The Association of Maternal Smoking and Drinking Changes During Pregnancy and Postpartum Breastfeeding Pattern and Duration.

To conduct a secondary data analysis of how changes in smoking and drinking during pregnancy impact status of any breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration in a national cohort. A cross-sectional study was conducted using Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data between 2009 and 2017 ( = 334,203). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted on the status of any breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration.

Perlecan/Hspg2 deficiency impairs bone's calcium signaling and associated transcriptome in response to mechanical loading.

Perlecan, a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, acts as a mechanical sensor for bone to detect external loading. Deficiency of perlecan increases the risk of osteoporosis in patients with Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome (SJS) and attenuates loading-induced bone formation in perlecan deficient mice (Hypo). Considering that intracellular calcium [Ca] is an ubiquitous messenger controlling numerous cellular processes including mechanotransduction, we hypothesized that perlecan deficiency impairs bone's calcium signaling in response to loading.

Identification of Chondrocyte Genes and Signaling Pathways in Response to Acute Joint Inflammation.

Traumatic joint injuries often result in elevated proinflammatory cytokine (such as IL-1β) levels in the joint cavity, which can increase the catabolic activities of chondrocytes and damage cartilage. This study investigated the early genetic responses of healthy in situ chondrocytes under IL-1β attack with a focus on cell cycle and calcium signaling pathways. RNA sequencing analysis identified 2,232 significantly changed genes by IL-1β, with 1,259 upregulated and 973 downregulated genes.

Spontaneous calcium signaling of cartilage cells: from spatiotemporal features to biophysical modeling.

Intracellular calcium ([Ca]) oscillation is a fundamental signaling response of cartilage cells under mechanical loading or osmotic stress. Chondrocytes are usually considered as nonexcitable cells with no spontaneous [Ca] signaling. This study proved that chondrocytes can exhibit robust spontaneous [Ca] signaling without explicit external stimuli.

What Factors Necessitate Removal of Retained Ballistic Fragments in the Head and Neck?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the frequency of retained ballistic fragment (RBF) removal and to identify factors associated with an increased risk for RBF removal. To date, there are no studies focused on identifying factors associated with removal of RBFs localized to the maxillofacial region.

Materials And Methods: Using a retrospective cohort study design, the authors enrolled a sample composed of patients with RBFs localized to the maxillofacial region.

Calcium signaling of in situ chondrocytes in articular cartilage under compressive loading: Roles of calcium sources and cell membrane ion channels.

Mechanical loading on articular cartilage can induce many physical and chemical stimuli on chondrocytes residing in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Intracellular calcium ([Ca ] ) signaling is among the earliest responses of chondrocytes to physical stimuli, but the [Ca ] signaling of in situ chondrocytes in loaded cartilage is not fully understood due to the technical challenges in [Ca ] imaging of chondrocytes in a deforming ECM. This study developed a novel bi-directional microscopy loading device that enables the record of transient [Ca ] responses of in situ chondrocytes in loaded cartilage.

iPTMnet: Integrative Bioinformatics for Studying PTM Networks.

Protein post-translational modification (PTM) is an essential cellular regulatory mechanism, and disruptions in PTM have been implicated in disease. PTMs are an active area of study in many fields, leading to a wealth of PTM information in the scientific literature. There is a need for user-friendly bioinformatics resources that capture PTM information from the literature and support analyses of PTMs and their functional consequences.

Protein Ontology: a controlled structured network of protein entities.

The Protein Ontology (PRO; http://proconsortium.org) formally defines protein entities and explicitly represents their major forms and interrelations. Protein entities represented in PRO corresponding to single amino acid chains are categorized by level of specificity into family, gene, sequence and modification metaclasses, and there is a separate metaclass for protein complexes.

Protective efficacy of PLGA microspheres loaded with divalent DNA vaccine encoding the ompA gene of Aeromonas veronii and the hly gene of Aeromonas hydrophila in mice.

In the present study, poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) was used as a carrier for a divalent fusion DNA vaccine encoding the Aeromonas veronii outer membrane protein A (ompA) and Aeromonas hydrophila hemolysins (hly) protein. The recombinant pET-28a-ompA-hly was constructed by inserting the ompA gene and hly gene into a pET-28a expression vector. Loading of ompA-hly antigen module on PLGA microspheres were accomplished by water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) encapsulation.