The effect of body mass index on therapeutic response to bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy.

Our objective was to determine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on response to bacterial vaginosis (BV) treatment. A secondary analysis was conducted of two multicenter trials of therapy for BV and TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS. Gravida were screened for BV between 8 and 22 weeks and randomized between 16 and 23 weeks to metronidazole or placebo. Of 1497 gravida with asymptomatic BV and preconceptional BMI, 738 were randomized to metronidazole; BMI was divided into categories: < 25, 25 to 29.9, and > or = 30. Rates of BV persistence at follow-up were compared using the Mantel-Haenszel chi square. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of BMI on BV persistence at follow-up, adjusting for potential confounders. No association was identified between BMI and BV rate at follow-up ( P = 0.21). BMI was associated with maternal age, smoking, marital status, and black race. Compared with women with BMI of < 25, adjusted odds ratio (OR) of BV at follow-up were BMI 25 to 29.9: OR, 0.66, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.02; BMI > or = 30: OR, 0.83, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.26. We concluded that the persistence of BV after treatment was not related to BMI.

Effects of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents on fatigue- and anaemia-related symptoms in cancer patients: systematic review and meta-analyses of published and unpublished data.

Background:Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) reduce the need for red blood cell transfusions; however, they increase the risk of thromboembolic events and mortality. The impact of ESAs on quality of life (QoL) is controversial and led to different recommendations of medical societies and authorities in the USA and Europe. We aimed to critically evaluate and quantify the effects of ESAs on QoL in cancer patients.Methods:We included data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of ESAs on QoL in cancer patients. Randomised controlled trials were identified by searching electronic data bases and other sources up to January 2011. To reduce publication and outcome reporting biases, we included unreported results from clinical study reports. We conducted meta-analyses on fatigue- and anaemia-related symptoms measured with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue (FACT-F) and FACT-Anaemia (FACT-An) subscales (primary outcomes) or other validated instruments.Results:We identified 58 eligible RCTs. Clinical study reports were available for 27% (4 out of 15) of the investigator-initiated trials and 95% (41 out of 43) of the industry-initiated trials. We excluded 21 RTCs as we could not use their QoL data for meta-analyses, either because of incomplete reporting (17 RCTs) or because of premature closure of the trial (4 RCTs). We included 37 RCTs with 10 581 patients; 21 RCTs were placebo controlled. Chemotherapy was given in 27 of the 37 RCTs. The median baseline haemoglobin (Hb) level was 10.1 g dl(-1); in 8 studies ESAs were stopped at Hb levels below 13 g dl(-1) and in 27 above 13 g dl(-1). For FACT-F, the mean difference (MD) was 2.41 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.39-3.43; P<0.0001; 23 studies, n=6108) in all cancer patients and 2.81 (95% CI 1.73-3.90; P<0.0001; 19 RCTs, n=4697) in patients receiving chemotherapy, which was below the threshold (⩾3) for a clinically important difference (CID). Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents had a positive effect on anaemia-related symptoms (MD 4.09; 95% CI 2.37-5.80; P=0.001; 14 studies, n=2765) in all cancer patients and 4.50 (95% CI 2.55-6.45; P<0.0001; 11 RCTs, n=2436) in patients receiving chemotherapy, which was above the threshold (⩾4) for a CID. Of note, this effect persisted when we restricted the analysis to placebo-controlled RCTs in patients receiving chemotherapy. There was some evidence that the MDs for FACT-F were above the threshold for a CID in RCTs including cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with Hb levels below 12 g dl(-1) at baseline and in RCTs stopping ESAs at Hb levels above 13 g dl(-1). However, these findings for FACT-F were not confirmed when we restricted the analysis to placebo-controlled RCTs in patients receiving chemotherapy.Conclusions:In cancer patients, particularly those receiving chemotherapy, we found that ESAs provide a small but clinically important improvement in anaemia-related symptoms (FACT-An). For fatigue-related symptoms (FACT-F), the overall effect did not reach the threshold for a CID.British Journal of Cancer advance online publication, 17 April 2014; doi:10.1038/bjc.2014.171 www.bjcancer.com.

Narrow dust jets in a diffuse gas coma: a natural product of small active regions on comets

Comets often display narrow dust jets but more diffuse gas comae when their eccentric orbits bring them into the inner solar system and sunlight sublimates the ice on the nucleus. Comets are also understood to have one or more active areas covering only a fraction of the total surface active with sublimating volatile ices. Calculations of the gas and dust distribution from a small active area on a comet’s nucleus show that as the gas moves out radially into the vacuum of space it expands tangentially, filling much of the hemisphere centered on the active region. The dust dragged by the gas remains more concentrated over the active area. This explains some puzzling appearances of comets having collimated dust jets but more diffuse gaseous atmospheres. Our test case is 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, the Rosetta mission target comet, whose activity is dominated by a single area covering only 4% of its surface.

Effect of the Tiger Stripes on the water vapor distribution in Enceladus' exosphere

The jet activity emanating from Enceladus' exosphere south pole region observed by Cassini is a subject of intensive study. The in situ and remote sensing observations performed since 2005 triggered an active modeling campaign. Such modeling is essential for better understanding of the measurements performed by individual instruments as well as to link them for a more complete picture of the volatile and ice grain distribution in Enceladus' exosphere. This paper is focused on the investigation of the effect that diffuse gas sources along the Tiger Stripes have on distribution of the water vapor in Enceladus' exosphere using the updated version of our multiplume model. We have found that accounting for the gas production by Tiger Stripes is critical for interpretation of the Cassini data. According to our calculations, sources along the Tiger Stripes (apart from those originally identified by Spitale and Porco (2007)) must contribute about 23–32% to the total plume source rate, which varies in the range of (6.4–29) ×1027 s−1. The effect of the previously unidentified source suggested in the paper is found to be critical for explaining the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph 2007 and 2010 observations in the whole range of the elapsed times.

Effect of routine claw trimming on claw temperature in dairy cows measured by infrared thermography

Infrared thermography (IRT) was used to assess the effect of routine claw trimming on claw temperature. In total, 648 IRT observations each were collected from 81 cows housed in 6 tiestalls before and 3 wk after claw trimming. The feet were classified as either healthy (nonlesion group, n = 182) or affected with infectious foot disorders (group IFD, n = 142). The maximal surface temperatures of the coronary band and skin and the difference of the maximal temperatures (ΔT) between the lateral and medial claws of the respective foot were assessed. Linear mixed models, correcting for the hierarchical structure of the data, ambient temperature, and infectious status of the claws, were developed to evaluate the effect of time in relation to the trimming event (d 0 versus d 21) and claw (medial versus lateral). Front feet and hind feet were analyzed separately. Ambient temperature and infectious foot status were identified as external and internal factors, respectively, that significantly affected claw temperature. Before claw trimming, the lateral claws of the hind feet were significantly warmer compared with the medial claws, whereas such a difference was not evident for the claws of the front feet. At d 21, ΔT of the hind feet was reduced by ≥ 0.25 °C, whereas it was increased by ≤ 0.13 °C in the front feet compared with d 0. Therefore, trimming was associated with a remarkable decrease of ΔT of the hind claws. Equalizing the weight bearing of the hind feet by routine claw trimming is associated with a measurable reduction of ΔT between the paired hind claws.

Effect of low count sums on quantitative environmental reconstructions: an example using subfossil chironomids

The concentrations of chironomid remains in lake sediments are very variable and, therefore, chironomid stratigraphies often include samples with a low number of counts. Thus, the effect of low count sums on reconstructed temperatures is an important issue when applying chironomid‐temperature inference models. Using an existing data set, we simulated low count sums by randomly picking subsets of head capsules from surface‐sediment samples with a high number of specimens. Subsequently, a chironomid‐temperature inference model was used to assess how the inferred temperatures are affected by low counts. The simulations indicate that the variability of inferred temperatures increases progressively with decreasing count sums. At counts below 50 specimens, a further reduction in count sum can cause a disproportionate increase in the variation of inferred temperatures, whereas at higher count sums the inferences are more stable. Furthermore, low count samples may consistently infer too low or too high temperatures and, therefore, produce a systematic error in a reconstruction. Smoothing reconstructed temperatures downcore is proposed as a possible way to compensate for the high variability due to low count sums. By combining adjacent samples in a stratigraphy, to produce samples of a more reliable size, it is possible to assess if low counts cause a systematic error in inferred temperatures.

Differential effect of elevated intralabyrinthine pressure on ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials elicited by air conducted sound and bone conducted vibration

Recently, ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP) have emerged as a tool for assessment of utricular function. They are short-latency myogenic potentials which can be elicited in response to vestibular stimulation, e.g. by air-conducted sound (ACS) or bone-conducted vibration (BCV) (reviewed in (Kantner and Gurkov, 2012)). Otolithic afferent neurons trigger reflexive electromyographic activity of the extraocular muscles which can be recorded beneath the eye contralateral to the stimulated ear by use of surface electrodes.

The Effect of Heavy Metal Stress on Avian Proximal Tubule Urate Secretion

In both humans and birds, urate is an important antioxidant when maintained at normal plasma concentrations. Though human kidneys primarily reabsorb filtered urate, while those of birds perform mostly secretion, both maintain urate levels at ~300microM. The importance of maintaining urate levels within the homeostatic range was observed when the study of several prominent diseases revealed an association with hyperuricemia. This study examined the effect of elevated zinc concentration on avian urate secretion. Here, acute exposure of chicken proximal tubule epithelial cells (cPTCs) to zinc stress had no effect on urate secretion, but prolonged zinc-induced cellular stress inhibited active transepithelial urate secretion with no change in Mrp4 expression, glucose transport, or transepithelial resistance. Moreover, zinc had no effect on urate transport by isolated brush border membrane vesicles, suggesting involvement of a more complex cellular stress adaptation. Previous work has demonstrated that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a critical metabolic regulator, conserves energy during cellular stress by shutting down ATP-utilizing processes and activating ATP-generating processes. Pharmacological activation of AMPK by AICAR produced decreased urate secretion by cPTCs similar to the effect seen with prolonged exposure to zinc, while the AMPK inhibitor Compound C prevented both AICAR and zinc inhibition of urate secretion, suggesting a stress induced mechanism of regulation. Supported by NSF. IACUC #A08-046.

Studying the effect of CO2-induced acidification on sediment toxicity using acute amphipod toxicity test

Carbon capture and storage is increasingly being considered one of the most efficient approaches to mitigate the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere associated with anthropogenic emissions. However, the environmental effects of potential CO2 leaks remain largely unknown. The amphipod Ampelisca brevicornis was exposed to environmental sediments collected in different areas of the Gulf of Cádiz and subjected to several pH treatments to study the effects of CO2-induced acidification on sediment toxicity. After 10 days of exposure, the results obtained indicated that high lethal effects were associated with the lowest pH treatments, except for the Ría of Huelva sediment test. The mobility of metals from sediment to the overlying seawater was correlated to a pH decrease. The data obtained revealed that CO2-related acidification would lead to lethal effects on amphipods as well as the mobility of metals, which could increase sediment toxicity.

Effect of increased pCO2 level on early shell development in great scallop (Pecten maximus Lamarck) larvae

As a result of high anthropogenic CO2 emissions, the concentration of CO2 in the oceans has increased, causing a decrease in pH, known as ocean acidification (OA). Numerous studies have shown negative effects on marine invertebrates, and also that the early life stages are the most sensitive to OA. We studied the effects of OA on embryos and unfed larvae of the great scallop (Pecten maximus Lamarck), at pCO(2) levels of 469 (ambient), 807, 1164, and 1599 µatm until seven days after fertilization. To our knowledge, this is the first study on OA effects on larvae of this species. A drop in pCO(2) level the first 12 h was observed in the elevated pCO(2) groups due to a discontinuation in water flow to avoid escape of embryos. When the flow was restarted, pCO(2) level stabilized and was significantly different between all groups. OA affected both survival and shell growth negatively after seven days. Survival was reduced from 45% in the ambient group to 12% in the highest pCO(2) group. Shell length and height were reduced by 8 and 15 %, respectively, when pCO(2) increased from ambient to 1599 µatm. Development of normal hinges was negatively affected by elevated pCO(2) levels in both trochophore larvae after two days and veliger larvae after seven days. After seven days, deformities in the shell hinge were more connected to elevated pCO(2) levels than deformities in the shell edge. Embryos stained with calcein showed fluorescence in the newly formed shell area, indicating calcification of the shell at the early trochophore stage between one and two days after fertilization. Our results show that P. maximus embryos and early larvae may be negatively affected by elevated pCO(2) levels within the range of what is projected towards year 2250, although the initial drop in pCO(2) level may have overestimated the effect of the highest pCO(2) levels. Future work should focus on long-term effects on this species from hatching, throughout the larval stages, and further into the juvenile and adult stages.

Effect of simulated ocean acidification on the acute toxicity of Cu and Cd to Tigriopus japonicus

Heavy metals pollution in marine environments has caused great damage to marine biological and ecological systems. Heavy metals accumulate in marine creatures, after which they are delivered to higher trophic levels of marine organisms through the marine food chain, which causes serious harm to marine biological systems and human health. Additionally, excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has caused ocean acidification. Indeed, about one third of the CO2 released into the atmosphere by anthropogenic activities since the beginning of the industrial revolution has been absorbed by the world's oceans, which play a key role in moderating climate change. Modeling has shown that, if current trends in CO2 emissions continue, the average pH of the ocean will reach 7.8 by the end of this century, corresponding to 0.5 units below the pre-industrial level, or a three-fold increase in H+ concentration. The ocean pH has not been at this level for several millions of years. Additionally, these changes are occurring at speeds 100 times greater than ever previously observed. As a result, several marine species, communities and ecosystems might not have time to acclimate or adapt to these fast changes in ocean chemistry. In addition, decreasing ocean pH has the potential to seriously affect the growth, development and reproduction reproductive processes of marine organisms, as well as threaten normal development of the marine ecosystem. Copepods are an important part of the meiofauna that play an important role in the marine ecosystem. Pollution of the marine environment can influence their growth and development, as well as the ecological processes they are involved in. Accordingly, there is important scientific value to investigation of the response of copepods to ocean acidification and heavy metals pollution. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of simulated future ocean acidification and the toxicological interaction between ocean acidity and heavy metals of Cu and Cd on T. japonicus. To accomplish this, harpacticoids were exposed to Cu and Cd concentration gradient seawater that had been equilibrated with CO2 and air to reach pH 8.0, 7.7, 7.3 and 6.5 for 96 h. Survival was not significantly suppressed under single sea water acidification, and the final survival rates were greater than 93% in both the experimental groups and the controls. The toxicity of Cu to T. japonicus was significantly affected by sea water acidification, with the 96h LC50 decreasing by nearly threefold from 1.98 to 0.64 mg/L with decreasing pH. The 96 h LC50 of Cd decreased with decreasing pH, but there was no significant difference in mortality among pH treatments. The results of the present study demonstrated that the predicted future ocean acidification has the potential to negatively affect survival of T. japonicus by exacerbating the toxicity of Cu. The calculated safe concentrations of Cu were 11.9 (pH 7.7) and 10.5 (pH 7.3) µg/L, which were below the class I value and very close to the class II level of the China National Quality Standard for Sea Water. Overall, these results indicate that the Chinese coastal sea will face a

Effect of the Reference Line on Main Roughness Parameters

In the present paper the influence of the reference system with regard to the characterization of the surface finishing is analyzed. The effect of the reference system’s choice on the most representative surface finishing parameters (e.g. roughness average Ra and root mean square values Rq) is studied. The study can also be applied to their equivalent parameters in waviness and primary profiles. Based on ISO and ASME standards, three different types of regression lines (center, mean and orthogonal) are theoretically and experimentally analyzed, identifying the validity and applicability fields of each one depending on profile’s geometry.

Role of surface trap states on two-dimensional electron gas density in InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

In order to clarify the effect of charged dislocations and surface donor states on the transport mechanisms in polar AlInN/AlN/GaN heterostructures, we have studied the current-voltage characteristics of Schottky junctions fabricated on AlInN/AlN/GaN heterostructures. The reverse-bias leakage current behaviour has been interpreted with a Poole-Frenkel emission of electrons from trap states near the metal-semiconductor junction to dislocation induced states. The variation of the Schottky barrier height as a function of the AlN layer thickness has been measured and discussed, considering the role of the surface states in the formation of the two dimensional electron gas at AlN/GaN interface.

Effect of lactose solid-state on the aerosolization performance of drug-carrier mixtures

Lactose, in particular α-lactose monohydrate, is the most used carrier for inhalation. Its surface and solid-state properties are of paramount importance in determining drug aerosolization performance. However, these properties may be altered by processing, such as micronization, thus affecting the product performance and stability. The present research project focused on the study of the effect of lactose solid-state on the aerosolization performance of drug-carrier mixtures, giving particular attention to the impact of micronization on lactose physico-chemical properties. The formation of a fraction of hygroscopic anhydrous α-lactose, rather than amorphous lactose, as a consequence of the mechanical stress stemming from micronization was evidenced by 1H NMR, XRPD and DSC analyses performed on samples of micronized lactose. The development of a new DVS method capable to identify and quantify different forms of α-lactose (hygroscopic anhydrous, stable anhydrous and amorphous), even simultaneously present in the same sample, confirmed the results obtained with the above-mentioned techniques. The influence of lactose solid-state on drug respirability was then evaluated through the preparation and in vitro aerodynamic assessment of ternary and binary mixtures containing two different drugs. In particular, the use, as carriers, of anhydrous forms of α-lactose in place of the conventional α-lactose monohydrate resulted in significantly improved respirability in the case of salbutamol sulphate and poorer performance in the case of budesonide. In an attempt to rationalize the obtained results, IGC was selected as a tool to investigate possible variations in the surface energy of the studied lactose carriers and APIs. A direct correlation between the total surface free energy of lactose carriers and drug respirability was not found. However, salbutamol sulphate and budesonide exhibited different specific surface free energy, to which the difference in the aerosolization performance may be, at least in part, ascribed.

Efficient in vivo antitumor effect of an immunotoxin based on ribotoxin α-sarcin in nude mice bearing human colorectal cancer xenografts

Tagging of RNases, such as the ribotoxin α-sarcin, with the variable domains of antibodies directed to surface antigens that are selectively expressed on tumor cells endows cellular specificity to their cytotoxic action. A recombinant single-chain immunotoxin based on the ribotoxin α-sarcin (IMTXA33αS), produced in the generally regarded as safe (GRAS) yeast Pichia pastoris, has been recently described as a promising candidate for the treatment of colorectal cancer cells expressing the glycoprotein A33 (GPA33) antigen, due to its high specific and effective cytotoxic effect on in vitro assays against targeted cells. Here we report the in vivo antitumor effectiveness of this immunotoxin on nude mice bearing GPA33-positive human colon cancer xenografts. Two sets of independent assays were performed, including three experimental groups: control (PBS) and treatment with two different doses of immunotoxin (50 or 100 μg/ injection) (n = 8). Intraperitoneal administration of IMTXA33αS resulted in significant dose-dependent tumor growth inhibition. In addition, the remaining tumors excised from immunotoxin-treated mice showed absence of the GPA33 antigen and a clear inhibition of angiogenesis and proliferative capacity. No signs of immunotoxin-induced pathological changes were observed from specimens tissues.Overall these results show efficient and selective cytotoxic action on tumor xenografts, combined with the lack of severe side effects, suggesting that IMTXA33αS is a potential therapeutic agent against colorectal cancer.