Pharmacological inhibition of STING reduces neuroinflammation-mediated damage post-traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a major public health concern worldwide with unmet effective treatment. Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and its downstream type-I interferon (IFN) signalling are now appreciated to be involved in TBI pathogenesis. Compelling evidence have shown that STING and type-I IFNs are key in mediating the detrimental neuroinflammatory response after TBI. Therefore, pharmacological inhibition of STING presents a viable therapeutic opportunity in combating the detrimental neuroinflammatory response after TBI.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of the small-molecule STING inhibitor n-(4-iodophenyl)-5-nitrofuran-2-carboxamide (C-176) in the controlled cortical impact mouse model of TBI in 10- to 12-week-old male mice. Thirty minutes post-controlled cortical impact surgery, a single 750-nmol dose of C-176 or saline (vehicle) was administered intravenously. Analysis was conducted 2 h and 24 h post-TBI.

KEY RESULTS

Mice administered C-176 had significantly smaller cortical lesion area when compared to vehicle-treated mice 24 h post-TBI. Quantitative temporal gait analysis conducted using DigiGait™ showed C-176 administration attenuated TBI-induced impairments in gait symmetry, stride frequency and forelimb stance width. C-176-treated mice displayed a significant reduction in striatal gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines Tnf-α, Il-1β and Cxcl10 compared to their vehicle-treated counterparts 2 h post-TBI.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

This study demonstrates the neuroprotective activity of C-176 in ameliorating acute neuroinflammation and preventing white matter neurodegeneration post-TBI. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of small-molecule inhibitors targeting STING for the treatment of trauma-induced inflammation and neuroprotective potential.

Delay of gratification: a comparison study of children with Down syndrome, moderate intellectual disability and typical development

BACKGROUND

Self-regulation has been found to be an important contributor to a range of outcomes, with delay of gratification (a self-regulatory skill) predicting better academic, social and personal functioning. There is some evidence that individuals with Down syndrome have difficulty with delay of gratification. We investigated the question of whether this difficulty is common to intellectual disability irrespective of aetiology, or whether it presents a particular problem for those with Down syndrome. The latter was considered a possibility because of language difficulties in this group.

METHOD

Three groups of children with a mean MA between 36 and 60 months participated in the study: children with Down syndrome (n = 32), children with a moderate intellectual disability from a cause other than Down syndrome (n = 26) and typically developing children (n = 50). Children completed a series of measures of language and cognitive functioning and participated in a delay of gratification task.

RESULTS

The group of children with Down syndrome delayed for a significantly shorter time than either of the other two groups that did not differ from each other. Receptive language was associated with delay time for the children with Down syndrome but not for the typically developing group, nor for the group with moderate intellectual disability.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with Down syndrome appear to have a particular difficulty with delay of gratification. Language abilities would seem to be implicated in this difficulty, although further examination of this hypothesis is required.

Deletion of 8p: a report of a child with normal intelligence

The case is presented of a female infant with a distal deletion of 8p (8p23.1-->pter) whose development was monitored over a 5-year period from 12 months of age. Although previous literature has suggested that 8p deletion is associated with mild to moderate intellectual disability, the child reported here has normal intelligence. Despite initial delays in gross motor and language skills, cognitive development (assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development) and intellectual ability (measured on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale) were within average range. It is argued that the small number of previous case reports may have created a misleading impression of intellectual development in individuals with distal deletions of 8p.

The preparation of reach to grasp movements in adults with Down syndrome

The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which adults with Down syndrome (DS) are able to utilise advance information to prepare reach to grasp movements. The study comprised ten adults with DS; ten children matched to an individual in the group with DS on the basis of their intellectual ability, and twelve adult controls. The participants used their right hand to reach out and grasp illuminated perspex blocks. Four target blocks were positioned on a table surface, two to each side of the midsagittal plane. In the complete precue condition, participants were provided with information specifying the location of the target. In the partial precue condition, participants were given advance information indicating the location of the object relative to the midsagittal plane (left or right). In the null condition, advance information concerning the position of the target object was entirely ambiguous. It was found that both reaction times and movement times were greater for the participants with DS than for the adults without DS. The reaction times exhibited by individuals with DS in the complete precue condition were lower than those observed in the null condition, indicating that they had utilised advance information to prepare their movements. In the group with DS, when advance information specified only the location of the target object relative to the midline, reaction times were equivalent to those obtained when ambiguous information was given. In contrast, the adults without DS exhibited reaction times that were lower in both the complete and partial precue conditions when compared to the null condition. The pattern of results exhibited by the children was similar to that of the adults without DS. The movement times exhibited by all groups were not influenced by the precue condition. In summary, our findings indicate that individuals with DS are able to use advance information if it specifies precisely the location of the target object in order to prepare a reach to grasp movement. The group with DS were unable, however, to obtain the normal advantage of advance information specifying only one dimension of the movement goal (i.e., the position of an object relative to the body midline).

Delay of gratification in young adults with Down syndrome

Thirty-one young adults (17-23 years of age) with Down syndrome participated in two self-imposed delay of gratification trials. Thirty-six and forty-eight percent waited for the experimenter to return (15 minutes) on Trials 1 and 2 respectively, and thirty-six percent waited for the experimenter on both occasions. Expressive language differentiated those who waited from those who did not. A discriminant analysis which included measures of expressive language, temperament characteristics and parental attitudes to childrearing gave very good separation of the two groups. Directions for future researched are discussed.

Beyond sex and cooking: health education for individuals with intellectual disability

Issues of health education programming for people with intellectual disability are discussed. As environments in which such individuals live become more inclusive, and they are encouraged to make their own choices, the issue of whether current health education is sufficient to enable them to make healthy life choices is considered. More attention should be focused on programs in schools and the community to fulfill this need. Three aspects of health education programming are considered: physical activity, general health knowledge, and social supports for health. Continuity of information is viewed as important in policy development as well as in interprofessional coordination and cooperation to assure that these individuals are not further handicapped by poor health.

Life be in it: lifestyle choices for active leisure

For members of the community, participation in leisure, sports and recreation is an important lifestyle choice. Individuals with Down syndrome live in our community and they, too, are equally entitled to active lifestyle choices. Children, adolescents and adults with Down syndrome have a wide range of interests and, although reported trends indicate that their engagement in recreational activity is often sedentary and solitary in nature, other factors apart from the syndrome may account for this. Using a perception of difference perspective, this paper will examine certain aspects of their motor development, health and interactions with others which could be viewed as restrictive factors to their ability to participate in active leisure opportunities in the community. Program examples from Australia will be used to illustrate how a perception of difference which facilitates ability rather than disability across community based activities can enable a range of active leisure choices.

Metabolic rate: a factor in developing obesity in children with Down syndrome?

Resting metabolic rate and its relation with selected anthropometric measures was determined in 11 male and 7 female noninstitutionalized children with Down syndrome. Dietary analysis was performed to determine the nutritional status of the children and whether poor nutritional habits may be influencing factors in the development of obesity in this population. Resting metabolic rate for the total group was 170.4 +/- 38.65 ml.min-1 (0.17 +/- 0.04 ml.kg-1.min-1). Body weight, height, and surface area were moderately correlated with this rate, with height having the strongest relation. Daily caloric intake was 1,433.84 +/- 255.2 calories, comprising of 16.01 +/- 2.20% protein, 42.18 +/- 7.40% fat, and 40.60 +/- 8.83 carbohydrate. Calcium, potassium, and vitamin C were above and iron and thiamine below the recommended daily allowance.