Structural Analysis of the Glucocorticoid Receptor Ligand-Binding Domain in Complex with Triamcinolone Acetonide and a Fragment of the Atypical Coregulator, Small Heterodimer Partner.

The synthetic glucocorticoids (GCs) dexamethasone, mometasone furoate, and triamcinolone acetonide are pharmaceutical mainstays to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. These drugs bind to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a ligand-activated transcription factor and member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. The GR is widely recognized as a therapeutic target for its ability to counter proinflammatory signaling.

Complementary and alternative medicine use: Results from a descriptive study of pregnant women in Udi local Government area of Enugu state, Nigeria.

Background: The use of CAM by pregnant women is very popular in developed countries. The trend is increasing globally and lack of evidence of safety particularly when used during pregnancy may lead to complications. Pregnancy is a vulnerable period especially during the first trimester.

Structure and Dynamics of the Liver Receptor Homolog 1-PGC1 Complex.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated gamma coactivator 1- (PGC1) regulates energy metabolism by directly interacting with transcription factors to modulate gene expression. Among the PGC1 binding partners is liver receptor homolog 1 (LRH-1; NR5A2), an orphan nuclear hormone receptor that controls lipid and glucose homeostasis. Although PGC1 is known to bind and activate LRH-1, mechanisms through which PGC1 changes LRH-1 conformation to drive transcription are unknown.

Iron mediates catalysis of nucleic acid processing enzymes: support for Fe(II) as a cofactor before the great oxidation event.

Life originated in an anoxic, Fe2+-rich environment. We hypothesize that on early Earth, Fe2+ was a ubiquitous cofactor for nucleic acids, with roles in RNA folding and catalysis as well as in processing of nucleic acids by protein enzymes. In this model, Mg2+ replaced Fe2+ as the primary cofactor for nucleic acids in parallel with known metal substitutions of metalloproteins, driven by the Great Oxidation Event.

Accuracy of a combined insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1/interleukin-6 test (Premaquick) in predicting delivery in women with threatened preterm labor.

Purpose: To determine values of combinations of interleukin-6 (IL-6)/cervical native insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1)/total IGFBP-1 (Premaquick©) in predicting spontaneous deliveries and spontaneous exclusive preterm deliveries in women with threatened preterm labor.

Methods: Women with singleton pregnancies between gestation age (GA) of 24 weeks and 36 weeks and 6 days with preterm labor were recruited during a prospective multicenter study. Premaquick© was positive when at least two of three biomarkers were positive.

Association between Measures of Women's Empowerment and Use of Modern Contraceptives: An Analysis of Nigeria's Demographic and Health Surveys.

Background: Women's empowerment is hypothesized as a predictor of reproductive health outcomes. It is believed that empowered girls and women are more likely to delay marriage, plan their pregnancies, receive prenatal care, and have their childbirth attended by a skilled health provider. The objective of this study was to assess the association between women's empowerment and use of modern contraception among a representative sample of Nigerian women.

Comparison of the duo of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1/alpha fetoprotein (Amnioquick duo+®) and traditional clinical assessment for diagnosing premature rupture of fetal membranes.

Purpose: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1/alpha fetoprotein (Amnioquick duo+®) compared with traditional clinical assessment (TCA) of nitrazine, ferning and pooling for the diagnosis of prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM).

Methods: A double-blinded, multicenter clinical study was conducted between February 2015 and August 2015 among pregnant women presenting with symptoms or features suggestive of PROM between 24 and 42 weeks gestation. Confirmation of PROM was done after delivery based on the presence of any two of these criteria: delivery within 48 h to 7 days, evidence of chorioamnionitis, membranes explicitly ruptured at delivery and adverse perinatal outcomes strongly correlated with prolonged PROM.

Performance of waist circumference and proposed cutoff levels for defining overweight and obesity in Nigerians.

Background: Waist circumference (WC) is a simple tool for measuring central obesity in routine clinic settings. Gender- and ethnic-specific optimal cutoff points for WC are encouraged for populations lacking such data.

Objectives: To derive WC cutoff values, predictive of overweight and obesity in Nigerians and to evaluate the performance of currently recommended values.

The Value of Internet Tools in Undergraduate Surgical Education: Perspective of Medical Students in a Developing Country.

Objective: Advances in information technology (IT) in the past decade present opportunities and challenges in undergraduate surgical education. There may be need to evaluate the knowledge base and the use of Internet tools among medical students in settings where traditional mode of education is preeminent. This may help to establish a conceptual framework for integrating e-learning into the traditional teaching to enhance learning experience.

Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and lipids in African women.

Background: The metabolic syndrome is closely related to insulin resistance (IR) and cardiovascular disease. This study examined the prevalence of IR and metabolic syndrome as well as factors associated with IR among Nigerian women.

Materials And Methods: Eighty-six women living in an urban area in Enugu, South-East Nigeria, were assessed.

Prevalence and correlates of marijuana use among HIV-seropositive and seronegative men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), 1984-2013.

Background: Marijuana use is common among HIV+ individuals, but few studies have examined long-term trends in prevalence and correlates of use.

Methods: We evaluated trends (1984-2013) in the annual prevalence of current (past 6-month use) and daily (among current users) marijuana use and determined correlates of use among 2742 HIV-seropositive (HIV+) and 3172 HIV-seronegative (HIV-) men who have sex with men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Poisson regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios of marijuana use separately for the men who were enrolled before 2001 (early-cohort) and after 2001 (late-cohort).

Crystal Structures of the Nuclear Receptor, Liver Receptor Homolog 1, Bound to Synthetic Agonists.

Liver receptor homolog 1 (NR5A2, LRH-1) is an orphan nuclear hormone receptor that regulates diverse biological processes, including metabolism, proliferation, and the resolution of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Although preclinical and cellular studies demonstrate that LRH-1 has great potential as a therapeutic target for metabolic diseases and cancer, development of LRH-1 modulators has been difficult. Recently, systematic modifications to one of the few known chemical scaffolds capable of activating LRH-1 failed to improve efficacy substantially.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use for HIV Management in the State of Florida: Medical Monitoring Project.

Objective: The aims of this study were to describe complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and to assess the relationships between CAM use and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA viral load suppression among a sample of persons living with HIV (PLWH) engaged in care in the state of Florida.

Design: The Florida Medical Monitoring Project (n = 803) collected repeated cross-sectional data for surveillance of clinical outcomes among PLWH from 2009 to 2010. Past-year CAM use specifically for the management of HIV was measured via self-report.

Marijuana use and viral suppression in persons receiving medical care for HIV-infection.

Background: Marijuana use is common among persons living with HIV (PLWH), but studies on its effect on HIV clinical outcomes are limited.

Objectives: We determined the association between marijuana use and HIV viral suppression among PLWH.

Methods: Data came from five repeated cross-sections (2009-2013) of the Florida Medical Monitoring Project, a population-based sample of PLWH in Florida.

Body mass index, inflammatory biomarkers and neurocognitive impairment in HIV-infected persons.

To determine the relationships among body mass index (BMI), and HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment and the potential mediating effects of inflammatory cytokines. Among the HIV-infected individuals (N = 90) included in this study, obesity was associated with slower processing speed (β = -.229, standard error (SE) = 2.

Trajectories of Marijuana Use among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative MSM in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), 1984-2013.

To construct longitudinal trajectories of marijuana use in a sample of men who have sex with men living with or at-risk for HIV infection. We determined factors associated with distinct trajectories of use as well as those that serve to modify the course of the trajectory. Data were from 3658 [1439 HIV-seropositive (HIV+) and 2219 HIV-seronegative (HIV-)] participants of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study.

Alpha2A adrenergic receptor genetic variation contributes to hyperglycemia after myocardial infarction.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is frequently associated with transient hyperglycemia even in patients without pre-existing diabetes. Acute stress can lead to increased blood glucose through the effect of catecholamines on alpha2A-adrenergic receptors (α2A-ARs) present in pancreatic islet β-cells. Variation in the gene (ADRA2A) that encodes the α2A-AR affects insulin release and glucose control and may play a particularly important role during times of stress.

Association of estimated sodium and potassium intake with blood pressure in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sodium and potassium intake are modifiable determinants of hypertension in the general population but have not been studied in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We examined the relationship between urinary excretion of sodium and potassium, as an estimate of intake, and blood pressure in patients with SLE. We studied 178 SLE patients and 86 controls, matched for age, sex, and race.

Ribosomal small subunit domains radiate from a central core.

The domain architecture of a large RNA can help explain and/or predict folding, function, biogenesis and evolution. We offer a formal and general definition of an RNA domain and use that definition to experimentally characterize the rRNA of the ribosomal small subunit. Here the rRNA comprising a domain is compact, with a self-contained system of molecular interactions.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in HPV Vaccine Uptake Among a Sample of College Women.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the association between racial/ethnic status and uptake and completion of the HPV vaccine series in college women.

Methods: Participants were recruited from a large university in North Central Florida. Young women between 18 and 26 years of age who were currently enrolled in a college course comprised the study sample.

Modeling Drinking Behavior Progression in Youth with Cross-sectional Data: Solving an Under-identified Probabilistic Discrete Event System.

Background: The probabilistic discrete event systems (PDES) method provides a promising approach to study dynamics of underage drinking using cross-sectional data. However, the utility of this approach is often limited because the constructed PDES model is often non-identifiable. The purpose of the current study is to attempt a new method to solve the model.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of progestogen use for maintenance tocolysis after preterm labor in women with intact membranes.

Background: The use of progestogens for maintenance tocolysis remains controversial, with randomized controlled trials having conflicting results on their efficacy.

Objectives: To evaluate the use of progestational agents for maintenance tocolysis after preterm labor in a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Search Strategy: Electronic databases were searched for reports published before December 2014.

Recognition of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms and knowledge about some other aspects of ASD among final year medical students in Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Earlier studies suggest that knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among healthcare workers in Nigeria is low. This present study assessed the knowledge of Nigerian final year medical students about symptoms of ASD and some other aspects of ASD. This is a cross sectional descriptive study that drew a total of seven hundred and fifty-seven (757) final year medical students from ten (10) randomly selected fully accredited medical schools out of a total of twenty-seven (27) fully accredited medical schools in Nigeria.

Giant Mucinous Cystadenoma in Nnewi, Nigeria.

Mucinous ovarian tumors are the second commonest type of epithelial ovarian tumors. Most of these tumors are benign. Occasionally, these tumors may reach enormous dimensions without being symptomatic.

Diagnostic performance of placental alpha-microglobulin-1 test in women with prolonged pre-labour rupture of membranes.

Objectives: To determine diagnostic performance of placental alpha-microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1) test compared to conventional clinical assessment (CCA) in women with prolonged pre-labour rupture of membranes (PROM).

Methods: A double-blind study of women with symptoms and signs of PROM in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, in south-east Nigeria using CCA for PROM and PAMG-1 test was done. Women were included if their symptoms, signs or complaints suggestive of PROM was more than 24 h duration.