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Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a heterogeneous disorder and research to date has principally focused on maternal factors. In this study, however, we considered the associations between background factors and preeclampsia in men who fathered preeclamptic and non‐preeclamptic pregnancies. Material and methods: From 2008 to 2011, participants in the Finnish Genetics of Pre‐eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) cohort completed a questionnaire on their background information. Questionnaire data were available from 586 men who had fathered a preeclamptic pregnancy (PE fathers) and 660 control men who had fathered a non‐preeclamptic pregnancy. Two different control groups were established: Group 1: healthy controls (n = 457), which consisted of fathers whose current partners were healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies; Group 2: other controls (n = 203), which also included fathers whose current partners had other pregnancy complications. Results: The PE fathers more often reported preeclampsia in a previously fathered pregnancy (p < 0.05 for all). The PE and control fathers were similar in age, body mass index, smoking, and preexisting medical conditions. There were no differences in the socioeconomic background or health history of the PE and control fathers or their parents. Conclusions: In the FINNPEC study cohort, the occurrence of preeclampsia in a previously fathered pregnancy was more common among the men who had fathered a preeclamptic pregnancy; other paternal phenotypic and lifestyle characteristics did not play a significant role in preeclampsia susceptibility of their partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual decision-makers at different governance levels operate in social contexts, which means that they sometimes need to compromise their personal values. Yet, this dissonance is rarely the direct target of empirical analyses of environmental decision-making. We undertake a Q-analysis of decision-makers' personal perspectives and the perspectives they perceive to dominate in their decision-making contexts. Our empirical analysis addresses biodiversity conservation, which has traditionally been justified with intrinsic value- and science-based arguments. The arguments have recently been broadened with the concept of ecosystem services, highlighting human benefits and values. This evolving context is interesting because of the new rise of anthropocentric values, which can lead to decision-makers experiencing dissonance. Our analysis of interviews with 43 biodiversity conservation decision-makers from nine European countries reveals four personally held perspectives that highlight different, yet partly overlapping, values - intrinsic, human benefit, conservation and connection - as well as three perspectives perceived to dominate in decision-making - utilitarian, insurance and knowledge values. The comparison of personally held and perceived dominant perspectives points to one major conflict: those decision-makers who personally associate with intrinsic values and perceive utilitarian values to dominate in decision-making experience dissonance. By contrast, personally held human benefit values are accommodated well in decision-making contexts and decision-makers who perceive insurance values to dominate experience the least conflict with personally held values. These findings demonstrate the potential of arguments stressing long-term benefits for easing tension and conflicts in conservation decision-making, and the usefulness of empirically testing of the coincidence of individual and social values. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the study of the role of retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA) in vitamin D receptor (VDR) responsive interactions using nuclear extracts from human osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cells. Inability of the RXRA to recognize the VDR responsive complexes; Decrease of the responsive interaction; Characterization of DNA-binding properties.

The binding of transcription factor AP-1 and vitamin D receptor (VDR) to the composite AP-1 plus vitamin-D-responsive promoter region (AP-1 + VDRE) of the human osteocalcin gene was characterized in osteocalcin-producing (MG-63) and non-producing (U2-Os, SaOs-2) human osteosarcoma cell lines. In mobility-shift assays with AP-1 + VDRE, AP-1, and VDRE probes and nuclear extracts from these cells, one AP-1-specific and two VDR-specific (fast and slow mobility) interactions were observed. Characterization of the complexes indicated that AP-1 and VDR do not bind simultaneously to the AP-1 + VDRE oligonucleotide. Intensity of the complexes was greatly influenced by cell density: in MG-63 and SaOs-2 cells, AP-1 binding was strong during the proliferative period disappearing at confluency whereas, in U2-Os cells, AP-1 binding was prominent also at the confluent stage. Furthermore, MG-63 cells possessed the faster migrating VDR complex at all stages of confluency whereas, in U2-Os and SaOs-2 cells, it was very weak or absent. There were no detectable differences in the levels of VDR protein between these cell lines. In U2-Os cells, the level of c-jun mRNA was higher than in the other two cell lines, whereas none of these cell lines exhibited detectable levels of c-fos mRNA at the confluent stage. Exogenous c-Jun protein effectively blocked the VDR-DNA interaction. Further, all these cell lines expressed mRNA for retinoid X receptor α (RXR α), the factor suggested to be required for the VDR-DNA interaction. The presence of an accessory factor in the VDR-DNA complexes was indirectly shown by treatment of the cells with 9-cis retinoic acid and by cycloheximide. Both treatments reduced VDR binding without affecting the VDR protein level. These results suggest that AP-1 interferes with VDR binding to the AP-1 + VDRE element and that the vitamin D responsiveness of the osteocalcin gene correlates with weak AP-1 binding and strong binding of the faster migrating VDR complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D3-(calcitriol)-induced medium osteocalcin and cellular osteocalcin mRNA concentrations are increased in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner by prior treatment of the human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells with insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). In addition, IGF-I reverses the inhibitory effects of dexamethasone and enhances the effects of retinoic acid on osteocalcin synthesis. The stimulatory effect of IGF-I on osteocalcin synthesis is accompanied by stabilizalion of osteocalcin mRNA and a decrease of AP-1 binding to the osteocalcin promoter. The binding of the vitamin-D receptor (VDR) to its cognate response element is not affected by IGF-I. In contrast to its effects on osteocalcin synthesis, both baseline and calcitriol-stimulated alkaline phosphatase activities are decreased by IGF-I treatment. Furthermore. IGF-I has mitogenic effects on MG-63 cells. The proliferation of the cells and the levels of c-jun mRNA are greatly increased during IGF-I treatment. Calcitriol reduces or eliminates both these effects. The low concentrations of IGF-I used in this study suggest that IGF-I is an important normal regulator of the synthesis of osteocalcin, a bone calcium-binding protein participating in bone mineralization, by modulating the effects of steroid hormones on its synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have compared the actions of calcitriol and its three synthetic analogs, 20-epi-22-oxa-24a,26a,27a-trihomo-1 α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (KH 1060), 1 α,24S-(OH)2-22-ene-26,27-cyclopropyl vitamin D3 (MC 903) and 20-epi-1 α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (MC 1288), on the expression of two marker genes of differentiated osteoblasts, namely alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin, using human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. Calcitriol and the analogs had qualitatively similar stimulatory effects on target-gene activation. Quantitatively, MC 903 behaved in most experiments essentially as the parent compound calcitriol. In vitamin D receptor/DNA complex formation MC 903, however, was more potent than calcitriol. In contrast, the 20-epi analogs, KH 1060 and MC 1288, were much more potent even at lower concentrations, than calcitriol and MC 903 in stimulating alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin mRNA synthesis and osteocalcin secretion. The stimulation occurred to a greater degree and for a longer period than with calcitriol. This effect was apparently mediated by stronger and longer lasting binding of the vitamin D receptor to the osteocalcin vitamin D responsive element by the 20-epi analogs. After a 6-h treatment and during subsequent culture without hormone, the effects of the 20-epi analogs were also stronger and lasted longer than those with calcitriol or MC 903. Collectively, at comparable and lower concentrations, the 20-epi analogs, KH 1060 and MC 1288, mediate much stronger and longer lasting stimulatory effects than calcitriol or its analog MC 903 on target-gene expression associated with the differentiated phenotype of the MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]