Assessing the relationship between perfluoroalkyl substances, thyroid hormones and binding proteins in pregnant women; a longitudinal mixed effects approach

Caring relationships are recognized as important resources for information seekers. I consider how nine pregnant women map their relationships with their midwives as they evaluate them as information sources. Data come from interviews. Women described the relationship as a trajectory, beginning with the “idea” of a midwife. As women get to know their midwife, they are able to draw on a set of resources, including the relationship itself, as informative. These resources are not static but are re-negotiated on an ongoing basis. A single encounter therefore maps both to the trajectory of the relationship and to a broader discursive community.Les relations bienveillantes sont reconnues comme ressources importantes pour ceux qui cherchent de l'information. En analysant les données de neuf entrevues, je tenterai de déterminer comment neuf femmes enceintes se représentent leur relation avec leur sage-femme vue comme source d'information. Les femmes décrivent leur relation comme une trajectoire qui s'appuie sur « l'idée » qu'elles se font d'une sage-femme. Au fur et à mesure que la relation avec leur sage-femme évolue, les femmes peuvent se prévaloir d'un ensemble de ressources informatives, y compris la relation elle-même. Ces ressources ne se veulent pas statiques, mais bien renégociées de façon continue. Une rencontre unique représente alors la trajectoire d'une relation ainsi que d'une communauté discursive.

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Maternal Perfluoroalkyl Substances, Thyroid Hormones, and DIO Genes: A Spanish Cross-sectional Study

Environmental Science & Technology ◽

10.1021/acs.est.1c01452 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Blanca Sarzo ◽

Virginia Ballesteros ◽

Carmen Iñiguez ◽

Cyntia B. Manzano-Salgado ◽

Maribel Casas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Hormones ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Perfluoroalkyl Substances ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Perfluoroalkyl substances and lipid profile in exposed pregnant women in the Veneto Region, Italy

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.109 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

T Dalla Zuanna ◽

G Barbieri ◽

G Pitter ◽

M Zare Jeddi ◽

F Daprà ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Lipid Profile ◽

Plasma Concentrations ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Additive Models ◽

Lipoprotein Cholesterol ◽

Perfluoroalkyl Substances ◽

Surveillance Program ◽

Veneto Region ◽

Exposed Population

Abstract Background Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent and widespread environmental pollutants. Residents of a large area of the Veneto Region (North-Eastern Italy) were exposed to high concentrations of PFASs through drinking water from the late-1970s to 2013. PFASs have been consistently associated with raised serum lipids, but only few studies have been conducted among pregnant women, and none has stratified analyses by trimesters of gestation. Our main objective was to evaluate the association between perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) levels and lipid profiles in high-exposed pregnant women. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 319 pregnant women (age 14-48 years) recruited in the Regional health surveillance program. Serum PFASs were measured by HPLC-MS/MS. Non-fasting serum total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured by enzymatic assays in automated analysers, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was calculated. The associations between ln-transformed PFASs (and categorized into quartiles) and lipids were assessed using generalized additive models. Analyses were adjusted for potential confounders and stratified according to pregnancy trimester. Results In the first trimester, plasma concentrations of both PFOA and PFOS were positively associated with TC. However in the third trimester PFOA levels were instead inversely significantly associated with TC and LDL-C levels. Overall, both PFOA and PFOS were positively associated with HDL-C, and PFOA negatively with LDL-C. Conclusions In a small highly exposed population of pregnant women, the associations between PFASs concentrations and lipid profile were modified by trimester of gestation. Patterns late in pregnancy were different to the positive associations with LDL-C generally found. Differential transfer and bioaccumulation of lipids and PFAS in the placenta across gestation might explain our findings. Key messages This study provides evidence of different patterns of PFAS associations with lipids in pregnant women across the trimesters of gestation. The different patterns of association from general population studies sheds light on the role of fetal nutrition during pregnancy affecting both lipids and PFAS in serum.

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Pregnancy Outcomes and SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The Spanish Obstetric Emergency Group Study

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13050853 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 853

Author(s):

Sara Cruz Melguizo ◽

María Luisa de la Cruz Conty ◽

Paola Carmona Payán ◽

Alejandra Abascal-Saiz ◽

Pilar Pintando Recarte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Perinatal Outcomes ◽

Preterm Births ◽

Hypertensive Disorder ◽

Obstetric Emergency ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Emergency Group ◽

Adverse Perinatal Outcomes ◽

Maternal Disease ◽

The Relationship

Pregnant women who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. With this study, we aimed to better understand the relationship between maternal infection and perinatal outcomes, especially preterm births, and the underlying medical and interventionist factors. This was a prospective observational study carried out in 78 centers (Spanish Obstetric Emergency Group) with a cohort of 1347 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive pregnant women registered consecutively between 26 February and 5 November 2020, and a concurrent sample of PCR-negative mothers. The patients’ information was collected from their medical records, and the association of SARS-CoV-2 and perinatal outcomes was evaluated by univariable and multivariate analyses. The data from 1347 SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnancies were compared with those from 1607 SARS-CoV-2-negative pregnancies. Differences were observed between both groups in premature rupture of membranes (15.5% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.001); venous thrombotic events (1.5% vs. 0.2%, p < 0.001); and severe pre-eclampsia incidence (40.6 vs. 15.6%, p = 0.001), which could have been overestimated in the infected cohort due to the shared analytical signs between this hypertensive disorder and COVID-19. In addition, more preterm deliveries were observed in infected patients (11.1% vs. 5.8%, p < 0.001) mainly due to an increase in iatrogenic preterm births. The prematurity in SARS-CoV-2-affected pregnancies results from a predisposition to end the pregnancy because of maternal disease (pneumonia and pre-eclampsia, with or without COVID-19 symptoms).

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Establishment of Early Pregnancy Related Thyroid Hormone Models and Reference Intervals for Pregnant Women in China Based on Real World Data

Hormone and Metabolic Research ◽

10.1055/a-1402-0290 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 53 (04) ◽

pp. 272-279

Author(s):

Chaochao Ma ◽

Xiaoqi Li ◽

Lixin Liu ◽

Xinqi Cheng ◽

Fang Xue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Hormone ◽

Thyroid Hormones ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Early Pregnancy ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Dynamic Change ◽

Reference Intervals ◽

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽

Free Thyroxine ◽

Stimulating Hormone

AbstractThyroid hormone reference intervals are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring thyroid dysfunction during early pregnancy, and the dynamic change trend of thyroid hormones during pregnancy can assist clinicians to assess the thyroid function of pregnant women. This study aims to establish early pregnancy related thyroid hormones models and reference intervals for pregnant women. We established two derived databases: derived database* and derived database#. Reference individuals in database* were used to establish gestational age-specific reference intervals for thyroid hormones and early pregnancy related thyroid hormones models for pregnant women. Individuals in database# were apparently healthy non-pregnant women. The thyroid hormones levels of individuals in database# were compared with that of individuals in database* using nonparametric methods and the comparative confidence interval method. The differences in thyroid stimulating hormone and free thyroxine between early pregnant and non-pregnant women were statistically significant (p<0.0001). The reference intervals of thyroid stimulating hormone, free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine for early pregnant women were 0.052–3.393 μIU/ml, 1.01–1.54 ng/dl, and 2.51–3.66 pg/ml, respectively. Results concerning thyroid stimulating hormone and free thyroxine reference intervals of early pregnancy are comparable with those from other studies using the same detection platform. Early pregnancy related thyroid hormones models showed various change patterns with gestational age for thyroid hormones. Early pregnancy related thyroid hormones models and reference intervals for pregnant women were established, so as to provide accurate and reliable reference basis for the diagnosing and monitoring of maternal thyroid disfunction in early pregnancy.

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Cognate similarity and intervocalic /d/ production in Riverense Spanish

International Journal of Bilingualism ◽

10.1177/1367006921996807 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136700692199680

Author(s):

Michael Gradoville ◽

Mark Waltermire ◽

Avizia Long

Keyword(s):

Language Contact ◽

Mixed Effects ◽

Frequency Effect ◽

Acoustic Measurements ◽

Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽

Phonetic Variation ◽

Linear Mixed Effects ◽

Contact Language ◽

The Relationship ◽

Phonetic Realization

Aims and objectives: While previous research has shown that phonetic variation in language contact situations is affected by whether a word has a cognate in the contact language, this paper aims to show that such an effect is not monotonic. According to the usage-based model, items in memory are organized according to similarity, thus we anticipated that formally more similar cognates would show a stronger cognate effect. Methodology: This variationist sociophonetic study investigates the relationship between cognate similarity and phonetic realization. We examined this relationship in the bilingual community of Rivera, Uruguay, in which both Portuguese and Spanish are spoken with regularity. Specifically, we focused on intervocalic /d/, which in monolingual Spanish is realized as an approximant [ð̞] or phonetic zero, but in monolingual Brazilian Portuguese is produced as a stop [d] or, in most varieties, an affricate [ʤ] before [i]. Data and analysis: We analyzed a corpus of sociolinguistic interviews of the Spanish spoken in Rivera. Acoustic measurements were taken from approximately 60 tokens each from 40 different speakers. Using a linear mixed-effects model, we examined the relationship between several predictors and the degree of constriction of intervocalic /d/. Findings/conclusions: While there is an overall frequency effect whereby more frequent words exhibit less constriction of intervocalic /d/, as both frequency and cognate similarity increase, less constriction of intervocalic /d/ obtains. Therefore, frequent cognates in Portuguese that have very similar forms affect the production of intervocalic /d/ more so than other cognates. Originality: No previous study has demonstrated that the cognate effect on phonetic variation in a situation of language contact is regulated by form similarity between cognate pairs. Significance/implications: The data support the usage-based model in that similar cognates have more lexical connections and can therefore show greater influence on phonetic realization than can cognates that share less phonetic material.

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Stimulation of mitochondrial calcium ion efflux by thiol-specific reagents and by thyroxine. The relationship to adenosine diphosphate retention and to mitochondrial permeability

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj1820455 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 182 (2) ◽

pp. 455-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 75

Author(s):

E J Harris ◽

M Al-Shaikhaly ◽

H Baum

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Hormones ◽

Calcium Ion ◽

Adenine Nucleotides ◽

Adenosine Diphosphate ◽

Ruthenium Red ◽

Reduced Form ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Ph Values ◽

Rat Heart Mitochondria ◽

The Relationship

Respiring rat heart mitochondria were loaded with Ca2+ and then treated with Ruthenium Red. The factors affecting the subsequent Ca2+-efflux were studied. Addition of rotenone or antimycin led to a decline of efflux except at pH values above 7.2, provided the load was less than about 80 nmol per mg of protein. Oligomycin reversed the effect of the respiratory inhibitors. Independently of respiration, efflux was stimulated by the uncoupler trifluoromethyltetrachlorbenzimadazole, by mersalyl and by thyroid hormones. The stimulated efflux could be diminished by ADP, with Mg2+ as cofactor if efflux was rapid. With respiration in progress, efflux could be stimulated by N-ethylmaleimide and 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate). The effects of mersalyl and of thyroid hormones could be diminished with dithiothreitol. In the absence of stimulating agents, the Ca2+ efflux was proportional to the load up to some critical amount, this critical amount was decreased by the agents. Thyroxine and mersalyl caused not only loss of Ca2+, but also simultaneous, but not necessarily proportional, loss of internal adenine nucleotides. Both efflux rates were kept at a low value by bongkrekic acid added before the stimulating agent. It is concluded that Ca2+ efflux is a measure of a permeability controlled by the binding of ADP (an Mg2+) to the inner membrane, and that this in turn depends on the maintenance of certain thiol gropus in a reduced form by a reaction that uses NADH and ATP and the energy-linked transhydrogenase.

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Association of body condition with lameness in dairy cattle: a single-farm longitudinal study

Journal of Dairy Research ◽

10.1017/s0022029921000297 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Michaela Kranepuhl ◽

Detlef May ◽

Edna Hillmann ◽

Lorenz Gygax

Keyword(s):

Body Condition ◽

Body Condition Score ◽

Mixed Effects ◽

Mixed Effects Models ◽

Linear Mixed Effects Models ◽

Linear Mixed Effects ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

Condition Score ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Abstract This research communication describes the relationship between the occurrence of lameness and body condition score (BCS) in a sample of 288 cows from a single farm that were repeatedly scored in the course of 9 months while controlling for confounding variables. The relationship between BCS and lameness was evaluated using generalised linear mixed-effects models. It was found that the proportion of lame cows was higher with decreasing but also with increasing BCS, increased with lactation number and decreased with time since the last claw trimming. This is likely to reflect the importance of sufficient body condition in the prevention of lameness but also raises the question of the impact of overcondition on lameness and the influence of claw trimming events on the assessment of lameness. A stronger focus on BCS might allow improved management of lameness that is still one of the major problems in housed cows.

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