...Robert Drynda; Shanta J. Persaud; James E. Bowe; Peter M Jones Background/Aims: Insulin-secreting islet β-cells adapt to the insulin resistance associated with pregnancy by increasing functional β-cell mass, but the placental signals involved in this process are not well defined. In the current...

... Hepatitis B virus Intrauterine transmission Placenta Pregnancy Toll-like receptor When the cells reached a confluence of 50%-60%, serum containing high quantity of HBV was added (corresponding to approximately 100 viral genomes equivalent/cell). After 48 hours of incubation, cells were then washed...

...Fei Wang; Yihua Bei; Yingying Zhao; Yang Song; Junjie Xiao; Changqing Yang Background/Aims: We previously documented the presence of Telocytes (TCs) in liver and further indicated the potential roles of TCs in liver regeneration after hepatectomy. Pregnancy-induced liver growth, other than liver...

...Arunkumar Arumugam; Ramadevi Subramani; Sushmita Nandy; Rebecca Lopez; Thiyagarajan Boopalan; Rajkumar Lakshmanaswamy Background: Protective effect of early pregnancy and short-term estrogen treatment (STET), against breast cancer is well established. The underlying mechanisms are not well...

... is an important organ where gene activity can be regulated by epigenetic DNA modifications, including DNA methylation. This is of interest as, the placenta is the interface between the fetus and its environment, the mother. Exposure to environmental toxins and nutrition during pregnancy may alter DNA methylation...

...Lucimeire N. Carvalho; Priscila C. Cristovam; Clévia S. Passos; Mirian A. Boim Background/Aims: Pregnancy is characterized by vasodilatation and increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), despite overstimulation of the renin angiotensin system (RAS). The mesangial cells (MCs) influences GFR...