HSP47 levels determine the degree of body adiposity.

Adiposity varies among individuals with the influence of diverse physiological, pathological, environmental, hormonal, and genetic factors, but a unified molecular basis remains elusive. Here, we identify HSP47, a collagen-specific chaperone, as a key determinant of body adiposity. HSP47 expression is abundant in adipose tissue; increased with feeding, overeating, and obesity; decreased with fasting, exercise, calorie restriction, bariatric surgery, and cachexia; and correlated with fat mass, BMI, waist, and hip circumferences.

Health of migrants and other vulnerable populations across Asian countries: Build Forward Better beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global migration has been increasing since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has clearly shown a lack of preparedness for the next public health emergency when it comes to vulnerable populations including migrants. To include the issues of migration and health in the current global health agenda, it is important to establish/strengthen a network for collaboration among various stakeholders from both the migrant-sending and host countries of migrants especially in the Asian-Pacific region.

Basal Plasma Aldosterone Concentration Predicts Therapeutic Outcomes in Primary Aldosteronism.

Purpose: Normal basal plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) reflects mild aldosterone excess compared to high basal PAC. We previously reported lower risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) and normal basal PAC (nPA) than in those with high basal PAC (hPA). However, the differences in therapeutic outcomes between nPA and hPA are unclear.

Glucocorticoid Replacement Affects Serum Adiponectin Levels and HDL-C in Patients With Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency.

Context: Low serum adiponectin and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Patients with primary adrenal insufficiency are at higher risk of cardiovascular complications compared with healthy subjects. However, there is no information on the relationship between adiponectin and glucocorticoid replacement therapy in patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI).

The number of positive confirmatory tests is associated with the clinical presentation and incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in primary aldosteronism.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a major cause of secondary hypertension and presents a higher risk for cardio-cerebrovascular (CCV) events compared with essential hypertension. To diagnose PA after a positive screening test, at least one of three available confirmatory tests [the saline infusion test (SIT), the captopril challenge test (CCT) or the furosemide upright test (FUT)] should be performed. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between the number of positive confirmatory tests using SIT and CCT and the clinical presentation and prevalence of CCV events in 398 PA patients.

Adipocyte GR Inhibits Healthy Adipose Expansion Through Multiple Mechanisms in Cushing Syndrome.

In Cushing syndrome, excessive glucocorticoids lead to metabolic disturbances, such as insulin resistance, adipocyte hypertrophy, and liver steatosis. In vitro experiments have highlighted the importance of adipocyte glucocorticoid receptor (GR), but its metabolic roles in vivo have not been fully elucidated in Cushing syndrome. In this study, using clinical samples from patients with Cushing syndrome and adipocyte-specific GR knockout (AGRKO) mice, we investigated the roles of adipocyte GR and its clinical relevance in Cushing syndrome.

Clinical Characteristics of Acromegalic Patients With Paradoxical GH Response to Oral Glucose Load.

Context: A paradoxical GH response to oral glucose (OG) is often found in acromegaly. However, the clinical characteristics of patients with acromegaly and a paradoxical GH response to OG (OG responders) remain unclear.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to define the clinical characteristics of OG responders with acromegaly.

Evaluation of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis by the GHRP2 Test: Comparison With the Insulin Tolerance Test.

Context: GH-releasing peptide 2 (GHRP2) stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) through the GH secretagogue receptor (GHSR) in the hypothalamus, in which ghrelin is a natural ligand. Therefore, the GHRP2 test (GHRP2T) could be used instead of the insulin tolerance test (ITT).

Objective: Can the GHRP2T replace the ITT for evaluation of HPA?

Design: The present retrospective study analyzed the clinical features and laboratory data from 254 patients admitted for evaluation of hypopituitarism who underwent both GHRP2T and ITT.

Saline Infusion Test highly associated with the incidence of cardio- and cerebrovascular events in primary aldosteronism.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is caused by excess secretion of aldosterone and is an independent risk factor for cardio-cerebro-vascular (CCV) events. The goal of treatment of PA should include prevention of CCV events. A definitive diagnosis of PA is established by confirmatory tests [saline infusion test (SIT), furosemide upright test (FUT) and captopril challenge test (CCT)].

Plasma aldosterone level within the normal range is less associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk in primary aldosteronism.

Background: Previous studies showed higher risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular (CCV) events in primary aldosteronism compared with essential hypertension, but the patients of these studies were limited to primary aldosteronism patients with high plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC). The introduction of the aldosterone-renin ratio as the screening test for primary aldosteronism led to the recognition of primary aldosteronism patients with normal PAC (nPA). However, there is no information on the risk of primary aldosteronism including nPA.

High efficient and cost-effective screening method for diabetic cardiovascular risk.

Background: The vascular complications of outpatients with diabetes at ordinary hospitals vary. Ischemic heart disease is barely predictable after treatment using previously reported therapeutic indices. We developed a simple and noninvasive screening method to evaluate the possibility of ischemic heart disease in patients with diabetes.

Perceptions about disability among Ghanaian university students.

An exploratory/descriptive study was conducted on a sample of university students, including 305 social work and sociology majors, in Ghana to evaluate their attitudes toward disabilities. The findings indicate that the students in general agree with the idea of community integration and equal rights of persons with disabilities. At the same time, they are ambivalent about characteristics of persons with disabilities and feel uncomfortable interacting with them.

The effect of exposure to a professor with a visible disability on students' attitudes toward disabilities.

An exploratory study was conducted on a small convenience sample of undergraduate social work students. The Modified Issues in Disability Scale was used to collect data on attitudes toward disability. There was no statistically significant difference in the attitudes scores among students who had different levels of contact with persons with disabilities.

Transcriptional co-factor CDCA4 participates in the regulation of JUN oncogene expression.

CDCA4, a member of the TRIP-Br transcriptional co-factor family, has been shown to possess a unique role in regulating the transcriptional activities of p53 as well as E2F1 transcription factors. In this study, we aimed to identify a pivotal transcriptional target gene regulated by CDCA4, so we suppressed CDCA4 expression by CDCA4-specific short interference RNA (siRNA) in HeLa cells, and then performed a DNA microarray analysis. Among the identified genes, we focused on JUN, 14-3-3eta, and IL6ST (gp130) mRNAs which were up-regulated in CDCA4-specific siRNA-transfected cells compared to control siRNA-transfected cells.

Systemic glucocorticoid therapy reduces pain and the number of endoneurial tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-positive mast cells in rats with a painful peripheral neuropathy.

Clinical and experimental evidence suggests that glucocorticoids may be effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain, but their mechanism of action is unknown. We gave triamcinolone (3 mg/kg) to rats with an experimental post-traumatic painful peripheral neuropathy, chronic constriction injury (CCI), five days after nerve injury, when the abnormal pain syndrome is known to be present; and pain sensitivity was measured on postoperative days 7 - 14, a period during which symptoms are known to be at approximately peak severity. Additional CCI rats were treated similarly; and then they were sacrificed five days after the injection for an immunocytochemical analysis of endoneurial tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), macrophages, and mast cells in the sciatic nerve proximal to the site of injury.

Exploring trends: tracking evaluations data over several months by therapists and parents of children with cerebral palsy.

A pilot study was conducted at the outpatient rehabilitation unit of a children's hospital to explore the overall performance trends of children in daily life as perceived by their parents, compared to the evaluations of therapists. A performance goal was set for each child by his/her therapist and parent at an initial consultation. Over a six-month period, data were collected from the parents of children with cerebral palsy (N = 53), and therapists assessed children at each therapy session as well.

MiCASSA-my home.

This article will introduce people with disabilities as change agents who affect policy enactments and implementation in this country. It will begin with a brief description of a bill (H.R.

Transcriptional regulation of human chromatin assembly factor ASF1.

Antisilencing function 1 (ASF1) is a conserved histone chaperone implicated in nucleosome assembly, transcriptional silencing, and the cellular response to DNA damage. Here, we report the identification of human ASF1B, but not ASF1A, as a direct transcriptional target of transcription factor E2F1. We demonstrated that overexpression of E2F1 by adenoviral-mediated gene transfer upregulated ASF1B mRNA expression in HeLa cells.

A combined computational and experimental study on the structure-regulation relationships of putative mammalian DNA replication initiator GINS.

GINS, a heterotetramer of SLD5, PSF1, PSF2, and PSF3 proteins, is an emerging chromatin factor recognized to be involved in the initiation and elongation step of DNA replication. Although the yeast and Xenopus GINS genes are well documented, their orthologous genes in higher eukaryotes are not fully characterized. In this study, we report the genomic structure and transcriptional regulation of mammalian GINS genes.

CDCA4 is an E2F transcription factor family-induced nuclear factor that regulates E2F-dependent transcriptional activation and cell proliferation.

The TRIP-Br1/p34(SEI-1) family proteins participate in cell cycle progression by coactivating E2F1- or p53-dependent transcriptional activation. Here, we report the identification of human CDCA4 (also know as SEI-3/Hepp) as a novel target gene of transcription factor E2F and as a repressor of E2F-dependent transcriptional activation. Analysis of CDCA4 promoter constructs showed that an E2F-responsive sequence in the vicinity of the transcription initiation site is necessary for the E2F1-4-induced activation of CDCA4 gene transcription.

Acute loss of transcription factor E2F1 induces mitochondrial biogenesis in HeLa cells.

Here, we sought to clarify the comprehensive cellular response to transcription factor E2F1 expression using short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene silencing to examine the roles of E2F1. For this purpose, we analyzed global gene expression changes in E2F1 knockdown HeLa cells, where no changes in cell growth or apoptosis were observed. Among the identified genes, the mRNA levels of mitochondria-encoded genes were highly elevated in E2F1 siRNA-treated cells, but not in E2F6 siRNA-treated cells, relative to control siRNA-treated cells.

JPO1/CDCA7, a novel transcription factor E2F1-induced protein, possesses intrinsic transcriptional regulator activity.

JPO1/CDCA7 was originally identified as a c-Myc-responsive gene that participates in neoplastic transformation. Here, we report the identification of JPO1/CDCA7 as a direct transcriptional target of transcription factor E2F1. We demonstrated that overexpression of E2F1 by adenoviral-mediated gene transfer upregulated JPO1/CDCA7 mRNA expression in human cells.

Manifestation of mirror syndrome after fetoscopic laser photocoagulation in severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

Mirror syndrome is a preeclampsia-like disease first described in a case of severe hydrops fetalis caused by rhesus isoimmunization, later reported in some cases of nonimmunological fetal hydrops. Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a severe complication associated with monochorionic pregnancies, in particular, severe TTTS with one hydropic fetus leading to a poor prognosis. We report here a case of mirror syndrome that occurred after selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation in severe TTTS at 24 weeks' gestation.

Comparative genomics on MCM8 orthologous genes reveals the transcriptional regulation by transcription factor E2F.

Minichromosome maintenance protein (MCM) is composed of six structurally related subunits (MCM2-7) and is essential for eukaryotic DNA replication initiation and early stage of elongation process. Recently human and Xenopus MCM8 was identified as a novel member of MCM protein. Here we characterized MCM8 orthologous genes by using bioinformatics.