Extending Bilingual WordNet via Hierarchical Word Translation Classification

PACLIC 23 / City University of Hong Kong / 3-5 December 200

Temporal Coordination of Gene Networks by Zelda in the Early Drosophila Embryo

In past years, much attention has focused on the gene networks that regulate early developmental processes, but less attention has been paid to how multiple networks and processes are temporally coordinated. Recently the discovery of the transcriptional activator Zelda (Zld), which binds to CAGGTAG and related sequences present in the enhancers of many early-activated genes in Drosophila, hinted at a mechanism for how batteries of genes could be simultaneously activated. Here we use genome-wide binding and expression assays to identify Zld target genes in the early embryo with the goal of unraveling the gene circuitry regulated by Zld. We found that Zld binds to genes involved in early developmental processes such as cellularization, sex determination, neurogenesis, and pattern formation. In the absence of Zld, many target genes failed to be activated, while others, particularly the patterning genes, exhibited delayed transcriptional activation, some of which also showed weak and/or sporadic expression. These effects disrupted the normal sequence of patterning-gene interactions and resulted in highly altered spatial expression patterns, demonstrating the significance of a timing mechanism in early development. In addition, we observed prevalent overlap between Zld-bound regions and genomic “hotspot” regions, which are bound by many developmental transcription factors, especially the patterning factors. This, along with the finding that the most over-represented motif in hotspots, CAGGTA, is the Zld binding site, implicates Zld in promoting hotspot formation. We propose that Zld promotes timely and robust transcriptional activation of early-gene networks so that developmental events are coordinated and cell fates are established properly in the cellular blastoderm embryo

Maternal Exposure to Air Pollutants and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Taiwan

Mounting evidence has shown an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in association with elevated exposure to air pollution. However, limited evidence is available concerning the effect of specific air pollutant(s) on GDM incidence. We conducted this case-control study on 6717 mothers with GDM diagnosed in 2006–2013 and 6717 age- and year of delivery-matched controls to further address the risk of GDM in relation to specific air pollutant. Both cases and controls were selected from a cohort of 1-million beneficiaries of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance program registered in 2005. Maternal exposures to mean daily air pollutant concentration, derived from 76 fixed air quality monitoring stations within the 12-week period prior to pregnancy and during the 1st and 2nd trimesters, were assessed by the spatial analyst method (i.e., ordinary kriging) with the ArcGIS software. After controlling for potential confounders and other air pollutants, an increase in pre-pregnancy exposure of 1 inter-quartile range (IQR) for PM2.5 and SO2 was found to associate with a significantly elevated odds ratio (OR) of GDM at 1.10 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.18 and 1.37 (95% CI 1.30–1.45), respectively. Exposures to PM2.5 and SO2 during the 1st and 2nd trimesters were also associated with significantly increased ORs, which were 1.09 (95% CI 1.02–1.17) and 1.07 (95% CI 1.01–1.14) for PM2.5, and 1.37 (95% CI 1.30–1.45) and 1.38 (95% CI 1.31–1.46) for SO2. It was concluded that higher pre- and post-pregnancy exposures to PM2.5 and SO2 for mothers were associated with a significantly but modestly elevated risk of GDM

Older Male Physicians Have Lower Risk of Trochanteric but Not Cervical Hip Fractures

Background: Osteoporosis is pathophysiologically related to trochanteric fractures, and this condition is more preventable by lifestyle modifications than cervical fractures. We investigated whether older physicians, who are health-conscious people, are at a lower risk of hip fractures because of fewer trochanteric fractures. Methods: Data regarding older (≥65 years) physicians (n = 4303) and matched non-medical persons (control) were retrieved from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance claims. All of the subjects were obtained from NHIRD with index dates from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2008. Cox proportional hazard and competing risk regression models were established to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of hip fracture associated with older physicians. Results: The incidence rates of trochanteric fractures were lower in older physicians than in controls (1.73 and 3.07 per 1000 person-years, respectively), whereas the rates of cervical fractures were similar between the two groups (2.45 and 2.12 per 1000 person-years, respectively). Older physicians yielded 46% lower hazard of trochanteric fractures than controls (adjusted HR 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.37–0.79); by contrast, hazards of cervical fractures were comparable between the two groups. The HRs estimated from the competing risk models remained unchanged. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that health risk awareness may pose a significant preventive effect on trochanteric hip fractures

Effects of dementia on the risks of acute organ dysfunction, severe sepsis and hospital mortality in hospitalized older patients.

a<p>Values are expressed as number (percentage).</p>b<p>Covariates in model 1 included baseline covariates (i.e., age, sex, surgical condition, comorbidities, principal diagnoses, infection status, hospital level, and length of hospital stay); covariates in model 2 included baseline covariates and life-support measures (i.e., hemodialysis, vasopressors, mechanical ventilation and intensive care).</p>c<p>Infection status was not included as a covariate because it is a component of severe sepsis.</p

Distribution of neurological dysfunction by ICD-9-CM code in patients with such outcome.

<p>ICD-9-CM: <i>International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification.</i></p