Relationship between Twin-to-Twin Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction with sFas/sFasL Level of Umbilical Cord Blood Using Doppler Ultrasound Fetal Heart Rhythm Detection Algorithm

The study focused on the application value of ultrasound Doppler fetal heart rate detection algorithm based on short-time Fourier transform (STFT) in the diagnosis of twin-to-twin selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) and the correlation between twin-to-twin sIUGR and sFas/sFasL levels of umbilical cord blood. The normalized method was introduced into the STFT algorithm to optimize it to detect the fetal instantaneous heart rate. 82 pregnant women with twin pregnancies were selected as the research subjects and they were divided into the restricted group (41 cases) and the control group (41 cases) according to whether the fetus had selective growth restriction. The two groups were compared for the differences in the fetal mortality, complication rate, and sFas/sFasL expression levels. The results showed that the STFT-based ultrasonic Doppler fetal heart rate detection algorithm could ensure the quality of the fetal heart rate signal and had high resolution at the 200–400 Hz characteristic frequency band and that the accuracy in distinguishing S1 and S2 was 5.8% higher than that of the traditional autocorrelation algorithm. The proportion of abnormal fetal heart rate in the restricted group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05 ), birth weight was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P < 0.05 ), and fetal mortality was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups ( P > 0.05 ). In restricted group, the content of sFas in cord blood was (3326.54 ± 317.42) pg/mL and that in the control group was (2003.29 ± 196.45) pg/mL. The content of sFas in cord blood of the restricted group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P < 0.01 ). In the restricted group, the content of sFasL in cord blood was (382.52 ± 36.17) pg/mL, and that in the control group was (180.84 ± 16.20) pg/mL. The content of sFasL in cord blood of the restricted group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P < 0.001 ). It was concluded that the STFT-based ultrasound Doppler fetal heart rate monitoring is beneficial to early diagnosis and timely intervention of twin-to-twin sIUGR.

Neglected Venomous Animals and Toxins: Underrated Biotechnological Tools in Drug Development

Among the vast repertoire of animal toxins and venoms selected by nature and evolution, mankind opted to devote its scientific attention—during the last century—to a restricted group of animals, leaving a myriad of toxic creatures aside. There are several underlying and justifiable reasons for this, which include dealing with the public health problems caused by envenoming by such animals. However, these studies became saturated and gave rise to a whole group of animals that become neglected regarding their venoms and secretions. This repertoire of unexplored toxins and venoms bears biotechnological potential, including the development of new technologies, therapeutic agents and diagnostic tools and must, therefore, be assessed. In this review, we will approach such topics through an interconnected historical and scientific perspective that will bring up the major discoveries and innovations in toxinology, achieved by researchers from the Butantan Institute and others, and describe some of the major research outcomes from the study of these neglected animals.

faunal assemblage from the manufacturing district at Spolverino: from the Roman Imperial period to Late Antiquity

This paper presents a zooarchaeological analysis from the site of Spolverino (southern Tuscany, Italy). Archaeological excavations have uncovered a complex stratigraphy dated from the Roman Imperial period to Late Antiquity (late 1st- early 6th centuries AD). The industrial function of the site in Imperial times is partially reflected in the nature of the faunal assemblage. In Late Antiquity, Spolverino lost its original manufacturing functions, as many of the workshops were abandoned; our evidence, however, suggests that some livestock was kept, probably managed by a restricted group of people still living in that area. Some hunting was practiced throughout the occupation but it increased in the later periods. Remarkable, in Late Antiquity, is the occurrence of the fallow deer, an introduced species, rare in Roman contexts.

Inconsistency arguments still do not matter

William Simkulet has recently criticised Colgrove et al’s defence against what they have called inconsistency arguments—arguments that claim opponents of abortion (OAs) act in ways inconsistent with their underlying beliefs about human fetuses (eg, that human fetuses are persons at conception). Colgrove et al presented three objections to inconsistency arguments, which Simkulet argues are unconvincing. Further, he maintains that OAs who hold that the fetus is a person at conception fail to act on important issues such as the plight of frozen embryos, poverty and spontaneous abortion. Thus, they are morally negligent. In response, we argue that Simkulet has targeted a very narrow group of OAs, and so his criticisms are inapplicable to most OAs. We then explain why his responses to each of Colgrove et al’s objections do not succeed, even for this restricted group. Finally, we note that Simkulet fails to provide evidence for his claims regarding OAs’ supposed failures to act, and we show that OAs veritably do invest resources into these important issues. We conclude that Colgrove et al’s reasons for rejecting inconsistency arguments (en masse) remain intact.

Liver Proteome Profile of Growth Restricted and Appropriately Grown Newborn Wistar Rats Associated With Maternal Undernutrition

BackgroundFetal growth restriction (FGR) has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and epigenetic modifications that impact gene expression leading to permanent changes of fetal metabolic pathways and thereby influence development of disease in childhood and adult life. In this study, we investigated the result of maternal food restriction on liver protein expression in Wistar male newborn pups.Materials &amp; MethodsTen (n = 10) timed pregnant Wistar rats on their 14th day of gestation were randomly assigned to either control (n = 4) or food restricted group (n = 6). The control group had ad libitum access to food. In the food restricted group, maternal diet was limited in a moderate fashion (50%) from day 15 of pregnancy until delivery. All rats delivered spontaneously on day 21 and newborn pups were immediately weighed. Pups born to normally nourished mothers were considered as controls, while pups born to food restricted mothers were subdivided into two groups, based on their birth weight: growth restricted (FGR) and appropriately grown (non-FGR). Rats were euthanized immediately after birth and liver tissues of 11 randomly selected male offspring (FGR n = 4, non-FGR n = 4, control n = 3) were collected and analyzed using quantitative proteomics.ResultsIn total 6,665 proteins were profiled. Of these, 451 and 751 were differentially expressed in FGR and non-FGR vs. control, respectively, whereas 229 proteins were commonly expressed. Bioinformatics analysis of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in FGR vs. control revealed induction of the super-pathway of cholesterol biosynthesis and inhibition of thyroid hormone metabolism, fatty acid beta oxidation and apelin liver signaling pathway. Analysis of DEPs in non-FGR vs. control groups showed inhibition of thyroid hormone metabolism, fatty acid beta oxidation, and apelin liver signaling pathway.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the impact of prenatal food restriction on the proteomic liver profile of FGR and non-FGR offspring underlying the importance of both prenatal adversities and birth weight on liver-dependent postnatal disease.

“Poor Effort” Does Not Account for Reduced Forced Vital Capacity in Asthmatic Children

Purpose: Poor forced vital capacity (FVC) effort has been considered to be the main reason for FVC reduction by the ATS/ERS guideline; however, this has rarely been mentioned in previous studies. The present study aims to determine whether reduced FVC in asthmatic children is correlated to poor FVC effort.Methods: A total of 209 asthmatic children within 5–13 years old were included and divided into reduced FVC (“restricted,” n = 66) and typical obstruction group (“obstructed,” n = 143). Forced expiratory flows before and after bronchodilation were recorded in asthmatic children. The differences in clinical characteristics, spirometric results, FVC effort, and bronchodilator response were compared between two groups. Exhalation time (ET) was divided into effective ET (ETe) and plateau ET (ETp) by the start point of exhalation plateau on the time-volume curve. FVC effort was assessed by ET, ETp, and back extrapolated volume (EV)/FVC (%).Results: Asthmatic children in the restricted group had significantly higher slow vital capacity (SVC)/FVC (%), higher EV/FVC (%), shorter ET, shorter ETe, and longer ETp, when compared with those with obstructed. In the obstructed group, ET (r = 0.201, P = 0.016) and ETe (r = 0.496, P &lt; 0.001) positively correlated with FVC, and ETp (r = −0.224, P = 0.007) negatively correlated with FVC. In the restricted group, FVC positively correlated with ETe (r = 0.350, P = 0.004) but not ET and ETp. FVC z-score significantly correlated with total IgE (n = 51, r = −0.349, P = 0.012) and with FEF25−75% z-score (n = 66, r = 0.531, P &lt; 0.001) in the restricted group. The further logistic regression revealed that the risk of restricted increased by 1.12 (95% CI, 1.04–1.22, P = 0.005) with every 1% increase in %ΔFVC. In subjects with restricted and bronchodilation tests, %ΔFVC was significantly associated with FeNO (n = 29, r = 0.386, P = 0.039), FEF25−75% z-score (n = 29, r = −0.472, P = 0.010), and SVC/FVC (%) (n = 19, r = 0.477, P = 0.039) but not with EV/FVC (%), ET, ETe, or ETp (P &gt; 0.05).Conclusion: These findings suggested that “poor FVC effort” does not account for the FVC reduction in asthmatic children. Short ET and high SVC/FVC (%) are characteristics of reduced FVC.

The Effect of Prenatal Food Restriction on Brain Proteome in Appropriately Grown and Growth Restricted Male Wistar Rats

BackgroundFetal growth restriction (FGR) has been associated with a higher risk of developing adverse perinatal outcomes and distinct neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of prenatal food restriction on the brain proteome in both FGR and appropriately grown rats and to identify potential pathways connecting maternal malnutrition with altered brain development.MethodsTen time-dated pregnant Wistar rats were housed individually at their 12th day of gestation. On the 15th day of gestation, the rats were randomly divided into two groups, namely the food restricted one (n = 6) and the control group (n = 4). From days 15 to 21 the control group had unlimited access to food and the food restricted group was given half the amount of food that was on average consumed by the control group, based on measurements taken place the day before. On the 21st day of gestation, all rats delivered spontaneously and after birth all newborn pups of the food restricted group were weighed and matched as appropriately grown (non-FGR) or growth restricted (FGR) and brain tissues were immediately collected. A multiplex experiment was performed analyzing brain tissues from 4 FGR, 4 non-FGR, and 3 control male offspring. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were subjected to bioinformatics analysis in order to identify over-represented processes.ResultsProteomic analysis resulted in the profiling of 3,964 proteins. Gene ontology analysis of the common DEPs using DAVID (https://david.ncifcrf.gov/) showed significant enrichment for terms related to cellular morphology, learning, memory and positive regulation of NF-kappaB signaling. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis showed significant induction of inflammation in FGR pups, whereas significant induction of cell migration and cell spreading were observed in non-FGR pups.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that in both FGR and non-FGR neonates, a range of adaptive neurodevelopmental processes takes place, which may result in altered cellular morphology, chronic stress, poor memory and learning outcomes. Furthermore, this study highlighted that not only FGR, but also appropriately grown pups, which have been exposed to prenatal food deprivation may be at increased risk for impaired cognitive and developmental outcomes.

The Relations of Social Network Types With Mental Distress Among Older Korean Americans: The Interactive Role of Living Arrangement

The purpose of this study is to identify social network types in older Korean Americans and to examine their direct associations, as well as interactions with living arrangement, on mental distress. Drawn from the Study of Older Korean Americans (SOKA), participants were aged 60 or over and lived in five states. Analyses included 2,140 cases surveyed during 2017−2018. To identify social network types, latent profile analyses were conducted using 10 network-related criterion variables. A model with five social network types was identified as best fit. The groups were labeled as diverse, moderately diverse, family deficit, friend deficit, and restricted. As hypothesized, greater mental distress was associated with belonging to more deprived networks such as family deficit and restricted groups. Interaction effects also suggest that members of the restricted group were more distressed when they lived alone than when they lived with others. Implications based on the results are discussed.

Effect of feed quality restriction on changes in body measurements and carcass characteristics of West African dwarf sheep

Twenty seven West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep were used for the 120 day feeding trial to determine the effects of feed quality restriction on changes in body measurements and carcass characteristics. The animals were divided into three groups of nine animals each, the control group(C), the restricted group one (R1) and the restricted group two (R2). The sheep in the control group were fed dried guinea grass (Panicum maximum) and concentrate diet for the whole period of the experiment. The R1 and R2 animals were fed dried grass for a period of 30 days and 60 days, respectively before the inclusion of concentrate diet for 60 days. The live weight was measured weekly and body measurements every two weeks. Data obtained were analyzed using one way analysis of variance. Results showed that the average values for chest girth were significantly (P< 0.05) affected by duration of feed quality restriction with R2 group sheep having the highest value of 58.67 ± 1.16 cm and R1 group sheep having the lowest mean value of 53.85 ± 0.65 cm. The average values for testes girth and total dry matter intake were significantly (P< 0.05) affected by duration of feed quality restriction with C group sheep having the highest values 11.33 ± 0.26 cm and 346.80 ± 0.26 g, respectively. The C group sheep also had significantly higher (P< 0.05) values for live weight, withers height, shoulder width, thigh bone weight, dressing percentage and liver weight (12.75 ± 0.73 kg, 55.88 ± 0.00 cm, 19.05 ± 0.42 cm, 0.18 ± 0.03 kg, 60.47 ± 4.76 % and 0.22 ± 0.01 kg, respectively) during realimentation. In conclusion, feed restriction negatively affected live weight, total dry matter intake, chest and testes girth and it was recommended that feed supplementation during periods of feed scarcity be encouraged so as to allow animals maximise their growth and breeding potentials because animals fed grass and concentrate (C group) performed better than those fed grass only for specific periods (R1 and R2 groups).