Androgen-responsive non-coding small RNAs extend the potential of HCG stimulation to act as a bioassay of androgen sufficiency

Background: It is unclear whether a short-term change in circulating androgens is associated with changes in the transcriptome of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Aims & Methods: To explore the effect of hCG-stimulation on the PBMC-transcriptome, 12 boys with a median age (range) of 0.7yrs (0.3, 11.2) who received intramuscular hCG 1500u on 3 consecutive days as part of their investigations underwent transcriptomic array analysis on RNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after hCG stimulation. Results: Median pre and post hCG testosterone for the overall group was 0.7nmol/l (<0.5,6) and 7.9nmol/l (<0.5, 31.5), respectively. Of the 12 boys, 3 (25%) did not respond to hCG stimulation with a pre and post median serum testosterone of <0.5nmol/l and <0.5nmol/l, respectively. When corrected for gene expression changes in the non-responders to exclude hCG effects, all 9 of the hCG responders consistently demonstrated a 20% or greater increase in the expression of piR-37153 and piR-39248, non-coding PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). In addition, of the 9 responders, 8, 6 and 4 demonstrated a 30%, 40% and 50% rise, respectively in a total of 2 further piRNAs. In addition, 3 of the responders showed a 50% or greater rise in the expression of another small RNA, SNORD5. On comparing fold change in serum testosterone with fold change in the above transcripts, a positive correlation was detected for SNORD5 (p=0.01). Conclusions: The identification of a dynamic and androgen-responsive PBMC-transcriptome extends the potential value of the hCG test for assessment of androgen sufficiency

Análise de investimento de programas de melhoramento de pastagem para a produção de gado de corte no Cerrado.

Descrição do modelo. Suposições referentes ao sistema tradicional. Estrutura do modelo. Dados. Validação. Programa de computador. Experimentação. Resultados e discussão. Proporção de pastagem melhorada na fazenda e idade de venda de macho. Taxa de estabelecimento da pastagem cultivada. Método para aumentar o numero de vacas de cria. Método para aumentar o tamanho do rebanho. Compra de vacas velhas para engordar durante a estação chuvosa. Prioridade para o uso da pastagem melhorada.bitstream/item/104671/1/Analise-de-investimento-de-programas.pd

New Zealand agriculture and oil price increases

This paper is based on the assumptions that world oil resources are finite and that world oil production will peak sometime in the 1980s or 1990s (Hughes & Mesarovic 1978 : 139). Such a scenario is now widely accepted and is robust to alternative assumptions on oil prices and reserves. Increases in the real world price of oil are therefore likely to occur. Because of New Zealand's almost complete dependence on imported oil for liquid fuel purposes and New Zealand's continuing balance of payments problems, the situation could become serious for New Zealand resulting in policies designed to reduce use of oil based fuels, such as substantial domestic fuel price increases, or government regulation of fuel use, such as rationing. This paper attempts to give an indication of the implications that an oil price rise could have for New Zealand agriculture. A large part of the paper is concerned with transport, since the transport industry is the largest user of liquid fuels in New Zealand. The paper concentrates on the effects of fuel price rises as opposed to physical rationing of liquid fuels. In describing the potential effects of fuel price rises, particular attention has been given to how farm costs and farm product prices may be affected by fuel price increases. Most attention is given to effects on and responses from the farm production sector of agriculture, although some consideration is also given to the agricultural freight and product processing sectors. Some brief comments are also made on the demand for transport in rural areas so that equitable fuel pricing or rationing systems can be devised and implemented if, and when, necessary

Phosphorus management of beef cattle in Northern Australia

In many of regions of northern Australia, phosphorus (P) is a serious nutritional limitation to cattle production, reducing herd efficiency and profitability. • Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutritional requirement in cattle. • Many soils across northern Australia are deficient in P, thus pastures growing on these soils do not contain enough P for cattle nutritional requirements. • Signs of acute phosphorus deficiency include bone chewing, broken bones, peg-leg, poor body condition of breeders and botulism. • Deficient animals respond best to P when pastures contain adequate energy and protein for cattle growth and reproduction. • Soil analysis of P analysed using the Colwell P test (bicarbonate extracted phosphorus) can determine P status of the soil (where different soil types are present in a paddock, all should be tested). • Deficiency is related to soil P status. As a general rule, where soil Colwell P levels: » are deficient (5mg/kg or less), all classes of stock are likely to respond to feeding P » are marginal (6–8mg/kg), young cattle are likely to respond to feeding P »exceed 8mg/kg, the economic benefit from feeding P diminishes. • Responses to P supplement may be lower if animals running on P-deficient country have access to adjacent areas of high-P soils, such as frontage country. • There are no simple diagnostic tests for the P status of cattle. Soil, blood and faecal P are useful indicators. • A blood test for plasma inorganic phosphorus (PIP) should ideally be combined with diet quality measured by Faecal Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (F.NIRS) analysis of dung samples. • Cattle grazing P-deficient pastures require a P supplement to meet their nutritional requirements, relying on bone mobilisation of P will erode herd productivity. • Cattle grazing deficient pastures and fed an effective P supplement will eat 10–30% more pasture (deficient cattle have a depressed intake). • If P is fed over the wet season on deficient country: » young growing stock can increase their growth by up to 90kg above base growth »breeders can increase weaning rates by 10–30% and mature breeders can maintain an additional 100kg over the wet season. • Stocking rates must be matched to carrying capacity to ensure cattle have enough pasture for requirements. • Supplement blocks and loose licks each have merits – to attain production goals, cattle must eat it. Monitor intakes and adjust recipe when required to avoid wasting money on supplement that sits in the paddock. • On deficient pastures, wet season supplement intakes should aim to provide at least 6g P/head/ day to young growing cattle and 10g P/head/day to breeders. • Dry season supplement mixes should contain a source of protein (e.g. urea) with sufficient P content to provide 2–5g P per day per animal. • The economic benefits from feeding P are maximised when done in conjunction with other aspects of good herd management. • Order P supplement early and make realistic calculations for how much P you need to last the entire wet season

A hazard analysis method for systematic identification of safety requirements for user interface software in medical devices

© Springer International Publishing AG (outside the US) 2017. Formal methods technologies have the potential to verify the usability and safety of user interface (UI) software design in medical devices, enabling significant reductions in use errors and consequential safety incidents with such devices. This however depends on comprehensive and verifiable safety requirements to leverage these techniques for detecting and preventing flaws in UI software that can induce use errors. This paper presents a hazard analysis method that extends Leveson’s System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) with a comprehensive set of causal factor categories, so as to provide developers with clear guidelines for systematic identification of use-related hazards associated with medical devices, their causes embedded in UI software design, and safety requirements for mitigating such hazards. The method is evaluated with a case study on the Gantry-2 radiation therapy system, which demonstrates that (1) as compared to standard STPA, our method allowed us to identify more UI software design issues likely to cause use-related hazards; and (2) the identified UI software design issues facilitated the definition of precise, verifiable safety requirements for UI software, which could be readily formalized in verification tools such as Prototype Verification System (PVS).- U.S. Food and Drug Administration(NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000016)Sandy Weininger (FDA), Scott Thiel (Navigant Consulting, Inc.), Michelle Jump (Stryker), Stefania Gnesi (ISTI/CNR) and the CHI+MED team (www.chi-med.ac.uk) provided useful feedback and inputs. Paolo Masci’s work is supported by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within Project “NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000016”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

International perspectives of extended genetic sequencing when used as part of newborn screening to identify cystic fibrosis

There is increasing interest in using extended genetic sequencing (EGS) in newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF). How this is implemented will change the number of children being given an uncertain outcome of CRMS/CFSPID (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-related metabolic syndrome/CF Screen Positive Inconclusive Diagnosis), probable carrier results, and the number of missed CF diagnoses. An international survey of CF health professionals was used to gather views on two approaches to EGS—specific (may reduce detection of CRMS/CFSID but miss some CF cases) versus sensitive (may increase detection of CRMS/CFSPID but avoid missing more CF cases). Health professionals acknowledged the anxiety caused to parents (and health professionals) from the uncertainty surrounding the prognosis and management of CRMS/CFSPID. However, most preferred the sensitive approach, as overall, identifying more cases of CRMS/CFSPID was viewed as less physically and psychologically damaging than a missed case of CF. The importance of early diagnosis and treatment for CF to ensure better health outcomes and reducing diagnostic odysseys for parents were highlighted. A potential benefit to identifying more children with CRMS/CFSPID included increasing knowledge to obtain a better understanding of how these children should best be managed in the future

Pulmonary function deficits in newborn screened infants with cystic fibrosis managed with standard UK care are mild and transient

With the advent of novel designer molecules for cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment, there is huge need for early-life clinical trial outcomes, such as infant lung function (ILF). We investigated the degree and tracking of ILF abnormality during the first 2 years of life in CF newborn screened infants. Forced expiratory volume in 0.5 s (FEV₀.₅), lung clearance index (LCI) and plethysmographic functional residual capacity were measured at ∼3 months, 1 year and 2 years in 62 infants with CF and 34 controls. By 2 years there was no significant difference in FEV₀.₅ z-score between CF and controls, whereas mean LCI z-score was 0.81 (95% CI 0.45–1.17) higher in CF. However, there was no significant association between LCI z-score at 2 years with either 3-month or 1-year results. Despite minimal average group changes in any ILF outcome during the second year of life, marked within-subject changes occurred. No child had abnormal LCI or FEV₀.₅ on all test occasions, precluding the ability to identify “high-risk” infants in early life. In conclusion, changes in lung function are mild and transient during the first 2 years of life in newborn screened infants with CF when managed according to a standardised UK treatment protocol. Their potential role in tracking disease to later childhood will be ascertained by ongoing follow-up

Large kidneys predict poor renal outcome in subjects with diabetes and chronic kidney disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Renal hypertrophy occurs early in diabetic nephropathy, its later value is unknown. Do large kidneys still predict poor outcome in patients with diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seventy-five patients with diabetes and CKD according to a Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR, by 51Cr-EDTA clearance) below 60 mL/min/1.73 m²or an Albumin Excretion Rate above 30 mg/24 H, had an ultrasound imaging of the kidneys and were cooperatively followed during five years by the Diabetology and Nephrology departments of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The patients were mainly men (44/75), aged 62 ± 13 yrs, with long-standing diabetes (duration:17 ± 9 yrs, 55/75 type 2), and CKD: initial GFR: 56.5 (8.5-209) mL/min/1.73 m², AER: 196 (20-2358) mg/24 H. Their mean kidney lenght (108 ± 13 mm, 67-147) was correlated to the GFR (r = 0.23, p < 0.05). During the follow-up, 9/11 of the patients who had to start dialysis came from the half with the largest kidneys (LogRank: p < 0.05), despite a 40% higher initial isotopic GFR. Serum creatinine were initially lower (Small kidneys: 125 (79-320) μmol/L, Large: 103 (50-371), p < 0.05), but significantly increased in the "large kidneys" group at the end of the follow-up (Small kidneys: 129 (69-283) μmol/L, Large: 140 (50-952), p < 0.005 vs initial). The difference persisted in the patients with severe renal failure (KDOQI stages 4,5).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Large kidneys still predict progression in advanced CKD complicating diabetes. In these patients, ultrasound imaging not only excludes obstructive renal disease, but also provides information on the progression of the renal disease.</p