The Epigenetic Cytocrin Pathway to the Nucleus. Epigenetic Factors, Epigenetic Mediators, and Epigenetic Traits. A Biochemist Perspective.

A single word, Epigenetics, underlies one exciting subject in today's Science, with different sides and with interactions with philosophy. The apparent trivial description includes everything in between genotype and phenotype that occurs for a given unique DNA sequence/genome. This Perspective article first presents an historical overview and the reasons for the lack of consensus in the field, which derives from different interpretations of the diverse operative definitions of Epigenetics.

Understanding the added value of g-protein-coupled receptor heteromers.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the most populated family of proteins within the human genome. Since the early sixties work on GPCRs and on GPCR-mediated signaling has led to a number of awards, the most recent being the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2012. The future of GPCRs research is surely based on their capacity for heteromerization.

Pain and disability following fusion for idiopathic adolescent scoliosis: prevalence and associated factors.

Study Design:  Retrospective prognostic study.

Objectives:  To describe the prevalence of pain following fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and to identify factors associated with pain and disability.

Methods:  From 126 consecutive patients surgically treated for scoliosis between 1997 and 2007, 104 (82.

Beneficial effects of aerobic training in adolescent patients with moderate idiopathic scoliosis.

Aim And Methods: The major aim of this study was to determine whether after 6 weeks of aerobic training adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) girls who suffer from mild scoliotic curvatures (n = 6) behaved in a similar way than healthy controls (n = 6) in different biochemical, anthropometric, and cardio respiratory parameters.

Results: The maximal power output and the power output achieved at the anaerobic threshold (AT), during the maximal exercise test, were significantly increased in both experimental groups, when compared with resting conditions. The training program caused significant changes in body composition (i.