Predisposition to arrhythmia and autonomic dysfunction in Nhlh1-deficient mice.

Nhlh1 is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor whose expression is restricted to the nervous system and which may play a role in neuronal differentiation. To directly study Nhlh1 function, we generated null mice. Homozygous mutant mice were predisposed to premature, adult-onset, unexpected death. Electrocardiograms revealed decreased total heart rate variability, stress-induced arrhythmia, and impaired baroreceptor sensitivity. This predisposition to arrhythmia is a likely cause of the observed death in the mutant mice. Heterozygosity for the closely related transcription factor Nhlh2 increased the severity of the Nhlh1-null phenotype. No signs of primary cardiac structural or conduction abnormalities could be detected upon necropsy of the null mice. The pattern of altered heart rhythm observed in basal and experimental conditions (stress and pharmacologically induced) suggests that a deficient parasympathetic tone may contribute to the arrhythmia in the Nhlh1-null mouse. The expression of Nhlh1 in the developing brain stem and in the vagal nuclei in the wild-type mouse further supports this hypothesis. The Nhlh1 mutant mouse may thus provide a model to investigate the contribution of the autonomic nervous system to arrhythmogenesis.

Accommodative dysfunction in children with cerebral palsy: a population based study

Purpose. To determine the prevalence, nature, and degree of accommodative dysfunction among children with different types and severities of cerebral palsy (CP) in Northern Ireland. Methods. Ninety subjects with CP (aged 4–15 years) were recruited through the Northern Ireland CP Register (NICPR). Modified Nott dynamic retinoscopy was used to measure lag and lead of accommodation at three test distances: 25 cm (4 D), 16.7 cm (6 D), and 10 cm (10 D) with the distance correction in place. Accommodative function was also assessed in an age-matched control group (n = 125) for comparison. Each subject’s neurologic status was derived from the NICPR. Results. Children with CP demonstrate significantly reduced accommodative responses compared with their neurologically normal peers. Of the subjects with CP, 57.6% demonstrated an accommodative lag outside normal limits at one or more distances. Reduced accommodative responses were significantly associated with more severe motor and intellectual impairments (ANOVA P = 0.001, P < 0.01, respectively). Conclusions. Brain injury such as that present in CP has a significant impact on accommodative function. These findings have implications for the optometric care of children with CP and inform our understanding of the impact of early brain injury on visual development.

MARKERS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DYSFUNCTION AFTER PREGNANCIES COMPLICATED BY PRE-ECLAMPSIA

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy characterized by maternal systemic endothelial dysfunction. While the clinical manifestations resolve soon after delivery, a large body of epidemiological evidence indicates significant long-term maternal risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) after PE. The mechanisms by which PE and future CVD are associated are unclear, although shared constitutional risk factors likely contribute to the features of endothelial dysfunction characteristic to both. We postulate that PE offers a window of opportunity for the identification of unique markers of dysfunction in the earliest stages of disease that may be used to validate cardiovascular risk screening in the early postpartum period. The studies presented in this thesis provide evidence of changes in circulating factors in women with a recent history of PE. Using blood samples collected within the first year of pregnancy, unique patterns of microRNA expression, enrichment of coagulation system proteins and endothelial progenitor cell dysfunction were described. Many of the described changes appear to be independent of cardiovascular risk. In addition to alterations in circulating factors however, longitudinal postpartum assessments demonstrated that microvascular and cardiac abnormalities were evident in the early periods postpartum after a pre-eclamptic pregnancy. Collectively, the data presented in this thesis reveal that physiological alterations in women with a recent history of PE are not necessarily dependent on clinical parameters of cardiovascular risk, and that resulting dysfunction may be demonstrated within the first year postpartum. Importantly, the biomarkers presented herein are all demonstrated elsewhere in the literature to benefit from lifestyle modification and risk reduction. In closing, the findings of this thesis support a need for cardiovascular risk screening based on obstetrical history, namely after pregnancies complicated by PE.

Advanced glycation end product (AGE) accumulation on Bruch's membrane: links to age-related RPE dysfunction.

PURPOSE: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate during aging and have been observed in postmortem eyes within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Bruch's membrane, and subcellular deposits (drusen). AGEs have been associated with age-related dysfunction of the RPE-in particular with development and progression to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In the present study the impact of AGEs at the RPE-Bruch's membrane interface was evaluated, to establish how these modifications may contribute to age-related disease. METHODS: AGEs on Bruch's membrane were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. A clinically relevant in vitro model of substrate AGE accumulation was established to mimic Bruch's membrane ageing. Responses of ARPE-19 growing on AGE-modified basement membrane (AGE-BM) for 1 month were investigated by using a microarray approach and validated by quantitative (q)RT-PCR. In addition to identified AGE-related mRNA alterations, lysosomal enzyme activity and lipofuscin accumulation were also studied in ARPE-19 grown on AGE-BM. RESULTS: Autofluorescent and glycolaldehyde-derived AGEs were observed in clinical specimens on Bruch's membrane and choroidal extracellular matrix. In vitro analysis identified a range of dysregulated mRNAs in ARPE-19 exposed to AGE-BM. Altered ARPE-19 degradative enzyme mRNA expression was observed on exposure to AGE-BM. AGE-BM caused a significant reduction in cathepsin-D activity in ARPE-19 (P

Raman spectroscopy of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), possible markers for progressive retinal dysfunction

Raman microscopy is used to investigate the spectral features of selected compounds known to be involved in the development of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Diagnostic features were identified in synthetic samples of these compounds and in a biological matrix. The study demonstrates the potential of Raman microscopy for the development of diagnostic markers of the onset of AMD. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.