Weather and Birth Weight: Different Roles of Maternal and Neonatal GPR61 Promoter Methylation / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objectives@#It is unclear whether G protein-coupled receptor 61 (GPR61) affecting body weight, plays a role in the association between birth weight and weather. This study aimed to assess the effects of prenatal weather and GPR61 on birth weight.@*Methods@#A total of 567 mother-newborn pairs were recruited in Houzhai Center Hospital during 2011-2012. We detected the maternal and neonatal GPR61 promoter methylation levels, and obtained meteorological and air pollution data.@*Results@#A positive association was observed between maternal and neonatal GPR61 methylation levels, and both of them were affected by precipitation, relative humidity (RH) and daily temperature range (DTR). Birth weight was associated negatively with RH and positively with DTR ( P < 0.05). A significant association was observed between birth weight and neonatal GPR61 methylation. We observed that maternal GPR61 methylation seemed to modify associations between weather and birth weight ( P interaction < 0.10), while neonatal GPR61 methylation mediated the effects of RH and DTR on birth weight ( P < 0.05).@*Conclusions@#Our findings revealed the significant associations among prenatal weather, GPR61 methylation and birth weight. Maternal GPR61 methylation may modify the susceptibility of birth weight to prenatal weather conditions, while neonatal GPR61 methylation may be a bridge of the effects of prenatal RH and DTR on birth weight.

Sclerostin regulation: a promising therapy for periodontitis by modulating alveolar bone / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent epidemics affecting human health and life recently, and exploration of the pathogenesis and treatment of periodontitis has been valued by scholars. In recent years, sclerostin, a new factor on bone resorption and reconstruction caused by inflammation and mechanical stimulation, has been a research hotspot. This article summarizes the researches on sclerostin in periodontitis development in recent years. Among them, sclerostin has been shown to be a critical negative regulator of bone formation, thereby inhibiting bone remodeling in periodontitis development, and is closely associated with tooth movement. Besides, evidence indicates that the removal of sclerostin seems to reasonably protect the alveolar bone from resorption. Regulation of sclerostin expression is a novel, promising treatment for periodontitis and addresses several complications seen with traditional therapies; accordingly, many drugs with similar mechanisms have emerged. Moreover, the application prospect of sclerostin in periodontal therapy combined with orthodontic treatment is another promising approach. There are also a lot of drugs that regulate sclerostin. Anti-sclerostin antibody (Scl-Ab) is the most direct one that inhibits bone resorption caused by sclerostin. At present, drugs that inhibit the expression of sclerostin have been applied to the treatment of diseases such as multiple myeloma and osteoporosis. Therefore, the application of sclerostin in the oral field is just around the corner, which provides a new therapeutic bone regulation strategy in oral and general health.