Effects of gestational age on blood cortisol and prolactin levels during pregnancy in malaria endemic area.

Background: The hormonal shift occurring in pregnant women is crucial for the outcome of pregnancy. We conducted a study in pregnant women living in a malaria endemic area to determine the potential effect of gestational age on the modulation of the endocrine system by cortisol and prolactin production during pregnancy.

Methods: Primigravidae and multigravidae with a gestational age between 16-20 weeks were included in the study and followed up to delivery and 6-7 weeks thereafter.

National levels, changes and correlates of ideal cardiovascular health among Beninese adults: evidence from the 2008 to 2015 STEPS surveys.

Introduction: A higher number of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality. However, the change in CVH metrics has rarely been studied in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the level and changes of CVH metrics and their correlates among Beninese adults between 2008 and 2015.

Vangl2 acts at the interface between actin and N-cadherin to modulate mammalian neuronal outgrowth.

Dynamic mechanical interactions between adhesion complexes and the cytoskeleton are essential for axon outgrowth and guidance. Whether planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins, which regulate cytoskeleton dynamics and appear necessary for some axon guidance, also mediate interactions with membrane adhesion is still unclear. Here we show that Vangl2 controls growth cone velocity by regulating the internal retrograde actin flow in an N-cadherin-dependent fashion.