Tyrosine phosphorylation plays a fundamental role in mammary gland development. However, the role of specific tyrosine phosphatases in controlling mammary cell fate remains ill defined. We have identified protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) as an essential regulator of alveologenesis and lactogenesis. PTP1B depletion increased the number of luminal mammary progenitors ...

Obesity is one of the leading health risk factors worldwide and is associated with several other risk factors and health problems including type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and malignancies. Current conventional therapeutic strategies for obesity cannot achieve adequate weight control in all patients, so complementary types of treatment are ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Limited data is available on sodium (Na) and potassium (K) intake in young children estimated by 24 hour (24h) excretion in urine. The aim was to assess 24h urinary excretion of Na and K in six-year-old children and its relationship with diet quality. METHODS: The study population was ...

This longitudinal study examined how observations of parental general communication style and control with their adolescents predicted changes in negative affect over time for adolescent smokers and nonsmokers. Participants were 9th- and 10th-grade adolescents (N = 111; 56.8% female) who had all experimented with cigarettes and were thus at risk for continued ...

Suicide is a serious public health concern that is responsible for almost 1 million deaths each year worldwide. It is commonly an impulsive act by a vulnerable individual. The impulsivity of suicide provides opportunities to reduce the risk of suicide by restricting access to lethal means. In the United States, ...

The Unipept web application (http://unipept.ugent.be) supports biodiversity analysis of large and complex metaproteome samples using tryptic peptide information obtained from shotgun MS/MS experiments. Its underlying index structure is designed to quickly retrieve all occurrences of a tryptic peptide in UniProtKB records. Taxon-specificity of the tryptic peptide is successively derived from ...

VIPP1 protein in photosynthetic organisms is homologous to bacterial PspA, which protects plasma membrane integrity upon stresses. Despite the proposed role of VIPP1 in thylakoid biogenesis, its precise function remains unclear. Recently, our in-depth analysis of Arabidopsis vipp1 mutants revealed VIPP1's involvement in the maintenance of chloroplast envelopes. Chloroplasts in ...

DEAD-box proteins are believed to participate in the folding of RNA by destabilizing RNA secondary or tertiary structures. Although these proteins bind and hydrolyze ATP, the mechanism for which nucleotide hydrolysis is coupled to helix destabilization may vary among different DEAD-box proteins. To investigate their abilities to disrupt helices and ...

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionary conserved noncoding molecules that regulate gene expression. They influence a number of diverse biological functions, such as development and differentiation. However, their dysregulation has been shown to be associated with disease states, such as cancer. Genes and pathways regulating their biogenesis remain unknown and are ...

During the past decade, a new family of stomach-specific proteins has been recognized. Now known as 'gastrokines' (GKNs), these secreted proteins are products of gastric mucous producing cell lineages. GKNs are highly conserved in physical structure and emerging data points to convergent functions in the modulation of gastric mucosal homeostasis ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Decentralised health services form a key part of chronic care strategies in resource-limited settings by reducing the distance between patient and clinic and thereby the time and costs involved in travelling. However, few tools exist to evaluate the impact of decentralisation on patient travel time or what proportion ...

Background:Fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) results in increased placental resistance to blood flow, fetal hypertension and increased pulsatility stresses shown to lead to vascular remodeling. We tested our hypothesis that IUGR causes decreased compliance in the carotid and umbilical arteries due to altered extracellular matrix (ECM) composition and structure.Methods:A sheep ...

The discovery of the retinoblastoma (RB-1) gene as a tumor suppressor that is disrupted in a majority of human cancers either via direct or indirect genetic alterations has resulted in increased interest in its functions and downstream effectors. Although the canonical pathway that links this tumor suppressor to human cancers ...

Passion. Courage. Altruism. These are just three of the characteristics common to transformational leaders in public health, according to Linda Fried, MD, MPH, dean of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.(1) As the selection committee chairperson for The Calderone Prize in Public Health, Fried oversees the daunting task of ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate postural adjustments in one-handed ball catching. Specifically, the functional role of anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) during the initial arm raising and subsequent postural adjustments (SPA) for equilibrium control and ball-hand impact were scrutinized. Full-body kinematics and kinetics allowed an analysis of the ...

Background: TSHR LOF mutations lead to a wide spectrum of phenotypes, ranging from severe congenital hypothyroidism to mild euthyroid hyperthyrotropinemia. The degree of TSH resistance depends on the severity of the impairment of the receptor function caused by the mutation and on the number of mutated alleles. Objective: In this ...

Emerging evidence suggests that some individuals may be simultaneously more responsive to the effects from environmental adversity and enrichment (i.e., differential susceptibility). Given that parenting behavior and a variable number tandem repeat polymorphism in the 3'untranslated region of the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene are each independently associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ...

Increased blood viscosity reduces blood flow and elevates vascular resistance in the cardiovascular system. The aim of this study was to elucidate how blood viscosity could affect renal function and eventually contribute to renal damage in essential hypertensives (EHT). In 164 untreated EHT without apparent renal damage (96 men, 56±12 ...

ABSTRACT: Lucio G. Costa is currently Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. Dr. Costa is a renowned neurotoxicologist whose research interests are focused on understanding the role of neurotoxic substances in neurodevelopmental disorders and other neurological, neuropsychiatric and ...

Cancer cells have enhanced lipogenic capacity characterized by increased synthesis of fatty acids and complex lipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC). As the rate-limiting enzyme in the CDP-choline pathway for PC synthesis, CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase α (CCTα) is implicated in the provision of membranes and bioactive lipids necessary of cell proliferation. In this ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Understanding the causes underlying heterogeneity of molecular evolutionary rates among lineages is a long-standing and central question in evolutionary biology. Although several earlier studies showed that modern frogs (Neobatrachia) experienced an acceleration of mitochondrial gene substitution rates compared to non-neobatrachian relatives, no further characterization of this phenomenon was ...

We report the fabrication technique and optical properties of multilayered two-dimensional (2D) gold nanoparticle sheets ('Au nanosheet'). The 2D crystalline monolayer sheet composed of Au nanoparticles shows an absorption peak originating from a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). It was found that the absorption spectra dramatically change when the monolayers ...

ABSTRACT Objectives: 1) Explore the variability in how symptoms clustered together over the late reproductive stage, early and late meyesausal transition (MT) stages, and early postmenopause. 2) Determine if the symptom factor structure of the preceding MT stage would predict the symptom factor structure of the MT stage immediately following ...

Abstract Pigs are important reservoirs for Arcobacter. Since 1978, Arcobacter species have been associated with reproduction disorders, but excretion by clinically healthy pigs has been frequently reported as well. Information on Arcobacter colonization of the porcine gastrointestinal tract is lacking. In the present study, gastrointestinal tracts of 12 pigs were ...

Objective Arterial stiffness is an independent marker of cardiovascular risk that increases with age, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, both for men and women (although more pronounced in women). This study was designed to establish whether menopause augments the age-dependent change. Methods The study evaluated pulse wave analysis and pulse wave ...

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), which can differentiate into several types of cells, are subjected to mechanical stress by jaw movement and occlusal forces. In this study, we evaluated how the uniaxial mechanical stretch influences proliferation and differentiation of DPSCs. DPSCs were isolated and cultured from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Cultured ...

Public health aims to provide the necessary conditions for a population to be healthy.(1,2) Public health balances such lofty ideals as health, happiness, and productivity with pragmatic problem solving-metaphorically, keeping its head in the clouds and its feet on the ground. Public health attempts to see health problems in their ...

Objectives. We evaluated whether a program to prevent coronary heart disease (CHD) with community health workers (CHWs) would improve CHD risk in public health and health care settings. Methods. The CHWs provided point-of-service screening, education, and care coordination to residents in 34 primarily rural Colorado counties. The CHWs utilized motivational ...

To investigate the antihypertensive effects and tolerability of aliskiren in comparison with other antihypertensive drugs and placebo in patients with hypertension, a meta-analysis was performed of studies published between 1950 and 2012. A systematic literature search of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library was conducted for randomized controlled trials. Weighted mean ...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a nuclear hormone receptor expressed predominantly in adipose tissue, and it is implicated in energy homeostasis. In this study, by Western blotting and Immunofluorescence techniques, we demonstrated for the first time that pig spermatozoa express the PPARγ. To investigate the functional role of PPARγ ...

Self-assembling peptide materials have been used extensively to mimic natural extracellular matrices (ECMs) by presenting bioactive epitopes on a synthetic matrix. Although this approach can facilitate a desired response from cells grown in the matrix, it lacks the capacity for spatial or temporal regulation of the presented signals. We describe ...

Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is a collagenase that is highly active in extracellular matrix and vascular remodeling, angiogenesis, and tumor progression. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2), the main receptor for VEGF-A, is expressed on endothelial cells and promotes cell survival, proliferation, and other functions. Although MMP-1 and VEGFR2 co-exist in ...

Abstract Several spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) previously believed to be nonpathogenic are speculated to contribute to infections commonly misdiagnosed as Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in the United States, but confirmation is difficult in cases with mild or absent systemic symptoms. We report an afebrile rash illness occurring in ...

The rational use of hawthorn leafs and flowers from Crataegus spp. for declining cardiac performance is mainly due to flavon-C-glycosides and oligomeric procyanidins (OPC). From OPC-enriched extracts from different batches, a dimeric phenylpropanoid-substituted procyanidin (cinchonain II b, 1) was isolated and characterized by MS, CD, and NMR. Also the presence of ...

PtdIns synthase is a key enzyme in the phospholipid pathway and catalyses the formation of PtdIns. PtdIns is not only a structural component of cell membranes, but also the precursor of the phospholipid signal molecules which regulate plant response to environment stresses. Here, we obtained transgenic maize constitutively overexpressing or ...

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFR-α) and stem cell antigen 1 (Sca-1) have recently been identified as selective markers of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). PDGFR-α(+)Sca-1(+) (PαS) MSCs have augmented growth potential and robust tri-lineage differentiation compared with standard culture-selected MSCs. In addition, the selective isolation of PαS MSCs avoids ...

The immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis is multifactorial, involving a network of innate and adaptive immune responses. Characterization of the immune response, a clear understanding of the dynamics and interplay of different arms of the immune response are critical to allow the development of better tools for combating tuberculosis. Dendritic ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage is a major complication in colorectal surgery and with an incidence of 11% the most common cause of morbidity and mortality. In order to reduce the incidence of anastomotic leakage the C-seal is developed. This intraluminal biodegradable drain is stapled to the anastomosis with a circular ...

We determined the factors associated with hepatitis C (HCV) infection among rural Appalachian drug users. This study included 394 injection drug users (IDUs) participating in a study of social networks and infectious disease risk in Appalachian Kentucky. Trained staff conducted HCV, HIV, and herpes simplex-2 virus (HSV-2) testing, and an ...

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is a quite common disorder in the pediatric age group. Objective: The aim of this paper is to present a review of the studies investigating the natural course of SH and the effects of replacement therapy with levothyroxine in childhood. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane, ...

We demonstrate the first example of a self-propelled Janus polyelectrolyte multilayer hollow capsule that can serve as both autonomous motor and smart cargo. This new autonomous Janus capsule motor composing of partially coated dendritic platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) was fabricated by using a template-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) self assembly combined with ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Considering the importance of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to fetal development and the lack of studies that have compared the status of fatty acids between adolescents and adults mothers, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the composition of fatty acids in maternal and umbilical cord ...

The theoretically proposed graphene/single-walled carbon nanotube (G/SWCNT) hybrids by placing SWCNTs among graphene planes through covalent C-C bonding are expected to be with extraordinary physical properties and promising engineering applications. However, the G/CNT hybrids that have been fabricated differ a lot with the proposed G/SWCNT hybrids either because the covalent ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need to protect children against dengue since this age group is particularly sensitive to the disease. Since dengue vectors are active mainly during the day, a potential target for control should be schools where children spend a considerable amount of their day. School uniforms ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) is a method that facilitates the detection of prions from many sources of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Sheep scrapie represents a unique diversity of prion disease agents in a range of susceptible PRNP genotypes. In this study PMCA was assessed on a range ...

The purpose of this study was to determine EriB in plasma by using the method of HPLC and collect the preclinical pharmacokinetic parameters of EriB.The analysis involved a simple liquid-liquid extraction. After making alkaline with NaOH, plasma was extracted with diethyl ether and the organic extract was then evaporated. From ...

B Cell Lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein suppresses ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis in hemato-lymphoid system. To enhance the survival of irradiated cells, we have compared the effects and mechanism of Bcl-2 and its functional variants, D34A (caspase-3 resistant) and S70E (mimics phosphorylation on S70). Bcl-2 and its mutants were transfected into hematopoietic cell ...

ABSTRACT: Eclipsed by the debates about malaria incidence and severity in individual patients, malaria transmission in helminth-infected persons has so far received very little attention. Studies in humans have shown increased malaria incidence and prevalence, and a trend for a reduction of symptoms in patients with malaria. This suggests that ...

To investigate the influence of a secondary spacer on the resulting structures of POMOFs containing pytz, five new compounds with different dimensionalities, [Cu(5)(2-pytz)(6)(H(2)O)(4)][SiMo(12)O(40)]·3H(2)O (), [Cu(3)(2-pytz)(4)bipy][H(2)SiMo(12)O(40)]·bipy (), [Cu(3)(2-pytz)(2)(bipy)(4)(H(2)O)(6)][H(4)SiW(12)O(40)](2)·6H(2)O (), [Cu(2)(2-pytz)(phen)(OH)](2)[SiW(12)O(40)]·H(2)O (), [Cu(3)(4-pytz)(4)(H(2)O)(4)][H(2)SiW(12)O(40)]·2H(2)O (), were synthesized. When only 2-pytz was employed, compound with a 3D framework was obtained, whereas when the secondary ...

We thank Dodge for highlighting the potential environmental factors that may impact food insecurity upstream of the mechanistic pathway between food insecurity and health. Our work demonstrated that food insecurity is associated with C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation associated with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular ...