Intrauterine death from umbilical cord hematoma

Umbilical cord hematoma is a rare cause of intrauterine morbidity and mortality. There have been many theories about the etiology of this entity, but its cause remains unknown. Intrauterine death occurred in a postmature (44 weeks) fetus and was associated with an umbilical cord hematoma. Histologic examination of the cord showed a thinning of the wall of the umbilical vein with splitting of the elastic membrane.     

Mosaicism in amniotic fluid cell cultures: Classification and significance

The last decade has witnessed increasing application of human cytogenetic technology to prenatal chromosome analysis. However, unlike the rather uniform peripheral blood T-lymphocyte system which has provided most of our experience in human cytogenetics, long-term amniotic-fluid cell cultures display extreme cellular heterogeneity and disproportionate growth of certain cell types as a consequence of clonal amplification. When they enter cell culture, many of these cells are approching the terminal stages of their respective life spans and may have accumulated chromosomal aberrations. Concern about the possibility of true fetal mosaicism seems warranted chiefly in situations were multiple colonies display potentially viable aberrations. Clonal analysis, preferable of multiple clonal types, and attention to details of clonal morphology are likely to minimize diagnostic errors and undue apprehension resulting from mosaicism in amniotic-fluid cell cultures.     

Molecular interactions of fission yeast Skp1 and its role in the DNA damage checkpoint

Skp1 is a central component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase SCF (Skp1-Cullin-1-F-box). It forms an adapter bridge between Cullin-1 and the substrate-determining component, the F-box protein. In order to establish the role of Skp1, a temperature sensitive (ts) screen was carried out using mutagenic PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and 9 independent ts mutants were isolated. Mapping the mutated residues on the 3-D structure of human Skp1 suggested that the mutants would be compromised in binding to F-box proteins but not Cullin-1 (Pcu1). In order to assess the binding properties of ts Skp1, 12 F-box proteins and Pcu1 were epitope-tagged, and co-immunoprecipitation performed. This systematic analysis showed that ts Skp1 retains binding to Pcu1. However, binding to three specific F-box proteins, essential Pof1, Pof3 involved in maintaining genome integrity, and nonessential Pof10, was reduced. skp1ts cells exhibit a G2 cell cycle delay, which is attributable to activation of the DNA damage checkpoint. Intriguingly, contrary to pof3 mutants, in which this checkpoint is required for survival, checkpoint abrogation in skp1(ts) suppresses a G2 delay and furthermore almost rescues the ts phenotype. The activation mechanism of the DNA damage checkpoint therefore differs between pof3Delta and skp1(ts), implicating a novel role for Skp1 in the checkpoint-signalling cascade.     

Exploring online identity construction for the caregivers of adults living with dementia and the value of interactions with health and social care professionals

Becoming an informal caregiver for an adult living with dementia has been shown to have a significant impact upon the conception of identity. This study aimed to identify how identity is constructed online amongst caregivers of individuals living with dementia and how healthcare interactions can influence identity development through the analysis of online web blogs. Sixteen online blogs (172 entries) were selected through purposive and snowball sampling, and discourse analysis was used to analyse online identity construction for informal caregivers of adults living with dementia. Six areas of online identity construction were identified: changing family role; powerful expert social campaigner; being an advocate; guardian of their relative's selfhood; sustaining creative and spiritual individuality and wider community member in online and real life. Further to this, the importance of health and social care service interactions in the development of caregiver identity revealed that professionals must ensure person-centred service contacts for caregivers. This is a challenging task in the pandemic climate where interactions between health and social care professionals and caregivers are limited due to isolation measures. It is evident that the blog format can provide a forum through which the identity of the caregiver of an adult living with dementia can evolve. The six areas of identity construction reveal the multifaceted nature of identity for the caregiver and the value of belonging to an online community both in relation to identity construction and support. This finding is especially applicable in the current pandemic when accessing a face-to-face community is challenging for caregivers who may be shielding or living in isolation. The findings of this research can aid health and social care professionals in understanding the development of caregiver identity and in providing appropriate support during service interactions, on accessing virtual and face to face community support.     

Plasma B Vitamers: Population Epidemiology and Parent-Child Concordance in Children and Adults

Scope: B vitamers are co-enzymes involved in key physiological processes including energy production, one-carbon, and macronutrient metabolism. Studies profiling B vitamers simultaneously in parent–child dyads are scarce. Profiling B vitamers in parent–child dyads enables an insightful determination of gene–environment contributions to their circulating concentrations. We aimed to characterise: (a) parent–child dyad concordance, (b) generation (children versus adults), (c) age (within the adult subgroup (age range 28–71 years)) and (d) sex differences in plasma B vitamer concentrations in the CheckPoint study of Australian children. Methods and Results: 1166 children (11 ± 0.5 years, 51% female) and 1324 parents (44 ± 5.1 years, 87% female) took part in a biomedical assessment of a population-derived longitudinal cohort study: The Growing Up in Australia’s Child Health CheckPoint. B vitamer levels were quantified by UHPLC/MS-MS. B vitamer levels were weakly concordant between parent–child pairs (10–31% of variability explained). All B vitamer concentrations exhibited generation-specificity, except for flavin mononucleotide (FMN). The levels of thiamine, pantothenic acid, and 4-pyridoxic acid were higher in male children, and those of pantothenic acid were higher in male adults compared to their female counterparts. Conclusion: Family, age, and sex contribute to variations in the concentrations of plasma B vitamers in Australian children and adults.     

Athletes’ and Coaches’ Perceptions of Nutritional Advice: Eating More Food for Health and Performance

Background: Low energy availability results in physiological adaptations which contribute to unfavourable health outcomes. Little information exists on perceptions of nutritional advice to eat more food to maintain health and enhance performance. The aim of this study was to explore athletes’ and coaches’ perceptions towards advice to athletes to eat larger than their current quantities of food and to explore how nutritionists could deliver this advice. Methods: Semi-structured interviews (~20 min in length) were conducted using online communication technology, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. The interview explored perceptions of the nutritional advice provided, its role in health and performance, and the challenges to eating larger amounts of food. Data were analysed using NVIVO 1.2 using an inductive thematic approach. Results: Nine elite athletes (female = 6; males = 3) and nine high-performance coaches (female = 3; male = 6) completed the semi-structured interviews. Athletes reported improved training consistency, fewer injuries and illnesses, and improved resilience when consuming adequate energy and nutrients to meet their needs. Lack of time and meal preparation difficulties were the main challenges faced to fuelling. Conclusions: Although education about under-fuelling is important, motivating, enabling, and supporting athletes to change behaviour is pivotal to increasing athlete self-awareness and to make long-term nutritional changes.     

教授对作假行为失查而受处罚

上周 ,英国伦敦帝国大学口腔医学院临床生化系教授ＴｉｍｏｔｈｙＰｅｔｅｒｓ被判定犯有严重的失职罪。他之所以遭到英国国家医学委员会的严厉谴责是因为他指导的一名低年资医师ＡｎｊａｎＢａｎｅｒｊｅｅ发表了一篇捏造的研究报告 ,而他却失于督查和阻止。ＡｎｊａｎＢａｎｅｒｊｅｅ医生现年 4 1岁 ,曾于1988年至 1991年期间在帝国大学医院作低年资医师 ,当时Ｐｅｔｅｒｓ教授是他的科研项目负责人。去年 ,他在《英国医学杂志》(ＢＭＪ 2 0 0 0 ;32 1:14 2 9)上发表了一篇伪造的研究报告 ,经英国国家医学委员会核实 ,认为存在欺骗行为 ,…