285 research outputs found
International standards for early fetal size and pregnancy dating based on ultrasound measurement of crown-rump length in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Get PDFOBJECTIVES: There are no international standards for relating fetal crown-rump length (CRL) to gestational age (GA), and most existing charts have considerable methodological limitations. The INTERGROWTH-21(st) Project aimed to produce the first international standards for early fetal size and ultrasound dating of pregnancy based on CRL measurement.
METHODS: Urban areas in eight geographically diverse countries that met strict eligibility criteria were selected for the prospective, population-based recruitment, between 9 + 0 and 13 + 6 weeks' gestation, of healthy well-nourished women with singleton pregnancies at low risk of fetal growth impairment. GA was calculated on the basis of a certain last menstrual period, regular menstrual cycle and lack of hormonal medication or breastfeeding in the preceding 2 months. CRL was measured using strict protocols and quality-control measures. All women were followed up throughout pregnancy until delivery and hospital discharge. Cases of neonatal and fetal death, severe pregnancy complications and congenital abnormalities were excluded from the study.
RESULTS: A total of 4607 women were enrolled in the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study, one of the three main components of the INTERGROWTH-21(st) Project, of whom 4321 had a live singleton birth in the absence of severe maternal conditions or congenital abnormalities detected by ultrasound or at birth. The CRL was measured in 56 women at < 9 + 0 weeks' gestation; these were excluded, resulting in 4265 women who contributed data to the final analysis. The mean CRL and SD increased with GA almost linearly, and their relationship to GA is given by the following two equations (in which GA is in days and CRL in mm): mean CRL = -50.6562 + (0.815118 × GA) + (0.00535302 × GA(2) ); and SD of CRL = -2.21626 + (0.0984894 × GA).
GA estimation is carried out according to the two equations: GA = 40.9041 + (3.21585 × CRL(0.5) ) + (0.348956 × CRL); and SD of GA = 2.39102 + (0.0193474 × CRL).
CONCLUSIONS: We have produced international prescriptive standards for early fetal linear size and ultrasound dating of pregnancy in the first trimester that can be used throughout the world
Genotyping and phenotyping epilepsies of childhood
Get PDFEpilepsy occurs in 1 to 2 of 100 children. The underlying etiology and clinical symptoms can be very variable. This has an impact on the treatment and prognosis of epilepsy. In the last few years, many new genes have been discovered that play a role in the development of epilepsy. Therefore, in patients with epilepsy, the underlying cause can be more often identified. However, the precise yield of genetic testing and the clinical symptoms that can occur in patients with a variant in one of the epilepsy genes is yet unknown. With this research, we showed that genetic research is important, both diagnostically and psychologically. We were able to describe the clinical symptoms for a number of genetics forms of epilepsy (related to the genes SYNGAP1, GRIN2A, PCDH19, STX1B and PRRT2). These studies help us to recognize these genetic forms of epilepsy. Early recognition and treatment of these disorders and their symptoms is important to improve outcome. We also found that different variants in the GRIN2A-gene results in a different clinical effect. This finding is a first step towards developing new, targeted therapies for GRIN2A-related epilepsy, dependent on the results of genetic testing. In conclusion, this thesis has led to more knowledge about genetic epilepsies on a diagnostic, therapeutic and psychological level. We have bundled these results with our experiences in clinical practice into a proposal for a new diagnostic algorithm for genetic testing in patients with epilepsy
C1 compounds as auxiliary substrate for engineered Pseudomonas putida S12
Get PDFThe solvent-tolerant bacterium Pseudomonas putida S12 was engineered to efficiently utilize the C1 compounds methanol and formaldehyde as auxiliary substrate. The hps and phi genes of Bacillus brevis, encoding two key steps of the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) pathway, were introduced to construct a pathway for the metabolism of the toxic methanol oxidation intermediate formaldehyde. This approach resulted in a remarkably increased biomass yield on the primary substrate glucose when cultured in C-limited chemostats fed with a mixture of glucose and formaldehyde. With increasing relative formaldehyde feed concentrations, the biomass yield increased from 35% (C-mol biomass/C-mol glucose) without formaldehyde to 91% at 60% relative formaldehyde concentration. The RuMP-pathway expressing strain was also capable of growing to higher relative formaldehyde concentrations than the control strain. The presence of an endogenous methanol oxidizing enzyme activity in P. putida S12 allowed the replacement of formaldehyde with the less toxic methanol, resulting in an 84% (C-mol/C-mol) biomass yield. Thus, by introducing two enzymes of the RuMP pathway, co-utilization of the cheap and renewable substrate methanol was achieved, making an important contribution to the efficient use of P. putida S12 as a bioconversion platform host.BiotechnologyApplied Science
Teratogenesis in the chick embryo effects of retinoic acid, 1976
Get PDFFertile eggs of White Leghorn chickens were injected with 0.5 cc of a 0.2% solution of retinoic acid through their air sacs after 48 hr of incubation. The embryos were sacrificed on days 4 through 9 of incubation and analyzed on the basis of: 1) survival, 2) number of gross abnormalities, 3) types of malformations produced, and 4) crown-rump length of embryos. Malformations produced were hemorrhages of the viscera and brain, edema, everted viscera, and reductions in crown-rump length and body structures. Retinoic acid was determined to be a stage specific agent because most hemorrhages of the viscera and reductions in crown-rump length and body structures occurred on days 7 through 9 of incubation, whereas most brain hemorrhages occurred on days 4 through 6 of incubation. There was no detection of Ca deposits in whole 9-day-old embryos stained with alizarin red S. It appeared that retinoic acid acts on the skeletal system to produce abnormalities. Histological analysis was used to further support this interpretation. Sections stained in alcian blue showed that retinoic acid caused cellular necrosis, suppression of mesenchymal condensations, and the disintegration of the cartilage matrix in chick limb-buds
A ’Rump’ Statehood and the Polish Liberalism
No full textThis article is revised version of speech that was given at Oxford University. It deals with the origins of polish liberalism. Author states that there are two sources of liberalism that look like globular clusters. The first one sprung from a tradition of ancient feudal liberties. And the second source: liberalism stemmed from an opposition both to a practice of absolutist state and to the political ideology of absolutism. Finally, article tracks down the intellectual history of Polish liberalism
Current Challenges in Developing Open Source Computer Algebra Systems
No full textThis note is based on the plenary talk given by the second author at MACIS 2015, the Sixth International Conference on Mathematical Aspects of Computer and Information Sciences. Motivated by some of the work done within the Priority Programme SPP 1489 of the German Research Council DFG, we discuss a number of current challenges in the development of Open Source computer algebra systems. The main focus is on algebraic geometry and the system SINGULAR
Essential fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids and birth weight: a study in term neonates.
No full text: Am J Clin Nutr 2001 Apr;73(4):797-806 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut Comment in: Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Apr;73(4):671-2. Essential fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids and birth weight: a study in term neonates. Rump P, Mensink RP, Kester AD, Hornstra G. Department of Human Biology and the Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands. [email protected] BACKGROUND: Essential fatty acids (EFAs) in umbilical cord blood samples are associated with attained birth weight in premature infants and low-birth-weight neonates. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate relations between the EFA composition of cord and maternal plasma phospholipids and birth weight in term neonates. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study in 627 singletons born at term. The plasma phospholipid EFA composition of the mothers was determined by gas-liquid chromatography at study entry (< or = 16 wk gestation), at delivery, and in cord plasma at birth. Birth weights were normalized to SD scores. RESULTS: In cord plasma, the dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid concentration was positively related to weight SD scores. Both arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were negatively related to weight SD scores. EFA-status indicators showed similar negative associations, whereas eicosatrienoic acid concentrations were positively related to neonatal size. In maternal plasma, proportions of n-3 long-chain polyenes (LCPs) and n-6 LCPs decreased during pregnancy. Larger decreases in AA, DHA, n-3 LCP, and n-6 LCP fractions were observed in mothers of heavier babies. Higher concentrations of LCPs in maternal plasma were, however, not related to a larger infant size at birth. CONCLUSIONS: A lower biochemical EFA status in umbilical cord plasma and a larger decrease in maternal plasma LCP concentrations are associated with a higher weight-for-gestational-age at birth in term neonates. Our findings do not support a growth-stimulating effect of AA or DHA; however, they do suggest that maternal-to-fetal transfer of EFAs might be a limiting factor in determining neonatal EFA status
Agression of The Yugoslav People's Army on the Republic of Croatia 1990-1992
Get PDFThe author examined the role of the Yugosla People's Army (JNA) in the agression against CRoatia during the period from 1990 to 1992. There is no doubt that the JNA was major forced used by the rump pro-Serbian presidency of Yugoslavia and by Serbian nationalists in the agression
Set-theoretic solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation, RC-calculus, and Garside germs
Get PDFBuilding on a result by W. Rump, we show how to exploit the right-cyclic law (x.y).(x.z) = (y.x).(y.z) in order to investigate the structure groups and monoids attached with (involutive nondegenerate) set-theoretic solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation. We develop a sort of right-cyclic calculus, and use it to obtain short proofs for the existence both of the Garside structure and of the I-structure of such groups. We describe finite quotients that exactly play for the considered groups the role that Coxeter groups play for Artin-Tits groups
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