Augmented epithelial multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 expression in peritoneal endometriosis: regulation by lipoxin A(4).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the expression of the prostaglandin (PG) E(2) transporter multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4) in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissue from endometriosis patients with that of control subjects and to examine whether MRP4 is regulated by the antiinflammatory lipid lipoxin A(4) (LXA(4)) in endometriotic epithelial cells. DESIGN: Molecular analysis in human samples and a cell line. SETTING: Two university hospitals and a private clinic. PATIENT(S): A total of 59 endometriosis patients and 32 age- and body mass index-matched control subjects undergoing laparoscopy or hysterectomy. INTERVENTION(S): Normal, eutopic, and ectopic endometrial biopsies as well as peritoneal fluid were obtained during surgery performed during the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle. 12Z endometriotic epithelial cells were used for in vitro mechanistic studies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Tissue MRP4 mRNA levels were quantified by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and localization was analyzed with the use of immunohistochemistry. Cellular MRP4 mRNA and protein were quantified by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. PGE(2) was measured in peritoneal fluid and cell supernatants using an enzyme immunoassay (EIA). RESULT(S): MRP4 was expressed in eutopic and ectopic endometrium, where it was overexpressed in peritoneal lesions and localized in the cytoplasm of glandular epithelial cells. LXA(4) attenuated MRP4 mRNA and protein levels in endometriotic epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner, while not affecting the expression of enzymes involved in PGE(2) metabolism. Investigations employing receptor antagonists and small interfering RNA revealed that this occurred through estrogen receptor α. Accordingly, LXA(4) treatment inhibited extracellular PGE(2) release. CONCLUSION(S): We report for the first time that MRP4 is expressed in human endometrium, elevated in peritoneal endometriosis, and modulated by LXA(4) in endometriotic epithelial cells.

Compressed Sensing Single-Breath-Hold CMR for Fast Quantification of LV Function, Volumes, and Mass.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare a novel compressed sensing (CS)-based single-breath-hold multislice magnetic resonance cine technique with the standard multi-breath-hold technique for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) volumes and function. BACKGROUND: Cardiac magnetic resonance is generally accepted as the gold standard for LV volume and function assessment. LV function is 1 of the most important cardiac parameters for diagnosis and the monitoring of treatment effects. Recently, CS techniques have emerged as a means to accelerate data acquisition. METHODS: The prototype CS cine sequence acquires 3 long-axis and 4 short-axis cine loops in 1 single breath-hold (temporal/spatial resolution: 30 ms/1.5 × 1.5 mm(2); acceleration factor 11.0) to measure left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEFCS) as well as LV volumes and LV mass using LV model-based 4D software. For comparison, a conventional stack of multi-breath-hold cine images was acquired (temporal/spatial resolution 40 ms/1.2 × 1.6 mm(2)). As a reference for the left ventricular stroke volume (LVSV), aortic flow was measured by phase-contrast acquisition. RESULTS: In 94% of the 33 participants (12 volunteers: mean age 33 ± 7 years; 21 patients: mean age 63 ± 13 years with different LV pathologies), the image quality of the CS acquisitions was excellent. LVEFCS and LVEFstandard were similar (48.5 ± 15.9% vs. 49.8 ± 15.8%; p = 0.11; r = 0.96; slope 0.97; p < 0.00001). Agreement of LVSVCS with aortic flow was superior to that of LVSVstandard (overestimation vs. aortic flow: 5.6 ± 6.5 ml vs. 16.2 ± 11.7 ml, respectively; p = 0.012) with less variability (r = 0.91; p < 0.00001 for the CS technique vs. r = 0.71; p < 0.01 for the standard technique). The intraobserver and interobserver agreement for all CS parameters was good (slopes 0.93 to 1.06; r = 0.90 to 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated the feasibility of applying the CS strategy to evaluate LV function and volumes with high accuracy in patients. The single-breath-hold CS strategy has the potential to replace the multi-breath-hold standard cardiac magnetic resonance technique.

North South Survey of Children's Height, Weight and Body Mass Index, 2002.

North South Survey of Children’s Height, Weight and Body Mass Index, 2002. As part of a North South Survey of Childrenâ?Ts Oral Health conducted in Ireland in 2001/â?T02 [1], the heights and weights of a representative sample of children and adolescents age 4-16 years was measured. Data were collected by 34 teams of trained and calibrated dentists and dental nurses for 17,518 children aged 4-16 in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and 2,099 in Northern Ireland (NI). Click here to download PDF 379kb

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting - A Literature Review

This report represents the result of two different strands of work by the Women's Health Council. At the beginning of 2006, due to the recent significant inward migration experienced in Ireland, the Council's board identified the promotion of the health of ethnic minority women as a key area of work in its strategic plan for the period 2007-2009. At the same time, it was also decided that the problem of gender-based violence would also be addressed through a number of research and policy initiatives. This report focuses on a health issuethat marries these two concerns, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C – see below for definition) and serves as an accompanying document to the recently published Violence Against Women and Health (2007) and the forthcoming study on Ethnic Minority Women and Gender-Based Violence. Download document here

Obesity markers and blood pressure in a sample of Portuguese children and adolescents.

Little information exists regarding the effect of several obesity markers on blood pressure (BP) levels in youth. Transverse study including 2494 boys and 2589 girls. Height, weight and waist were measured according to the international criteria and body fat (BF) by bioimpedance. BP was measured by an automated device. Hypertension was defined using sex-specific, age-specific and height-specific observation-points. Body mass index (BMI) and waist were positively related with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate in both sexes, whereas the relationships with BF were less consistent. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that BMI was positively related with SBP and DBP in both sexes, whereas BF was negatively related with SBP in both sexes and with heart rate in boys only; finally, waist was positively related with SBP in boys and heart rate in girls. Age and heart rate-adjusted values of SBP and DBP increased with BMI: for SBP, 117+/-1, 123+/-1 and 124+/-1 mmHg in normal, overweight and obese boys, respectively; corresponding values for girls were 111+/-1, 114+/-1 and 116+/-2 mmHg (mean+/-SE, P<0.001). Overweight and obese boys had an odds ratio for being hypertensive of 2.26 (95% confidence interval: 1.79-2.86) and 3.36 (2.32-4.87), respectively; corresponding values for girls were 1.58 (confidence interval 1.25-1.99) and 2.31 (1.53-3.50). BMI, not BF or waist, is consistently and independently related to BP levels in children; overweight and obesity considerably increase the risk of hypertension.

Ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for plant metabolomics: a systematic comparison of high-resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight and single stage Orbitrap mass spectrometers.

The response of Arabidopsis to stress caused by mechanical wounding was chosen as a model to compare the performances of high resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-TOF) and single stage Orbitrap (Exactive Plus) mass spectrometers in untargeted metabolomics. Both instruments were coupled to ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) systems set under identical conditions. The experiment was divided in two steps: the first analyses involved sixteen unwounded plants, half of which were spiked with pure standards that are not present in Arabidopsis. The second analyses compared the metabolomes of mechanically wounded plants to unwounded plants. Data from both systems were extracted using the same feature detection software and submitted to unsupervised and supervised multivariate analysis methods. Both mass spectrometers were compared in terms of number and identity of detected features, capacity to discriminate between samples, repeatability and sensitivity. Although analytical variability was lower for the UHPLC-Q-TOF, generally the results for the two detectors were quite similar, both of them proving to be highly efficient at detecting even subtle differences between plant groups. Overall, sensitivity was found to be comparable, although the Exactive Plus Orbitrap provided slightly lower detection limits for specific compounds. Finally, to evaluate the potential of the two mass spectrometers for the identification of unknown markers, mass and spectral accuracies were calculated on selected identified compounds. While both instruments showed excellent mass accuracy (<2.5ppm for all measured compounds), better spectral accuracy was recorded on the Q-TOF. Taken together, our results demonstrate that comparable performances can be obtained at acquisition frequencies compatible with UHPLC on Q-TOF and Exactive Plus MS, which may thus be equivalently used for plant metabolomics.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: initial 2-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP)-essentially a restrictive bariatric procedure-is currently considered the gold standard for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity. Open surgery in obese patients is associated with a high risk of cardiopulmonary complications, wound infection, and late incisional hernia. Laparoscopic surgery has been shown to reduce perioperative morbidity and to improve postoperative recovery for various procedures. Herein we present our results with laparoscopic RYGBP after an initial 2-year experience. METHODS: A prospective database was created in our department beginning without the first laparoscopic bariatric procedure. To provide a complete follow-up of 6 months, the results of all patients operated on between June 1999 and August 2001 were reviewed. Early surgical results, weight loss, correction of comorbidities, and improvement of quality of life were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients were included. There were 82 women and 25 men, with a mean age of 39.7 years (range, 19-58). RYGBP was a primary procedure in 80 cases (49 morbidly obese and 31 superobese patients) and a reoperation after failure or complication of another bariatric operation in 27 cases. Mean duration of surgery was 168 min for morbidly obese patients, 196 min for surperobese patients, and 205 min for reoperated patients (p <0.01). Conversion to open surgery was necessary in two cases. A total of 22 patients (20.5%) developed complication. Nine of them (8.4%) required reoperation for leak (five cases, or 4.6%), bowel occlusion (three cases, or 2.8%), or subphrenic abscess (one case, or 0.9%). mortality was 0.9%. Major morbidity decreased over time (first two-thirds, 12.5%, last third, 2.7%). major morbidity decreased over time (first two-thirds, 12.5%; last third, 2.7%). Excess weight loss of -50% was achieved in >80% of the patients, corresponding to a loss of 15 body mass index (BMI) units in morbidly obese patients and 20 BMI units in superobese patients. In the vast majority of patients, comorbidities improved or disappeared over time and quality of life improved. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is feasible, but it is a very complex operation. Indeed, it is associated with a long and steep learning curve, as reflected in the high number of major complications among our first 70 patients. The learning curve probably includes between 100 and 150 patients. With increasing experience, the morbidity rate becomes more acceptable and comparable to that of open RYGBP. The results in terms of weight loss and correction of comorbidities are similar to those obtained after open surgery, at least in the short term. However, only surgeons with extensive experience in advanced laparoscopic as well as bariatric surgery should attempt this procedure.

Connexin implication in the control of the murine beta-cell mass.

Diabetes develops when the insulin needs of peripheral cells exceed the availability or action of the hormone. This situation results from the death of most beta-cells in type 1 diabetes, and from an inability of the beta-cell mass to adapt to increasing insulin needs in type 2 and gestational diabetes. We analyzed several lines of transgenic mice and showed that connexins (Cxs), the transmembrane proteins that form gap junctions, are implicated in the modulation of the beta-cell mass. Specifically, we found that the native Cx36 does not alter islet size or insulin content, whereas the Cx43 isoform increases both parameters, and Cx32 has a similar effect only when combined with GH. These findings open interesting perspectives for the in vitro and in vivo regulation of the beta-cell mass.

Divorce in the barn owl: securing a compatible or better mate entails the cost of re-pairing with a less ornamented female mate.

Two nonmutually exclusive hypotheses can explain why divorce is an adaptive strategy to improve reproductive success. Under the 'better option hypothesis', only one of the two partners initiates divorce to secure a higher-quality partner and increases reproductive success after divorce. Under the 'incompatibility hypothesis', partners are incompatible and hence they may both increase reproductive success after divorce. In a long-term study of the barn owl (Tyto alba), we address the question of whether one or the two partners derive fitness benefits by divorcing. Our results support the hypothesis that divorce is adaptive: after a poor reproductive season, at least one of the two divorcees increase breeding success up to the level of faithful pairs. By breeding more often together, faithful pairs improve coordination and thereby gain in their efficiency to produce successful fledglings. Males would divorce to obtain a compatible mate rather than a mate of higher quality: a heritable melanin-based signal of female quality did not predict divorce (indicating that female absolute quality may not be the cause of divorce), but the new mate of divorced males was less melanic than their previous mate. This suggests that, at least for males, a cost of divorce may be to secure a lower-quality but compatible mate. The better option hypothesis could not be formally rejected, as only one of the two divorcing partners commonly succeeded in obtaining a higher reproductive success after divorce. In conclusion, incompatible partners divorce to restore reproductive success, and by breeding more often together, faithful partners improve coordination.

Mortality risk of obesity and underweight is overestimated with self-reported body mass index.

Obese persons (those with a body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2) tend to underestimate their weight, leading to an underestimation of their true (measured) BMI and obesity prevalence.1,2 In contrast, underweight people (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) tend to report themselves heavier, resulting in a higher BMI compared with measured BMI and an underestimation of underweight prevalence.

Description of the female of Sciopemyia servulolimai (Damasceno & Causey) (Diptera: Psychodidae)

The female of Sciopemyia servulolimai (Damasceno & Causey), based on three specimens captured during an epidemiological research project in the state of Ceará, Brazil, is described and illustrated for the first time.

Correlation of male genital filaments and female spermathecal ducts in New World sand flies of the Lutzomyia intermedia species complex (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae)

The lengths of the male genital filaments and female spermathecal ducts were measured in phlebotomine sand flies of the Lutzomyia intermedia species complex and the ratios between these characters calculated. Ratios for L. intermedia s. s. from Northeast vs Southeast Brazil (Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais), Espírito Santo/Minas Gerais vs Rio de Janeiro/São Paulo and L. intermedia vs L. neivai were significantly different at P < 0.1, 0.05 and 0.01 respectively when compared using ANOVA. The spermathecal ducts and genital filaments of L. intermedia were significantly longer than those of L. neivai (P < 0.01) and could be used to differentiate these species. The taxonomic and biological significance of these differences is discussed.

Detection of cognitive impairment with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) in adolescents with psychotic symptomatology.

Cognitive impairment has been identified in the early phase of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and is a major contributor to disease-related disability. While screening tools assessing cognitive impairment have been validated for adult schizophrenic populations, there is a need for brief, easily administered, standardized instruments that provide clinically relevant information for adolescents. This study examines the utility of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) in identifying and quantifying neurocognitive impairment in adolescents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other serious psychiatric illnesses. 112 adolescents, including 32 healthy subjects and 80 patients, were administered the RBANS. Patients with psychotic disorders demonstrated significant impairment on the RBANS total score compared to patients with other disorders and healthy controls, but this impairment appeared somewhat less severe than is typically reported for in adult patients with schizophrenia on this measure. The RBANS appears to be sensitive in the detection of neurocognitive impairment in a psychiatric population of adolescents with psychotic symptomatology, and may therefore have utility as a clinical screening instrument and/or neurocognitive outcome measure in this population.

North South Survey of Children's Height, Weight and Body Mass Index, 2002

As part of a North South Survey of Childrens Oral Health conducted in Ireland in 2001/’02 [1], the heights and weights of a representative sample of children and adolescents age 4-16 years was measured. Data were collected by 34 teams of trained and calibrated dentists and dental nurses for 17,518 children aged 4-16 in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and 2,099 in Northern Ireland (NI). This report presents the results of the study which provide a baseline measurement of Childrens height and weight against which future change can be measured. By comparing these data with international norms we can estimate the current prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Ireland.