Tobacco smoke exposure dramatically alters DNA methylation in blood cells and may mediate smoking-associated complex diseases through effects on immune cell function. However, knowledge of smoking effects in specific leukocyte subtypes is limited. To better characterize smoking-associated methylation changes in whole blood and leukocyte subtypes, we used Illumina 450K arrays and Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS) to assess genome-wide DNA methylation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe morphological and mechanical properties of the pediatric skull are important in understanding pediatric head injury biomechanics. Although previous studies have analyzed the morphology of cranial sutures, none has done so in pediatric specimens nor have previous studies related the morphology to mechanical properties of human sutures. This study quantified the geometry of pediatric cranial sutures and investigated its correlation with the suture mechanical properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNuclear factor- (erythroid-derived 2) like 2 (NFE2L2, NRF2) is a key transcriptional activator of the antioxidant response pathway and is closely related to erythroid transcription factor NFE2. Under oxidative stress, NRF2 heterodimerizes with small Maf proteins and binds cis-acting enhancer sequences found near oxidative stress response genes. Using the dietary isothiocyanate sulforaphane (SFN) to activate NRF2, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) identified several hundred novel NRF2-mediated targets beyond its role in oxidative stress.
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