Meta-analysis results (limited to the MA, the recommended population assessment method) indicated a consistent percentage difference in S/P and RBC folate concentrations across MTHFR C677T genotypes. Lower blood folate concentrations associated with this polymorphism could have implications for a population-level risk of neural tube defects.

BackgroundTo better understand potential transmission risks from contact with the body fluids of children, we monitored the presence and amount of CMV shedding over time in healthy CMV-seropositive children.MethodsThrough screening we identified 36 children from the Atlanta, Georgia area who were CMV-seropositive, including 23 who were shedding CMV at the time of screening. Each child received 12 weekly in-home visits at which field workers collected saliva and urine. During the final two weeks, parents also collected saliva and urine daily.ResultsPrevalence of shedding was highly correlated with initial shedding status: children shedding at the screening visit had CMV DNA in 84% of follow-up saliva specimens (455/543) and 28% of follow-up urine specimens (151/539); those not shedding at the screening visit had CMV DNA in 16% of follow-up saliva specimens (47/303) and 5% of follow-up urine specimens (16/305). Among positive specimens we found median viral loads of 82,900 copies/mL in saliva and 34,730 copies/mL in urine (P = 0.01), while the viral load for the 75th percentile was nearly 1.5 million copies/mL for saliva compared to 86,800 copies/mL for urine. Younger age was significantly associated with higher viral loads, especially for saliva (P < 0.001). Shedding prevalence and viral loads were relatively stable over time. All children who were shedding at the screening visit were still shedding at least some days during weeks 11 and 12, and median and mean viral loads did not change substantially over time.ConclusionsHealthy CMV-seropositive children can shed CMV for months at high, relatively stable levels. These data suggest that behavioral prevention messages need to address transmission via both saliva and urine, but also need to be informed by the potentially higher risks posed by saliva and by exposures to younger children.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0569-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Runx2 was identified as a novel direct target of miR-105. FGF2 inhibits miR-105 transcription through recruitment of p65 to miR-105 promoter. p65/miR-105 is essential for FGF2-mediated Runx2 and ADAMTS upregulation. miR-105 is downregulated in OA and inversely correlated with Runx2 expression.

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The incidence of OXC-induced cADRs was low, and no severe reactions occurred. Patients with a history of allergy are more susceptible to OXC-cADRs. No significant association between HLA-B*1502 and OXC-MPE was found. The associations between OXC-MPE and HLA alleles warrant further studies.

MMP-1 expression is detected in fluid shear stress (20 dyn/cm2)-activated and osteoarthritic human chondrocytes, however, the precise mechanisms underlying shear-induced MMP-1 synthesis remain unknown. Using primary chondrocytes and T/C-28a2 chondrocytic cells as model systems, we report that prolonged application of high fluid shear to human chondrocytes induced the synthesis of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), which led to a marked increase in MMP-1 expression. IL-1β, COX-2-dependent PGE2 activated the PI3-K/AKT and p38 signaling pathways, which were in turn responsible for MMP-1 synthesis via NF-κB- and c-Jun-transactivating pathways. Prolonged shear stress exposure (>12 h) induced 15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) synthesis. Although 15d-PGJ2 suppressed PI3-K/AKT and p38 signaling pathways, it stimulated MMP-1 expression via activating heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1). The critical role of COX-2 in regulating MMP-1 expression in articular cartilage in vivo was demonstrated using COX-2+/− transgenic mice in the absence or presence of rofecoxib oral administration. These findings provide novel insights for developing therapeutic strategies to combat OA.

Initial pelvic tilt and spinopelvic inclination angles may predict the curve progression and treatment outcome of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with the Milwaukee brace.

Purpose To investigate which pre-and postoperative radiographic parameters are significantly correlated with the immediate postoperative coronal balance (CB) in Lenke 5C AIS patients, and to identify any radiographic parameter that is correlated with the ultimate CB at a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Methods Forty Lenke 5C AIS patients were recruited in the current study. Preoperative, immediate postoperative, and the latest follow-up radiographs were reviewed measuring various radiographic parameters related to UIV and LIV. The correlations between different parameters and CB were then studied. Results The average follow-up time was 35.2 months. Correlation analysis showed that the following radiographic parameters significantly associated with the immediate postoperative CB in Lenke 5C patients: preoperative CB (r = 0.66, p \ 0.01), preoperative UIV translation (r = 0.61, p \ 0.01), preoperative LIV tilt (r = 0.61, p \ 0.01), postoperative UIV translation (r = 0.51, p \ 0.05), and postoperative LIV tilt (r = 0.50, p \ 0.05). At the last follow-up, only the final UIV tilt was inversely correlated with the ultimate CB (r = -0.58, p \ 0.05). Seven patients presented with coronal imbalance immediately after surgery. However, only one of the seven patients presented with coronal imbalance at the last follow-up, and