neonatal resuscitation algorithms.

Effects of Agmatine on Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Rats and Rabbits.

Renal insufficiency secondary to contrast administration remains a prevalent and debilitating complication of angiographic procedures. Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a common clinical problem for which there is no effective medical treatment. However, agmatine has been shown to be effective against ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury in rats, a similar condition to CIN. Our aim was to examine the protective effects of agmatine in a rat model of CIN and, based on those results, in a rabbit model of CIN. CIN in the rat model was induced by intravenous administration of indomethacin (10 mg/kg), Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (10 mg/kg) and iopamidol (OYPALOMIN, 7.4 g iodine/kg) at 2 weeks after a unilateral nephrectomy. CIN in the rabbit model was induced by intrarenal arterial injection of only iopamidol (BYSTAGE, 4.8 g iodine/kg). Intravenous injection of agmatine (0.1 and 0.3 mmol/kg) did not attenuate the CIN-induced renal insufficiency in the rat model. Intravenous injection of agmatine (0.3 mmol/kg) attenuated the CIN-induced renal insufficiency in the rabbit model such as increases in blood urea nitrogen and plasma creatinine levels. Renal histological damage was also improved by the agmatine administration. The difference in effects of agmatine injection between CIN rats and CIN rabbits was caused by indomethacin and L-NAME administrations. These results indicate that agmatine prevents the development of CIN-induced renal insufficiency in rabbits, and the effect is accompanied by activation of nitric oxide synthase and subsequent increase of blood flow.

Summary of Japanese Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guidelines 2015.

The Japan Resuscitation Council joined the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) as a member of the Resuscitation Council of Asia in 2006. In 2007, the Japan Society of Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine (JSPNM), which is a member of an affiliated body, launched the Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (NCPR) program as an authorized project to ensure that all staff involved in perinatal and neonatal medicine can learn and practice neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation based on the Consensus on Science with Treatment Recommendations developed by ILCOR. The content of courses in the NCPR program is based on the NCPR guidelines. These guidelines are revised by the Japan Resuscitation Council according to the Consensus on Science with Treatment Recommendations, which is updated by ILCOR every 5 years. The latest updated edition in Japanese was published in 2016 and we translated these Japanese guidelines to English in 2018. Here, we introduce a summary of the NCPR guidelines 2015 in Japan. The NCPR 2015 algorithm has two flows, "lifesaving flow" and "stabilization of breathing flow" at the first branching point after the initial step of resuscitation.

Neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation project in Japan.

In July 2007, the Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (NCPR) program in Japan was launched to ensure that all staff involved in perinatal and neonatal medicine can learn and practice NCPR based on the Consensus on Science with Treatment Recommendations developed by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. In 1978 in North America, a working group on pediatric resuscitation was formed by the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiac Care Committee and concluded that the resuscitation of newborns required a different strategy than the resuscitation of adults. The original first edition of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program textbook was published in 1987. The NCPR program consists of three courses for health-care providers and two courses for instructors. A course and B course are for newly certified health-care providers and course S is for health-care providers who are renewing their certification. As of 31 March 2019, 3,227 advanced instructors (I instructor) and 1,877 basic instructors (J instructor) were trained to teach A, B, and S courses to health-care providers on the basis of their license. In total 7,075 A courses and 4,012 B courses were held; 131 651 people attended A course or B course of the NCPR program, and 77 367 were certified. A total of 1,865 S courses, which were developed in 2015, were held and 12 875 people attended this course. Here, we introduce the background, purpose, history, and content of the development of the NCPR program in Japan.

Japanese clinical practice guidelines for sacrococcygeal teratoma, 2017.

BACKGROUND: Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is the most common extragonadal germ cell tumor in neonates and infants. Although most cases of infantile SCT are benign tumors by nature, some develop into extremely large lesions, leading to massive bleeding, high-output heart failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and even fatal outcomes during the neonatal period. In addition, some patients may present with tumor recurrence, malignant transformation, long-term sequelae (including bladder and bowel dysfunction) and lower leg palsy during the long-term follow up. SCT, however, is very rare, and there are few opportunities to encounter this disease, therefore general physicians without expert credentials currently lack information relevant to clinical practice. For this reason, the research project committee has compiled guidelines concerning SCT. METHODS: The purpose of these guidelines was to share information concerning the treatment and follow up of infantile SCT. The guidelines were developed using the methodologies in the Medical Information Network Distribution System. A comprehensive search of the English- and Japanese-language articles in PubMed and Ichu-Shi Web identified only case reports or case series, and the recommendations were developed through a process of informal consensus. RESULTS: The clinical questions addressed the risk factors, the efficacy of cesarean section, the initial devascularization of tumor feeding vessels, interventional radiology, recommended clinical studies for follow up and possible long-term complications. CONCLUSIONS: These are the first guidelines for SCT to be established in Japan, and they may have huge clinical value and significance in terms of developing therapeutic strategies and follow up, potentially contributing to the improvement of the prognosis and quality of life of SCT patients.

Oxygen delivery using neonatal self-inflating bags without reservoirs.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend avoiding excessive oxygen during neonatal resuscitation. Recent studies have suggested that oxygen titration can be achieved using a self-inflating bag, but data on the effectiveness of resuscitators used in neonatal ventilation are scarce, The aim of this study was therefore to determine the amount of oxygen delivered using several brands of neonatal self-inflating resuscitation bags without reservoirs under different conditions with regard to oxygen flow rate, ventilation rate (VR), peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) range, and test lung compliance. METHODS: Oxygen concentration was measured under a variety of conditions. Combinations of oxygen flow rate (10, 5.0, 3.0 and 1.0 L/min), VR (40, 60 inflations/min), PIP range (20-25 cmH2 O, 35-40 cmH2 O), and test lung compliance (0.6, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mL/cmH2 O) were examined using six kinds of self-inflating bag. RESULTS: Delivered oxygen concentration varied widely (30.1-96.7%) and had a significant positive correlation with gas flow rate in all of the bags. Delivered oxygen concentration was also negatively correlated with PIP in all of the bags and with VR in some of them. Test lung compliance did not affect delivered oxygen concentration. CONCLUSION: The use of neonatal resuscitation self-inflating bags without reservoirs resulted in different delivered oxygen concentrations depending on gas flow rate, VR, PIP, and manufacturer, but not on lung compliance. This suggests that targeted oxygen concentrations could be delivered, even in lungs with decreased compliance, during resuscitation.

[Analgesia with paravertebral block for postoperative pain after thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair].

Paraplegia is a serious complication after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Therefore, maintenance of spinal cord perfusion pressure, drainage of cerebrospinal fluid, and avoidance of opioids are important for prevention of paraplegia Management of acute post-thoracotomy pain is necessary not only to keep the patient comfortable but also to minimize postoperative complications. However, epidural analgesia, a common method of pain control, is hard to use because of existing postoperative coagulopathy and avoidance of spinal cord ischemia Although both paravertebral block and epidural analgesia provide comparable pain relief after thoracic surgery, paravertebral block has lesser detrimental effects on spinal cord perfusion and better preserves the possibility to monitor neurologic function than epidural analgesia. We report 7 cases in which paravertebral blockade was used for analgesia in patients who underwent thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.

Postpartum hemorrhage with associated placenta previa in a kidney transplant recipient: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy and safety of uterine artery embolization (UAE) and prophylactic resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) against postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in pregnant women after kidney transplantation have not been reported. Here, we describe a case of PPH associated with placenta previa in pregnancy following kidney transplantation, which was managed with UAE and prophylactic REBOA. CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old, gravida 2, para 1 woman with total placenta previa presented with vaginal bleeding (460 mL) at 33 weeks and 3 days of gestation. Previously, she underwent a living-donor kidney transplantation for IgA nephropathy, and the renal artery of the transplanted kidney was anastomosed with the right internal iliac artery. An emergency cesarean section with prophylactic REBOA was performed under general anesthesia. A balloon catheter was introduced via the left femoral artery and positioned above the aortic bifurcation (Aortic zone 3). Upon confirming fetal delivery, the balloon was immediately inflated, and the total aortic occlusion time was 20 min. However, following aortic balloon deflation, atonic bleeding continued despite Bakri balloon usage and uterotonic drug administration. Subsequently, UAE was performed for the refractory PPH, the left uterine artery was embolized using a gelatin sponge, and hemostasis was successfully achieved. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged on postoperative day 7. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In pregnancies following kidney transplantation, prophylactic REBOA controls bleeding; however, it decreases blood flow to the transplanted kidney. Furthermore, uterine nutrient vasculature alterations are observed, necessitating a thorough understanding of the uterine artery supply pathways during UAE.

Pancreatic serous cystic neoplasms with spontaneous hemorrhage in a young woman: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic serous cystic neoplasm (SCN) is usually benign and is often managed using imaging surveillance if asymptomatic. It has a higher incidence in females but is rare in younger age groups. Acute hemorrhagic complications associated with SCN are infrequent. Whether asymptomatic SCN can cause acute hemorrhage, especially in women of childbearing age, is not well-established. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 30-year-old Japanese female, who was six months postpartum and under surveillance for asymptomatic pancreatic SCN, presented to the emergency department with gradually worsening left lateral abdominal pain. Regular ultrasound revealed no change in SCN size; however, no imaging surveillance had been conducted over the past two years. She had pain in the entire abdomen, which intensified around the navel and elicited guarding. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a cystic mass in the pancreatic tail with a contrast blush within the cyst and an adjacent retroperitoneal hematoma. Endovascular embolization was performed to control the hemorrhage. The patient had an uneventful medical recovery and was discharged five days after embolization. Five months after discharge, she underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy as an elective surgery and was discharged uneventfully. DISCUSSION: Even with periodic imaging surveillance, pancreatic SCN can suddenly cause spontaneous hemorrhage. Clinicians should be aware that pancreatic SCN can potentially cause life-threatening complications, including spontaneous hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: We report a case of an unexpected complication with spontaneous hemorrhage in a young woman who was under imaging surveillance for pancreatic SCN. The patient was successfully treated with angioembolization and planned laparoscopic surgery.

Dependence of Successful Airway Management in Neonatal Simulation Manikins on the Type of Supraglottic Airway Device and Providers' Backgrounds.

Supraglottic airway devices such as laryngeal masks and i-gels are useful for airway management. The i-gel is a relatively new device that replaces the air-inflated cuff of the laryngeal mask with a gel-filled cuff. It remains unclear which device is more effective for neonatal resuscitation. We aimed to evaluate the dependence of successful airway management in neonatal simulators on the device type and providers' backgrounds. Ninety-one healthcare providers performed four attempts at airway management using a laryngeal mask and i-gel in two types of neonatal manikins. The dependence of successful insertions within 16.7 s (75th percentile of all successful insertions) on the device type and providers' specialty, years of healthcare service, and completion of the neonatal resuscitation training course was assessed. Successful insertion (p = 0.001) and insertion time (p = 0.003) were associated with using the i-gel vs. laryngeal mask. The providers' backgrounds were not associated with the outcome. Using the i-gel was associated with more successful airway management than laryngeal masks using neonatal manikins. Considering the limited effect of the provider's specialty and experience, using the i-gel as the first-choice device in neonatal resuscitation may be advantageous. Prospective studies are warranted to compare these devices in the clinical setting.

Antenatal Growth, Gestational Age, Birth, Enteral Feeding, and Blood Citrulline Levels in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

Early enteral nutrition using reliable biomarkers of intestinal function must be established to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs). Serum citrulline levels reflect the intestinal function in adults. To elucidate the relationship among antenatal growth, postnatal enteral nutrition, and blood citrulline levels, a retrospective single-center observational study was conducted on 248 VLBWIs born between April 2014 and March 2021. A mixed effect model and post hoc simple slope analysis were used to estimate the correlations between clinical variables and citrulline levels at Early (day 5.1) and Late (day 24.3) postnatal ages. Greater gestational age, birth weight, and amount of enteral nutrition at the time of blood sampling were associated with lower citrulline levels at the Early postnatal age and higher citrulline levels at the Late postnatal age. Provided that Early citrulline levels predominantly reflect the consequence of antenatal citrulline metabolism, it is suggested that fetal growth and maturation are likely to promote citrulline catabolism in utero and its synthesis after birth. With additional insights into the temporal transition point wherein the maturation-dependent balance of citrulline metabolism shifts from catabolism-dominant to synthesis-dominant, citrulline emerges as a potential biomarker for assessing intestinal function and gastrointestinal disorders.

Synthesis of oligonucleotides with glucosamine at the 3'-position and evaluation of their biological activity.

Short interfering RNA (siRNA) has been proven to be an utilizable tool for post-transcriptional gene silencing research. In this study, we designed and synthesized two glucosamine analogues and tried to modify the siRNA using these two glucosamine analogues at the 3'-overhang region of siRNAs to improve the nuclease resistance and to overcome some other weak points. The siRNAs modified with glucosamine analogues had almost no effect of the thermal stability and showed strong resistance to nuclease degradation. Some of them kept the same gene silencing activity level as unmodified siRNA.

Removal of calciprotein particles from the blood using an adsorption column improves prognosis of hemodialysis miniature pigs.

Hyperphosphatemia is a major risk for poor prognosis in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, the molecular mechanism behind this link remains elusive. We and others have demonstrated that serum phosphorus levels correlate positively with circulating levels of calciprotein particles (CPPs). CPPs are colloidal mineral-protein complexes containing insoluble calcium-phosphate precipitates and have been reported to induce calcification in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells and inflammatory responses in cultured macrophages. Hence, we hypothesize that CPPs may be responsible for disorders associated with hyperphosphatemia. Using hyperphosphatemic miniature pigs receiving hemodialysis, here we show that removal of CPPs from the blood with a newly developed CPP adsorption column improves survival and alleviates complications including coronary artery calcification, vascular endothelial dysfunction, metastatic pulmonary calcification, left ventricular hypertrophy, and chronic inflammation. The present study identifies CPPs as an effective therapeutic target and justifies clinical trials to determine whether the CPP adsorption column may be useful as a medical device for improving clinical outcomes of hemodialysis patients.

Novel SPEG variants in a neonate with severe dilated cardiomyopathy and relatively mild hypotonia.

Striated muscle preferentially expressed protein kinase (SPEG) variants have been reported to cause centronuclear myopathy associated with cardiac diseases. The severity of skeletal muscle symptoms and cardiac symptoms are presumably related to the location of the variant. Here, we report novel SPEG compound heterozygous pathological variants in a neonate with severe dilated cardiomyopathy and relatively mild hypotonia. This report expands the genotype-phenotype correlations of patients with SPEG variants.

Endothelin receptor antagonist attenuates oxidative stress in a neonatal sepsis piglet model.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress (oxidant-antioxidant imbalance) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of neonatal sepsis. This study evaluated whether an antisense peptide endothelin receptor antagonist, ETR-P1/fl, could attenuate oxidative stress in a neonatal sepsis model. METHODS: A total of 18 3-d-old piglets were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Six piglets received cecal ligation and perforation (CLP group) for induction of sepsis. Six piglets also received continuous infusion (0.05 mg/kg/h) of ETR-P1/fl 30 min after CLP (ETR-P1/fl group). Six piglets received a sham operation. Serum total hydroperoxide (TH), biological antioxidant potentials (BAPs), oxidative stress index (OSI, calculated as TH/BAP), interleukin (IL)-6, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), and creatinine were measured before CLP and at 1, 3, and 6 h after CLP. RESULTS: CLP evoked a state of shock resulting in elevated TH, OSI, and IL-6 levels. ETR-P1/fl administration after CLP resulted in lower serum TH at 1 and 3 h after CLP, OSI at 1 and 3 h after CLP, IL-6 at 1 and 3 h after CLP, and GOT at 3 and 6 h after CLP as compared with the CLP group. CONCLUSION: ETR-P1/fl treatment significantly attenuated the elevation of serum oxidative stress markers (TH and OSI), IL-6, and GOT in a progressive neonatal sepsis CLP model.

Development and validation of stable-isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for determination of salivary progesterone.

A method for the quantification of progesterone (PROG) in human saliva using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) has been developed and validated. The saliva was deproteinized with acetonitrile, purified using a Strata™-X cartridge, and subjected to LC-ESI-MS/MS. Quantification was based on selected reaction monitoring, and deuterated PROG was used as the internal standard. This method allowed the reproducible (intra- and inter-assay relative standard deviations, <2.2%) and accurate (analytical recovery, 96.6-99.7%) quantification of the salivary PROG using a 400 µL sample, and the limit of quantification was 12.5 pg/mL. The developed method enabled detection of the variation in the salivary PROG concentrations of healthy volunteers during the menstrual cycle and measurement of the salivary concentrations of pregnant women. The method is expected to be an alternative to the blood PROG monitoring in clinical examinations, because saliva collection is easy, non-invasive and repeatable.

Family presence during resuscitation in paediatric and neonatal cardiac arrest: A systematic review.

CONTEXT: Parent/family presence at pediatric resuscitations has been slow to become consistent practice in hospital settings and has not been universally implemented. A systematic review of the literature on family presence during pediatric and neonatal resuscitation has not been previously conducted. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the published evidence related to family presence during pediatric and neonatal resuscitation. DATA SOURCES: Six major bibliographic databases was undertaken with defined search terms and including literature up to June 14, 2020. STUDY SELECTION: 3200 titles were retrieved in the initial search; 36 ultimately included for review. DATA EXTRACTION: Data was double extracted independently by two reviewers and confirmed with the review team. All eligible studies were either survey or interview-based and as such we turned to narrative systematic review methodology. RESULTS: The authors identified two key sets of findings: first, parents/family members want to be offered the option to be present for their child's resuscitation. Secondly, health care provider attitudes varied widely (ranging from 15% to >85%), however, support for family presence increased with previous experience and level of seniority. LIMITATIONS: English language only; lack of randomized control trials; quality of the publications. CONCLUSIONS: Parents wish to be offered the opportunity to be present but opinions and perspectives on the family presence vary greatly among health care providers. This topic urgently needs high quality, comparative research to measure the actual impact of family presence on patient, family and staff outcomes. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020140363.