Effects of over-scheduled children: perspectives of childcare workers

This study used survey research to gather the University of Wisconsin-Stout Child and Family Study Center (CFSC) childcare workers’ perspectives regarding the effects of over- scheduling children in Menomonie,Wisconsin.The participants in this study were eight individuals who were undergraduate students or had completed their undergraduate education and six individuals who were graduate students or who had completed their graduate education. The computer program Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to statistically analyze the data by use of frequencies,cross-tabulations,and mean comparisons. Our findings indicate that childcare workers do not perceive children as being over-scheduled. Another finding was that there might have been a gap in the education on over-scheduled children for the staff of the CFSC. Future research could include duplicating this same survey in a larger and more diverse population with childcare workers and teachers.University of Wisconsin--Stout. Research Service

A novel 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) splice variant with an alternative exon 1 potentially encoding an extended N-terminus

Background The major rate-limiting enzyme for de novo cholesterol synthesis is 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR). HMGCR is sterically inhibited by statins, the most commonly prescribed drugs for the prevention of cardiovascular events. Alternative splicing of HMGCR has been implicated in the control of cholesterol homeostasis. The aim of this study was to identify novel alternatively spliced variants of HMGCR with potential physiological importance. Results Bioinformatic analyses predicted three novel HMGCR transcripts containing an alternative exon 1 (HMGCR-1b, -1c, -1d) compared with the canonical transcript (HMGCR-1a). The open reading frame of the HMGCR-1b transcript potentially encodes 20 additional amino acids at the N-terminus, compared with HMGCR-1a. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to examine the mRNA levels of HMGCR in different tissues; HMGCR-1a was the most highly expressed variant in most tissues, with the exception of the skin, esophagus, and uterine cervix, in which HMGCR-1b was the most highly expressed transcript. Atorvastatin treatment of HepG2 cells resulted in increased HMGCR-1b mRNA levels, but unaltered proximal promoter activity compared to untreated cells. In contrast, HMGCR-1c showed a more restricted transcription pattern, but was also induced by atorvastatin treatment. Conclusions The gene encoding HMGCR uses alternative, mutually exclusive exon 1 sequences. This contributes to an increased complexity of HMGCR transcripts. Further studies are needed to investigate whether HMGCR splice variants identified in this study are physiologically functional

Copy number variations of the ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCC6 gene and its pseudogenes

Background The ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCC6 gene is located on chromosome 16 between its two pseudogenes (ABCC6P1 and ABCC6P2). Previously, we have shown that ABCC6P1 is transcribed and affects ABCC6 at the transcriptional level. In this study we aimed to determine copy number variations of ABCC6, ABCC6P1 and ABCC6P2 in different populations. Moreover, we sought to study the transcription pattern of ABCC6 and ABCC6 pseudogenes in 39 different human tissues. Findings Genomic DNA from healthy individuals from five populations, Chinese (n = 24), Middle East (n = 20), Mexicans (n = 24), Caucasians (n = 50) and Africans (n = 24), were examined for copy number variations of ABCC6 and its pseudogenes by pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR. Copy number variation of ABCC6 was very rare (2/142; 1.4%). However, one or three copies of ABCC6P1 were relatively common (3% and 8%, respectively). Only one person had a single copy of ABCC6P2 while none had three copies. In Chinese, deletions or duplications of ABCC6P1 were more frequent than in any other population (9/24; 37.5%). The transcription pattern of ABCC6P2 was highly similar to ABCC6 and ABCC6P1, with highest transcription in liver and kidney. Interestingly, the total transcription level of pseudogenes, ABCC6P1 + ABCC6P2, was higher than ABCC6 in most tissues, including liver and kidney. Conclusions Copy number variations of the ABCC6 pseudogenes are quite common, especially in populations of Chinese ancestry. The expression pattern of ABCC6P2 in 39 human tissues was highly similar to that of ABCC6 and ABCC6P1 suggesting similar regulatory mechanisms for ABCC6 and its pseudogenes

Serum bilirubin concentration in healthy adult North-Europeans is strictly controlled by the UGT1A1 TA-repeat variants.

The major enzyme responsible for the glucuronidation of bilirubin is the uridine 5'-diphosphoglucose glucuronosyltransferase A1 (UGT1A1) enzyme, and genetic variation in the UGT1A1 gene is reported to influence the bilirubin concentration in the blood. In this study, we have investigated which gene-/haplotype variants may be useful for genetic testing of Gilbert's syndrome. Two groups of samples based on serum bilirubin concentrations were obtained from the Nordic Reference Interval Project Bio-bank and Database (NOBIDA): the 150 individuals with the highest bilirubin (>17.5 µmol/L) and the 150 individuals with normal bilirubin concentrations (<17.5 µmol/L). The individuals were examined for the TA6>TA7 variant in the UGT1A1 promoter and 7 tag-SNPs in an extended promoter region of UGT1A1 (haplotype analysis) and in selected SNPs in candidate genes (SLCO1B3, ABCC2 and NUP153). We found significant odds ratios for high bilirubin level for all the selected UGT1A1 variants. However, in stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis of all genetic variants together with age, sex, country of origin and fasting time, the repeat variants of UGT1A1 TA6>TA7 and SLCO1B3 rs2117032 T>C were the only variants significantly associated with higher bilirubin concentrations. Most individuals with high bilirubin levels were homozygous for the TA7-repeat (74%) while only 3% were homozygous for the TA7-repeat in individuals with normal bilirubin levels. Among individuals heterozygous for the TA7-repeat, a low frequent UGT1A1-diplotype harboring the rs7564935 G-variant was associated with higher bilirubin levels. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that in testing for Gilbert's syndrome, analyzing for the homozygous TA7/TA7-genotype would be appropriate

Cumulative numbers of UGT1A1 rs8175347 genotypes according to bilirubin concentration in individuals with A) normal bilirubin and B) high bilirubin (n = 150 in each group).

<p>The thick line represents the TA₇/TA₇ genotype, the thin line represents the TA₆/TA₇-genotype and the stippled line represents the TA₆/TA₆-genotype.</p

Mechanical-stress-related epigenetic regulation of ZIC1 transcription factor in the etiology of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Mechanical loading exerts a profound influence on bone density and architecture, but the exact mechanism is unknown. Our study shows that expression of the neurological transcriptional factor zinc finger of the cerebellum 1 (ZIC1) is markedly increased in trabecular bone biopsies in the lumbar spine compared with the iliac crest, skeletal sites of high and low mechanical stress, respectively. Human trabecular bone transcriptome analyses revealed a strong association between ZIC1 mRNA levels and gene transcripts characteristically associated with osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts. This supposition is supported by higher ZIC1 expression in iliac bone biopsies from postmenopausal women with osteoporosis compared with age-matched control subjects, as well as strongly significant inverse correlation between ZIC1 mRNA levels and BMI-adjusted bone mineral density (BMD) (Z-score). ZIC1 promoter methylation was decreased in mechanically loaded vertebral bone compared to unloaded normal iliac bone, and its mRNA levels correlated inversely with ZIC1 promoter methylation, thus linking mechanical stress to epigenetic control of gene expression. The findings were corroborated in cultures of rat osteoblast progenitors and osteoblast-like cells. This study demonstrates for the first time how skeletal epigenetic changes that are affected by mechanical forces give rise to marked alteration in bone cell transcriptional activity and translate to human bone pathophysiolog