Coffee polyphenols ameliorate early-life stress-induced cognitive deficits in male mice.

Stress exposure during the sensitive period of early development has been shown to program the brain and increases the risk to develop cognitive deficits later in life. We have shown earlier that early-life stress (ES) leads to cognitive decline at an adult age, associated with changes in adult hippocampal neurogenesis and neuroinflammation. In particular, ES has been shown to affect neurogenesis rate and the survival of newborn cells later in life as well as microglia, modulating their response to immune or metabolic challenges later in life. Both of these processes possibly contribute to the ES-induced cognitive deficits. Emerging evidence by us and others indicates that early nutritional interventions can protect against these ES-induced effects through nutritional programming. Based on human metabolomics studies, we identified various coffee-related metabolites to be part of a protective molecular signature against cognitive decline in humans. Caffeic and chlorogenic acids are coffee-polyphenols and have been described to have potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Therefore, we here aimed to test whether supplementing caffeic and chlorogenic acids to the early diet could also protect against ES-induced cognitive deficits. We induced ES via the limited nesting and bedding paradigm in mice from postnatal(P) day 2-9. On P2, mice received a diet to which 0.02% chlorogenic acid (5-O-caffeoylquinic acid) + 0.02% caffeic acid (3',4'-dihydroxycinnamic acid) were added, or a control diet up until P42. At 4 months of age, all mice were subjected to a behavioral test battery and their brains were stained for markers for microglia and neurogenesis. We found that coffee polyphenols supplemented early in life protected against ES-induced cognitive deficits, potentially this is mediated by the survival of neurons or microglia, but possibly other mechanisms not studied here are mediating the effects. This study provides additional support for the potential of early nutritional interventions and highlights polyphenols as nutrients that can protect against cognitive decline, in particular for vulnerable populations exposed to ES.

COVID-19 associated Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS) in children.

The clinical course of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection (COVID-19 disease) in paediatric patients is predominantly mild. However, in a small percentage of paediatric patients, the COVID-19 could lead to the development of with the Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS) presenting as high fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, neurological symptomatology and even as multiorgan dysfunction. These three cases represent the first published report of critically ill paediatric patients with PIMS in the Czech Republic.

[Serious sepsis treatment in intensive care departments in the Czech Republic -  EPOSS Project pilot results]. / Lécba tezké sepse na pracovistích intenzivní péce v Ceské republice -  pilotní výsledky projektu EPOSS.

INTRODUCTION: Severe sepsis is still associated with significant morbidity and mortality, which is however different, as well as its management, depending on the region. What is the situation in the Czech Republic and what is the character of patients with severe sepsis is currently not known. The aim of the project is to describe the processes of care, outcome and characteristics of patients with severe sepsis admitted to the intensive care department of the Czech Republic. METHODS: This is a multicentre and observational project with retrospective enrollment of patients who meet the criteria for severe sepsis before or within 24 hours after admission to selected intensive care units (ICU EPOSS). RESULTS: 394 patients were analyzed. Median age at admission was 66 (56- 76) years, males predominated (58.9%) and the median APACHE II score on admission was 25 (19- 32). Patients were predominantly medical (56.9%) and most were secondary admitted from other ICU (53.6%). Meeting the criteria of severe sepsis was most frequently within the period (± 4 hours) of admission the EPOSS ICU (77.6%). Median total fluid intake during the first 24 hours was 6,680 (4,840- 9,450) ml. Most patients required mechanical ventilation (58.4%). Compliance with the resuscitation bundle of severe sepsis in our group was very good and was associated with lower mortality of patients. Most frequently, the EPOSS ICU length of stay (LOS) was 7 (3- 15) days and median hospital LOS was 13 (8- 28) days. Hospital mortality in our cohort was 35.8%. CONCLUSION: Introducing the project, which in its first stage obtained valuable and internationally comparable data about patients with severe sepsis admitted to the involved ICU in the Czech Republic.

The occurrence of non-native tubenose goby Proterorhinus semilunaris in the pelagic 0+ year fish assemblage of a central European reservoir.

In July 2008, early juvenile tubenose goby Proterorhinus semilunaris were found in nocturnal pelagic waters of the Vranov Reservoir, Czech Republic. Presence of benthic-living prey in the guts of these fish suggested migration between benthic and pelagic habitats.

[Myocardial dysfunction in sepsis--definition and pathogenetic mechanisms]. / Myokardiální dysfunkce v sepsi--charakteristika a patogenetické mechanizmy.

Sepsis is considered to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality of patients hospitalised in intensive care. It's defined as a systemic inflammatory response of organism to infection. Incidence of myocardial dysfunction in studies with severe sepsis patients is up to two thirds of patients. Cardiac dysfunction shows a continuum from isolated and mild diastolic dysfunction to combined severe diastolic and systolic failure of both ventricles mimicking even cardiogenic shock in some patients. Typical features of septic myocardial dysfunction (SMD) are decrease in ejection fraction (EF) with dilatation ofventricles, e.g. increase in end-diastolic volume (EDV). Reversibility of myocardial dysfunction during a period from 7 to 10 days in survivors is other typical manifestation of SMD. Hence, one can speculate that development of such a type ofSMD as a temporary protective compensatory mechanism could be advantageous for of an individual patient. A large body ofevidence about mechanisms ofSMD was described; endothelial dysfunction with consequent microcirculatory and mitochondrial dysfunction and role of circulating factors are considered to be the most important.

Are families with adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy the same as other families?

This study compared adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and their families to adolescents without physical disabilities and their families as the child enters and leaves adolescence (age ranges 13 to 15 years and 19 to 23 years). Families of 90 individuals with CP (42 females, 48 males) and 75 individuals without physical disabilities (34 females, 41 males) participated. They completed the Family Assessment Device, Life Situation Survey, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Future Questionnaire. There were few differences in family functioning, life satisfaction, or perceived social support between the groups. Expectations of young adults with CP and parents of both adolescents and young adults regarding future independence and success were lower than the expectations of the control group. While the group results emphasize similarities between families during the two stages of adolescence, individual families and individual family members report specific challenges.

Structure, energetics, vibrational frequencies and charge transfer of base pairs, nucleoside pairs, nucleotide pairs and B-DNA pairs of trinucleotides: ab initio HF/MINI-1 and empirical force field study.

Geometries, interaction energies and vibrational frequencies of base pairs, nucleoside pairs and nucleotide pairs were studied by ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) method using MINI-1 basis set and empirical Cornell et al. force field (AMBER 4.1). A good agreement was found between HF/MINI-1 and AMBER results. In addition, both methods provide reasonable agreement with available high-level ab initio data. Finally, AMBER potential was used to determine the structure, energetics and vibrational frequencies of B-DNA pairs of trinucleotides. Stabilization energies of clusters are lowered when passing from base pairs to nucleoside pairs, nucleotide pairs and to pairs of trinucleotides. The lowest vibrations of base pairs and nucleoside pairs correspond to intermolecular motions of bases, specifically to buckle and propeller motions. In the case of pairs of larger subunits the lowest vibrations are of intramolecular nature (rotation around glycosidic bond, sugar and phosphate vibration). The spectra of these clusters became more complicated and quasi-degenerate. Intermolecular charge transfer between bases in H-bonded and stacked pairs is negligible, while a significant intramolecular charge transfer was observed.

Constitutively increased micronuclei are predominantly caused by acentric fragments.

The frequency of kinetochore (centromere)-positive micronuclei (MN) was determined in 32 fibroblast cell lines. We tested 16 probands with spontaneously high MN levels (greater than or equal to 20 MN/500 cells (4%] and 8 probands (controls) with low MN levels (less than or equal to 13 MN/500 cells (2.6%]. To study whether the elevation of MN levels is due to increased chromosomal breakage we used the antikinetochore antibody fluorescent staining method. Probands with spontaneously high MN had kinetochore-positive MN increased by a factor 2.1 compared to the controls whereas the kinetochore-negative MN were increased by a factor 6.14. This shows that spontaneous elevation of MN is mainly caused by increased chromosomal breakage and only in a minor proportion by chromosome segregation errors as a consequence of spindle defects.

Parents' view of parent-child relationship eight years after neonatal intensive care.

Eight years after neonatal intensive care, parents of 597 survivors indicated whether the initial illness and separation had had a long-term effect on their parent-child relationships. Forty percent felt there was an effect on the parent-child relationship, sixty percent did not. Neonatal, medical and social conditions, and the child's outcome (i.e., disabled or not) were variables analyzed to determine differences between the two groups of parents. Parents who felt an effect from the initial illness and separation had children who required supplemental oxygen significantly longer and were from significantly higher socioeconomic and education levels. Length of stay in neonatal intensive care and outcome were among the not significant variables.