Role of ZFHX4 in orofacial clefting based on human genetic data and zebrafish models.

Orofacial clefting (OFC) is a frequent congenital anomaly and can occur either in the context of underlying syndromes or in isolation (nonsyndromic). The two common OFC phenotypes are cleft lip with/without cleft palate (CL/P) and cleft palate only (CPO). In this study, we searched for penetrant CL/P genes, by evaluating de novo copy number variants (CNV) from an exome sequencing dataset of 50 nonsyndromic patient-parent trios.

Alcohol Use as a Predictor of Risky Sexual Behaviour among Young Adults in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour (RSB). This study further aimed to examine whether alcohol use, gender, and employment status predicted RSB among young adults in the Cape Flats. A better understanding of these predictors could potentially lead to a more thorough comprehension of the relation between alcohol consumption and RSB among young adults within the South African context.

First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment.

The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment is a dark matter detector centered on a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. This Letter reports results from LUX-ZEPLIN's first search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with an exposure of 60 live days using a fiducial mass of 5.5 t.

A potential osteogenic role for microRNA-181a-5p during palatogenesis.

Background: In a previous study, we found that the highly conserved hsa-miR-181a-5p is downregulated in palatal fibroblasts of non-syndromic cleft palate-only infants.

Objectives: To analyze the spatiotemporal expression pattern of mmu-miR-181a-5p during palatogenesis and identify possible mRNA targets and their involved molecular pathways.

Material And Methods: The expression of mmu-miR-181a-5p was analyzed in the developing palates of mouse embryos from E11 to E18 using qPCR and ISH.

Targeting fibroblast growth factor receptors causes severe craniofacial malformations in zebrafish larvae.

Background And Objective: A key pathway controlling skeletal development is fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and FGF receptor (FGFR) signaling. Major regulatory functions of FGF signaling are chondrogenesis, endochondral and intramembranous bone development. In this study we focus on , as mutations in this gene are found in patients with craniofacial malformations.