Babies of South Asian and European Ancestry Show Similar Associations With Genetic Risk Score for Birth Weight Despite the Smaller Size of South Asian Newborns.

Size at birth is known to be influenced by various fetal and maternal factors, including genetic effects. South Asians have a high burden of low birth weight and cardiometabolic diseases, yet studies of common genetic variations underpinning these phenotypes are lacking. We generated independent, weighted fetal genetic scores (fGSs) and maternal genetic scores (mGSs) from 196 birth weight-associated variants identified in Europeans and conducted an association analysis with various fetal birth parameters and anthropometric and cardiometabolic traits measured at different follow-up stages (5-6-year intervals) from seven Indian and Bangladeshi cohorts of South Asian ancestry. The results from these cohorts were compared with South Asians in UK Biobank and the Exeter Family Study of Childhood Health, a European ancestry cohort. Birth weight increased by 50.7 g and 33.6 g per SD of fGS (P = 9.1 × 10-11) and mGS (P = 0.003), respectively, in South Asians. A relatively weaker mGS effect compared with Europeans indicates possible different intrauterine exposures between Europeans and South Asians. Birth weight was strongly associated with body size in both childhood and adolescence (P = 3 × 10-5 to 1.9 × 10-51); however, fGS was associated with body size in childhood only (P < 0.01) and with head circumference, fasting glucose, and triglycerides in adults (P < 0.01). The substantially smaller newborn size in South Asians with comparable fetal genetic effect to Europeans on birth weight suggests a significant role of factors related to fetal growth that were not captured by the present genetic scores. These factors may include different environmental exposures, maternal body size, health and nutritional status, etc. Persistent influence of genetic loci on size at birth and adult metabolic syndrome in our study supports a common genetic mechanism that partly explains associations between early development and later cardiometabolic health in various populations, despite marked differences in phenotypic and environmental factors in South Asians

Composite foams made from biodegradable polymers for food packaging applications

Polymeric foams are cell structures (porous microstructures) that have been frequently made from synthetic polymers for use in the development of food packaging. Due to the problems concerning the environmental impact caused by polymers from the petrochemical industry, the foams have been more recently studied from biodegradable polymers. However, the polymer materials obtained are usually susceptible to moisture, thus conditioning the collapse of the porous structure of the material. As an alternative, the composite foams have been investigated from nanofillers such as clays, cellulose, nanoparticles, among others. This chapter aims to analyze the recent advances in the studies of composite foams.Fil: Araque Moreno, Luis Miguel. Federal University Of Piauí; BrasilFil: Alvarez, Vera Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Gutiérrez Carmona, Tomy José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentin

Repair of the TGFBI gene in human corneal keratocytes derived from a granular corneal dystrophy patient via CRISPR/Cas9-induced homology-directed repair

Abstract Granular corneal dystrophy (GCD) is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease in which multiple discrete and irregularly shaped granular opacities are deposited in the corneal stroma. GCD is caused by a point mutation in the transforming growth factor-β-induced (TGFBI) gene, located on chromosome 5q31. Here, we report the first successful application of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing for the correction of a TGFBI mutation in GCD patient-derived primary corneal keratocytes via homology-directed repair (HDR). To correct genetic defects in GCD patient cells, we designed a disease-specific guide RNA (gRNA) targeting the R124H mutation of TGFBI, which causes GCD type 2 (GCD2). An R124H mutation in primary human corneal keratocytes derived from a GCD2 patient was corrected by delivering a CRISPR plasmid expressing Cas9/gRNA and a single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide HDR donor template in vitro. The gene correction efficiency was 20.6% in heterozygous cells and 41.3% in homozygous cells. No off-target effects were detected. These results reveal a new therapeutic strategy for GCD2; this method may also be applicable to other heredity corneal diseases

A review on herbal antiasthmatics

In traditional systems of medicine, many plants have been documented to be useful for the treatment of various respiratory disorders including asthma. In the last two decades the use of medicinal plants and natural products has been increased dramatically all over the world. Current synthetic drugs used in pharmacotherapy of asthma are unable to act at all the stages and targets of asthma. However some herbal alternatives employed in asthma are proven to provide symptomatic relief and assist in the inhibition of disease progression also. The herbs have shown interesting results in various target specific biological activities such as bronchodilation, mast cell stabilization, anti-anaphylactic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anti-allergic, immunomodulatory and inhibition of mediators such as leukotrienes, lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase, platelet activating, phosphodiesterase and cytokine, in the treatment of asthma. This paper is an attempt to classify these pharmacological and clinical findings based on their possible mechanism of action reported. It also signifies the need for development of polyherbal formulations containing various herbs acting at particular sites of the pathophysiological cascade of asthma for prophylaxis as well as for the treatment of asthma

HMGA1 Reprograms Somatic Cells into Pluripotent Stem Cells by Inducing Stem Cell Transcriptional Networks

PMC3499526BACKGROUND: Although recent studies have identified genes expressed in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) that induce pluripotency, the molecular underpinnings of normal stem cell function remain poorly understood. The high mobility group A1 (HMGA1) gene is highly expressed in hESCs and poorly differentiated, stem-like cancers; however, its role in these settings has been unclear. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We show that HMGA1 is highly expressed in fully reprogrammed iPSCs and hESCs, with intermediate levels in ECCs and low levels in fibroblasts. When hESCs are induced to differentiate, HMGA1 decreases and parallels that of other pluripotency factors. Conversely, forced expression of HMGA1 blocks differentiation of hESCs. We also discovered that HMGA1 enhances cellular reprogramming of somatic cells to iPSCs together with the Yamanaka factors (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, cMYC - OSKM). HMGA1 increases the number and size of iPSC colonies compared to OSKM controls. Surprisingly, there was normal differentiation in vitro and benign teratoma formation in vivo of the HMGA1-derived iPSCs. During the reprogramming process, HMGA1 induces the expression of pluripotency genes, including SOX2, LIN28, and cMYC, while knockdown of HMGA1 in hESCs results in the repression of these genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation shows that HMGA1 binds to the promoters of these pluripotency genes in vivo. In addition, interfering with HMGA1 function using a short hairpin RNA or a dominant-negative construct blocks cellular reprogramming to a pluripotent state. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate for the first time that HMGA1 enhances cellular reprogramming from a somatic cell to a fully pluripotent stem cell. These findings identify a novel role for HMGA1 as a key regulator of the stem cell state by inducing transcriptional networks that drive pluripotency. Although further studies are needed, these HMGA1 pathways could be exploited in regenerative medicine or as novel therapeutic targets for poorly differentiated, stem-like cancers.JH Libraries Open Access Fun