On the relationship between head circumference, brain size, prenatal long-chain PUFA/5-methyltetrahydrofolate supplementation and cognitive abilities during childhood

Head circumference in infants has been reported to predict brain size, total grey matter volume (GMV) and neurocognitive development. However, it is unknown whether it has predictive value on regional and subcortical brain volumes. We aimed to explore the relationship between several head circumference measurements since birth and distributions of GMV and subcortical volumes at later childhood. We examined seventy-four, Caucasian, singleton, term-born infants born to mothers randomised to receive fish oil and/or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate or placebo prenatal supplementation. We assessed head circumference at birth and at 4 and 10 years of age and cognitive abilities at 7 years of age. We obtained brain MRI at 10 years of age, on which we performed voxel-based morphometry, cortical surface extraction and subcortical segmentation. Analyses were controlled for sex, age, height, weight, family status, laterality and total intracranial volume. Prenatal supplementation did not affect head circumference at any age, cognitive abilities or total brain volumes. Head circumference at 4 years presented the highest correlation with total GMV, white matter volume and brain surface area, and was also strongly associated with GMV of frontal, temporal and occipital areas, as well as with caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and thalamus volumes. As relationships between brain volumes in childhood and several outcomes extend into adulthood, we have found that ages between 0 and 4 years as the optimal time for brain growth; postnatal factors might have the most relevant impact on structural maturation of certain cortical areas and subcortical nuclei, independent of prenatal supplementation

Maternal Pre-Pregnancy Obesity Is Associated with Altered Placental Transcriptome

<p><b>(A)</b> Principal component analysis (PCA) of term placental gene expression profiles in obese (Ob_ N°) and normal weight women (N_N°). <b>(B)</b> Cluster analysis of dysregulated genes in term placentas from obese (Ob_ N°) <i>vs</i>. normal weight women (N_N°). Red represents genes with high expression levels and green represents genes with low expression levels.</p

Characterizing Emerging Canine H3 Influenza Viruses.

The continual emergence of novel influenza A strains from non-human hosts requires constant vigilance and the need for ongoing research to identify strains that may pose a human public health risk. Since 1999, canine H3 influenza A viruses (CIVs) have caused many thousands or millions of respiratory infections in dogs in the United States. While no human infections with CIVs have been reported to date, these viruses could pose a zoonotic risk. In these studies, the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS) network collaboratively demonstrated that CIVs replicated in some primary human cells and transmitted effectively in mammalian models. While people born after 1970 had little or no pre-existing humoral immunity against CIVs, the viruses were sensitive to existing antivirals and we identified a panel of H3 cross-reactive human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs) that could have prophylactic and/or therapeutic value. Our data predict these CIVs posed a low risk to humans. Importantly, we showed that the CEIRS network could work together to provide basic research information important for characterizing emerging influenza viruses, although there were valuable lessons learned

Current and novel therapeutic opportunities for systemic therapy in biliary cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of rare and aggressive malignancies that arise in the biliary tree within and outside the liver. Beyond surgical resection, which is beneficial for only a small proportion of patients, current strategies for treating patients with BTCs include chemotherapy, as a single agent or combination regimens, in the adjuvant and palliative setting. Increased characterisation of the molecular landscape of these tumours has facilitated the identification of molecular vulnerabilities, such as IDH mutations and FGFR fusions, that can be exploited for the treatment of BTC patients. Beyond targeted therapies, active research avenues explore the development of novel therapeutics that target the crosstalk between cancer and stroma, the cellular pathways involved in the regulation of cell death, the chemoresistance phenotype and the dysregulation of RNA. In this review, we discuss the therapeutic opportunities currently available in the management of BTC patients, and explore the strategies that can support the implementation of precision oncology in BTCs, including novel molecular targets, liquid biopsies and patient-derived predictive tools

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Interacciones moleculares en quelatos metálicos de 2,6-piridina-dicarboxilato: estudio estructural

Tesis Univ. Granada. Departamento de Química Analítica. Leída el 9 de febrero de 200

Expected and unconventional Ag + binding modes in heteronuclear Pt,Ag coordination polymers derived from trans-[Pt(methylamine) 2(pyrazole) 2] 2+

Abstract The combination of AgNO3 and trans-[Pt(ma)2(Hpz)2]2+ (1; ma = methylamine; Hpz = neutral pyrazole) in water yields mixed Pt,Ag coordination polymers of different stoichiometries, depending on the ratio between Ag and Pt, as well as the pH. The products that were isolated and X-ray structurally characterized display both conventional (Ag+ coordination to pyrazole-N) and unconventional Ag+ binding modes (η1 and η2 binding to C atoms of the pyrazole/pyrazolate ligands; Pt → Ag dative bonds). Specifically, in trans-[Pt(ma)2(Hpz)2]Ag2(NO3)4 (2) and in trans-[Pt(ma)2(pz)2]2Ag3(NO3)3 (4), silver ions bind to C4 positions of Hpz (2) and pz– (4) ligands in η1 fashions, with Ag–C distances of 2.574(4) and 2.643(16) Å, respectively. In 4 there is additional cross-linking by a second Ag+ of N2 sites of adjacent pz– rings, further reinforced by weak dative bonds from Pt to Ag. Ag–N coordination to both a neutral Hpz and an anionic pz– ligand is observed in trans-[Pt(ma)2(pz)2]Ag2(Hpz)2(NO3)2 (5), with individual trinuclear PtAg2 entities associated through weak η2 contacts that involve the C3 and C4 positions of the neutral Hpz ligands. As in 4, intramolecular Pt–Ag distances of 3.1374(6) Å suggest weak dative bond interactions between Pt and Ag. The acidities of the two Hpz ligands in 1 are distinctly different (pKa values of 7.25 and 9.08 in H2O), thereby suggesting a stabilization of the monodeprotonated species trans-[Pt(ma)(Hpz)(pz)]+ (1c) in solution, probably through intermolecular hydrogen-bond formation between Hpz and pz– ligands.This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Foundation Ramón Areces for P. B.-B. P. J. S. M. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) for funding through the “Ramón y Cajal” program.Peer Reviewe

Coordination of two different metal ions as reason for N-chirality in μ-amide complexes

The primary amine MeNH2, when bonded to PtII, is converted into a methylamide bridge upon coordination of a second, different metal ion (PdII), thereby making the N atom chiral. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.The authors acknowledge support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the Ramón Areces Foundation (fellowship to PBB), and the “Ramón y Cajal” programme of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PJSM).Peer Reviewe

A redetermination of (N9-adenine-[kappa]N)aqua[glycylglycinato(2-)-[kappa]3N,N',O]copper(II)

In the title complex, [Cu(C4H6N2O3)(C5H5N5)(H2O)], the CuII atom is five-coordinated in a square-pyramidal geometry by a tridentate glycylglycinate ligand (glygly), an N atom from an adenine ligand (Hade) and a water molecule in the apical position. The Hade coordination is reinforced by an intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction. A much lower precision structure has already been determined using intensities collected by the film method [Tomita, Izumo and Fujiwara (1973).Peer reviewe

cis-[N-(4-Chlorobenzyl)iminodiacetato-[kappa]3N,O,O']bis(1H-imidazole-[kappa]N3)copper(II)

In the title compound, [Cu(C11H10ClNO4)(C3H4N)2], the CuII atom is in a square-pyramidal coordination geometry, with the two imidazole ligands in cis positions and the N-(4-chlorobenzyl)iminodiacetate ligand occupying the apical and two cis-basal positions. In the crystal structure, molecules are linked into sheets by N-H...O hydrogen bonds.Peer reviewe