Temporary Growth Retardation Research Articles

Inter- and Transgenerational Effects of Paternal Exposure to Inorganic Arsenic.

The rise of metabolic disorders in modern times is mainly attributed to the environment. However, heritable effects of environmental chemicals on mammalian offsprings' metabolic health are unclear. Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is the top chemical on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry priority list of hazardous substances. Here, we assess cross‐generational effects of iAs in an exclusive male‐lineage transmission paradigm. The exposure of male mice to 250 ppb iAs causes glucose intolerance and hepatic insulin resistance in F1 females, but not males, without affecting body weight. Hepatic expression of glucose metabolic genes, glucose output, and insulin signaling are disrupted in F1 females. Inhibition of the glucose 6‐phosphatase complex masks the intergenerational effect of iAs, demonstrating a causative role of hepatic glucose production. F2 offspring from grandpaternal iAs exposure show temporary growth retardation at an early age, which diminishes in adults. However, reduced adiposity persists into middle age and is associated with altered gut microbiome and increased brown adipose thermogenesis. In contrast, F3 offspring of the male‐lineage iAs exposure show increased adiposity, especially on a high‐calorie diet. These findings have unveiled sex‐ and generation‐specific heritable effects of iAs on metabolic physiology, which has broad implications in understanding gene‐environment interactions.

Current drug therapies for infantile hemangioma: focused on beta blocker

I hemangioma (IH), a common vascular tumor from vascular birth marks, used to be untreated due to its natural course of spontaneous regression with few exceptions like cosmetic disfigurement, functional or life impairment. It has been treated through a variety of methods like the topical and systemic corticosteroid, surgery, laser, etc. Among them, systemic corticosteroid, which has been used most commonly, may sometimes cause troublesome side effects such as temporary growth retardation or personality change, so it is often clinically inapplicable. Recently, however, it was reported that treatment using beta blocker for IH is more effective with fewer side effects than conventional treatments. Oral beta blocker has been used for IH patients who concerns about presenting ulcerative lesions, impending cosmetic sequelae or functional and life impairment. Before the administration of beta blocker, the patient goes through inquiry about clinical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram and echocardiography in order to determine the applicability. During the hospital stay, vital signs and blood glucose level are checked regularly to rule out side effects of beta blocker, and the dosage is increased gradually up to 2 mg/kg/day and the same dose is maintained continuously after discharge with same dosage. After considering many previous studies about beta blocker for IH patients, we reached an interim conclusion. The treatment of IH using beta blocker is effective, highly satisfactory and safe with no side effects though the selection from various beta blockers, evaluation methods of therapeutic efficacy and its duration and end point of treatment need to be confirmed.

Dynamic changes of biological characteristics in modified catch-up growth rat model

The dynamic changes of biological features in catch-up growth rats were observed. The results demonstrated that the animal model of catch-up growth achieved by way of refeeding after calorie restriction manifested rapid growth after temporary growth retardation, transiently inercasod food efficiency,and a faster growth rate of visceral adipose tissue versus body weight after nutritional rehabilitation. These findings are consistent with the characteristics of human catch-up growth. Key words: Catch-up growth; Caloric restriction; Nutritional rehabilitation; Body fat; Food efficiency

Treatment of Angular Limb Deformities in Foals

Presently the approach to the treatment of angular limb deformities (ALD) is changing. While several years ago early recognition and early treatment was the aim, the recent trend goes more toward a selective approach. Immature foals with incomplete ossification of the precursor cartilage, best identified in the carpal and tarsal region are treated as early as possible with splints to facilitate ossification under even axial loads. Foals suffering from metaphyseal asymmetric growth but normal ossification are frequently observed for several months to allow to correct by themselves. In severe cases, meaning foals with deformities of greater than 12°, early treatment is proposed as well. Foals suffering from varus deformities of the metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal region should be treated before 1 month of age. The reason for this is the early closure of the physis at the approximate age of 3 months and in severe cases the development of an opposing valgus deformity within the proximal phalanx. Treatment techniques include growth acceleration, temporary unilateral growth retardation, and a combination thereof. The positive effect of hemicircumferential periosteal transection and stripping (HCPTS) was recently questioned, but in the mean time the pathway of the corrective mechanisms could be established with the help of molecular biology techniques. As a matter of fact, the experiments conducted to disprove the effect of HCPTS helped to clear up the mechanism. In a few words: the surgical insult near the shorter metaphyseal region upregulates Indian Hedge Hog (Ihh), which reach the physis via afferent blood vessels where they upregulate parathyroid hormones (PTH) and they accelerate the physeal growth locally. With the pathway cleared up, this technique regains part of its former popularity. Growth retardation can be achieved by several surgical techniques, which temporarily bridge the physis on the longer side of the bone until the shorter side has caught up. This type of management is proposed as state of the art in opposing valgus deformities of the proximal phalanx. Once the limb is straight the implants are removed. In bilateral deformities the implants in one limb may have to be removed before the other one. By waiting until the second limb is straight as well, the faster correcting one may have already overcorrected. Recently, radial extracorporal shock wave therapy has been introduced with apparently good results, to achieve a temporary growth retardation in a noninvasive manner. Once the physis is closed, angular limb deformities cannot be corrected any more through growth modulation. The only possible way is one type of corrective osteotomy or ostectomy.

Transphyseal Bioabsorbable Screws Cause Temporary Growth Retardation in Rabbit Femur

A self-reinforced bioabsorbable poly-L-lactide/polyglycolide (SR-PLGA) 80/20 screw 2.0 mm in diameter was implanted transphyseally across the distal growth plate of the right femur in 24 immature rabbits. Radiologic evaluation revealed a mean shortening of 3.1 mm at 3 weeks, 11.1 mm at 6 weeks, 9.3 mm at 24 weeks, 9.0 mm at 48 weeks, and 12.6 mm at 72 weeks compared with the intact contralateral femur. In 13 control rabbits, drilling without screw placement did not cause any statistically significant femoral shortening. Therefore, the transphyseal SR-PLGA 80/20 screw caused growth retardation for 6 weeks postoperatively, after which the normal growth tendency was recovered until the growth plate was closed. The duration of temporary growth retardation correlated with that of strength retention of the SR-PLGA 80/20 copolymer. These findings suggest that SR-PLGA 80/20 screws can be applied in transphyseal bone fixation. The use of bioabsorbable screws for temporary epiphysiodesis seems attractive but requires further study.

Endophytic bacteria of red clover as agents of allelopathic clover-maize syndromes

The early growth effects of red clover endophytic bacteria on maize seedlings were examined in greenhouse trials. We found that endophytic bacteria from preceding clover ( Trifolium pratense L.) crops can be causal agents of the inhibitory allelopathic ‘clover-maize syndrome’. The effect was shown to be both direct (as in imbibition studies with bacterial suspensions of individual isolates) and indirect (as in leachate studies). Imbibition or watering with the crude leachate (leachate plus microorganisms) as opposed to filtered leachate (leachate minus microorganisms) derived from soil in which clover had been growing, prompted a reduction in the rate of emergence and growth of maize seedlings ( Zea mays L.) but not germination percentage. It is concluded that the inhibitory allelopathic response in clover-maize sequences is a side-effect of the competition between bacteria for the same ecological niche which usually results in temporary growth retardation.

Fetal calf serum and retinoic acid affect proliferation and terminal differentiation of a rat rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (BA-HAN-1C)

We report on the establishment of a model for differentiation induction in sarcomas, using the clonal rhabdomyosarcoma cell line BA-HAN-1C. This rhabdomyosarcoma cell line is composed of morphologically undifferentiated mononuclear stem cells, some of which spontaneously fuse to form terminally differentiated multinuclear myotube-like giant cells. The deprivation of fetal calf serum (FCS) or the exposure to retinoic acid, respectively, resulted in a significant inhibition of proliferation (P less than 0.001) and a marked increase in cellular differentiation as shown by a significant increase in the number of myotube-like giant cells (P less than 0.001) and in the creatine kinase activity (P less than 0.05) used as a biochemical marker of differentiation. Furthermore, after exposure to retinoic acid about 30% of the mononuclear tumour cells exhibited morphological features of rhabdomyogenic differentiation, such as bundles of thick and thin myofilaments, which had never been observed in the mononuclear cells of untreated cultures. These results confirm that the inverse linkage between proliferation and differentiation known from embryonic myogenesis is preserved in our rhabdomyosarcoma cell line. The failure to induce terminal differentiation by exposure to retinoic acid in all the cells of our clonal cell line indicates that some tumour cells might epigenetically be blocked from responding to retinoic acid. The temporary growth retardation observed after FCS-deprivation suggests that autocrine stimulation of proliferation may be operating in our cell line, too.

Renal growth after neonatal urinary tract infection.

This study presents the result of 12-21 years' follow-up in a group of children with neonatal urinary tract infection (onset within 1 month after birth) in whom early renal growth retardation was noted without concomitant classical renal scarring. In all cases the neonatal infection was diagnosed and treated within a few days of onset and the patients were closely supervised thereafter. Renal length, parenchymal thickness and area were measured at urography. At first follow-up (22 children, mean age 4.1 years) a significant reduction of renal parenchymal thickness was noted. Long-term follow-up (18 patients, mean age 17 years) demonstrated a normalization of renal size in the entire group, although less complete in the subgroup with reflux. There were two major findings in the present study. Firstly, renal growth retardation was seen after neonatal infection, both with and without reflux. Secondly, normalization of renal size in previously small kidneys was demonstrated, suggesting that growth retardation can be a reversible phenomenon. The tendency for such normalization was slightly more marked in children without reflux. Reduction of parenchymal thickness without calyceal deformity, therefore, does not necessarily mean irreversible damage, and differentiation between permanent scarring and temporary growth retardation can thus only be made at later follow-up, possibly not until after puberty. The demonstration of renal growth retardation in spite of early diagnosis and treatment emphasizes the great vulnerability of the kidney in the newborn.

Prediction of growth pattern after ankle fractures in children.

The importance of different factors in predicting post-traumatic growth was evaluated using multivariate statistical techniques. Forty-nine children with physeal fractures of the distal tibia or fibula or both were studied. The post-traumatic growth pattern was determined by roentgen stereophotogrammetry. The cases showed various types of growth patterns. The predictors used included sex, skeletal maturity, traumatological and anatomical classification, displacement, treatment, and associated tibial shaft fracture. Prediction of a specific growth pattern could be made only with low accuracy, whereas separation of the growth patterns into two groups--one group with symmetrical growth, initial and temporary growth retardation, and growth stimulation and the other with progressive growth retardation and growth arrest--resulted in a higher predictive accuracy. Comparing the predicted outcome with the actual resulted in two of three fractures being correctly classified. Considered individually, treatment, displacement and skeletal maturity were important, whereas the Salter-Harris classification system could not significantly predict the growth pattern. In summary, displaced physeal injuries treated by reduction showed the highest risk of developing deformity. These injuries were mainly combined fractures of the distal tibia and fibula with the physeal injury localized to one or both of the bones. The limited accuracy in predicting the post-traumatic growth pattern after ankle fractures in children indicates that in many cases there are grounds for radiographic follow-up to detect growth disturbance.

Intrauterine infection of mice with St. Louis encephalitis virus: immunological, physiological, neurological, and behavioral effects on progeny.

Intravenous injection of pregnant mice with St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus at 8 days of gestation resulted in infection of the fetus. Progeny developed no antibody or tolerance to SLE virus since the viral antigen was cleared by maternal antibody before antibody-forming competence developed in the young. Temporary growth retardation was observed in a number of young at 3 weeks of age. After the initial setback the growth rate increased, indicating that early runting was due to an inability to adjust adequately to extrauterine life, which was subsequently overcome. In most other young there were no significant effects on growth, reproduction, or life expectancy. A few young died at or shortly after birth; in these, neurological changes ranging from gross defects such as encephaloceles and hydrocephalus to histological evidence of necrosis and congestion were observed. Neurologically related behavioral changes were detected by using the open field test and the rotating-rod test, which indicated neurological damage and memory impairment in the surviving intrauterinely infected animals.