Use of Remifentanil Associated with Lidocaine for Feticides in Late Terminations of Pregnancy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> In France, performance of a termination of pregnancy is legally possible without any gestational age limit. After 22 weeks of gestation, a feticide is ethically performed using usually sufentanil and lidocaine. The aim of this study was to compare the use of remifentanil, a fast-acting morphine-derivating product, instead of sufentanil. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This 2-center randomized, controlled, single-blinded phase-III treatment trial had 2 parallel arms: an experimental group using remifentanil with lidocaine versus a control group receiving sufentanil associated with lidocaine. This trial took place over a 40-month period. The primary outcome was time to fetal asystole after lidocaine injection. The secondary outcome measures were the procedure’s success rate, the rate of serious maternal side effects, and the presence of cellular or tissue modifications. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The study included 66 women, randomized into 2 groups of similar size and characteristics. Time to fetal asystole did not differ significantly between the groups, with a delay of 4 min (Q1−Q3, 2–11) in the sufentanil group and 4 min (Q1−Q3, 1–10) in the remifentanil group (<i>p</i> = 0.84). Similarly, the success rate of the procedure did not differ significantly. Fetal asystole was procured in &#x3c;2 min and persisted &#x3e;1 min for 16 (25.8%) women in our total population: 7 (22.5%) in the sufentanil group and 9 (29.0%) in the remifentanil group, <i>p</i> = 0.77. No severe maternal side effects were observed. Among the 49 fetopathological examinations performed, the few tissue and cell modifications observed did not cause any interpretation difficulties in either group. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Use of remifentanil instead of sufentanil for feticide procedure did not improve time to fetal asystole. No harmful effect was observed for either maternal tolerance or interpretation of the histologic slides.

Muslim Family in Northern Mozambique: Sharīʿa, Matriliny and the Official Legislation in Paquitequete

Although Islam has a long history in coastal northern Mozambique, the question of how Muslims manage family life there is little understood. Based on the analysis of historical, ethnographic and legal records, and a case study of a bairro (Port., ward) called Paquitequete in the contemporary coastal city of Pemba in Cabo Delgado province, this article focuses on Muslim family and gender relations in northern Mozambique. It argues that Muslims of this region maintain concurrent legal identities as Muslims, matrilineal Africans and citizens of the modern state. While women benefitted from matriliny by accessing the land and support from their maternal side, upon widowhood and divorce they lost access to their husband’s or common assets because the husbands’ matriclan claimed them. The perseverance of matriliny made local Muslims seem to abide less by Islamic norms, but historically they have combined the Shāfiʿī madhhab (Islamic legal school) with matrilineal custom. In contemporary Pemba, family and gender relations are regulated not only by Sharīʿa or by African ‘traditions’, but by a blend of elements from these two alongside modern legislations. Moreover, it could be said that this arrangement is endorsed by a kind of popular consensus, which is particularly salient in the Community Courts.

Maternal but Not Paternal High-Fat Diet (HFD) Exposure at Conception Predisposes for ‘Diabesity’ in Offspring Generations

While environmental epigenetics mainly focuses on xenobiotic endocrine disruptors, dietary composition might be one of the most important environmental exposures for epigenetic modifications, perhaps even for offspring generations. We performed a large-scale rat study on key phenotypic consequences from parental (F0) high-caloric, high-fat diet (HFD) food intake, precisely and specifically at mating/conception, focusing on ‘diabesity’ risk in first- (F1) and second- (F2) generation offspring of both sexes. F0 rats (maternal or paternal, respectively) received HFD overfeeding, starting six weeks prior to mating with normally fed control rats. The maternal side F1 offspring of both sexes developed a ‘diabesity’ predisposition throughout life (obesity, hyperleptinemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance), while no respective alterations occurred in the paternal side F1 offspring, neither in males nor in females. Mating the maternal side F1 females with control males under standard feeding conditions led, again, to a ‘diabesity’ predisposition in the F2 generation, which, however, was less pronounced than in the F1 generation. Our observations speak in favor of the critical impact of maternal but not paternal metabolism around the time frame of reproduction for offspring metabolic health over generations. Such fundamental phenotypic observations should be carefully considered in front of detailed molecular epigenetic approaches on eventual mechanisms.

THE GENEALOGY RELATIONSHIP OF HOLSTEIN BULLS IN UKRAINE

The grades of genealogy relationship of bulls with the head of bloodlines are not equivalent in each genealogical formation and are stipulated by the number of animals (branching) in bloodline, their diversity, distance from the head of bloodlines and system of selection. Thus, the coefficients of kinship of bulls, descendants of which have 5 and more ranks in genealogy: 1427381 Chief (n = 79), 1650414 Valiant (n = 10) and Elevation 1491007 (n = 64) with the ancestors of these bloodlines were 5,67; 8,81 and 8,37% respectively. Slight higher coefficients of genealogical kinship of bulls with successors of Chief bloodlines – Blackstar 1929410 – by 2,28 (7,35%) and Belwood 2103297– by 1,67% (6,37%), due to the use of the last ones in the pedigrees of these bulls on the maternal side. Significantly higher coefficientsof genealogical kinship of bulls of Starbuck 352790 bloodlines (n = 112) were with the ancestor and successors of this bloodline. Thus, the coefficient of kinship of bulls of Starbuck bloodline with their ancestor was 13,4% and with successors Aerostar 383622 – 16,9%, Mtoto 6001001962 – 9,0%, Storm 6820564– 10,9% and Shottle 598172 – 9,8%. It was found that the highest coefficient of genealogical kinship was at the bulls of new lines and related groups Marshal 2290977 – 30,5; Toystory 60372887 – 18,5; Buckeye 130588960 – 14,8; Goldwyn 10705608 – 19,1; Shottle 598172 – 25,1%. This is because the offspring were at 1-2 generations from their founders. The high interline genealogical kinship of bulls was revealed. Thus, the coefficient of genealogical kinship of bulls of all the bloodlines with progenitor of Starbuck 352790 bloodlines was 0,96-13,4 and with his son Aerostar 383622 – 2,9-16,9%. Average degrees of kinship of bulls of all the population with these leaders of the breed were also quite high (8,16 and 11,42% respectively). This shows the great saturation of pedigree of all the Holstein bulls bygenes of Starbuck 352790, Aerostar 383622 and Elevation 1491007, which complicates scheduling the breeding selection even at crossing bloodlines because ancestors of the same bulls of several lines are in pedigree of animals of each bloodline. This explains increasing inbred cows in the latest generation of Ukrainian Black-and-White Dairy cattle to 71,3-91,3%. Perhaps for restraining growth of the number of inbred cows, US experts prolong duration of hereditary qualities transmissionof a founder in generations by creating so-called "inbred" lines. To do this, for carefully selected mothers of bulls with high levels of economic useful traits (yield, fat and protein contents) of some line are selected bull-leaders of the same line with similar breeding values (homogeneous selection). Using inbreeding of different degrees from remote (V-V) and moderate degrees (III-IV, IV-IV) to close one (II-II, II-III, III-III), inbred animals are obtained and bred "in itself" again (integrated inbreeding). Probability of obtaining larger number of animals with hereditary traits of ancestor’s performance increases. So, 30 (8,77%) of 342 bulls used in Ukraine, are obtained in this way and bulls of only this line used as fathers in 4 ranks of their pedigree. Use of moderate and remote levels of inbreeding on ancestorsof lines maintains high genealogical kinship of animals at their distance in generation and accumulation of valuable traits in populations which are inherent for ancestorsof lines. Share of inbred bulls in all the lines is quite high – 80,7%. On average, 15 bulls were obtained as a result of the close degree of inbreeding in the population (II-II, II-III). The number of moderate levels of inbreeding (II-IV, III-IV, IV-IV and IV-V) at obtaining these bulls was 244 and remote one (V-V and above) – 195. In addition, 116 fathers and 59 mothers received as a result of various degrees of inbreedingwere foundin the pedigrees of the bulls. Among them 15 animals (8,57%) were as a result of close degree of inbreeding, 127 (72,6%) – moderate and 33 (18,8%) – remote; it also forms the genealogical relationship between bulls of various lines. Thus, the rate of genealogical kinship characterizes the intensity of using bull-leaders, ancestors of bloodlines and their successors for breeding stock, from both paternal and maternal sides of genealogy and genealogical relations between some bloodlines, it is important to consider while forming further genealogical structure of the breed and breeding selection as at breeding herds, so at production ones of domestic dairy cattle.