1 81 100 A NEW TYPE OF DENTAL ANOMALY: MOLAR-INCISOR MALFORMATION (MIM). A MOLAR-INCISOR MALFORMATION (MIM) IS A NEWLY DISCOVERED TYPE OF DENTAL ANOMALY OF THE PERMANENT FIRST MOLARS, DECIDUOUS SECOND MOLARS, AND PERMANENT MAXILLARY CENTRAL INCISORS. MIM ANOMALIES OF THE PERMANENT FIRST MOLARS AND DECIDUOUS SECOND MOLARS MAY INCLUDE NORMAL CROWNS WITH A CONSTRICTED CERVICAL REGION AND THIN, NARROW, AND SHORT ROOTS, WHEREAS THE AFFECTED MAXILLARY CENTRAL INCISORS MAY EXHIBIT A HYPOPLASTIC ENAMEL NOTCH NEAR THE CERVICAL THIRD OF THE CLINICAL CROWN. ALTHOUGH THE ETIOLOGY OF MIM REMAINS TO BE DETERMINED, IT IS THOUGHT TO BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO AN EPIGENETIC FACTOR LINKED TO BRAIN- AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM-RELATED SYSTEMIC DISEASES AT AROUND AGE 1 TO 2 YEARS. MIM TEETH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CLINICAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS IMPACTION, EARLY EXFOLIATION, SPACE LOSS, SPONTANEOUS PAIN, PERIAPICAL ABSCESS, AND POOR INCISOR ESTHETICS. CHILDREN WITH MIM TEETH SHOULD BE OBSERVED CLOSELY WITH RESPECT TO THEIR MEDICAL HISTORY, AND DENTISTS SHOULD FORMULATE A WIDER-RANGING TREATMENT PLAN. 2014 2 1997 12 EPIGENETIC AND INFLAMMATORY EVENTS IN EXPERIMENTAL PERIODONTITIS FOLLOWING SYSTEMIC MICROBIAL CHALLENGE. AIM: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE INFLAMMATORY AND EPIGENETIC FEATURES FOLLOWING INDUCTION OF ORAL AND GUT DYSBIOSIS IN EXPERIMENTAL PERIODONTITIS IN ORDER TO EXAMINE THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ORAL AND SYSTEMIC INFECTION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PERIODONTITIS WAS INDUCED IN 6- TO 8-WEEK-OLD C57BL/6 MICE BY (A) LIGATURE PLACEMENT (LIG GROUP) (ORAL CHALLENGE); (B) P. GINGIVALIS GAVAGE (PG GROUP) (SYSTEMIC CHALLENGE); AND (C) THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO MODELS ORAL AND SYSTEMIC CHALLENGE (PG + LIG). THE DURATION OF THE EXPERIMENT WAS 60 DAYS, AND THE ANIMALS WERE THEN SACRIFICED FOR ANALYSES. ALVEOLAR BONE LOSS WAS ASSESSED, AND A MULTIPLEX IMMUNOASSAY WAS PERFORMED. MAXILLAE AND GUT TISSUES WERE IMMUNOSTAINED FOR DNMT3B (DE NOVO METHYLATION MARKER), B AND T LYMPHOCYTE ATTENUATOR (BTLA) AND IL-18R1 (INFLAMMATION MARKERS). RESULTS: PG AND PG + LIG GROUPS EXHIBITED HIGHER BONE LOSS WHEN COMPARED TO SHAM. BAFF, VEGF, RANKL, RANTES AND IP-10 WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WITH PG GAVAGE. LIKEWISE, DNMT3B WAS OVEREXPRESSED IN BOTH GUT AND MAXILLA AFTER THE PG ADMINISTRATION. THE SAME PATTERN WAS OBSERVED FOR BTLA AND IL-18R1 IN GUT TISSUES. CONCLUSIONS: THE SYSTEMIC MICROBIAL CHALLENGE EITHER ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH LOCAL CHALLENGE LEADS TO DISTINCT PATTERNS OF INFLAMMATORY AND EPIGENETIC FEATURES WHEN COMPARED TO SIMPLY LOCALLY INDUCED EXPERIMENTAL PERIODONTITIS. 2019 3 703 11 BTLA EXPRESSION IN CLL: EPIGENETIC REGULATION AND IMPACT ON CLL B CELL PROLIFERATION AND ABILITY TO IL-4 PRODUCTION. IN OUR PREVIOUS STUDY, WHILE CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (CLL) CASES SHOWED HIGHER LEVELS OF B AND T LYMPHOCYTE ATTENUATOR (BTLA) MRNA COMPARED TO CONTROLS, LOWER BTLA PROTEIN EXPRESSION WAS OBSERVED IN CASES COMPARED TO CONTROLS. HENCE WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT MICRO RNA (MIR) 155-5P REGULATES BTLA EXPRESSION IN CLL. IN LINE WITH EARLIER DATA, EXPRESSION OF BTLA MRNA AND MIR-155-5P IS ELEVATED IN CLL (P = 0.034 AND P = 0.0006, RESPECTIVELY) AS WELL AS IN MEC-1 CELL LINE (P = 0.009 AND 0.016, RESPECTIVELY). INHIBITION OF MIR-155-5P PARTIALLY RESTORED BTLA PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN CLL PATIENTS (P = 0.01) AND IN MEC-1 CELL LINES (P = 0.058). ADDITIONALLY, WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BTLA DEFICIENCY IN CLL CELLS ON PROLIFERATION AND IL-4 PRODUCTION OF B CELLS. WE FOUND THAT SECRETION OF IL-4 IS NOT DEPENDENT ON BTLA EXPRESSION, SINCE FRACTIONS OF BTLA POSITIVE AND BTLA NEGATIVE B CELLS EXPRESSING INTRACELLULAR IL-4 WERE SIMILAR IN CLL PATIENTS AND CONTROLS. WE DEMONSTRATED THAT IN CONTROLS THE FRACTION OF PROLIFERATING CELLS IS LOWER IN BTLA POSITIVE THAN IN BTLA NEGATIVE B CELLS (P = 0.059), WHICH WAS NOT OBSERVED IN CLL. HOWEVER, THE FREQUENCY OF BTLA POSITIVE KI67+ B CELLS IN CLL WAS HIGHER COMPARED TO CORRESPONDING CELLS FROM CONTROLS (P = 0.055) WHILE THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EXAMINED GROUPS REGARDING FREQUENCY OF BTLA NEGATIVE KI67+ B CELLS. OUR STUDIES SUGGEST THAT MIR-155-5P IS INVOLVED IN BTLA DEFICIENCY, AFFECTING PROLIFERATION OF CLL B CELLS, WHICH MAY BE ONE OF THE MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR CLL PATHOGENESIS. 2021 4 5022 12 PERSISTENT SUBCLINICAL INFLAMMATION AMONG A-BOMB SURVIVORS. PURPOSE: TO INVESTIGATE THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN INFLAMMATION TESTS AND RADIATION DOSE IN A-BOMB SURVIVORS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE A-BOMB SURVIVORS WHO UNDERWENT INFLAMMATION TESTS OF LEUKOCYTE COUNTS, NEUTROPHIL COUNTS, ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE, CORRECTED ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE, ALPHA-1 GLOBULIN, ALPHA-2 GLOBULIN AND SIALIC ACID BETWEEN 1988 AND 1992. ASSOCIATIONS WITH RADIATION DOSE (DS86) WERE ANALYZED BY REGRESSION ANALYSIS AND HETEROGENEITY AMONG INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, ANAEMIA AT EXAMINATION, OR HISTORY OF CANCER WAS ALSO TESTED. RESULTS: THE ASSOCIATIONS WITH RADIATION DOSE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR LEUKOCYTE COUNTS (71.0MM(-3) GY(-1), P=0.015), ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (1.58 MM H(-1) GY(-1) , P = 0.0001), CORRECTED ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (1.14MM H(-1) GY(-1), P=0.0001), ALPHA-1 GLOBULIN (0.0057 G DL(-1) GY(-1), P=0.0001), ALPHA-2 GLOBULIN (0.0128 G DL(-1) GY(-1), P=0.0001), AND SIALIC ACID (1.2711 MG DL(-1) GY(-1), P=0.0001) BUT NOT FOR NEUTROPHIL COUNTS (29.9 MM(-3) GY(-1), P=0.17). HETEROGENEITY WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. AMONG INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, ASSOCIATIONS WERE THE STRONGEST FOR CHRONIC THYROIDITIS AND CHRONIC LIVER DISEASES. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SUGGESTS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INFLAMMATION IN A-BOMB SURVIVORS AND RADIATION DOSE OF DURING 1988-1992. THE ASSOCIATION MIGHT CONTRIBUTE, AS AN EPIGENETIC AND/OR BYSTANDER EFFECT, TO DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL RADIATION-INDUCED DISORDERS. 2001 5 117 22 A STUDY ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND TOOTH CROWN SIZE AMONG 6-9-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN: AN OBSERVATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. BACKGROUND: NUMEROUS FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO VARIATION IN TOOTH SIZE. THIS IS BROADLY DESCRIBED AS GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. A STRONG GENETIC CONTRIBUTION HAS BEEN SHOWN, BUT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS MAY ALSO PLAY A ROLE. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND TOOTH CROWN SIZE. DESIGN: AN OBSERVATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG 100 SCHOOL-GOING CHILDREN OF 6-9 YEARS. THE VALUE OBTAINED WAS PLOTTED ON AGE- AND GENDER-SPECIFIC PERCENTILE CURVES CHART GIVEN BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION; INDIVIDUALS WERE CATEGORIZED BASED ON BODY MASS INDEX CRITERIA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE EXAMINED FOR THE MESIODISTAL WIDTH OF PRIMARY SECOND MOLAR AND PERMANENT FIRST MOLAR BY THREE DIFFERENT OBSERVERS USING A VERNIER CALIPER. DATA OBTAINED WERE STATISTICALLY ANALYZED. RESULTS: TOTAL OF 45, 40, AND 15 BELONGED TO UNDERWEIGHT, NORMAL, AND OVERWEIGHT CATEGORY, RESPECTIVELY. THE TOOTH SIZE OF PRIMARY MOLAR BETWEEN HEALTHY, OVERWEIGHT, AND UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN WAS 9.87 +/- 0.23, 9.47 +/- 0.48, AND 9.61 +/- 0.7, RESPECTIVELY, AND FOR PERMANENT MOLAR BETWEEN HEALTHY, OVERWEIGHT, AND UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN WAS 10.63 +/- 0.2, 10.56 +/- 0.5, AND 10.57 +/- 0.6, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSION: THE CORRELATION BETWEEN TOOTH CROWN SIZE WITH AN EXOGENOUS CHRONIC STRESSOR, I.E., MALNUTRITION, WAS FOUND TO BE NONSIGNIFICANT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT NUTRITIONAL STATUS DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCE THE DETERMINATION OF TOOTH SIZE IN HUMANS. 2016 6 1496 12 DNA IS HYPOMETHYLATED IN CIRCADIAN MANIFESTATIONS OF BRUXISM. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION LEVELS IN PATIENTS UNDER BRUXISM TREATMENT AND A CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: SUBJECTS UNDERGOING BRUXISM TREATMENT WERE CLASSIFIED IN AWAKE BRUXISM (42 PATIENTS), SLEEP BRUXISM (32 PATIENTS) AND BOTH CONDITIONS (42 PATIENTS). THE CONTROL GROUP INCLUDED 42 INDIVIDUALS. A COLORIMETRIC ASSAY (METHYLFLASH METHYLATED DNA 5-MC QUANTIFICATION KIT, EPIGENETIC GROUP INC., NY, USA) WAS USED TO DETERMINE THE GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION LEVELS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN AMOUNTS OF METHYLATED DNA IN ALL CIRCADIAN MANIFESTATIONS OF BRUXISM COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP (SLEEP BRUXISM = 0.95% +/- 2.02%; AWAKE BRUXISM = 0.87% +/- 2.1%; SLEEP AND AWAKE BRUXISM = 0.17% +/- 0.25%; CONTROL = 1.69% +/- 1.6%; KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST [P = .0001] FOLLOWED BY DUNN'S TEST [P < .05]). CONCLUSION: PATIENTS UNDERGOING BRUXISM TREATMENT EXHIBITED HYPOMETHYLATED DNA LEVELS WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DNA HYPOMETHYLATION MIGHT BE A NOVEL AETIOLOGIC FACTOR IN BRUXISM AETIOLOGY. FURTHER RESEARCHES MUST BE PERFORMED EXPLORING THE ROLE OF EPIGENETICS MODIFICATIONS IN CIRCADIAN MANIFESTATIONS OF BRUXISM. 2018 7 890 11 CHRONIC DIETARY EXPOSURE OF ROOSTERS TO A GLYPHOSATE-BASED HERBICIDE INCREASES SEMINAL PLASMA GLYPHOSATE AND AMPA CONCENTRATIONS, ALTERS SPERM PARAMETERS, AND INDUCES METABOLIC DISORDERS IN THE PROGENY. THE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC DIETARY ROUNDUP (RU) EXPOSURE ON ROOSTER SPERM PARAMETERS, FERTILITY, AND OFFSPRING ARE UNKNOWN. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC RU DIETARY EXPOSURE (46.8 MG KG(-1) DAY(-1) GLYPHOSATE) FOR 5 WEEKS IN 32-WEEK-OLD ROOSTERS (N = 5 RU-EXPOSED AND N = 5 CONTROL (CT)). ALTHOUGH THE CONCENTRATIONS OF GLYPHOSATE AND ITS MAIN METABOLITE AMPA (AMINOMETHYLPHOSPHONIC ACID) INCREASED IN BLOOD PLASMA AND SEMINAL FLUID DURING EXPOSURE, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN TESTIS WEIGHT AND SPERM CONCENTRATIONS WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN RU AND CT ROOSTERS. HOWEVER, SPERM MOTILITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED, ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED CALCIUM AND ATP CONCENTRATIONS IN RU SPERMATOZOA. PLASMA TESTOSTERONE AND OESTRADIOL CONCENTRATIONS INCREASED IN RU ROOSTERS. THESE NEGATIVE EFFECTS CEASED 14 DAYS AFTER RU REMOVAL FROM THE DIET. EPIGENETIC ANALYSIS SHOWED A GLOBAL DNA HYPOMETHYLATION IN RU ROOSTERS. AFTER ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION OF HENS (N = 40) WITH SPERM FROM CT OR RU ROOSTERS, EGGS WERE COLLECTED AND ARTIFICIALLY INCUBATED. EMBRYO VIABILITY DID NOT DIFFER, BUT CHICKS FROM RU ROOSTERS (N = 118) HAD A HIGHER FOOD CONSUMPTION, BODY WEIGHT AND SUBCUTANEOUS ADIPOSE TISSUE CONTENT. CHRONIC DIETARY RU EXPOSURE IN ROOSTERS REDUCES SPERM MOTILITY AND INCREASES PLASMA TESTOSTERONE LEVELS, GROWTH PERFORMANCE, AND FATTENING IN OFFSPRING. 2021 8 3903 20 LEP, LDLR AND APOA4 GENE POLYMORPHISMS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RISK OF OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASES IN ADULTS OF THE STATE OF SUCRE, VENEZUELA. INTRODUCTION: OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY AND SOME CHRONIC DISEASES HAVE BECOME MORE PREVALENT RECENTLY. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT THEIR CAUSES MAY BE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, OR A MIXTURE OF THESE. OBJECTIVE: TO ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NINE SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS OF GENES LEP (RS2167270), LDLR (RS885765, RS688, RS5925, RS55903358, RS5742911) AND APOA4 (RS5095, RS675, RS5110) WITH OBESITY-RELATED PHENOTYPES AND OTHER COMORBIDITIES. MATERIAL AND METHODS: WE RECRUITED 144 ADULTS (76 MALES AND 68 FEMALES, WITH AVERAGE AGES OF 29.93+/-8.29 AND 32.49+/-11.15 YEARS, RESPECTIVELY) IN THE STATE OF SUCRE, VENEZUELA. CLINICAL AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS WERE OBTAINED. GENOTYPE-RISK ASSOCIATIONS WERE STUDIED. WE THEN COMPARED THE AVERAGES REGISTERED FOR ANTHROPOMETRIC AND BIOCHEMICAL VARIABLES PREVIOUSLY ADJUSTED FOR BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. RESULTS: ACCORDING TO THE BODY MASS INDEX, 38.9% OF THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE SAMPLE WERE OVERWEIGHT (25/=30 KG/M2). GENOTYPE AND ALLELE FREQUENCIES DID NOT DIFFER STATISTICALLY FOR GROUPS WITH NORMAL AND HIGH BODY MASS INDEX (OVERWEIGHT PLUS OBESITY). THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LDLR RS5742911 ANCESTRAL GENOTYPE A/A AND HIGH RISK CONDITION RELATED TO HDL-CHOLESTEROL WAS THE ONLY ONE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANT (OR=2.944, 95% CI: 1.446-5.996; P=0.003). THE DIFFERENCE IN ADJUSTED MEAN HDL-CHOLESTEROL FOR LDLR RS5742911 GENOTYPES WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P=0.005) (A/A: 41.50+/-14.81 MG/DL; A/G: 45.00+/-12.07 MG/DL; G/G: 47.17+/-9.43 MG/DL). CONCLUSIONS: FOR MOST OF THE GENETIC VARIANTS STUDIED, THERE WAS AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRESENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG ANCESTRAL GENOTYPE CARRIERS, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE RS5742911 POLYMORPHISM MAY BE USEFUL AS AN INDICATOR OF A RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES. 2016 9 56 17 A GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION META-ANALYSIS OF CIRCULATING SEX HORMONE-BINDING GLOBULIN REVEALS MULTIPLE LOCI IMPLICATED IN SEX STEROID HORMONE REGULATION. SEX HORMONE-BINDING GLOBULIN (SHBG) IS A GLYCOPROTEIN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRANSPORT AND BIOLOGIC AVAILABILITY OF SEX STEROID HORMONES, PRIMARILY TESTOSTERONE AND ESTRADIOL. SHBG HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC DISEASES INCLUDING TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D) AND WITH HORMONE-SENSITIVE CANCERS SUCH AS BREAST AND PROSTATE CANCER. WE PERFORMED A GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDY (GWAS) META-ANALYSIS OF 21,791 INDIVIDUALS FROM 10 EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES AND VALIDATED THESE FINDINGS IN 7,046 INDIVIDUALS IN AN ADDITIONAL SIX STUDIES. WE IDENTIFIED TWELVE GENOMIC REGIONS (SNPS) ASSOCIATED WITH CIRCULATING SHBG CONCENTRATIONS. LOCI NEAR THE IDENTIFIED SNPS INCLUDED SHBG (RS12150660, 17P13.1, P = 1.8 X 10(-106)), PRMT6 (RS17496332, 1P13.3, P = 1.4 X 10(-11)), GCKR (RS780093, 2P23.3, P = 2.2 X 10(-16)), ZBTB10 (RS440837, 8Q21.13, P = 3.4 X 10(-09)), JMJD1C (RS7910927, 10Q21.3, P = 6.1 X 10(-35)), SLCO1B1 (RS4149056, 12P12.1, P = 1.9 X 10(-08)), NR2F2 (RS8023580, 15Q26.2, P = 8.3 X 10(-12)), ZNF652 (RS2411984, 17Q21.32, P = 3.5 X 10(-14)), TDGF3 (RS1573036, XQ22.3, P = 4.1 X 10(-14)), LHCGR (RS10454142, 2P16.3, P = 1.3 X 10(-07)), BAIAP2L1 (RS3779195, 7Q21.3, P = 2.7 X 10(-08)), AND UGT2B15 (RS293428, 4Q13.2, P = 5.5 X 10(-06)). THESE GENES ENCOMPASS MULTIPLE BIOLOGIC PATHWAYS, INCLUDING HEPATIC FUNCTION, LIPID METABOLISM, CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM AND T2D, ANDROGEN AND ESTROGEN RECEPTOR FUNCTION, EPIGENETIC EFFECTS, AND THE BIOLOGY OF SEX STEROID HORMONE-RESPONSIVE CANCERS INCLUDING BREAST AND PROSTATE CANCER. WE FOUND EVIDENCE OF SEX-DIFFERENTIATED GENETIC INFLUENCES ON SHBG. IN A SEX-SPECIFIC GWAS, THE LOCI 4Q13.2-UGT2B15 WAS SIGNIFICANT IN MEN ONLY (MEN P = 2.5 X 10(-08), WOMEN P = 0.66, HETEROGENEITY P = 0.003). ADDITIONALLY, THREE LOCI SHOWED STRONG SEX-DIFFERENTIATED EFFECTS: 17P13.1-SHBG AND XQ22.3-TDGF3 WERE STRONGER IN MEN, WHEREAS 8Q21.12-ZBTB10 WAS STRONGER IN WOMEN. CONDITIONAL ANALYSES IDENTIFIED ADDITIONAL SIGNALS AT THE SHBG GENE THAT TOGETHER ALMOST DOUBLE THE PROPORTION OF VARIANCE EXPLAINED AT THE LOCUS. USING AN INDEPENDENT STUDY OF 1,129 INDIVIDUALS, ALL SNPS IDENTIFIED IN THE OVERALL OR SEX-DIFFERENTIATED OR CONDITIONAL ANALYSES EXPLAINED ~15.6% AND ~8.4% OF THE GENETIC VARIATION OF SHBG CONCENTRATIONS IN MEN AND WOMEN, RESPECTIVELY. THE EVIDENCE FOR SEX-DIFFERENTIATED EFFECTS AND ALLELIC HETEROGENEITY HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSIDERING THESE FEATURES WHEN ESTIMATING COMPLEX TRAIT VARIANCE. 2012 10 5763 12 SOME COMMENTS ON MASOCHISM AND THE DELUSION OF OMNIPOTENCE FROM A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE. THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE RELATION OF THE DELUSION OF OMNIPOTENCE TO MASOCHISM AND SUGGESTS THAT THIS FANTASY CONSTITUTES A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE RESISTANCE SO PROMINENT IN WORK WITH MASOCHISTIC PATIENTS. THE CONNECTIONS AMONG MASOCHISM, OMNIPOTENCE, NEGATIVE THERAPEUTIC REACTION, AND CLINGING TO PAIN ARE DISCUSSED. THE CLASSICAL VIEW HAS BEEN THAT THE FAILURE OF INFANTILE OMNIPOTENCE FORCES THE CHILD TO TURN TO REALITY. OUR EXPERIENCE WITH MASOCHISTIC PATIENTS SUGGESTS THAT IT IS THE REAL FAILURE TO ACHIEVE COMPETENT INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS THAT FORCES THE CHILD TO TURN TO OMNIPOTENT SOLUTIONS. THE DISTINCTION IS MADE BETWEEN FANTASIES THAT ENHANCE THE REAL CAPACITIES OF THE SELF AND THOSE AIMED AT DENYING AND TRANSFORMING THE PAIN AND INADEQUACY OF THE MOTHER-CHILD RELATIONSHIP. THE EPIGENETIC TRANSFORMATIONS OF OMNIPOTENT FANTASIES THROUGH ALL LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT ARE DESCRIBED. THE PATIENT'S NEED TO PROTECT THE OMNIPOTENT FANTASY IS DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO RESISTANCE AT EACH PHASE OF ANALYSIS. 1991 11 6463 16 TISSUE METHYLATION AND DEMETHYLATION INFLUENCE TRANSLESION SYNTHESIS DNA POLYMERASES (TLS) CONTRIBUTING TO THE GENESIS OF CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES IN MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME. AIMS: DNA METHYLATION HAS ITS DISTRIBUTION INFLUENCED BY DNA DEMETHYLATION PROCESSES WITH THE CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF 5-METHYLCYTOSINE (5MC) INTO 5-HYDROXYMETHYLCYTOSINE (5HMC). MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME (MDS) HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC DYSREGULATION OF GENES RELATED TO DNA REPAIR SYSTEM, CHRONIC IMMUNE RESPONSE AND CELL CYCLE. METHODS: WE EVALUATED THE TISSUE DNA METHYLATION/HYDROXYMETHYLATION IN BONE MARROW TREPHINE BIOPSIES OF 73 PATIENTS WITH MDS, TRYING TO CORRELATE WITH THE MRNA EXPRESSION OF 21 GENES (POLH, POLL, REV3L, POLN, POLQ, POLI, POLK, IRF-1, IRF-2, IRF-3, IRF-4, IRF-5, IRF6, IRF-7, IRF-8,IRF-9, MAD2, CDC20, AURKA, AURKB AND TPX2). RESULTS: THE M-SCORE (5MC) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN PATIENTS WITH CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES THAN PATIENTS WITH NORMAL KARYOTYPE (95% CI -27.127779 TO -2.368020; P=0.022). WE OBSERVED A HIGHER 5MC/5HMC RATIO IN PATIENTS CLASSIFIED AS HIGH-RISK SUBTYPES COMPARED WITH LOW-RISK SUBTYPES (95% CI -72.922115 TO -1.855662; P=0.040) AS WELL AS PATIENTS WITH HYPERCELLULAR BONE MARROW COMPARED WITH PATIENTS WITH NORMOCELLULAR/HYPOCELLULAR BONE MARROW (95% CI -69.189259 TO -0.511828; P=0.047) AND WITH THE PRESENCE OF DYSERYTHROPOIESIS (95% CI 17.077703 TO 51.331388; P=0.001). DNA POLS WITH TRANSLESION ACTIVITY ARE SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED BY METHYLATION. AS 5MC IMMUNOEXPRESSION INCREASES, THE EXPRESSIONS OF POLH (R=-0.816; R(2) =0.665; P=0.000), POLQ (R=-0.790; R(2)=0.624; P=0.001), PCNA (R=-0.635; R(2)=0.403; P=0.020), POLK (R=-0.633; R(2)=0.400; P=0.036 AND REV1 (R=-0.578; R(2)=0.334; P=0.049) DECREASE. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS CONFIRM THAT THERE IS AN IMBALANCE IN THE DNA METHYLATION IN MDS, INFLUENCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES WHICH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW EXPRESSION OF DNA POLYMERASES WITH TRANSLESION SYNTHESIS POLYMERASES ACTIVITY. 2022 12 16 17 4CRNA NEAT1 SPONGE ADSORPTION OF MIR-378 MODULATES ACTIVITY OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-TREATED ARTICULAR CHONDROCYTES AND INFLUENCES THE PATHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS. CONTEXT: OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) IS A CHRONIC JOINT DISEASE THAT CAN EVENTUALLY LEAD TO DEGENERATION, FIBROSIS, FRACTURES, AND DEFECTS OF THE ARTICULAR CARTILAGE. LONG NON-CODING RNA (LNCRNA) IS A KEY SUBSTANCE IN MANY PROCESSES, SUCH AS EPIGENETIC REGULATION AND CELL-CYCLE AND CELL-DIFFERENTIATION MODULATION, AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH OA HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY VERIFIED. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO CLARIFY THE INFLUENCE OF LNCRNA NUCLEAR ENRICHED ABUNDANT TRANSCRIPT 1 (NEAT1), LNCRNA NEAT1, ON LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE (LPS)-INDUCED OA CHONDROCYTES THROUGH SPONGE ADSORPTION OF MICRORNA-378 (MIR-378) AND TO PROVIDE NOVEL INSIGHTS INTO FUTURE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF OA. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH TEAM PERFORMED AN ANIMAL STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE AT LINYI PEOPLE'S HOSPITAL IN LINYI, SHANGDONG, CHINA. ANIMALS: THE STUDY'S ANIMALS WERE 10 SPRAGUE DAWLEY (SD) RATS, 3-5 DAYS OLD AND 10-15 G IN WEIGHT, OF THE SPECIFIC-PATHOGEN-FREE (SPF) GRADE. INTERVENTION: THE RAT CHONDROCYTES FOR THE POSITIVE CONTROL GROUP (THE MODEL GROUP) WERE TREATED WITH 500 NG/ML OF LPS TO INDUCE OA. CHONDROCYTES TREATED WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF NORMAL SALINE WERE USED AS THE NEGATIVE CONTROL GROUP. THE CHONDROCYTES OF THE LPS-INDUCED RATS WERE INTO SIX GROUPS: (1) A POSITIVE CONTROL GROUP TRANSFECTED WITH NEAT1-INTERFERING RNA, THE SH-NEAT1 GROUP; (2) A NEGATIVE CONTROL GROUP NOT TRANSFECTED WITH NEAT1-INTERFERING RNA, THE NEAT1 EMPTY VECTOR (NC-NEAT1) GROUP; (3) AN INTERVENTION GROUP CO-TRANSFECTED WITH NEAT1 INTERFERING RNA AND THE MIR-378 INHIBITOR SEQUENCE (INH-MIR-378 THE SH-NEAT1+ INH-MIR-378 GROUP; (4) A NEGATIVE CONTROL GROUP TRANSFECTED WITH NEAT1 INTERFERING RNA BUT NOT TRANSFECTED WITH THE MIR-378 INHIBITOR SEQUENCE, THE SH-NEAT1+ MIR-378 NEGATIVE CONTROL (NC-MIR-378) GROUP; (5) A NEGATIVE CONTROL GROUP TRANSFECTED WITH THE MIR-378 INHIBITOR SEQUENCE BUT NOT TRANSFECTED WITH NEAT1 INTERFERING RNA, THE NEAT1 EMPTY VECTOR (NC-NEAT1) + INH-MIR-378 GROUP; (6) A NEGATIVE CONTROL GROUP NOT TRANSFECTED WITH EITHER NEAT1 INTERFERING RNA OR THE MIR-378 INHIBITOR SEQUENCE, THE NC-NEAT1 + NC-MIR-378 GROUP. OUTCOME MEASURES: AN OA-CHONDROCYTE MODEL WAS INDUCED BY LPS AND MEASUREMENTS OF NEAT1 AND MIR-378 EXPRESSION WERE MADE BY REAL-TIME QUANTITATIVE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION (QRT)- POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR). THEN, SMALL NEAT1-INTERFERING RNA (SH-NEAT1), EMPTY VECTOR NEAT1 (NC-NEAT1), INHIBITOR-SEQUENCE-MIR-378 (INH-MIR-378), AND NEGATIVE-CONTROL-MIR-378 (NC-MIR-378) WERE TRANSFECTED INTO CELLS, AND CELL VIABILITY AND APOPTOSIS RATE WERE MEASURED. FINALLY, THE STUDY VERIFIED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEAT1 AND MIR-378. RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, NEAT1 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATED IN THE MODEL GROUP, AND ITS MIR-378 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED. SILENCING NEAT1 CAN ENHANCE OA-CHONDROCYTE ACTIVITY AND DECREASE APOPTOSIS. WHEN NEAT1 AND MIR-378 WERE INHIBITED TOGETHER, AS SHOWN FORT THE NC-NEAT1 + NC-MIR-378 GROUP, NEAT1 EXPRESSION, AS WELL AS THE MULTIPLICATION AND APOPTOSIS ABILITY OF THE OA-MODEL CELLS, WERE THE SAME AS THOSE OF CELLS TRANSFECTED WITH AN EMPTY VECTOR, THE NC-NEAT1 GROUP. ALSO, THE NEAT1 + NC-MIR-378 GROUP'S CELL ACTIVITY WAS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE SH-NEAT1+NC-MIR-378 GROUP BUT HIGHER THAN THAT OF THE NC-NEAT1 + INH-MIR-378 GROUP. FINALLY, HIGHER FLUORESCENCE ACTIVITY OCCURRED FOR NEAT1-MUTANT TYPE (MUT) TRANSFECTED WITH INH-MIR-378. CONCLUSIONS: NEAT1, WHICH IS HIGHLY EXPRESSED IN OA, MEDIATES LPS-INDUCED OA-CHONDROCYTE ACTIVITY THROUGH SPONGE ADSORPTION OF MIR-378. 2022 13 2744 15 EXPOSURE TO VIOLENCE, CHRONIC STRESS, NASAL DNA METHYLATION, AND ATOPIC ASTHMA IN CHILDREN. BACKGROUND: EXPOSURE TO VIOLENCE (ETV) OR STRESS MAY CAUSE ASTHMA THROUGH UNCLEAR MECHANISMS. METHODS: EPIGENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDY (EWAS) OF DNA METHYLATION IN NASAL EPITHELIUM AND FOUR ETV OR CHRONIC STRESS MEASURES IN 487 PUERTO RICANS AGED 9-20 YEARS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE EPIGENETIC VARIATION AND CHILDHOOD ASTHMA IN PUERTO RICANS STUDY [EVA-PR]). WE ASSESSED MEASURES OF ETV OR CHRONIC STRESS IN CHILDREN (ETV SCALE, GUN VIOLENCE, AND PERCEIVED STRESS) AND THEIR MOTHERS (PERCEIVED STRESS). EACH EWAS WAS CONDUCTED USING LINEAR REGRESSION, WITH CPGS AS DEPENDENT VARIABLES AND THE STRESS/VIOLENCE MEASURE AS A PREDICTOR, ADJUSTING FOR AGE, SEX, THE TOP FIVE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS, AND SVA LATENT FACTORS. WE THEN SELECTED THE TOP 100 CPGS (BY P-VALUE) ASSOCIATED WITH EACH STRESS/VIOLENCE MEASURE IN EVA-PR AND CONDUCTED A META-ANALYSIS OF THE SELECTED CPGS AND ATOPIC ASTHMA USING DATA FROM EVA-PR AND TWO ADDITIONAL COHORTS (PROJECT VIVA AND PIAMA). RESULTS: IN THE EWAS OF STRESS/VIOLENCE IN EVA-PR, GUN VIOLENCE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH METHYLATION OF CG18961589 IN LINC01164 (BETA=0.03, P =1.28X10 (-7) ), AND MATERNAL STRESS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH METHYLATION OF CG03402351 IN SNN (BETA=0.04, P =1.69X10 (-7) ) AND CG19064846 IN PTPRN2 (BETA=0.03, P =3.36X10 (-7) ). IN A META-ANALYSIS OF THREE COHORTS, WHICH INCLUDED THE TOP CPGS ASSOCIATED WITH STRESS/VIOLENCE IN EVA-PR, CPGS IN STARD3NL, SLC35F4, TSR3, CDC42SE2, KLHL25, PLCB1, BUD13, OR2B3, GALR1, TMEM196, TEAD4 AND ANAPC13 WERE ASSOCIATED WITH ATOPIC ASTHMA AT FDR- P < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: ETV AND CHRONIC STRESS MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF ATOPIC ASTHMA THROUGH DNA METHYLATION IN AIRWAY EPITHELIUM, THOUGH THIS NEEDS CONFIRMATION IN FUTURE LONGITUDINAL STUDIES. 2020 14 3303 15 HIGH-FREQUENCY P16(INK) (4A) PROMOTER METHYLATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH HISTONE METHYLTRANSFERASE SETDB1 EXPRESSION IN SPORADIC CUTANEOUS MELANOMA. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS PARTICIPATE IN MELANOMA DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION. THE EFFECT OF HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AND THEIR CATALYSING ENZYMES OVER EUCHROMATIC PROMOTER DNA METHYLATION IN MELANOMA REMAINS UNCLEAR. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATION OF P16(INK) (4A) PROMOTER METHYLATION WITH HISTONE METHYLTRANSFERASE SETDB1 EXPRESSION IN GREEK PATIENTS WITH SPORADIC MELANOMA AND THEIR CORRELATION WITH CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS. PROMOTER METHYLATION WAS DETECTED BY METHYLATION-SPECIFIC PCR IN 100 PERIPHERAL BLOOD SAMPLES AND 58 MELANOMA TISSUES FROM THE SAME PATIENTS. CELL PROLIFERATION (KI-67 INDEX), P16(INK) (4A) AND SETDB1 EXPRESSION WERE EVALUATED BY IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY. HIGH-FREQUENCY PROMOTER METHYLATION (25.86%) WAS OBSERVED IN TISSUE SAMPLES AND CORRELATED WITH INCREASED CELL PROLIFERATION (P = 0.0514). P16(INK) (4A) PROMOTER METHYLATION WAS HIGHER IN VERTICAL GROWTH-PHASE (60%) MELANOMAS THAN IN RADIAL (40%, P = 0.063) AND THOSE DISPLAYING EPIDERMAL INVOLVEMENT (P = 0.046). IMPORTANTLY, P16(INK) (4A) METHYLATION CORRELATED WITH INCREASED MELANOMA THICKNESS ACCORDING TO BRESLOW INDEX (P = 0.0495) AND MARGINALLY WITH INCREASED CLARK LEVEL (I/II VS III/IV/V, P = 0.070). LOW (1-30%) P16(INK) (4A) EXPRESSION WAS DETECTED AT THE MAJORITY (19 OF 54) OF MELANOMA CASES (35.19%), BEING MARGINALLY CORRELATED WITH TUMOR LYMPHOCYTIC INFILTRATION (P = 0.078). SETDB1 NUCLEAR IMMUNOREACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN 47 OF 57 (82.46%) CASES, WHEREAS 27 OF 57 (47.37%) SHOWED CYTOPLASMIC IMMUNOEXPRESSION. CYTOPLASMIC SETDB1 EXPRESSION CORRELATED WITH HIGHER FREQUENCY OF P16(INK) (4A) METHYLATION AND P16(INK) (4A) EXPRESSION (P = 0.033, P = 0.011, RESPECTIVELY). INCREASED NUCLEAR SETDB1 LEVELS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER MITOTIC COUNT (0-5/MM(2) VS >5/MM(2) , P = 0.0869), ADVANCED CLARK LEVEL (III-V, P = 0.0380), EPIDERMAL INVOLVEMENT (P = 0.0331) AND THE NON-CHRONIC SUN EXPOSURE-ASSOCIATED MELANOMA TYPE (P = 0.0664). OUR DATA DEMONSTRATE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE ASSOCIATION OF HISTONE METHYLTRANSFERASE SETDB1 WITH FREQUENT METHYLATION OF THE EUCHROMATIC P16(INK) (4A) PROMOTER AND SEVERAL PROGNOSTIC PARAMETERS IN MELANOMAS. 2014 15 514 14 ASSOCIATION OF SHMT1, MAZ, ERG, AND L3MBTL3 GENE POLYMORPHISMS WITH SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS THE MOST COMMON INFLAMMATORY AND CHRONIC DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS). A COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS IS INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF MS. WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF GWAS, VARIOUS VARIANTS ASSOCIATED WITH MS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE ASSOCIATION OF SINGLE-NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS (SNPS) RS4925166 AND RS1979277 IN THE SHMT1, MAZ RS34286592, ERG RS2836425, AND L3MBTL3 RS4364506 WITH MS. IN THIS CASE-CONTROL STUDY, THE ASSOCIATION OF FIVE SNPS IN SHMT1, MAZ, ERG, AND L3MBTL3 GENES WITH RELAPSING-REMITTING MS (RR-MS) WAS INVESTIGATED IN 190 PATIENTS AND 200 HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. FOUR SNPS INCLUDING SHMT1 RS4925166, SHMT1 RS1979277, MAZ RS34286592, AND L3MBTL3 RS4364506 WERE GENOTYPED USING PCR-RFLP AND GENOTYPING OF ERG RS2836425 WAS PERFORMED BY TETRA-PRIMER ARMS PCR. OUR FINDINGS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE ALLELIC FREQUENCIES FOR THE FOUR SNPS OF SHMT1 RS4925166, SHMT1 RS1979277, MAZ RS34286592, AND ERG RS2836425, WHILE THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN THE ALLELE AND GENOTYPE FREQUENCIES FOR L3MBTL3 RS4364506. THESE SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATIONS WERE OBSERVED FOR THE FOLLOWING GENOTYPES: TT AND GG GENOTYPES OF SHMT1 RS4925166 (OR 0.47 AND 1.90, RESPECTIVELY) GENOTYPE GG OF SHMT1 RS1979277 (OR 0.63), GENOTYPE GG OF MAZ RS34286592 (OR 0.61), TC AND CC GENOTYPES OF ERG RS2836425 (OR 1.89 AND 0.50, RESPECTIVELY). OUR STUDY HIGHLIGHTED THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE CARRYING GENOTYPES INCLUDING GG (SHMT1 RS4925166) AND TC (ERG RS2836425) HAVE THE HIGHEST SUSCEPTIBILITY CHANCE FOR MS, RESPECTIVELY. HOWEVER, GENOTYPES TT (SHMT1 RS4925166), CC (ERG RS2836425), GG (MAZ RS34286592), AND GG (SHMT1 RS1979277) HAD THE HIGHEST NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION (PROTECTIVE EFFECT) WITH MS, RESPECTIVELY. L3MBTL3 RS4364506 WAS FOUND NEITHER AS A PREDISPOSING NOR A PROTECTIVE VARIANT. 2019 16 6049 15 THE CONCURRENT DECLINE OF SOIL LEAD AND CHILDREN'S BLOOD LEAD IN NEW ORLEANS. LEAD (PB) IS EXTREMELY TOXIC AND A MAJOR CAUSE OF CHRONIC DISEASES WORLDWIDE. PB IS ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTH DISPARITIES, PARTICULARLY WITHIN LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS. IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, PB MIMICS CALCIUM AND, AMONG OTHER EFFECTS, INTERRUPTS CELL SIGNALING. FURTHERMORE, PB EXPOSURE RESULTS IN EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT AFFECT MULTIGENERATIONAL GENE EXPRESSION. EXPOSURE TO PB HAS DECREASED THROUGH PRIMARY PREVENTION, INCLUDING REMOVAL OF PB SOLDER FROM CANNED FOOD, REGULATING LEAD-BASED PAINT, AND ESPECIALLY ELIMINATING PB ADDITIVES IN GASOLINE. WHILE RESEARCHERS OBSERVE A CONTINUOUS DECLINE IN CHILDREN'S BLOOD LEAD (BPB), RESERVOIRS OF EXPOSURE PERSIST IN TOPSOIL, WHICH STORES THE LEGACY DUST FROM LEADED GASOLINE AND OTHER SOURCES. OUR SURVEYS OF METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS REVEAL THAT MEDIAN TOPSOIL PB IN COMMUNITIES (N = 274) DECREASED 44% FROM 99 MG/KG TO 54 MG/KG (P VALUE OF 2.09 X 10(-08)), WITH A MEDIAN DEPLETION RATE OF APPROXIMATELY 2.4 MG?KG?Y(-1) OVER 15 Y. FROM 2000 THROUGH 2005 TO 2011 THROUGH 2016, CHILDREN'S BPB DECLINED FROM 3.6 MUG/DL TO 1.2 MUG/DL OR 64% (P VALUE OF 2.02 X 10(-85)), A DECREASE OF APPROXIMATELY 0.2 MUG?DL?Y(-1) DURING A MEDIAN OF 12 Y. HERE, WE EXPLORE THE DECLINE OF CHILDREN'S BPB BY EXAMINING A METABOLISM OF CITIES FRAMEWORK OF INPUTS, TRANSFORMATIONS, STORAGES, AND OUTPUTS. OUR FINDINGS INDICATE THAT DECREASING PB IN TOPSOIL IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE CONTINUOUS DECLINE OF CHILDREN'S BPB. SIMILAR REDUCTIONS ARE EXPECTED IN OTHER MAJOR US CITIES. THE MOST CONTAMINATED URBAN COMMUNITIES, USUALLY INHABITED BY VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, REQUIRE FURTHER REDUCTIONS OF TOPSOIL PB TO FULFILL PRIMARY PREVENTION FOR THE NATION'S CHILDREN. 2019 17 2042 15 EPIGENETIC CHARACTERISTICS IN INFLAMMATORY CANDIDATE GENES IN AGGRESSIVE PERIODONTITIS. BACKGROUND: PERIODONTITIS IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE TRIGGERED BY THE HOST IMMUNE RESPONSE. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ALSO AFFECT THE IMMUNE RESPONSE. WE ASSESSED CPG METHYLATION IN 22 INFLAMMATORY CANDIDATE GENES (ATF2, CCL25, CXCL14, CXCL3, CXCL5, CXCL6, FADD, GATA3, IL10RA, IL12A, IL12B, IL13, IL13RA1, IL15, IL17C, IL17RA, IL4R, IL6R, IL6ST, IL7, INHA, AND TYK2) WITH RESPECT TO THE OCCURRENCE OF AGGRESSIVE PERIODONTITIS (AGP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: IN THIS STUDY 15 AGP PATIENTS (53.3% MALES, 41.4+/-10.5 YEARS) AND 10 CONTROLS (40.0% MALES, 36.9+/-17.5 YEARS) WERE INCLUDED. THE METHYLATION PATTERNS OF GINGIVAL BIOPSIES WERE QUANTIFIED USING EPITECT(R) METHYL SIGNATURE PCR ARRAY HUMAN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. RESULTS: IN GINGIVAL BIOPSIES TAKEN FROM PATIENTS WITH AGP, CPG METHYLATION OF CCL25 (1.73% VS. 2.59%, P=0.015) AND IL17C (6.89% VS. 19.27%, P=0.002) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AS COMPARED WITH PERIODONTALLY HEALTHY TISSUES. DISCUSSION: WE SHOWED FOR THE FIRST TIME A DIFFERENTIAL METHYLATION PATTERN FOR CCL25 AND IL17C IN PERIODONTITIS. CCL25 PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN T-CELL DEVELOPMENT, WHEREAS IL17C REGULATES INNATE EPITHELIAL IMMUNE RESPONSES. THE DECREASE IN CPG METHYLATION IS PRESUMABLY ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASE IN GENE EXPRESSION. THIS COULD LEAD TO A GREATER AVAILABILITY OF CCL25 AND INTERLEUKIN 17C AND SUPPORT PERIODONTAL LOSS OF ATTACHMENT. 2016 18 515 15 ASSOCIATION OF SOCS1 (- 820) (RS33977706) GENE POLYMORPHISM WITH CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY IN BRAZILIANS. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE ACCUMULATION OF PERIODONTAL PATHOGENS OVER THE TEETH SURFACE TRIGGERS PERIODONTITIS; HOWEVER, ITS AGGRAVATION AND SEVERITY DEPEND ON OTHER ELEMENTS SUCH AS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SYSTEMIC HEALTH AND THE HOST GENETIC AND/OR EPIGENETIC BACKGROUND. TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, WE INVESTIGATED THE ASSOCIATION OF TWO GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS PLACED ON PROMOTER REGION OF SOCS1 GENE WITH CHRONIC PERIODONTAL DISEASE. SOCS1 REGULATES JAK/KINASE SIGNALING PATHWAY AND CHANGES IN ITS MRNA EXPRESSION HAVE BEEN RELATED TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, INCLUDING CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS. THE FREQUENCY OF ALLELES AND GENOTYPES OF TWO POLYMORPHISMS IN SOCS1 GENE PROMOTER (POSITION - 820 (RS33977706) AND POSITION - 1478 (RS33989964)) WERE ANALYZED BY PERFORMING RFLP AND TAQMAN SYSTEM IN A TOTAL OF 257 NON-SMOKING SUBJECTS. WE FOUND A LOW FREQUENCY OF A ALLELE AND A/A GENOTYPE OF SOCS1(- 820) POLYMORPHISM IN THE CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS GROUP, ESPECIALLY WHEN SEVERE PERIODONTITIS SAMPLES WERE SEPARATELY ANALYZED (OR = 0.3933; P = 0.0084 (IC95% 0.2112 < MU < 0.7324)), SUGGESTING THAT A ALLELE PLAYS PROTECTIVE EFFECT AGAINST CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS. WE DID NOT FIND ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOCS1-1478 POLYMORPHISM AND PERIODONTITIS. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF SOCS1 (- 820/- 1478) HAPLOTYPE REVEALED THAT THE FREQUENCY OF A(- 820)/CA(- 1478) HAPLOTYPE DECREASES IN CHRP (P = 0.0089). IN CONCLUSION, OUR STUDY FOUND THAT SOCS1(- 820) POLYMORPHISM IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS. 2015 19 2649 14 EPIGENOMIC, GENOMIC, AND TRANSCRIPTOMIC LANDSCAPE OF SCHWANNOMATOSIS. SCHWANNOMATOSIS (SWNTS) IS A GENETIC CANCER PREDISPOSITION SYNDROME THAT MANIFESTS AS MULTIPLE AND OFTEN PAINFUL NEURONAL TUMORS CALLED SCHWANNOMAS (SWNS). WHILE GERMLINE MUTATIONS IN SMARCB1 OR LZTR1, PLUS SOMATIC MUTATIONS IN NF2 AND LOSS OF HETEROZYGOSITY IN CHROMOSOME 22Q HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN A SUBSET OF PATIENTS, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE EPIGENOMIC AND GENOMIC ALTERATIONS THAT DRIVE SWNTS-RELATED SWNS (SWNTS-SWNS) IN A MAJORITY OF THE CASES. WE PERFORMED MULTIPLATFORM GENOMIC ANALYSIS AND ESTABLISHED THE MOLECULAR SIGNATURE OF SWNTS-SWNS. WE SHOW THAT SWNTS-SWNS HARBOR DISTINCT GENOMIC FEATURES RELATIVE TO THE HISTOLOGICALLY IDENTICAL NON-SYNDROMIC SPORADIC SWNS (NS-SWNS). WE DEMONSTRATE THE EXISTENCE OF FOUR DISTINCT DNA METHYLATION SUBGROUPS OF SWNTS-SWNS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROGRAMS AND TUMOR LOCATION. WE SHOW SEVERAL NOVEL RECURRENT NON-22Q DELETIONS AND STRUCTURAL REARRANGEMENTS. WE DETECTED THE SH3PXD2A-HTRA1 GENE FUSION IN SWNTS-SWNS, WITH PREDOMINANCE IN LZTR1-MUTANT TUMORS. IN ADDITION, WE IDENTIFIED SPECIFIC GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ACTIONABLE TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH PAINFUL SWNTS-SWNS INCLUDING PIGF, VEGF, MEK, AND MTOR PATHWAYS, WHICH MAY BE HARNESSED FOR MANAGEMENT OF THIS SYNDROME. 2021 20 4492 22 MONOZYGOTIC TWINS DISCORDANT FOR ROHHAD PHENOTYPE. RAPID-ONSET OBESITY WITH HYPOTHALAMIC DYSFUNCTION, HYPOVENTILATION, AND AUTONOMIC DYSREGULATION (ROHHAD) FALLS WITHIN A GROUP OF PEDIATRIC DISORDERS WITH BOTH RESPIRATORY CONTROL AND AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSREGULATION. CHILDREN WITH ROHHAD TYPICALLY PRESENT AFTER 1.5 YEARS OF AGE WITH RAPID WEIGHT GAIN AS THE INITIAL SIGN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THEY DEVELOP ALVEOLAR HYPOVENTILATION, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSREGULATION, AND, IF UNTREATED, CARDIORESPIRATORY ARREST. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS THE FIRST REPORT OF DISCORDANT PRESENTATION OF ROHHAD IN MONOZYGOTIC TWINS. TWIN GIRLS, BORN AT TERM, HAD CONCORDANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT UNTIL 8 YEARS OF AGE. FROM 8 TO 12 YEARS OF AGE, THE AFFECTED TWIN DEVELOPED FEATURES CHARACTERISTIC OF ROHHAD INCLUDING OBESITY, ALVEOLAR HYPOVENTILATION, SCOLIOSIS, HYPOTHALAMIC DYSFUNCTION (CENTRAL DIABETES INSIPIDUS, HYPOTHYROIDISM, PREMATURE PUBARCHE, AND GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY), RIGHT PARASPINAL/THORACIC GANGLIONEUROBLASTOMA, SEIZURES, AND AUTONOMIC DYSREGULATION INCLUDING ALTERED PAIN PERCEPTION, LARGE AND SLUGGISHLY REACTIVE PUPILS, HYPOTHERMIA, AND PROFOUND BRADYCARDIA THAT REQUIRED A CARDIAC PACEMAKER. RESULTS OF GENETIC TESTING FOR PHOX2B (CONGENITAL CENTRAL HYPOVENTILATION SYNDROME DISEASE-DEFINING GENE) MUTATIONS WERE NEGATIVE. WITH EARLY RECOGNITION AND CONSERVATIVE MANAGEMENT, THE AFFECTED TWIN HAD EXCELLENT NEUROCOGNITIVE OUTCOME THAT MATCHED THAT OF THE UNAFFECTED TWIN. THE UNAFFECTED TWIN DEMONSTRATED RAPID WEIGHT GAIN LATER IN AGE BUT NOT DEVELOPMENT OF SIGNS/SYMPTOMS CONSISTENT WITH ROHHAD. THIS DISCORDANT TWIN PAIR DEMONSTRATES KEY FEATURES OF ROHHAD INCLUDING THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY RECOGNITION (ESPECIALLY HYPOVENTILATION), COMPLEXITY OF SIGNS/SYMPTOMS AND CLINICAL COURSE, AND IMPORTANCE OF INITIATING COMPREHENSIVE, MULTISPECIALTY CARE. THESE CASES CONFOUND THE HYPOTHESIS OF A MONOGENIC ETIOLOGY FOR ROHHAD AND INDICATE ALTERNATIVE ETIOLOGIES INCLUDING AUTOIMMUNE OR EPIGENETIC PHENOMENON OR A COMBINATION OF GENETIC PREDISPOSITION AND ACQUIRED PRECIPITANT. 2011