Organic changes in the central nervous system in children on chronic inhaled corticosteroid therapy.

Treatment of asthma, the most common chronic respiratory disease in children, includes long-term inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of chronic inhaled steroids in children with asthma on changes in the central nervous system (CNS). Eleven children (8-17 years) on at least 4 years inhaled corticosteroid therapy were assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All participants underwent a pediatric and neurological examination and spirometry. MRI data were obtained using a 1.5 T scanner with parallel imaging capability. Structural images consisted of axial T1, T2 using turbo spin echo, FLAIR and DWI sequences using typical parameters. Images were assessed in three planes (axial, coronal, and sagittal). Pediatric and neurological examination were normal in all children. In six, the MRI studies revealed small subcortical hyperintense foci. Three had more than five lesions, all of which were smaller than 3 mm. Features of mild supratentorial cortical atrophy were apparent in four. The cerebellum was unremarkable in all children imaged. In conclusion, patients receiving chronic inhaled corticosteroids had small subcortical hyperintense foci and features of mild supratentorial cortical atrophy. These findings suggest that ICS exposure may be associated with the development of organic changes in CNS. Further studies are needed to detail the extent of brain ICS-induced changes in children on chronic inhalative corticosteroid therapy as well as delayed impact of these changes on psychomotor functioning in adulthood.

Controversial aspect of using GFP as a marker for the production of transgenic cattle.

The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of identification and selection of cattle embryos based on green fluorescence (GFP-positive) in order to obtain calves carrying an integrated transgene. The construct used (pbLGTNF-EGFP) contained the human tumor necrosis factor alpha (hTNFalpha) gene fused to the bovine beta-lactoglobulin promoter (bLG) in plasmid vector pCX-EGFP. In four experiments, 76 zygotes were injected; eight of them developed to the morulae/blastocysts stage of which only five were GFP positive (one of them 100%, one-50%, three- 25%). All of the GFP positive embryos were transferred to recipients. Two calves were born: one after transfer of the 100% GFP positive embryo and the other after transfer of one of the 25% GFP positive embryos. Both animals were healthy with normal weight when compared to two control calves. The integration of pbLGTNF-EGFP in the host genome could not be detected in either of the calves, suggesting that GFP is an unreliable marker for preimplantation screening of embryos.