Astrocytes are the largest glial population in the mammalian brain. Astrocytes in the cerebral cortex are reportedly generated from four sources, namely radial glia, progenitors in the subventricular zone (SVZ progenitors), locally proliferating glia, and NG2 glia; it remains an open question, however, as to what extent these four cell types contribute to the substantial increase in astrocytes that occurs postnatally in the cerebral cortex. Here we summarize all possible sources of astrocytes and discuss their roles in this postnatal increase. In particular, we focus on astrocytes derived from local proliferation within the cortex.

Background Increased frequency of CCR9 + CD4 + T cells in peripheral blood is linked to several gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases; however, its relationship with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is not understood. We investigated whether the frequencies of CCR9 + CD4 + T cells and related subsets were increased in peripheral blood of both patients and mice with NEC. Methods CCR9 + CD4 + T cells and related subsets were evaluated by flow cytometry in peripheral blood collected from both patients and mice with NEC and controls. The suppressive function of CCR9 + regulatory T (Treg) cells in NEC was assessed via in vitro suppression assay. An in vitro T cell polarization assay was performed to investigate the role of proinflammatory cytokines in Treg cell polarization. In vivo Treg cell polarization analysis was performed using NEC mice treated with anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antibody. Findings A higher proportion of CCR9 + CD4 + T cells occurred in peripheral blood of both patients and mice with NEC than in controls. Elevated CCR9 + CD4 + T cells were primarily CCR9 + IL-17-producing Treg cells, possessing features of conventional Treg cells, but their suppressive activity was seriously impaired and negatively correlated with the severity of intestinal tissue injury. IL-6 promoted polarization of CCR9 + Treg cells to CCR9 + IL-17-producing Treg cells, and blocking IL-6 signalling inhibited this conversion in vitro and ameliorated experimental NEC in vivo . Interpretation Collectively, these data suggested that CCR9 + IL-17-producing Treg cells may be a biomarker of severity and highlight the possibility that antibodies targeting IL-6R could ameliorate NEC by modulating lymphocyte balance. Fund This work was supported by the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China (2017A020215100), the Science and Technology Foundation of Guangzhou, China (201704020086 and 201604020154), the Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (A2017304 and A2014704), and the Social Science and Technology Development Foundation of Dongguan, China (2016108101037).

The study was set to analyze the predictive values of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), Ghrelin, Neurexin, and Neuroligin protein expression on postoperative prognosis of laparoscopic surgery in children with Hirschsprung disease. 281 cases of children with Hirschsprung disease, admitted into Guangdong Women and Children Hospital and Guangzhou women and children's medical center from March 2009 to March 2014, were treated with laparoscopic radical surgery for Hirschsprung disease. They were divided into the good and the poor prognosis groups according to their recuperation and complications. Protein expressions of TGF-β1, Ghrelin, Neurexin, and Neuroligin were prospectively analyzed. The correlations between the expressions of these proteins and the prognosis were analyzed. There were 129 cases of children with poor prognosis, accounting for 45.9 %. There were no significant differences in the expressions of TGF-β1 mRNA and proteins within the group in both the groups (p > 0.05). TGF-β1 mRNA and protein expressions of the poor prognosis group were significantly higher than those of the good prognosis group in each segment of intestine (p < 0.05). Protein detection results manifested that Ghrelin protein expression gradually increased along narrow segment, transitional segment, and expansion segment in both groups. Ghrelin protein expression of the poor prognosis group was significantly lower than that of the good prognosis group in each segment of intestine (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in the protein expressions of Neurexin and Neuroligin within the group. The protein expressions of Neurexin and Neuroligin in expansion segment were the highest. Neurexin and Neuroligin protein expressions of the poor prognosis group were significantly lower than those of the good prognosis group in each segment of intestine (p < 0.05). Increasing expression of TGF-β1 protein, decreasing expressions of Ghrelin, Neurexin, and Neuroligin proteins can induce the loss or dysfunction of ganglion cells in distal intestinal canal, which is closely correlated with the occurrences of adverse prognosis, such as increased intestinal peristalsis recovery time, increased complication rate etc., in children. It has a high value for predicting prognosis of children patients with Hirschsprung disease after surgical intervention.

Objectives: To describe a new sonographic feature of the C-sign for prenatal diagnosis of jejunal atresia and evaluate its role in prenatal jejunal atresia, particularly preceding bowel dilatation and polyhydramnios. Methods: This was a retrospective study from a tertiary maternal hospital. Patients with prenatal sonographic examination and confirmed small bowel atresia postdelivery were included. All sonographic images were reviewed by two senior sonographers. Comparison of sonographic images between prenatal jejunal and ileal atresia using the C-sign resembles the shape of the entire duodenum and other traditional sonographic features. The control group without bowel atresia was assessed for the presence of the C-sign. Results: The C-sign and combined bowel dilatation with polyhydramnios were more frequent in jejunal atresia than ileal atresia, but the C-sign can be used to detect jejunal atresia earlier. The C-sign can be more likely to diagnose jejunal atresia in persisting bowel dilatation and polyhydramnios. The C-sign was not reported in any of the control fetuses. Conclusion:The C-sign is a new sonographic feature that can be used to improve the prenatal accuracy and early detection of jejunal atresia. However, further prospective validation is needed.

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