Midterm experience with modified Cabrol procedure: Safe and durable for complex aortic root replacement

ObjectiveTo evaluate the early and late outcomes of the modified Cabrol technique as a method of coronary reimplantation during complex composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta.MethodsBetween 1995 and 2012, 348 patients (mean age, 56 ± 14 years; 283 males and 65 females) underwent composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta, 40 of whom (mean age, 60 ± 12 years; 35 males and 5 females) had one or both coronary ostia reimplanted using a modified Cabrol technique with an 8- to 10-mm Dacron interposition graft. The mean clinical and radiologic (computed tomographic scan) postoperative follow-up was 39 months (range, 1-171 months), via our aortic database, patient interviews, and Social Security Death Index.ResultsCabrol reimplantation was necessitated by reoperations with anatomically fixed coronary ostia (n = 16, 40%), severely displaced coronary arteries (n = 15, 37.5%), button calcification (n = 4, 10%), coronary anomalies (n = 3, 7.5%), and coronary aneurysm (n = 2, 5%). Of the operations, 20% (8 patients) were urgent interventions. Early mortality was 3 (7.5%) of 40, none related to the Dacron interposition graft. Total late mortality was 16.2%, also not related to the coronary graft. Actuarial survivals were 0.88 ± 0.05, 0.79 ± 0.07, and 0.73 ± 0.08 at 1, 3, and 6 years, respectively. Radiologic follow-up was available for 31 (83.8%) of the surviving patients and revealed that the interposition graft was widely patent in all.ConclusionsThe modified Cabrol technique using a Dacron interposition graft showed good survival rates and excellent durability over time, confirmed radiographically. These data confirm that it is appropriate to use the Cabrol technique when technical complexity prevents bringing coronary buttons to the main aortic graft

Geoelectrical Subsurface Characterization for Foundation Purposes in the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) Campus, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Southeastern Nigeria

The study area is underlain by shales and volcanoclastics with subordinate lenses of sandstones and sandy limestone (Abakaliki Formation) of the Albian Asu River Group, southeastern Nigeria. Geophysical investigation was carried out at the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) Campus, Ebonyi State University (EBSU) to determine the structural competence of the subsurface geological strata for building construction and other foundation purposes, using vertical electrical sounding (VES) survey technique of the electrical resistivity method. From the result of the survey, two major zones have been established within the study area for building construction purposes. Zone A comprises of areas around the catholic church building, EBSU primary school up to the school of post graduate studies, while zone B  is made up of areas around the EBSU secondary school, proposed student centre up to the main entrance gate which led to the Ogoja road. Zone A has been recommended for bungalows and other forms of low rising buildings, while zone B has been recommended for storey buildings and other heavy engineering structures. Overburden thickness for the two zones ranges from 1.3 m to 2.7 m, and 0.6 m to 2.7 m for zones A and B respectively. The cracks on walls of the buildings within the campus have been attributed to either the inability of the engineers to dig the foundation to the required depth or the construction of heavier structures on very weak subsurface layers which triggered off movement. Keywords: Geoelectrical, Characterization, Foundation, Ebonyi State University, Nigeria

Syndecan expressions in the human amnion and chorionic plate

The syndecan family consists of four distinct membrane glycoproteins in mammals. Syndecans control cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion and migration through participation in cell-cell interactions, anchorage of cells to the extracellular environment, and modulation of multiple growth factors. Therefore, syndecans may play a pivotal role in the regulation of cell behaviour depending on the cellular microenvironment. Here, we demonstrate that syndecan-1, syndecan-2 and syndecan-4 are expressed in fetal membrane tissue with different immunolocalizations. Syndecan-1 is expressed in the amniotic epithelium, localizing at basolateral cell surfaces. Syndecan-2 and syndecan-4, in contrast, are mostly localized in intracellular compartments, in the extravillous cytotrophoblastic cells and in some fibroblasts of the chorionic plate as well as in the amniotic epithelial cells. In the latter, syndecan-4 is mainly localized in the apical part of the cells. Our results strongly suggest a key role of syndecan-1, syndecan-2 and syndecan-4 in the determination of structural and functional characteristics of human amnion and chorionic plate. Since the solute exchanges between fetus and mother take place in fetal membranes, our data suggest that syndecans are important players in the placenta for the establishment of the fetal-maternal inter-communication

Protected Areas in Tropical Africa: Assessing Threats and Conservation Activities

Numerous protected areas (PAs) have been created in Africa to safeguard wildlife and other natural resources. However, significant threats from anthropogenic activities and decline of wildlife populations persist, while conservation efforts in most PAs are still minimal. We assessed the impact level of the most common threats to wildlife within PAs in tropical Africa and the relationship of conservation activities with threat impact level. We collated data on 98 PAs with tropical forest cover from 15 countries across West, Central and East Africa. For this, we assembled information about local threats as well as conservation activities from published and unpublished literature, and questionnaires sent to long-term field workers. We constructed general linear models to test the significance of specific conservation activities in relation to the threat impact level. Subsistence and commercial hunting were identified as the most common direct threats to wildlife and found to be most prevalent in West and Central Africa. Agriculture and logging represented the most common indirect threats, and were most prevalent in West Africa. We found that the long-term presence of conservation activities (such as law enforcement, research and tourism) was associated with lower threat impact levels. Our results highlight deficiencies in the management effectiveness of several PAs across tropical Africa, and conclude that PA management should invest more into conservation activities with long-term duration.Additional co-authors: Jef Dupain, Atanga Ekobo, Manasseh Eno-Nku, Gilles Etoga, Takeshi Furuichi, Sylvain Gatti, Andrea Ghiurghi, Chie Hashimoto, John A. Hart, Josephine Head, Martin Hega, Ilka Herbinger, Thurston C. Hicks, Lars H. Holbech, Bas Huijbregts, Hjalmar S. Kühl, Inaoyom Imong, Stephane Le-Duc Yeno, Joshua Linder, Phil Marshall, Peter Minasoma Lero, David Morgan, Leonard Mubalama, Paul K. N'Goran, Aaron Nicholas, Stuart Nixon, Emmanuelle Normand, Leonidas Nziguyimpa, Zacharie Nzooh-Dongmo, Richard Ofori-Amanfo, Babafemi G. Ogunjemite, Charles-Albert Petre, Hugo J. Rainey, Sebastien Regnaut, Orume Robinson, Aaron Rundus, Crickette M. Sanz, David Tiku Okon, Angelique Todd, Ymke Warren, Volker Somme

Prediction of preterm birth with and without preeclampsia using mid-pregnancy immune and growth-related molecular factors and maternal characteristics.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate if mid-pregnancy immune and growth-related molecular factors predict preterm birth (PTB) with and without (±) preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN:Included were 400 women with singleton deliveries in California in 2009-2010 (200 PTB and 200 term) divided into training and testing samples at a 2:1 ratio. Sixty-three markers were tested in 15-20 serum samples using multiplex technology. Linear discriminate analysis was used to create a discriminate function. Model performance was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS:Twenty-five serum biomarkers along with maternal age <34 years and poverty status identified >80% of women with PTB ± preeclampsia with best performance in women with preterm preeclampsia (AUC = 0.889, 95% confidence interval (0.822-0.959) training; 0.883 (0.804-0.963) testing). CONCLUSION:Together with maternal age and poverty status, mid-pregnancy immune and growth factors reliably identified most women who went on to have a PTB ± preeclampsia

Determinantes genéticos de la calidad panadera de los trigos argentinos

Las gluteninas de alto (HMW-GS) y bajo (LMW-GS) peso molecular son las proteínas de reserva más importantes en la determinación de la calidad panadera del trigo y su caracterización es indispensable para una eficiente manipulación de la calidad durante el mejoramiento. En este trabajo se determinó la composición de HMW-GS mediante SDS-PAGE y marcadores moleculares en 112 cultivares argentinos y se calculó el índice de calidad GLU-1. Se encontró una alta frecuencia de los alelos con índice máximo en las HMW-GS de los loci GÍU-A1 (96%), Glu-Bl (72%), y GIu-D1 (88%) lo que determinó que el 63 % de los cultivares estudiados presenten una composición óptima de HMW-GS (GLU-1 = 10). La correlación positiva entre el índice GLU1 y la calidad panadera en tres subconjuntos de cultivares argentinos confirmaron el valor predictivo de este índice.Trabajo galardonado con el Premio "Molinos Brunning", versión 1996.Academia Nacional de Agronomía y Veterinaria (ANAV

Determinantes genéticos de la calidad panadera de los trigos argentinos

Las gluteninas de alto (HMW-GS) y bajo (LMW-GS) peso molecular son las proteínas de reserva más importantes en la determinación de la calidad panadera del trigo y su caracterización es indispensable para una eficiente manipulación de la calidad durante el mejoramiento. En este trabajo se determinó la composición de HMW-GS mediante SDS-PAGE y marcadores moleculares en 112 cultivares argentinos y se calculó el índice de calidad GLU-1. Se encontró una alta frecuencia de los alelos con índice máximo en las HMW-GS de los loci GÍU-A1 (96%), Glu-Bl (72%), y GIu-D1 (88%) lo que determinó que el 63 % de los cultivares estudiados presenten una composición óptima de HMW-GS (GLU-1 = 10). La correlación positiva entre el índice GLU1 y la calidad panadera en tres subconjuntos de cultivares argentinos confirmaron el valor predictivo de este índice.Trabajo galardonado con el Premio "Molinos Brunning", versión 1996.Academia Nacional de Agronomía y Veterinaria (ANAV

Characterization of the maintained vegetative phase deletions from diploid wheat and their effect on VRN2 and FT transcript levels

Allelic differences at the VRN1 (AP1/CAL/FRU), VRN2 (ZCCT) and VRN3 (FT) vernalization genes affect flowering time in wheat. The two maintained vegetative phase (mvp) mutants from Triticummonococcum L., previously reported as carrying a single gene (VRN1) deletion, are incapable of flowering. In this study, we show that both mvp lines have larger deletions that include the genes AGLG1, CYS, PHYC, VRN1 and possibly others. The original mvp deletions were generated in lines that lack the VRN2 gene. Therefore, to study the effect of the mvp deletions on the regulation of VRN2 we generated populations segregating for both genes simultaneously. The two mvp deletions co-segregated with the non-flowering phenotype, but surprisingly, the lines homozygous for the mvp mutations showed reduced transcript levels of both VRN2 and FT relative to the wild type. The VRN1 deletion is an unlikely cause of the down-regulation of VRN2 since VRN2 transcript levels are higher in the fall, before VRN1 is expressed, and are down-regulated by VRN1. Since both VRN2 and FT are regulated by light and photoperiod, their down-regulation in the mvp mutants might be related to the deletion of the PHYC photoreceptor. However, alternative hypotheses including combinations of other genes deleted in the mvp mutants cannot be ruled out. Until the specific gene(s) responsible for the down-regulation of VRN2 and FT and the non-flowering phenotype are precisely identified, it is premature to use these results to postulate alternative flowering models