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A large number of cytokines and growth factors support the development and subsequent maintenance of postnatal motor neurons. RegIII␤, also known as Reg2 in rat and HIP/PAP1 in humans, is a member of a family of growth factors found in many areas of the body and previously shown to play an important role in both the development and regeneration of subsets of motor neurons. It has been suggested that RegIII␤ expressed by motor neurons is both an obligatory intermediate in the downstream signaling of the leukemia inhibitory factor/ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) family of cytokines, maintaining the integrity of motor neurons during development, as well as a powerful influence on Schwann cell growth during regeneration of the peripheral nerve. Here we report that in mice with a deletion of the RegIII␤ gene, motor neuron survival was unaffected up to 28 weeks after birth. However, there was no CNTF-mediated rescue of neonatal facial motor neurons after axotomy in KO animals when compared with wild-type. In mice, RegIII␤ positive motor neurons are concentrated in cranial motor nuclei that are involved in the patterning of swallowing and suckling. We found that suckling was impaired in RegIII␤ KO mice and correlated this with a significant delay in myelination of the hypoglossal nerve. In summary, we propose that RegIII␤ has an important role to play in the developmental fine-tuning of neonatal motor behaviors mediating the response to peripherally derived cytokines and growth factors and regulating the myelination of motor axons.Schwann cells ͉ suckling ͉ hypoglossal nerve ͉ LIF

Breast cancer civil society, as represented by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in this study, can play an essential role in breast cancer control. Their breast cancer-related programs often reflect the breast cancer burden and the resources available for cancer control within the country or region they serve. This report reviews organizational features and program activities of 154 NGOs involved in breast cancer control from 35 countries. Breast cancer civil society in low and lower-middle income countries are most often associated with hospitals and medical professionals and focus on direct medical services, providing information, raising community awareness, and early detection campaigns. In upper-middle income countries, NGOs were likely to be survivor-led and there were more breast cancer-specific organizations. NGOs played a lesser role in provision of direct medical services and had a greater program emphasis on other areas of patient services, including emotional support. In high income countries, they were typically survivor-led, breast cancer-specific NGOs were prominent, and NGOs had a more prominent focus on research, advocacy and legal rights compared to other resource settings.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) -primarily cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases -represent a major health, social, and economic burden that affects women globally, yet their impact on women in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) has not been fully recognized.1 NCDs cause premature death and disability among women of all socioeconomic strata worldwide. This burden is expected to increase substantially in the coming decades, especially in LMICs, because of a combination of factors, primarily the "ageing" of the population, improvements in maternal health in LMICs and a projected increase in smoking, obesity and other risk factors for NCDs among women. 2Discussions surrounding the post-2015 development agenda provide an important and timely opportunity to realign policies and resources in trying to meet the complex and shifting health problems faced by women globally. The focus of the realignment should be on ensuring that health systems have the capacity to equitably provide health services to women throughout their lifecourse and on maximizing collective efforts to meet women's health needs in all settings, even the poorest. Achieving this will require strengthening the control of NCDs and integrating it into women's health frameworks and platforms, allocating resources optimally and promoting the development of health systems that serve the needs of women throughout all stages of life.3 NCDs, communicable diseases and maternal conditions are interrelated in complex ways. One can lead to the other. For example, hormonal changes during pregnancy can induce the appearance of diabetes and hypertension. A pregnant woman who has diabetes, hypertension or infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as an underlying condition is at greater risk of suffering complications during pregnancy and delivery than a woman who has none of these conditions. 4 Because of these interrelations, the limited availability and accessibility of NCD prevention and control services makes it even harder to make headway in addressing established global health priorities.Opportunities to prevent and treat NCDs and reduce their financial and social burden on women abound, but most of the time they are missed. NCDs develop over years; it takes frequent contact with the health system to detect them at an early stage. In many settings, maternal and reproductive health services are the only potential points of contact for the secondary prevention of NCDs.Health systems are ill-equipped to keep pace with changing patterns of disease and the need for an expanded range of health services for women of all ages. Many women who have some type of NCD also have HIV infection or a pregnancy-related health problem. Integration of NCD prevention and control efforts within existing health services is becoming increasingly necessary to bolster future progress in women's health and socioeconomic well-being and to safeguard the progress made so far in attaining the goals and targets set in the area of women's he...

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