Sleep, sleep, my child

            BALTIMORE - MedPage Today noted children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may suffer damage to brain areas ruling learning, memory, and executive function, a study found. Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) of metabolic activity in the brains of these children found abnormalities "indicating possible neuronal injury" in the left hippocampus and right frontal cortex, reported Dr. Ann C. Halbower, of Johns Hopkins University , and colleagues in PloS Medicine. Past studies suggested OSA is tied to learning and memory problems and poor school performance in children, but this is the first study to use MRI to identify what might be actual corresponding damage in these developing brains, Dr. Halbower and colleagues said. Identifying and treating such damage is important, researchers said, "since childhood [OSA] impacts a rapidly developing brain, and the long-term consequences of neuronal injury may be far greater than those seen in adults." The study had 19 children with moderate to severe OSA, ages six to 16, and 12 healthy age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status-matched controls. The children had sleep tests, IQ tests, and other neuropsychological assessments, including tests of executive function. Most of the children underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging, which detects levels of brain metabolites such as N-acetyl aspirate (NAA) and choline (Cho). A low ratio of NAA/Cho is often evident in ischemic brain injury and adult OSA, investigators said.

            SEATTLE - Newswise noted children with Autism have altered brain anatomy thought to reflect abnormal brain development, stated a study in Neurology. It compared 60 autistic children to 16 children with developmental delay and 10 with typical development. All were age two to four . Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers measured transverse relaxation (T2) of cortical gray and white matter in the their brains. T2 measures how tightly bound, or mobile, water is in brain tissue and has been used to measure the temporal progression of brain maturation. Scientists found autistic children had differences in gray matter versus children with typical development. “One of the more consistent brain findings associated with Autism has been enlarged brain size,” said study author Dr. Stephen Dager, of the University of Washington School of Medicine. “In contrast to theories which suggest enlarged brains are due to accelerated early growth tied to a more advanced stage of brain maturation, gray matter T2 relaxation findings were in the opposite direction. These results suggest the mechanism or mechanisms responsible for larger brains in Autism are different from more rapid growth.” The results were different from children with developmental delays, who showed evidence for alterations of gray and white matter. Dr. Dager cautions these tests can’t be used as a diagnostic tool to determine if a child has Autism. The study got grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders, and National Institute of Mental Health.

            CHICAGO - University of Illinois researchers were awarded $2 million by Illinois ’ Regenerative Medicine Institute (IRMI) to found a Center for the Development of Stem Cell Therapies for Human Diseases, Newswise noted. The center will launch five stem cell projects to reflect the IRMI goal to foster state support for stem cell research for better understanding of the causes of disease and to be able to treat and cure. Cancers and genetic disorders of the blood, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and cardiac failure are the three diseases targeted by the center, said Dr. Ronald Hoffman, the Eileen Heidrick Professor of Oncology at UIC College of Medicine, coordinator of the center. "The center will energize both basic research in stem cell biology and clinical research in the utilization of stem cell therapeutics," said Dr. Hoffman. "Stem cell biology is one of the frontiers of modern biology, in which UIC already has considerable strength." One project will focus on improving the recovery of stem cells from umbilical cord blood to treat blood cancers and genetic blood disorders. Efforts to harvest large numbers of stem cells from cord blood necessary to treat adults have been stymied by difficulties in keeping these cells alive and increasing their numbers in culture. Another project, with the goal of regenerating cardiac cells in the failing human heart, will study the differentiation of embryonic and cord blood stem cells into cardiac cells. A third project will focus on a genetic modification of a rare type of adult stem cell in bone marrow - mesenchymal stem cells - to be studied for possible therapies for graft-versus-host disease, a common complication of transplantation.

            BOSTON - MedPage Today reported that when ischemic strokes occur, patients who were taking ACE inhibitors, antiplatelet agents, and statins may have reduced the severity. In a review of 210 patients who came to a hospital within 24 hours of stroke onset, those who were on the triple therapy had lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores and smaller lesions on imaging than patients who were on either two of the three agents, antiplatelet therapy alone, or no therapy. Patients on triple therapy were more likely to have a shorter stay and better functional status on discharge, Dr. Magdy Selim and colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center wrote in the journal Neurology. "Our results suggest pre-stroke use of antiplatelets with statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors results in additive reduction in ischemic stroke severity and volume of penumbral brain tissue at risk for infarction," they wrote. They determined stroke severity by looking at clinical and radiological measures, including baseline NIH Stroke Scale score, diffusion-weighted imaging, perfusion-weighted imaging lesion volume, and perfusion-weight imaging/diffusion-weighted imaging mismatch lesion volume. They found patients on the triple therapy had a lower mean NIH stroke scale score both at baseline and at discharge versus patients in the other treatment combinations, antiplatelet therapy alone, or no treatment groups.