The "molecular soldiers" of the CNS: Astrocytes, a comprehensive review on their roles and molecular signatures.

For a long time, neurons held the position of central players in the nervous system. Since there are far more astrocytes than neurons in the brain, it makes us wonder if these cells just take up space and support the neurons or if they are actively participating in central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis. Now, astrocytes' contribution to CNS physiology is appreciated as they are known to regulate ion and neurotransmitter levels, synapse formation and elimination, blood-brain barrier integrity, immune function, cerebral blood flow, and many more. In many neurological and psychiatric disorders, astrocyte functions are altered. Advancements in microscopic and transcriptomic tools revealed populations of astrocytes with varied morphology, electrophysiological properties, and transcriptomic profiles. Neuron-circuit-specific functions and neuron-specific interactions of astroglial subpopulations are found, which suggests that diversity is essential in carrying out diverse region-specific CNS functions. Investigations on heterogeneous astrocyte populations are revealing new astrocyte functions and their role in pathological conditions, opening a new therapeutic avenue for targeting neurological conditions. The true extent of astrocytic heterogeneity and its functional implications are yet to be fully explored. This review summarizes essential astrocytic functions and their relevance in pathological conditions and discusses astrocytic diversity in relation to morphology, function, and gene expression throughout the CNS.

Hemodynamic and analgesic effect of intrathecal fentanyl with bupivacaine in patients undergoing elective cesarean section; a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine has side effects such as hypotension, respiratory depression, vomiting, and shivering. The side effects are dose-dependent, therefore different approaches have been attempted to avoid spinal-induced complications including lowering the dose of local anesthetic and mixing it with additives like Neuraxial opioids. OBJECTIVE: To compare the Hemodynamic and analgesic effects of intrathecal fentanyl as an adjuvant with low and conventional doses of bupivacaine in patients undergoing elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. METHODOLOGY: An institutional-based prospective cohort study was conducted on 90 patients. Data was collected with chart review, intraoperative observation, and postoperatively patient interview. Data was entered into EPI INFO and transport to SPSS version 23 for analysis of variables using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis H rank test, and chi-square. RESULT: Hypotension but not bradycardia, was significantly frequent in a conventional dose of bupivacaine alone (CB) group and a conventional dose of bupivacaine with fentanyl (CBF) groups than that of the lower dose of bupivacaine with fentanyl (LBF) groups. Duration of analgesia was significantly longer in LBF (248± 35.6 minutes) and in CBF groups (260.3±40.3 minutes) than in CB group (167.10 ± 31.45 minutes). Time for the first analgesic request was significantly later in LBF (304±47.8 minutes) and CBF (294.6±99.5 minutes) groups than that in CB group (177±25.88 minutes). CONCLUSION: The Lower dose of bupivacaine is associated with less risk of hypotension and faster recovery. Adding fentanyl with the lower dose of bupivacaine in spinal anesthesia for cesarean section could provide comparable anesthesia with the lower risk of hypotension and longer postoperative analgesia.

MORM syndrome (mental retardation, truncal obesity, retinal dystrophy and micropenis), a new autosomal recessive disorder, links to 9q34.

A consanguineous pedigree is described where 14 individuals are affected with a novel autosomal recessive disorder, which causes static moderate mental retardation, truncal obesity, a congenital nonprogressive retinal dystrophy and micropenis in males. We have tentatively named this condition MORM syndrome. It shows similarities to Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Cohen syndrome, but can be distinguished by clinical features; the age of onset and nonprogressive nature of the visual impairment, the lack of characteristic facies, skin or gingival infection, microcephaly, 'mottled retina', polydactyly and small penis without testicular anomalies. Furthermore, linkage to the known Bardet-Biedl (BBS1-8) and Cohen syndrome loci was excluded. Autozygosity mapping identified a single homozygous subtelomeric region shared by all affecteds on chromosome 9q34.3, with a maximum LOD score of 5.64. We believe this to be the first example of the identification of a subtelomeric recessive locus by autozygosity mapping.

INPP5E mutations cause primary cilium signaling defects, ciliary instability and ciliopathies in human and mouse.

The primary cilium is an antenna-like structure that protrudes from the cell surface of quiescent/differentiated cells and participates in extracellular signal processing. Here, we report that mice deficient for the lipid 5-phosphatase Inpp5e develop a multiorgan disorder associated with structural defects of the primary cilium. In ciliated mouse embryonic fibroblasts, Inpp5e is concentrated in the axoneme of the primary cilium. Inpp5e inactivation did not impair ciliary assembly but altered the stability of pre-established cilia after serum addition. Blocking phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity or ciliary platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha) restored ciliary stability. In human INPP5E, we identified a mutation affecting INPP5E ciliary localization and cilium stability in a family with MORM syndrome, a condition related to Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Together, our results show that INPP5E plays an essential role in the primary cilium by controlling ciliary growth factor and PI3K signaling and stability, and highlight the consequences of INPP5E dysfunction.

A biomaterial based approach for arsenic removal from water.

We demonstrate that the non-living, dried roots of the water hyacinth plant [Eichhornia crassipes(Mart.) Solms] can rapidly remove arsenic from water. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to demonstrate that more than 93% of arsenite (As(iii)) and 95% of arsenate (As(v)) were removed from a solution containing 200 microg As l(-1) within 60 minutes of exposure to a powder produced from dried roots. No difference in removal efficiency was observed between the two oxidation states of As studied. The amount of arsenic remaining in solution was found to be less than 10 microg l(-1) which is the WHO guideline limit value for As in drinking water. The presence of arsenic in drinking water in a number of countries in the developing world has been found to be much higher than the WHO level, affecting the health of millions of people. In this paper, we show that a biomaterial produced from dried water hyacinth roots, a plant that is found in abundant supply in many parts of the world, can provide a simple, effective and yet cheap method for removing arsenic from contaminated water.