The intersection of inflammation and DNA damage as a novel axis underlying the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affects 1 in 36 children and is characterized by repetitive behaviors and difficulties in social interactions and social communication. The etiology of ASD is extremely heterogeneous, with a large number of ASD cases that are of unknown or complex etiology, which suggests the potential contribution of epigenetic risk factors. In particular, epidemiological and animal model studies suggest that inflammation during pregnancy could lead to an increased risk of ASD in the offspring.

An Unusual Presentation of Cutaneous Bullous Lupus.

Drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DILE) is an autoimmune reaction that results in symptoms of polyarthralgia, fever, and cutaneous lesions and other manifestations. Several drugs have been documented to cause this disease, including procainamide, isoniazid, methyldopa, penicillamine, and hydralazine. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) manifestations often occur after the patient has been taking the drug without complications for months to years.

Identification of the Polo-like kinase substrate required for homologous synapsis.

The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a zipper-like protein structure that aligns homologous chromosome pairs and regulates recombination during meiosis. Despite its conserved appearance and function, how synapsis occurs between chromosome axes remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that Polo-like kinases (PLKs) phosphorylate a single conserved residue in the disordered C-terminal tails of two paralogous SC subunits, SYP-5 and SYP-6, to establish an electrostatic interface between the SC central region and chromosome axes in C.

Dynamic Regulation OF The Chromatin Environment By Ash1L Modulates Human Neuronal Structure And Function.

Precise regulation of the chromatin environment through post-translational histone modification modulates transcription and controls brain development. Not surprisingly, mutations in a large number of histone-modifying enzymes underlie complex brain disorders. In particular, the histone methyltransferase ASH1L modifies histone marks linked to transcriptional activation and has been implicated in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders.

Risk Factors in Optimal Management of Hypertension in Elderly Patients Following 2017 American College of Cardiology-American Heart Association Guidelines.

Introduction/objectives: The 2017 American Heart Association hypertension management guidelines recommended optimal control of blood pressure under 130/80 mmHg. We aimed to study the factors associated with suboptimal and uncontrolled hypertension in the elderly patients.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of suburban outpatient records of patients with hypertension, aged 65 years and older, and grouped into optimally controlled (OC; BP <130/80 mmHg), sub-optimally controlled (SOC; BP 130-139/80-89 mmHg), and uncontrolled (UC; BP≥140/90 mmHg) groups; and compared the associations of variables.