The birth certificate as an instrument for pregnancy

The birth certificate is a valid source of information on pregnancy, birth, the newborn and the parents: such information could be useful to identify and eventually to improve the sanitary, social and economic conditions in which this event takes place and which could have negative effects on pregnancy outcome. In this paper the authors present and analyze the results of a number of births in some sanitary structures in the Umbria region (Italy), carried out through the revision of data reported in the birth certificates during the year 2004.     

The best approach for early prediction of fetal gender by using free fetal DNA from maternal plasma

OBJECTIVES: Detection of free fetal DNA (ffDNA) in maternal blood during pregnancy has given rise to the possibility of developing new noninvasive approaches for early prenatal diagnosis.On a large-scale study, two protocols of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were compared in order to establish which Y-specific locus, either multicopy DYS14 or single copy SRY sequence, was the most suitable for developing a test with high diagnostic efficiency for early fetal gender assessment. The second aim was to assess whether the combination of the two detection systems could increase the performance of the prenatal test. METHODS: We analyzed 145 plasma samples from healthy pregnant women between 11 and 12 weeks of singleton gestation. For each sample, fetal gender was determined by using both protocols (DYS14 and SRY) during the same real-time PCR run. RESULTS: The data obtained by the DYS14 and SRY assays showed an efficiency in fetal gender prediction of 97.9 and 80%, respectively. It is not advisable to combine the two protocols because this association does not help in further improvements in fetal gender prediction. CONCLUSIONS: DYS14 assay is the best approach for early fetal gender assessment because it is more sensitive, accurate, and efficient than the SRY assay.     

Treatment of uterine fibromyoma with bilateral uterine artery embolization: state of the art

Uterine fibroids are common tumors of the female pelvis. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a minimally invasive alternative procedure in appropriate candidates to conventional myomectomy and hysterectomy for symptomatic uterine leiomyoma, reducing or eliminating leiomyoma-related symptoms of bleeding, bulk, and/or pain. In order to completely block the arterial blood supply to the fibroid, UAE is typically performed in both uterine arteries. At 1 year follow-up, the uterus may shrink by up to 55%, however, a re-growth of the fibroid may occur. The rate of major complications and amenorrhea following this procedure is low, ranging in most series from 1% to 3.5% and 1% to 7%, respectively. Nevertheless, the rate of amenorrhea in women over 45 seems to be higher. Women who wish to become pregnant should be cautioned about potential complications during pregnancy. Despite the lack of controlled studies that compared UAE with conventional surgery, and despite limited extended outcome data, UAE has gained rapid acceptance, primarily because this procedure preserves the uterus, is less invasive, and has less short-term morbidity than most surgical options. This review focuses on recent publications evaluating UAE and concludes that it is a safe treatment option, providing substantial improvement in both health-related quality of life and symptom control for most patients, with a very low rate of major complications. Any centre that offers UAE should adhere to published clinical guidelines, maintain ongoing assessment of quality improvement measures, and observe strict criteria to obtain procedural privileges. The gynecologist is likely to be the primary initial consultant to patients who present with myomas symptoms. Therefore, they must be familiar with the indications, exclusions, outcome expectations, and complications of UAE. When hysterectomy is the only option, UAE should be seriously taken into consideration. At this particular moment in time, data are needed from randomized controlled trials comparing UAE with surgical procedures. Current efforts to provide prospective objective assessment of treatment outcomes and complications after UAE will help to optimize women options and clinical guidelines.     

Pharmacological evidence of catecholaminergic involvement in the behavioral effects of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone in rats

The influence of L-DOPA on the behavioral effects of LHRH was studied in male rats. Subcutaneous administration of LHRH (100 micrograms/kg) caused a significant disruption in the acquisition of a conditioned avoidance response (CAR) and a significant increase in head shaking behavior (HSB). Pretreatment with this hormone antagonized the stimulatory action of amphetamine (1 mg/kg, IP) in acquisition of CARs, spontaneous motor activity (SMA) and rearing behavior (RB). L-DOPA (100 mg/kg, IP), administered after LHRH, stimulated SMA, RB and HSB. In addition L-DOPA antagonized the effect of LHRH on acquisition of CARs and counteracted the antagonism between LHRH and amphetamine in acquisition of CARs and SMA. These findings indicate that LHRH could exert its behavioral effects through an inhibitory action upon brain catecholamine synthesis. The suppression of CARs may be the response to DA antagonism and the interaction with amphetamine could be mediated by an inhibition of both DA and NE activities. The possibility of an interaction between LHRH and central serotonin mechanisms is also discussed.     

Shape Memory Alloy—Polymer Composites: Static and Fatigue Pullout Strength under Thermo-Mechanical Loading

This work was carried out within the context of an R&D project on morphable polymer matrix composites (PMC), actuated by shape memory alloys (SMA), to be used for active aerodynamic systems in automotives. Critical issues for SMA–polymer integration are analyzed that are mostly related to the limited strength of metal–polymer interfaces. To this aim, materials with suitable thermo-mechanical properties were first selected to avoid premature activation of SMA elements during polymer setting as well as to avoid polymer damage during thermal activation of SMAs. Nonstandard samples were manufactured for both static and fatigue pullout tests under thermo-mechanical loading, which are made of SMA wires embedded in cylindrical resin blocks. Fully coupled thermo-mechanical simulations, including a special constitutive model for SMAs, were also carried out to analyze the stress and temperature distribution in the SMA–polymer samples as obtained from the application of both mechanical loads and thermal activation of the SMA wires. The results highlighted the severe effects of SMA thermal activation on adhesion strength due to the large recovery forces and to the temperature increase at the metal–polymer interface. Samples exhibit a nominal pullout stress of around 940 MPa under static mechanical load, and a marked reduction to 280 MPa was captured under simultaneous application of thermal and mechanical loads. Furthermore, fatigue run-out of 5000 cycles was achieved, under the combination of thermal activation and mechanical loads, at a nominal stress of around 200 MPa. These results represent the main design limitations of SMA/PMC systems in terms of maximum allowable stresses during both static and cyclic actuation.     

Generic Anti-PEG Antibody Assay on ProterixBio’s (Formerly BioScale) ViBE Platform Shows Poor Reproducibility

PEGylation is a modification commonly used to increase the half-life of therapeutic proteins. The strategy for immunogenicity testing of these compounds should include methods to detect both anti-protein and anti-PEG antibodies. We previously reported a method for the detection of anti-PEG antibodies using ProterixBio’s (formerly BioScale) acoustic membrane microparticle (AMMP) technology. Our initial method development work showed the assay was capable of detecting antibodies in human serum with a sensitivity of 1 μg/mL with good reproducibility (CV?<?7%). Since the publication of this initial paper, additional experimentation was performed in an effort to validate the assay for support of clinical sample analysis. This additional data indicate that the method has high variability (CV%?>?20) and is unsuitable to support clinical sample analysis.     

Residual Infestation and Recolonization during Urban Triatoma infestans Bug Control Campaign,Peru

Chagas disease vector control campaigns are being conducted in Latin America, but little is known about medium-term or long-term effectiveness of these efforts, especially in urban areas. After analyzing entomologic data for 56,491 households during the treatment phase of a Triatoma infestans bug control campaign in Arequipa, Peru, during 2003–2011, we estimated that 97.1% of residual infestations are attributable to untreated households. Multivariate models for the surveillance phase of the campaign obtained during 2009–2012 confirm that nonparticipation in the initial treatment phase is a major risk factor (odds ratio [OR] 21.5, 95% CI 3.35–138). Infestation during surveillance also increased over time (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.15–2.09 per year). In addition, we observed a negative interaction between nonparticipation and time (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.53–0.99), suggesting that recolonization by vectors progressively dilutes risk associated with nonparticipation. Although the treatment phase was effective, recolonization in untreated households threatens the long-term success of vector control.     

Systemic Besnoitiosis in a Juvenile Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)

Herein, we report the first incidence of systemic besnoitiosis in a male juvenile roe deer Capreolus capreolus. The animal was found dead in an area where bovine besnoitiosis is endemic and showed cachexia and multiple skin erosions in the metacarpal and metatarsal areas. Moreover, round and elevated white structures suggestive of Besnoitia spp. tissue cysts were also present. Twenty‐eight tissue samples from different anatomical locations were collected for microscopic lesion and parasite detection through histopathology and PCR. Immunohistochemistry was performed to confirm Besnoitia‐positive reaction in the tissue cysts. In addition, the identity of Besnoitia spp. in PCR‐positive tissue samples was also investigated using microsatellite (MS) markers, and the comparison of protein disulphide isomerase gene sequences (BbPDI) of B. besnoiti and B. tarandi isolated from cattle and reindeer, respectively. Besnoitia cysts were detected in the skin (several parts), respiratory and upper digestive tracts, eyes, kidney, liver, testicle, cardiac muscle and lymphoid tissue. Remarkably, the presence of tissue cysts in the brain confirmed the capacity of Besnoitia spp. to form tissue cysts in the central nervous system (CNS). Finally, the Besnoitia species detected showed the same MS genotype as B. besnoiti, and BbPDI sequences from roe deer and two B. besnoiti isolates were genetically identical throughout multiple sequence alignment. Thus, for the first time, there is evidence that roe deer might act as an intermediate host of B. besnoiti. Further molecular analyses and parasite isolations are needed to corroborate these findings.