Publications by authors named "Alma Parra-Torres"

Bone formation is a dynamic process directed by osteoblast activity. The transition from the proliferation to differentiation stage during osteoblast maturation involves the downregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and extracellular antagonists are important for the regulation of Wnt signaling. However, the expression levels of Wnt antagonists in these stages of human osteoblast maturation have not been fully elucidated.

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: It has been proposed that DHEA influences bone formation through, bioconversion to 17β-estradiol; however, DHEA is converted to Δ5-androstenediol (Δ5-Adiol), a metabolite with estrogenic potential involved in diverse biological process. To gain new insight into the role of Δ5-Adiol in bone cells, we examined DHEA and Δ5-Adiol effects in neonatal rat and human hFOB1.19 osteoblasts.

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are a class of short non-coding RNAs that serve an important regulatory role in living organisms. These molecules are associated with multiple biological processes and are potential biomarkers in multiple diseases. The present study aimed to further identify miRNAs that are differentially expressed in circulating monocytes (CMCs) from postmenopausal Mexican-Mestizo women.

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To identify genetic variants influencing bone mineral density (BMD) in the Mexican-Mestizo population, we performed a GWAS for femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine (LS) in Mexican-Mestizo postmenopausal women. In the discovery sample, 300,000 SNPs were genotyped in a cohort of 411 postmenopausal women and seven SNPs were analyzed in the replication cohort ( = 420). The combined results of a meta-analysis from the discovery and replication samples identified two loci, (rs6904364, = 2.

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Background: Osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD), is an important health problem in Mexico. BMD is a highly heritable trait, with heritability estimates of 50-85%. Several candidate genes have been evaluated to identify those involved in BMD variation and the etiology of osteoporosis.

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