GATA transcription factors are crucial regulators of cell-specific gene expression in many tissues including the gonads. Although clinical cases of reproductive dysfunction have yet to be formally linked to GATA gene mutations, they have begun to be reported in other systems. Heterozygous GATA4 mutations have been associated with cases of congenital heart defects. Little is known, however, abou...

The orphan nuclear receptor liver receptor homolog 1 (LRH-1; NR5A2) is a potent regulator of cholesterol metabolism and bile acid homeostasis. Recently, LRH-1 has been shown to play an important role in intestinal inflammation and in the progression of estrogen receptor positive and negative breast cancers and pancreatic cancer. Structural studies have revealed that LRH-1 can bind phospholipids...

This snapshot reviews the current state of knowledge on genetic variants of nuclear receptors (NRs) involved in regulating various aspects of liver metabolism. Interindividual differences in responses to diet and other 'in-' and environmental stressors can be caused by variants in components of the NR regulatory gene network. We recapitulate recent evidence for the application of NRs in genetic...

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones with important functions in development, immune regulation, and glucose metabolism. The adrenal glands are the predominant source of glucocorticoids; however, there is increasing evidence for extraadrenal glucocorticoid synthesis in thymus, brain, skin, and vascular endothelium. We recently identified intestinal epithelial cells as an important source of glu...

Human embryonic stem cells and human embryonal carcinoma cells have been studied extensively with respect to the transcription factors (OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG), epigenetic modulators and associated signalling pathways that either promote self-renewal or induce differentiation in these cells. The ACTIVIN/NODAL axis (SMAD2/3) of the TGFß signalling pathway coupled with FGF signalling maintains self...

Due to the versatility as well as its ease of implementation, the Fast Transversal Filters algorithm is attractive for many adaptive filtering applications. However, it is not widely used because of its undesirable tendency to diverge when operating in finite precision arithmetic. To compensate, modifications to the algorithm have been introduced that are either occasional (performed when a pre...

The design of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) affords for, and itself produces, non-response situations that are not possible in FTF or telephone interaction. These system-occasioned non-responses produce almost isomorphic stimuli to participant non-responses. Situations thus arise in which nonresponses are interpersonally accountable despite agentive ambiguity. This study explores four intersections...

The dynamic response of a premixed flame stabilized on a heat-conducting perforated plate depends critically on their coupled thermal interaction. The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical model to capture this coupling. The model predicts the mean flame base standoff distance; the flame base area, curvature and speed; and the burner plate temperature given the operating condition...

OBJECTIVE The Family-to-Family Education Program (FTF) is a 12-week course offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for family members of adults with mental illness. This study evaluated the course's effectiveness. METHODS A total of 318 consenting participants in five Maryland counties were randomly assigned to take FTF immediately or to wait at least three months for the ne...