Birth Outcomes in a Prospective Pregnancy-Birth Cohort Study of Environmental Risk Factors in Kuwait: The TRACER Study.

Background: Rapid development and westernisation in Kuwait and other Gulf states have been accompanied by rising rates of obesity, diabetes, asthma, and other chronic conditions. Prenatal experiences and exposures may be important targets for intervention. We undertook a prospective pregnancy-birth cohort study in Kuwait, the TRansgenerational Assessment of Children's Environmental Risk (TRACER) Study, to examine prenatal risk factors for early childhood obesity.

Jerky/Earthbound facilitates cell-specific Wnt/Wingless signalling by modulating β-catenin-TCF activity.

Wnt/Wingless signal transduction directs fundamental developmental processes, and upon hyperactivation triggers colorectal adenoma/carcinoma formation. Responses to Wnt stimulation are cell specific and diverse; yet, how cell context modulates Wnt signalling outcome remains obscure. In a Drosophila genetic screen for components that promote Wingless signalling, we identified Earthbound 1 (Ebd1), a novel member in a protein family containing Centromere Binding Protein B (CENPB)-type DNA binding domains.