Some measures suggested that the social differences were the result of behavioral flexibility on the part of disabled

females compensating for their disabilities with lower levels of social involvement and more rest. Disabled females were as successful at groom solicitations as were nondisabled females and the ratio of disabled and nondisabled affiliates was similar among focal animals; there was no strong preference related to the disability status of affiliates. Disabled females were also bitten and chased less frequently. Overall, there was little evidence either for conspecific care or for social selection against Fer-1 in vitro disability. In general, there was a socially neutral response to disability, and while neutral social context allows for the possibility of care behaviors, our findings emphasize the self-reliant abilities of these disabled primates and suggest caution when inferring conspecific care for even very disabled ancestral humans. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Exotic plant invasions threaten ecosystems globally, but we still know little about the specific consequences for animals. Invasive plants can alter the quality ALK targets of breeding habitat for songbirds, thereby impacting important demographic traits such as dispersal, philopatry,

and age structure. These demographic effects may in turn alter song-learning conditions to affect song structure and diversity. We studied Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina) breeding in six savannas that were either dominated by native vegetation or invaded by spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe), an exotic forb known to diminish food resources and reproductive success. Here, we report that the prevalence of older birds was relatively low in knapweed-invaded habitat, where recruitment of yearlings compensated for diminished site fidelity to sustain territory abundance. In both habitat types, yearling males tended to adopt songs similar to their neighbors and match the songs of older birds rather than introducing new song types, a pattern seen in

many songbird species. As a consequence, in invaded habitat where age structure was skewed away from older birds serving as potential song models, yearlings converged on fewer song types. Similarity of songs among individuals www.selleckchem.com/EGFR(HER).html was significantly higher and the overall number of song types averaged nearly 20% lower in invaded relative to native habitat. Degradation of habitat quality generally impacts site fidelity and age ratios in migratory songbirds and hence may commonly alter song-learning conditions. Associated shifts in song attributes known to influence reproductive success could in turn enforce demographic declines driven by habitat degradation. Local song structure may serve as an important indicator of habitat quality and population status for songbirds.”
“The Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome contains about 35 copies of dispersed retrotransposons called Ty1 elements.

Expression of the cyanobacterial protein was confirmed by Western blot. Bacterial tolerance to oxidative stress was tested in solid medium supplemented with hydrogen peroxide,

paraquat or atrazine. In all three bacterial strains, flavodoxin expression enhanced tolerance to the oxidative stress provoked by hydrogen peroxide and by the reactive oxygen species-inducing herbicides, witnessed by the enhanced find more survival of the transformed bacteria in the presence of these oxidizing agents. Conclusions Flavodoxin overexpression in beneficial soil bacteria confers tolerance to oxidative stress and improves their survival in the presence of the herbicides paraquat and atrazine. Flavodoxin could Salubrinal research buy be considered as a general antioxidant resource to face oxidative challenges in different micro-organisms. Significance and Impact of the study The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria or nitrogen-fixing bacteria with enhanced tolerance to oxidative stress in contaminated soils is of significant agronomic interest. The enhanced tolerance of flavodoxin-expressing bacteria to atrazine and paraquat points to potential applications in herbicide-treated soils.”
“Motivation: InFiRe,

Insertion Finder via Restriction digest, is a novel software tool that allows for the computational identification of transposon insertion sites in known bacterial genome sequences after transposon mutagenesis experiments. The approach is based on the fact that restriction endonuclease digestions of bacterial DNA yield a unique pattern of DNA fragments with defined sizes. Transposon insertion changes the size of the hosting DNA fragment by a known number of base pairs. The exact size of this fragment can be determined by Southern blot hybridization. Subsequently, the position of insertion can be identified with computational analysis. The outlined method provides a solid basis for the establishment of a new high- throughput technology.\n\nAvailability and implementation: The software is freely available on our web server at www.infire.tu-bs.de. The algorithm was implemented Ruboxistaurin in the statistical programming language R. For the most flexible use, InFiRe

is provided in two different versions. A web interface offers the convenient use in a web browser. In addition, the software and source code is freely available for download as R-packages on our website.”
“Necrotizing soft tissue infections are rapidly progressive infections with a high rate of mortality. One type of necrotizing soft tissue infection is caused by marine gram-negative bacteria and commonly occurs in immunocompromised hosts. These types of infections are more common in patients with chronic liver disease, possibly because of impaired iron metabolism. We present the case of a rapidly progressive necrotizing soft tissue infection caused by Edwardsiella tarda, a marine gram-negative pathogen common in catfish.

\n\nResults:Thirty-seven patients PRIMA-1MET manufacturer developed a portal hypertension-related bleeding over 2 years of follow-up. Decrease (12%) in HVPG was the best cut-off for bleeding risk discrimination. This parameter was used to classify patients in responders (it = 95) and non-responders (it = 71). In primary prophylaxis (54 responders vs. 24 non-responders) the actuarial

probability of bleeding was half in responders than in non-responders (12% vs. 23% at 2 years; ns). In secondary prophylaxis (41 responders vs. 47 non-responders) a good hemodynamic response was also significantly and independently associated with a 50%, decrease in the probability of re-bleeding (23%, at 2 years vs. 46% in non-responders; p = 0.032.) and a better survival (95% vs. 65%; p = 0.003).\n\nConclusion: The evaluation of acute HVPG response to i.v. propranolol

before initiating secondary prophylaxis for variceal bleeding is a useful tool in predicting the efficacy of non-selective beta-blockers. If adequately validated, this might be a more cost-effective strategy than the chronic evaluation of HVPG response and might be useful to guide therapeutic decisions in these patients. (C) 2009 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“We compare the volume flux divergence of Antarctic ice shelves in 2007 and 2008 with 1979 to 2010 surface accumulation and 2003 to 2008 thinning to determine their rates of melting and mass balance. Basal melt of 1325 +/- 235 gigatons per year (Gt/year) exceeds a calving flux of 1089 +/- 139 Gt/year, making ice-shelf melting the largest ablation process in Antarctica. The giant cold-cavity see more Ross, Filchner, and Ronne ice shelves covering two-thirds of the total ice-shelf area account for only 15% of net melting. Half of the meltwater comes from 10 small, warm-cavity Southeast Pacific ice shelves occupying 8% of the area. A similar high melt/area ratio is found for six East Antarctic ice shelves, implying undocumented strong ocean BI-2536 thermal forcing on their deep grounding lines.”
“Background: End-digit preference (EDP) is a known cause of inaccurate BP recording. Distortion has been reported around pay-for-performance (P4P)

indicators. Methods: We studied sequential datasets (n = 148,000 to n = 900,000) and performed a longitudinal analysis of CONDUIT data (n = 250,000) over a 10-year period. We examined general trends in EDP and investigated the impact of diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) P4P targets. Results: EDP reduces over time in both datasets; the percentage of patients with a zero EDP declined from 70% to 27% and 68% to 26% for SBP and DBP respectively. There is more zero EDP at the extremes of BP, but in people with chronic disease, the use of zero EDP was mainly seen at higher BP levels. P4P targets are associated with increased preference for the even end-digit just below target: in diabetes odds ratio (OR) is 1.47 (p = 0.003) for SBP, 1.19 (p = 0.

“
“Studies in hamsters, mice and rats have demonstrated that estradiol (E2), its interconvertible metabolite estrone (E1) and their catechol metabolites, in particular 4-hydroxy E2/E1, are carcinogenic in the kidney, uterus and mammary gland. Observational studies and clinical trials consistently show that sustained exposure to E2/E1 is associated with the development of sporadic breast cancer. The weight of evidence supports the contribution of two complementary pathways in the initiation,

promotion and progression of breast cancer. One pathway involves activation of nuclear and cytoplasmic signaling pathways through the binding of estrogen to nuclear and membrane-bound estrogen receptors leading to increased cell proliferation. The other pathway involves the oxidative metabolism of ACY-738 purchase E2/E1 to catechols and then reactive quinones that can contribute to oxidative DNA damage and form specific, mutagenic depurinating adducts with adenine and guanine which then in turn can serve as biomarkers for the occurrence of these processes. Both pathways can serve as portals to preventive intervention. Antiestrogens are used clinically to block receptor-mediated

signaling to block tumor growth. Various chemopreventive agents such as sulforaphane MCC950 price (SFN) and resveratrol have been shown in cell culture to block oxidative metabolism of E2/E1 and thus prevent DNA damage. Pretreatment of MCF-7 and MCF-10F cells with and inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) followed by treatment with E2 or 4-OH E2 caused increased oxidative DNA damage (8-oxo-dG) and depurinating DNA adducts showing the importance of E2-catechol O-methylation by COMT as a protective pathway. E2 treatment of MCF-10A cells with E2 or 4-OH E2 caused an increase in E2-adenine and guanine adducts. Treatment with sulforaphane increased NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and glutathione-S-transferase A1 (GSTA1) expression without affecting expression of catechol-O-methyltransferase

(COMT) or Selleckchem GSK923295 cytochrome P450 1B1. Pretreatment with SFN decreased depurinating DNA adducts while increasing levels of 4-OCH3E1/2 and 4-OHE1/2-glutathione conjugates. Treatment of MCF-10F cells with E2 or 4-OH-E2 also caused increased depurinating DNA adducts and neoplastic transformation while pretreatment with resveratrol caused a reduction in adduct levels and neoplastic transformation. Increased levels of estrogen-quinone conjugates and DNA adducts have also been detected in urine of women at increased risk for and with breast cancer. These observations support the notion that targeting the estrogen/estrone metabolism pathway may be another way to reduce breast cancer risk. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unexpected

prenatal adverse events were identified when a fatal or potentially fatal event occurred that could have been avoided by timely delivery.\n\nRESULTS: The prospective risk of an unexpected adverse event dropped from 16.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.6-20.5%) to 0% (95% CI, 0-11%) between 26-36 weeks. At 32 weeks, the residual risk was 1 in 17 (95% CI, 1/28-1/11). The perinatal rate of death or severe check details brain lesions dropped from 35% (25-47%) in infants delivered at 26-28 weeks down to 3% (1-6%) at 34-36 weeks.\n\nCONCLUSION: Our results did not identify an optimal cut-off for elective preterm delivery in laser-operated twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Perinatal morbidity appears low from >32 weeks and the decision for elective delivery should be

based upon medical history, parental demand, and expert assessment.”
“Hydrodynamic conditions are important factors for planktonic algae growth, through introducing two parameters which express the optimal velocity and the velocity range for planktonic algae growth, a new velocity factor was put forward for the formula of growth rate. Therefore, the two-dimensional unsteady ecological dynamic model for algae growth was established to analyze the effects of hydrodynamic conditions VX770 on algae growth in Chongqing Reach of Jialing River in China. The temporal and spatial distribution of Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration was simulated numerically for various water levels, under climate conditions in period of high frequency for algae blooms of Three Gorges Reservoir and nutrition status at present in the research reach. The corresponding locations and areas of likely algae blooms were analyzed and forecasted. The results showed that about 0.04 ms(-1) was

the optimal velocity for algae growth, and the occurrence of algae blooms in large scale is almost JNK assay impossible because of relatively high water flow velocity for Jialing River. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“In this experiment, sorghum substitution with full-fat corn germ meal was evaluated in feed for broiler chickens. Two experiments were carried out in a randomized complete design with four levels of substitution of sorghum substitution with full-fat corn germ meal (0, 33.3, 66.7 and 100%) as energetic concentrate in diets produced exclusively with vegetable ingredients (experiment 1) or with ingredients of animal origin (experiment 2) with four replications each. Performance (weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion) were evaluated and the carcass and cuts yield, at absolute weight, expressed as percentage of live weight or eviscerated or plucked carcass. In experiment 1, a quadratic effect was observed for final weight and weight gain, that were best at the 21.03 and 21.8% levels of sorghum substitution with full-fat corn germ meal. In experiment 2, a quadratic effect was observed weight gain and feed conversion, that were best at the 35.02 and 15.

(C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.”
“C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is known as one of the circulating complement regulators that prevents excessive activation of the host-defense complement system. We have reported previously C59 Wnt purchase that C4BP is expressed abundantly in the rodent epididymis, one

of the male reproductive organs connecting the testis and vas deferens, where immature spermatozoa acquire their motility and fertilizing ability during their transit through the duct. Epididymal C4BP (EpC4BP) is synthesized androgen-dependently by the epithelial cells, secreted into the lumen, and bound to the outer membrane of the passing spermatozoa. In this study, we found that EpC4BP is secreted as a large oligomer, similar to the serum C4BP, but is digested during the epididymal transit and is almost lost from both the luminal fluid and the sperm surface in the vas deferens. selleck Such a processing pattern

is not known in serum C4BP, suggesting that EpC4BP and serum C4BP might have different functional mechanisms, and that there is a novel function of EpC4BP in reproduction. In addition, the disappearance of EpC4BP from the sperm surface prior to ejaculation suggests that EpC4BP works only in the epididymis and would not work in the female reproductive tract to protect spermatozoa from complement attack. Next, we generated C4BP-deficient (C4BP-/-) mice to examine the possible role of EpC4BP in reproduction. However, the C4BP-/- mice were fertile and no significant differences were observed between the C4BP-/- and wild-type mouse spermatozoa in terms selleck inhibitor of morphology, motility, and rate of the spontaneous acrosome reaction. These results suggest that EpC4BP is involved in male reproduction, but not essential for sperm maturation. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH.

All rights reserved.”
“The inv(16)(p13q22)/t(16;16)(p13;q22) in acute myeloid leukemia results in multiple CBFB-MYH11 fusion transcripts, with type A being most frequent. The biologic and prognostic implications of different fusions are unclear. We analyzed CBFB-MYH11 fusion types in 208 inv(16)/t(16; 16) patients with de novo disease, and compared clinical and cytogenetic features and the KIT mutation status between type A (n = 182; 87%) and non-type A (n = 26; 13%) patients. At diagnosis, non-type A patients had lower white blood counts (P = .007), and more often trisomies of chromosomes 8 (P = .01) and 21 (P < .001) and less often trisomy 22 (P = .02). No patient with non-type A fusion carried a KIT mutation, whereas 27% of type A patients did (P = .002). Among the latter, KIT mutations conferred adverse prognosis; clinical outcomes of non-type A and type A patients with wild-type KIT were similar. We also derived a fusion-type-associated global gene-expression profile.

\n\nConclusions FZD6 belongs to a family of proteins that serve as receptors in Wnt signalling pathways, and has been shown to act as a negative regulator of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signalling cascade and a positive regulator of the noncanonical Wnt or planar cell polarity pathway. The present results therefore suggest that FZD6 plays a pivotal role in the growth and guidance of the nail plate in humans by acting as a molecular switch between different Wnt pathways. Previous studies have identified mutations in the RSPO4 and LMX1B components of the Wnt pathway JIB-04 Epigenetics inhibitor in patients with the hypoplastic nail disorders anonychia and nail-patella syndrome, respectively. Only recently, FZD6

mutations were identified in isolated nail dysplasia. The present results emphasize the important role of the Wnt pathways in nail development MEK162 cell line and increase understanding of Wnt-mediated developmental events in general.”
“To

facilitate routine laboratories in the effective diagnosis of brucellosis, we report a robust and rapid multiplex PCR assay, which allows for the differentiation of all nine currently recognised Brucella species. This includes the recently described species B. microti, B. inopinata, B. ceti and B. pinnipedialis. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) represents a heterogeneous disease with a very variable outcome. The reliable prognosis of this disease at the time of initial diagnosis is difficult to predict. The purpose of this preliminary study was to utilize the nucleolar morphology and to investigate the incidence of main nucleolar types in leukemic lymphocytes in B-CLL patients to assess their possible predictive value for the disease outcome, in correlation CA3 purchase with immunophenotype parameters.

The evaluation of nucleolar morphology of pathologic lymphocytes was performed at diagnosis and during the course of disease. Median follow up period of patients was 16.4 months (range from 2 to 32 months) from diagnosis. The nucleoli were visualized by a simple cytochemical demonstration of RNA and the proportion of main nucleolar types in pathologic lymphocyte population infiltrating bone marrow of 84 patients suffering from B-CLL was analyzed. The presence of ring shaped and compact nucleoli in leukemic lymphocytes divided patients into two subgroups with different outcome of the disease. Malignant lymphocytes of the majority of patients (Group 1,71 patients, 84.5%) mostly contained ring shaped nucleoli. These patients were in stable phase and did not require any treatment during the follow up. The population of leukemic cells of a small group of B-CLL patients (Group 2, 13 patients, 15.4%) was characterized by the presence of various proportions of pathologic lymphocytes with one large compact nucleolus.

“
“Introduction: We have previously reported that bacterial toxins, especially endotoxins such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), might be important causative agents in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in an in vitro model that simulates the potential effects of residing in damp buildings. Since numerous inflammatory processes are linked with the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B), we investigated in detail the effects of LPS on the NF-kappa B pathway and the postulated formation of procollagen-endotoxin complexes.\n\nMethods: An in vitro model of human chondrocytes was used to investigate LPS-mediated inflammatory signaling.\n\nResults: Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that

LPS physically interact with collagen type II in the extracellular Selleck Adavosertib matrix (ECM) and anti-collagen type II significantly reduced this interaction. BMS-345541 (a specific inhibitor of I kappa B kinase (IKK)) or wortmannin (a specific inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K)) inhibited the LPS-induced degradation of the ECM and apoptosis in chondrocytes. This effect was completely inhibited by combining BMS345541 and wortmannin. Furthermore, BMS-345541 and/or wortmannin suppressed the LPS-induced upregulation of catabolic enzymes that mediate ECM degradation (matrix

metalloproteinases-9, -13), cyclooxygenase-2 and apoptosis (activated caspase-3). These proteins are regulated by NF-kappa RG-7388 cell line B, suggesting that the NF-kappa B and PI-3K pathways are involved in LPS-induced cartilage degradation. The induction of NF-kappa B correlated with activation of I kappa B alpha kinase, I kappa B alpha phosphorylation, I kappa B alpha degradation, p65 phosphorylation and p65 nuclear translocation. Further upstream, LPS induced the expression of

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and bound with TLR4, indicating that LPS acts through TLR4.\n\nConclusion: These results suggest that molecular associations selleck screening library between LPS/TLR4/collagen type II in chondrocytes upregulate the NF-kappa B and PI-3K signaling pathways and activate proinflammatory activity.”
“P>Purpose:\n\nTo determine the prevalence of epilepsy and seizures in the Navajo.\n\nMethods:\n\nWe studied 226,496 Navajo residing in the Navajo Reservation who had at least one medical encounter between October 1, 1998 and September 30, 2002. We ascertained and confirmed cases in two phases. First, we identified patients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes signifying epilepsy or seizures using Indian Health Service (IHS) administrative data. Second, we reviewed medical charts of a geographic subpopulation of identified patients to confirm diagnoses and assess the positive predictive value of the ICD-9-CM codes in identifying patients with active epilepsy.

The role

of CPS as a SERCA modulator is discussed.”
“Focal malformations of cortical development (FMCD) are highly associated with several neurological disorders including intractable epilepsy and neurocognitive disabilities. Over the past decade, several FMCD subtypes have been linked to hyperactivation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling cascade. In view of the roles that mTOR plays in cell proliferation, size, motility, and stem cell phenotype, many of the features of FMCD such as cytomegaly, disorganized lamination, and expression of stem cell markers can be explained by enhanced mTOR signaling. FMCD result from several distinct and fascinating molecular mechanisms including biallelic gene inactivation, somatic mutation, and potentially, viral infection. These mechanisms have been directly linked to mTOR activation. Perhaps most compelling, ACY-1215 chemical structure pharmacological inhibition of mTOR has been implemented successfully in clinical trials for select FMCD and provides a new vista for treatment. (C) 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Liver cirrhosis is frequently accompanied by malnutrition and hypoalbuminemia, which in turn commonly induces

ascites in patients with liver cirrhosis. Ascites leads to abdominal distention and appetite www.selleckchem.com/products/Cyt387.html loss, resulting in a deteriorated quality of life (QOL). Administration of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA)-rich supplements reduces hepatic encephalopathy and malnutrition. In addition, BCAAs by themselves up-regulate

albumin synthesis through an increase in Fisher’s ratio. Thus, in patients with liver cirrhosis, BCAA-rich supplements seem to be effective at reducing ascites and improving the QOL. Here, we report the case of a 58-year-old Japanese man with liver cirrhosis with severe ascites and peripheral edema. The hepatic function of the patient was classified as Child-Pugh grade C. To reduce Copanlisib protein-energy malnutrition, BCAA-rich supplements were administered as a late evening snack as part of a regimen including 2000 kcal/day (32.5 kcal/kg/day) of total energy and 83.5 g/day (1.3 g/kg/day) of total protein intake. Eight weeks after admission, ascites and edema had decreased. Nutritional status also improved from the time of admission to discharge; the serum BCAA level increased from 365.4 to 450.2 mu mol/l. Furthermore, the ratio of BCAAs to tyrosine (BTR) increased from 1.70 to 3.65. We also evaluated the effects of nutritional therapy on the patient’s QOL using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey upon admission and at discharge. All subscores showed marked improvement and reached a level greater than the Japanese norm with nutritional treatment. In conclusion, BCAA supplementation not only reduced ascites, but also improved the QOL in a patient with liver cirrhosis.

Annualized inpatient and outpatient resource utilization were selleck kinase inhibitor compared between the pre-index (baseline) and post-index (follow-up) periods. In total, 5,656 AF/AFL patients were prescribed dronedarone for a parts per thousand yen6 months and were followed for mean (standard deviation) 11.9 (4.7) months. Reductions in mean numbers of annualized all-cause, CV- and AF-related hospitalizations (similar to similar to 40-45%), and emergency department visits (similar to 30-45%) were realized. These benefits were offset by increases in office visits (similar to 10-30%) and AF-related prescription claims (74%) after dronedarone initiation. The sub-cohort of patients switching

to dronedarone from selleck chemicals Prior Rhythm-Control

therapy (n = 2,080) showed similar reductions in hospital and emergency department events. This study suggests that dronedarone use in real-world practice, as in the ATHENA trial, results in substantial reductions in hospital admissions, both in first-line and second-line antiarrhythmic treatment settings.”
“Racial disparity in pregnancy outcomes is one of the most striking and poorly understood inequalities in American health. Genetic variability may be an important host factor influencing disparate birth outcomes between non-Hispanic black (NHB) and non-Hispanic white (NHW) women. Race-specific allelic frequencies in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene suggest its potential as a gene involved in health disparities. The Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby Study is a prospective cohort of pregnant women aimed at identifying genetic, social, and environmental BGJ398 contributors to disparities in pregnancy outcomes in Durham, NC. VDR haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped via Taqman assays for 615 women. Analysis of variance was used to examine the association between maternal genotype and infant birthweight. Eight of 38 SNPs examined showed nominal significance among NHB women, with one VDR SNP (rs7975232) surpassing the multiple testing significance threshold. rs7975232, an anonymous polymorphism, is part of a VDR gene haplotype associated with

variation in mRNA stability. mRNA stability can affect the amount of protein produced, thus directly affecting vitamin D levels and calcium homeostasis. In contrast to NHBs, there was no association between any VDR SNP and birthweight for NHWs. Genetic factors contributing to disparities in birth outcomes are not expected to be explained entirely by variation in a single gene. Nevertheless, our results suggest that maternal VDR gene polymorphisms do influence birthweight with differential effects accruing across racial groups. Further research identifying the functionality of VDR gene polymorphisms in pregnant women will improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms influencing birthweight. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.