The potential adverse effects of antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy are discrepant and few studies, mostly from Europe, have provided information about pregnancy outcomes of those already on ...treatment at conception. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of antiretrovirals (ARVs) on pregnancy outcome according to the timing of treatment initiation in a cohort of pregnant women from Brazil infected with HIV.
A prospective cohort of 696 pregnant women followed up in one single centre between 1996 and 2006 was studied. Patients who had ARV treatment before pregnancy were compared with those treated after the first trimester. The outcomes evaluated were preterm delivery (PTD) (<37 weeks), severe PTD (<34 weeks), low birth weight (LBW) (<2500 g) and very LBW (<1500 g).
Patients who were using ARVs pre-conception had higher rates of LBW (33.3% vs 16.5%; p<0.001) and a similar trend for PTD (26.3% vs 17.7%; p = 0.09). Stratification by type of therapy (dual vs highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)) according to timing of initiation of ARVs showed that patients who use HAART pre-conception have a higher rate of PTD (20.2% vs 10.2%; p = 0.03) and LBW (24.2% vs 10.2%; p = 0.002). After adjusting for several factors, HAART used pre-conception was associated with an increased risk for PTD (AOR 5.0; 95% CI 1.5 to 17.0; p = 0.009) and LBW (OR 3.6; 95% CI 1.7 to 7.7; p = 0.001).
We identified an increased risk for LBW and PTD in patients who had HAART prior to pregnancy.
Stenospermy was identified in naturally occurring sugar-apple (Annona squamosa) mutants with great potential for use in genetic improvement programs. However, to date, there have been no detailed ...studies of the development of aspermic fruit in this species. The aim of the present study was to characterize the anatomy of developing fruit in the 'Brazilian Seedless' mutant. Flower buds in pre-anthesis and developing fruits were subjected to common plant anatomy techniques. The abnormal ovules are unitegmic and orthotropic and have a long funiculus. There is evidence of fertilization, including the presence of embryos in early development and the proliferation of starch grains in the embryo sac. However, the embryos and embryo sac degenerate, although this does not affect pericarp development. Ovule abortion does not occur. The perisperm, which is formed from the peripheral layers of the nucellus, fills the cavity left by the embryo sac. The mature fruit contains numerous small sterile seeds with abundant perisperm and unlignified integument that is restricted to the micropylar region. The majority of perisperm cells are living and appear to be metabolically active in the periphery. Therefore, stenospermy leads to the formation of sterile seeds in A. squamosa, and the perisperm possibly play an important role in fruit development.
An abstract of a study by Barducci et al determining the effects of residual feed intake (RFI) phenotype and addition of crude glycerin as a partial substitute for dietary corn on feedlot performance ...and carcass traits of Nellore bulls is presented. In conclusion, feedlot Nellore bulls of negative RFI phenotype had lower DMI but maintained growth and carcass traits compared to positive RFI phenotype bulls. Furthermore, performance and carcass traits of yearling Nellore bulls in feedlot for 96 days was maintained when crude glycerin was substituted for 20% of dietary corn. This project was funded by Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Stenospermy was identified in naturally occurring sugar-apple (Annona squamosa) mutants with great potential for use in genetic improvement programs. However, to date, there have been no detailed ...studies of the development of aspermic fruit in this species. The aim of the present study was to characterize the anatomy of developing fruit in the 'Brazilian Seedless' mutant. Flower buds in pre-anthesis and developing fruits were subjected to common plant anatomy techniques. The abnormal ovules are unitegmic and orthotropic and have a long funiculus. There is evidence of fertilization, including the presence of embryos in early development and the proliferation of starch grains in the embryo sac. However, the embryos and embryo sac degenerate, although this does not affect pericarp development. Ovule abortion does not occur. The perisperm, which is formed from the peripheral layers of the nucellus, fills the cavity left by the embryo sac. The mature fruit contains numerous small sterile seeds with abundant perisperm and unlignified integument that is restricted to the micropylar region. The majority of perisperm cells are living and appear to be metabolically active in the periphery. Therefore, stenospermy leads to the formation of sterile seeds in A. squamosa, and the perisperm possibly play an important role in fruit development.
The inert two-Higgs-doublet Model (i2HDM) is a well-motivated minimal consistent dark matter (DM) model, but it is rather challenging to test at the LHC in the parameter space allowed by relic ...density and DM direct detection constraints. This is especially true when considering the latest XENON 1T data on direct DM searches, which we use here to present the best current combined limit on the i2HDM parameter space. In this analysis, we present prospects to advance the exploitation of DM monojet signatures from the i2HDM at the LHC, by emphasising that a shape analysis of the missing transverse momentum distribution allows one to sizably improve the LHC discovery potential. For a key element of our analysis, we explore the validity of using an effective vertex, ggH, for the coupling of the Higgs boson to gluons using a full one-loop computation. We have found sizeable differences between the two approaches, especially in the high missing transverse momentum region, and incorporated the respective K-factors to obtain the correct kinematical distributions. As a result, we delineate a realistic search strategy and present the improved current and projected LHC sensitivity to the i2HDM parameter space.
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the methodological quality of rigorous neuropathic pain assessment tools in applicable clinical studies, and determine the performance of screening tools ...for identifying neuropathic pain in patients with cancer.
Systematic literature search identified studies reporting use of Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS), Douleur Neuropathique en 4 (DN4) or painDETECT (PDQ) in cancer patients with a clinical diagnosis of neuropathic or not neuropathic pain. Individual patient data were requested to examine descriptor item profiles.
Six studies recruited a total of 2301 cancer patients of which 1564 (68%) reported pain. Overall accuracy of screening tools ranged from 73 to 94%. There was variation in description and rigour of clinical assessment, particularly related to the rigour of clinical judgement of pain as the reference standard. Individual data from 1351 patients showed large variation in the selection of neuropathic pain descriptor items by cancer patients with neuropathic pain. LANSS and DN4 items characterized a significantly different neuropathic pain symptom profile from non-neuropathic pain in both tumour- and treatment-related cancer pain aetiologies.
We identified concordance between the clinician diagnosis and screening tool outcomes for LANSS, DN4 and PDQ in patients with cancer pain. Shortcomings in relation to standardized clinician assessment are likely to account for variation in screening tool sensitivity, which should include the use of the neuropathic pain grading system. Further research is needed to standardize and improve clinical assessment in patients with cancer pain. Until the standardization of clinical diagnosis for neuropathic cancer pain has been validated, screening tools offer a practical approach to identify potential cases of neuropathic cancer pain.
•Selection for higher yearling weight impacts cow-calf efficiency.•Genetic trends reflect the correlated effects on cow and calf traits.•Monitoring cow hip height and body condition avoids efficiency ...losses.•WIndex optimizes calf weaning weight while stabilizing the cow's mature weight.•Proposed strategies mitigate calf production losses from weight-focused selection.
In beef cattle, the selection for higher weights at young ages has been questioned with the argument that this criterion may increase the adult weight of cows, resulting in higher costs. Therefore, selection criteria should be employed to increase weights at young ages with minimal impact on the adult weight of cows. Additionally, the relationship between measures of cow production efficiency and other well-established selection criteria in breeding programs remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to longitudinally evaluate the relationship between the weaning index (WIndex) as a measure of efficiency and growth traits of the cows. Possible changes over time in WIndex due to selection applied for yearling weight (YW) were also investigated. The WIndex was proposed to maximize genetic response in the weaning weight of the calf while maintaining genetic gain in BW of the cow at zero. A random regression model was adopted to estimate correlations between WIndex, BW, hip height (HH), and body condition score (BCS) using records of Nelore cows from three lines. Genetic trends were calculated for the control line (NeC) and lines selected for greater YW (NeS and NeT). The age of 3 years was the most critical for the weaning efficiency of the cows. At this stage, young cows are still growing and wean lighter calves than their adult counterparts. The genetic correlation estimates between WIndex and BW (−0.58 to 0.04), HH (−0.05 to −0.34), and BCS (−0.51 to −0.17) were close to zero or negative. BW and HH were strongly correlated genetically across all ages (0.73–0.76). In general, HH exhibited a weak and negative genetic relationship with BCS. The genetic correlation between BW and BCS was stronger for advanced ages (0.45–0.68). In lines selected for YW, important increases in WIndex were observed. However, NeS has been selected since the 1980s until the present for YW, and thus, it showed a more pronounced trend of increasing BW and, consequently, a more modest trend of increasing WIndex compared to NeT. In contrast, WIndex exhibited a trend close to zero for NeC. In this context, monitoring HH and BCS can be useful to avoid losses in the weaning efficiency of cows. Furthermore, we suggest that one way to mitigate efficiency losses in calf production could involve stabilizing the BW of cows and increasing the weaning weight of calves using the WIndex.
This guideline has been initiated by the task force Autoimmune Blistering Diseases of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, including physicians from all relevant disciplines and ...patient organizations. It is a S3 consensus‐based guideline that systematically reviewed the literature on mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases until June 2019, with no limitations on language. While the first part of this guideline addressed methodology, as well as epidemiology, terminology, aetiology, clinical presentation and outcome measures in MMP, the second part presents the diagnostics and management of MMP. MMP should be suspected in cases with predominant mucosal lesions. Direct immunofluorescence microscopy to detect tissue‐bound IgG, IgA and/or complement C3, combined with serological testing for circulating autoantibodies are recommended. In most patients, serum autoantibodies are present only in low levels and in variable proportions, depending on the clinical sites involved. Circulating autoantibodies are determined by indirect IF assays using tissue substrates, or ELISA using different recombinant forms of the target antigens or immunoblotting using different substrates. The major target antigen in MMP is type XVII collagen (BP180), although in 10–25% of patients laminin 332 is recognized. In 25–30% of MMP patients with anti‐laminin 332 reactivity, malignancies have been associated. As first‐line treatment of mild/moderate MMP, dapsone, methotrexate or tetracyclines and/or topical corticosteroids are recommended. For severe MMP, dapsone and oral or intravenous cyclophosphamide and/or oral corticosteroids are recommended as first‐line regimens. Additional recommendations are given, tailored to treatment of single‐site MMP such as oral, ocular, laryngeal, oesophageal and genital MMP, as well as the diagnosis of ocular MMP. Treatment recommendations are limited by the complete lack of high‐quality randomized controlled trials.
The selection of individuals based on their predicted breeding values and mating of related individuals can increase the proportion of identical-by-descent alleles. In this context, the objectives of ...this study were to estimate inbreeding coefficients based on alternative metrics and data sources such as pedigree (FPED), hybrid genomic relationship matrix H (FH), and ROH of different length (FROH); and calculate Pearson correlations between the different metrics in a closed Nellore cattle population selected for body weight adjusted to 378 days of age (W378). In addition to total FROH (all classes) coefficients were also estimated based on the size class of the ROH segments: FROH1 (1-2 Mb), FROH2 (2-4 Mb), FROH3 (4-8 Mb), FROH4 (8-16 Mb), and FROH5 (> 16 Mb), and for each chromosome (FROH_CHR). Furthermore, we assessed the effect of each inbreeding metric on birth weight (BW), body weights adjusted to 210 (W210) and W378, scrotal circumference (SC), and residual feed intake (RFI). We also evaluated the chromosome-specific effects of inbreeding on growth traits. The correlation between FPED and FROH was 0.60 while between FH and FROH and FH and FPED were 0.69 and 0.61, respectively. The annual rate of inbreeding was 0.16% for FPED, 0.02% for FH, and 0.16% for FROH. A 1% increase in FROH5 resulted in a reduction of up to -1.327 + or - 0.495 kg in W210 and W378. Four inbreeding coefficients (FPED, FH, FROH2, and FROH5) had a significant effect on W378, with reductions of up to -3.810 + or - 1.753 kg per 1% increase in FROH2. There was an unfavorable effect of FPED on RFI (0.01 + or - 0.0002 kg dry matter/day) and of FROH on SC (-0.056 + or - 0.022 cm). The FROH_CHR coefficients calculated for BTA3, BTA5, and BTA8 significantly affected the growth traits. Inbreeding depression was observed for all traits evaluated. However, these effects were greater for the criterion used for selection of the animals (i.e., W378). The increase in the genomic inbreeding was associated with a higher inbreeding depression on the traits evaluated when compared to pedigree-based inbreeding. Genomic information should be used as a tool during mating to optimize control of inbreeding and, consequently, minimize inbreeding depression in Nellore cattle.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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