Poly(T) variation in heteroderid nematode mitochondrial genomes is predominantly an artefact of amplification

We assessed the rate of in vitro polymerase errors at polythymidine [poly(T)] tracts in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of a heteroderid nematode (Heterodera cajani). The mtDNA of these nematodes contain unusually high numbers of poly(T) tracts, and have previously been suggested to contain biological poly(T) length variation. However, using a cloned molecule, we observed that poly(T) variation was generated in vitro at regions containing more than six consecutive Ts. This artefactual error rate was estimated at 7.3 × 10−5 indels/poly(T) tract \u3e6 Ts/cycle. This rate was then compared to the rate of poly(T) variation detected after the amplification of a biological sample, in order to estimate the ‘biological + artefactual’ rate of poly(T) variation. There was no significant difference between the artefactual and the artefactual + biological rates, suggesting that the majority of poly(T) variation in the biological sample was artefactual. We then examined the generation of poly(T) variation in a range of templates with tracts up to 16 Ts long, utilizing a range of Heteroderidae species. We observed that T deletions occurred five times more frequently than insertions, and a trend towards increasing error rates with increasing poly(T) tract length. These findings have significant implications for studies involving genomes with many homopolymer tracts

Intra-operative tissue oxygen tension is increased by local insufflation of humidified-warm CO<inf>2</inf>during open abdominal surgery in a rat model e0122838

Introduction Maintenance of high tissue oxygenation (PtO2) is recommended during surgery because PtO2 is highly predictive of surgical site infection and colonic anastomotic leakage. However, surgical site perfusion is often sub-optimal, creating an obstructive hurdle for traditional, systemically applied therapies to maintain or increase surgical site PtO2. This research tested the hypothesis that insufflation of humidified-warm CO2 into the abdominal cavity would increase sub-peritoneal PtO2 during open abdominal surgery. Materials and Methods 15 Wistar rats underwent laparotomy under general anesthesia. Three sets of randomized cross-over experiments were conducted in which the abdominal cavity was subjected to alternating exposure to 1) humidified-warm CO2 & ambient air; 2) humidified-warm CO2 & dry-cold CO2; and 3) dry-cold CO2 & ambient air. Sub-peritoneal PtO 2 and tissue temperature were measured with a polarographic oxygen probe. Results Upon insufflation of humidified-warm CO2, PtO2 increased by 29.8 mmHg (SD 13.3; p<0.001), or 96.6%(SD 51.9), and tissue temperature by 3.0° C (SD 1.7 p<0.001), in comparison with exposure to ambient air. Smaller, but significant, increases in PtO2 were seen in experiments 2 and 3. Tissue temperature decreased upon exposure to dry-cold CO2 compared with ambient air (-1.4° C, SD 0.5, p = 0.001). Conclusions In a rat model, insufflation of humidified-warm CO2 into the abdominal cavity during open abdominal surgery causes an immediate and potentially clinically significant increase in PtO2. The effect is an additive result of the delivery of CO2 and avoidance of evaporative cooling via the delivery of the CO2 gas humidified at body temperature

Objets de culture et culture d'objets : une approche muséographique sensible à l'expression de la culture régionale québécoise

La recherche que je présente dans cet essai est inspirée de mon vécu à la campagne, de la philosophie que mes parents m'ont transmise, une philosophie basée sur la simplicité et le respect de la nature. Je me suis toujours intéressée à l'histoire en général, mais je n'avais jamais pris connaissance des richesses culturelles dans lesquelles je vivais. La découverte des communautés autochtones1, de leur sensibilité et de l'importance qu'elles accordent à leur culture m'a énormément questionnée sur ma culture et m'a fait réaliser toute sa valeur. Afin de permettre à d'autres de découvrir ces richesses culturelles, il m'apparut nécessaire de créer des outils propices à leur transmission. J'ai voulu, par l'art, le design et tout particulièrement l'exposition, partager ma vision de la culture québécoise. J'ai trouvé dans le territoire et la culture matérielle et technique qui en découle, des témoins inestimables de notre passé. Le territoire a eu et a toujours une influence directe sur la vie au Québec. D'abord exploré et habité par les groupes autochtones et ensuite connu, habité et exploité par les groupes Européens, le territoire a permis à ces deux cultures des échanges desquels est née la culture québécoise. Ceci est le coeur de l'exposition Objets de culture et culture d'objets, fruit d'une recherche pratique et théorique en muséographie. La muséographie est un domaine particulièrement propice à la transmission par le biais de tous les arts. Afin d'allier mes intérêts divers, soit l'art, le design d'objet, le design graphique, l'histoire, la culture et la transmission, l'exposition m'est apparue comme le médium par excellence pour exprimer mon sujet. La culture transporte plusieurs sens qui peuvent être des forces pour sa transmission, il était donc important dans mon travail de mettre en valeur cet élément. Sans critiquer la muséographie actuelle, rares sont les expositions dont la conception est basée sur l'émotion et l'expérience sensible. C'est donc par le biais de l'art et de l'expérience esthétique que j'ai exploré le médium de l'exposition. De ces expérimentations a émergé une méthodologie de création muséographique favorisant la transmission par l'expérience personnelle vécue, laissant transparaître l'apport émotif et sensible en regard d'un sujet donné. À travers la lecture de cet essai, on découvrira le fondement théorique de cette approche muséographique, l'aspect innovant de cette recherche ainsi que son aboutissement concret par la présentation d'expérimentations pratiques en création et en exposition. 1 Dans le cadre de mon rôle d'assistante de recherche du projet Design et culture matérielle : développement communautaire et culture autochtone, depuis 2004

Exploratory analysis of serum concentrations of oocyte biomarkers growth differentiation factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15 in ovulatory women across the menstrual cycle

Objective: To reveal the proportion of concomitant extragenital malformations in a large cohort of Chinese patients with Mayer-Rokitansky- K€uster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary teaching hospitals in China. Patient(s): A total of 1,055 Chinese Han women with MRKH syndrome diagnosed and treated at 11 Chinese tertiary teaching hospitals from January 2015 to January 2020. Intervention(s): Karyotype analysis, hormone profiling, pelvic ultrasonography, spinal roentgenograms, urologic ultrasonography, and Chinese female reproductive tract malformation registry platform (https://ecrf.linklab.com/). Main Outcome Measure(s): Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics, concurrent malformations, and family histories. Result(s): Of the 1,055 Chinese Han patients with MRKH, 69.6% had type I MRKH syndrome and the remaining 30.4% had type II MRKH syndrome. Among the type II patients, 12.6% had m€ullerian duct aplasia, unilateral renal aplasia/ectopic kidney, and cervicothoracic somite dysplasia association. Skeletal malformations were the most common associated extragenital malformations in the study (22.0%, 232/1,055), of which idiopathic scoliosis and congenital vertebral malformations were the 2 main skeletal malformations (80.6% and 14.2%, respectively). Renal malformations were the second-highest associated extragenital malformations (9.7%, 102/ 1,055), with unilateral renal agenesis and ectopic kidney being the most common renal malformations (48.0% and 22.5%, respectively). Conclusion(s): Type II disease was less common among Chinese patients with MRKH syndrome compared with European patients. Skeletal malformations were more common extragenital malformations than renal malformations in our cohort.Na Chen, Hongxin Pan, Guangnan Luo, Ping Wang, Zhenwei Xie, Keqin Hua ... et al

Longitudinal intergenerational birth cohort designs: a systematic review of Australian and New Zealand studies

Background The longitudinal birth cohort design has yielded a substantial contribution to knowledge of child health and development. The last full review in New Zealand and Australia in 2004 identified 13 studies. Since then, birth cohort designs continue to be an important tool in understanding how intrauterine, infant and childhood development affect long-term health and well-being. This updated review in a defined geographical area was conducted to better understand the factors associated with successful quality and productivity, and greater scientific and policy contribution and scope. Methods We adopted the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach, searching PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl, Medline, Science Direct and ProQuest between 1963 and 2013. Experts were consulted regarding further studies. Five inclusion criteria were used: (1) have longitudinally tracked a birth cohort, (2) have collected data on the child and at least one parent or caregiver (3) be based in Australia or New Zealand, (4) be empirical in design, and (5) have been published in English. Results 10665 records were initially retrieved from which 23 birth cohort studies met the selection criteria. Together these studies recruited 91,196 participants, with 38,600 mothers, 14,206 fathers and 38,390 live births. Seventeen studies were located in Australia and six in New Zealand. Research questions initially focused on the perinatal period, but as studies matured, longer-term effects and outcomes were examined. Conclusions This review demonstrates the significant yield from this effort both in terms of scientific discovery and social policy impact. Further opportunities have been recognised with cross-study collaboration and pooling of data between established and newer studies and international studies to investigate global health determinants

Fifty years of reproductive biology in Australia: highlights from the 50th Annual Meeting of the Society for Reproductive Biology (SRB)

The 2018 edition of the Society for Reproductive Biology's (SRB) Annual Meeting was a celebration of 50 years of Australian research into reproductive biology. The past 50 years has seen many important contributions to this field, and these advances have led to changes in practice and policy, improvements in the efficiency of animal reproduction and improved health outcomes. This conference review delivers a dedicated summary of the symposia, discussing emerging concepts, raising new questions and proposing directions forward. Notably, the symposia discussed in this review emphasised the impact that reproductive research can have on quality of life and the health trajectories of individuals. The breadth of the research discussed encompasses the central regulation of fertility and cyclicity, life course health and how the environment of gametes and embryos can affect subsequent generations, significant advances in our understanding of placental biology and pregnancy disorders and the implications of assisted reproductive technologies on population health. The importance of a reliable food supply and protection of endangered species is also discussed. The research covered at SRB's 2018 meeting not only recognised the important contributions of its members over the past 50 years, but also highlighted key findings and avenues for innovation moving forward that will enable the SRB to continue making significant contributions for the next 50 years.Elizabeth G. Bromfield, Samson N. Dowland, Jessica E. M. Dunleavy, Kylie R. Dunning, Olivia J. Holland, Brendan J. Houston, Michael W. Pankhurst, Dulama Richani, Angelique H. Riepsamen, Ryan Rose and Michael J. Bertold