A study of the risk of mental retardation among children of pregnant women who have attempted suicide by means of a drug overdose

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to estimate the effect on the fetal development of high doses of prescription drugs taken as a suicide attempt during pregnancy. METHODS: Pregnant women were identified among self-poisoned females in the toxicological inpatient clinic in Budapest between 1960 and 1993. Congenital abnormalities, intrauterine development based on birth weight and post-conceptional age, mental retardation, cognitive-behavioral status were compared in exposed children born to mothers who had attempted suicide by means of a drug overdose during pregnancy with their siblings, born either before or after the affected pregnancy, as sib controls. RESULTS: Of a total of 1 044 pregnant women, 74 used the combination of amobarbital, glutethimide and promethazine (Tardyl®, one of the most popular drugs for treatment of insomnia in Hungary) for suicide attempt. Of these 74 women, 27 delivered live-born babies. The mean dose of Tardyl® used for suicide attempts was 24 times the usually prescribed clinical dose. The rate of congenital abnormalities and intrauterine retardation was not higher in exposed children than in their sib controls. However, of the 27 exposed children, eight (29.6%) were mentally retarded (Χ21=79.7, p= Sig) while mental retardation did not occur among 46 sib controls. These exposed children were born to mothers who attempted suicide with Tardyl® between the 14th and 20th post-conceptional weeks. The components of Tardyl® used separately for a suicide attempt during pregnancy were not associated with a higher risk of mental retardation. Therefore the high doses of Tardyl® associated with the high risk for mental retardation may be due to the interaction of its three drug components. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study showed that the high doses of a drug containing three components may be associated with a significantly increased risk for mental retardation without any structural defects, whereas each of these three component drugs taken alone was not associated with this adverse effect

Introduction

Introduction to Maine Policy Review\u27s special issue on the Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine

Assessing and mapping biomass potential productivity from poplar-dominated riparian forests: A case study

River systems are subjected to continuous physical changes as a result of their sediment transport. River dynamics is mainly determined by the seasonal variation of weather conditions and, together with the nature of the catchment and land management, affects flow patterns on a local scale. Riparian vegetation is well adapted to this periodical disturbance. It naturally regenerates on the new mineral soil created by the redistribution of river sediments during floods, playing an important role in the maintenance of streams and riverbanks stability. The high level of resilience and productivity of riparian tree species like Populus, contributes to the rapid biomass accumulation of riparian vegetation making these ecosystems of potential interest for biomass production for energy. This paper presents an operational methodology for investigating the biomass potential from riparian forests by coupling airborne laser scanning data and field survey. A case study on assessing and mapping biomass dynamics over a seventeen year period along a tract on the Paglia river, in Central Italy, is presented and discussed. The results highlight that the surface of the poplardominated riparian vegetation has significantly changed over the 1989e2006 period. More than 70 ha of new poplar forest were naturally regenerated during the analyzed period. The total amount of aboveground woody biomass of the riparian forest at the second inventory occasion has been estimated in 88 Mg ha!1, evidencing a large amount of technically available resources for bioenergy production (around 80% of the standing woody biomass). The innovative strategy here proposed to assess and map at a very high spatial resolution the abovegroundwoody biomass of riparian forest meets the monitoring requirements to support energy production based on modern, non-conventional biomass harvest planning options

Análisis del Comportamiento de la Vegetación a partir de Índices del Sensor MODIS en Santa Cruz, Argentina

The use of remote sensing allows the evaluation and management of vegetation, in large extensions and at low cost. Some attributes of vegetation cover, such as Net Primary Productivity and growing season, are obtained from the vegetation indices generated with this technology. The objective of this work was to analyse four vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, SAVI and ARVI) in ecological areas of the province of Santa Cruz, with data from the MOD13Q1 sensor, from February 2000 to March 2021. The data, averaged by area, were obtained using Google Earth Engine and statistically analysed with the R-Studio program. Descriptive measures and the attributes of the annual mean curve attributes were obtained for each index. The correlation between indices was analysed. The four indices identified the moments of maximum productivity and were correlated. The NDVI was the index with the best correlation, showing a more homogeneous behaviuor with respect to the vegetation. In relation to the attributes of the NDVI, Andean Complex and Humid Magellanic Steppe showed a maximum in October, Dry Magellanic Steppe had a bimodal behaviour (October and April) and the other areas did not show clear patterns. The differences found are possibly due to the heterogeneity of each region. This could be verified by studying representative sites within each area.El uso de sensores remotos permite la evaluación y manejo de la vegetación, en grandes extensiones y a bajo costo. Algunos atributos de la cobertura vegetal, como Productividad Primaria Neta y temporada de crecimiento, son obtenidos a partir de los índices de vegetación generados con esta tecnología. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar cuatro índices de vegetación (NDVI, EVI, SAVI y ARVI) en las áreas ecológicas de la provincia de Santa Cruz, con datos del sensor MOD13Q1, desde febrero 2000 a marzo 2021. Los datos, promedios por área, fueron obtenidos utilizando Google Earth Engine y analizados estadísticamente con el programa R-Studio. Para cada índice se obtuvieron medidas descriptivas y los atributos de la curva media anual. Se analizó la correlación entre índices. Los cuatro índices identificaron los momentos de máxima productividad y resultaron correlacionados. El NDVI resultó ser el índice con mejor correlación, mostrando un comportamiento más homogéneo respecto de la vegetación. En relación a los atributos del NDVI, el Complejo Andino y Estepa Magallánica Húmeda, presentaron un máximo en octubre, Estepa Magallánica Seca tuvo un comportamiento bimodal (octubre y abril) y las demás áreas no presentaron patrones claros. Las diferencias encontradas posiblemente se deban a la heterogeneidad propia de cada región Esto podría comprobarse estudiando sitios representativos dentro de cada área

A world of lies

This article reports two worldwide studies of stereotypes about liars. These studies are carried out in 75 different countries and 43 different languages. In Study 1, participants respond to the open-ended question "How can you tell when people are lying?" In Study 2, participants complete a questionnaire about lying. These two studies reveal a dominant pan-cultural stereotype: that liars avert gaze. The authors identify other common beliefs and offer a social control interpretation

Understanding the winners and losers of agricultural expansion in Ghana

Ghana’s population is forecast to double by 2050, resulting in an increased need for food provision. Much of this will be achieved through agricultural expansion. But what are the impacts? Who benefits or loses – and why? How will agricultural expansion ultimately affect food security

Characterization of RNA content in individual phase-separated coacervate microdroplets

Liquid-liquid phase separation or condensation is a form of macromolecular compartmentalization. Condensates formed by complex coacervation were hypothesized to have played a crucial part during the origin-of-life. In living cells, condensation organizes biomolecules into a wide range of membraneless compartments. Although RNA is a key component of condensation in cells and the central component of the RNA world hypothesis, little is known about what determines RNA accumulation in condensates and how single condensates differ in their RNA composition. Therefore, we developed an approach to read the RNA content from single condensates using high-throughput sequencing. We find that RNAs which are enriched for specific sequence motifs efficiently accumulate in condensates. These motifs show high sequence similarity to short interspersed elements (SINEs). We observed similar results for protein-derived condensates, demonstrating applicability across different in vitro reconstituted membraneless organelles. Thus, our results provide a new inroad to explore the RNA content of phase-separated droplets at single condensate resolution.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest

A diagnostic study comparing conventional and real-time PCR for Strongyloides stercoralis on urine and on faecal samples

Abstract Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth with a wide distribution in tropical and subtropical areas. The diagnosis of S. stercoralisinfection can be challenging, due to the low sensitivity of microscopic examination of stool samples and coproculture. In the last decade, different in-house molecular biology techniques for S. stercoralis have been implemented. They demonstrated good accuracy, although sensitivity does not seem sufficiently high yet. Recently, a novel PCR technique has been evaluated for the detection of S. stercoralis DNA in urine. Aim of this work was to compare the sensitivity of the real-time PCR (qPCR) on feces routinely used at the Centre for Tropical Disease (CTD) of Negrar, Verona, Italy, with that of the novel based PCR on urine. As secondary objective, we evaluated a Urine Conditioning Buffer ® (Zymoresearch) with the aim of improving nucleic acid stability in urine during sample storage/transport at ambient temperatures. Patients attending the CTD and resulting positive at routine screening with serology for S. stercoralis were invited, previous written consent, to supply stool and urine samples for molecular biology. A convenience sample of 30 patients was included. The sensitivity of qPCR on feces resulted 63%, and that of based PCR on urine was 17%. In all the samples treated with the Urine Conditioning Buffer ® there was no detectable DNA. In conclusion, the sensitivity of the novel technique resulted low, and needs further implementation before being considered as a valid alternative to the validated method