Splenogonadal fusion and sex reversal

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare congenital malformation where an abnormal union occurs between the spleen and gonad or mesonephric derivatives. Although it occurs in females it is much less prevalent than in males (male:female ratio, 16:1), but this may partly be because of the inaccessibility of the female gonads leading to under-diagnosis. To our knowledge this is the first case of splenogonadal fusion associated with sex reversal reported in the literature

Affect and marital adjustment in women’s rating of dyspareunic pain

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent to which depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and marital adjustment mediate pain ratings in women suffering from dyspareunia. METHOD: Seventy-six women with dyspareunia were administered the depression and anxiety scales of Derogatis\u27s Brief Symptom Inventory and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. They also underwent a manual-visual gynecological examination, an ultrasound, and a colposcopy in an attempt to identify potential evidence and type of organicity. RESULTS: Depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and marital adjustment together accounted for a significant amount of the variance in pain ratings, although only anxiety and marital adjustment were independent predictors of pain ratings in the entire group of women with dyspareunia. When multiple regression analyses were then applied to different diagnostic subgroups of dyspareunia, the independent predictors of pain rating varied depending on the findings from the gynecological examinations. CONCLUSION: Affect and marital adjustment appear to be significant predictors of dyspareunic pain rating, although the independent contribution of psychosocial variables may vary depending on the presence and type of organic findings

Has the ECB's Monetary Policy Prompted Companies to Invest or Pay Dividends?

This paper focuses on the influence of the European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary policies on non-financial firms. It sheds light on non-financial firms' decisions regarding leverage, and on how the ECB's conventional and unconventional policies may have affected them. The paper also examines how these policies influenced non-financial firms' decisions on capital allocation - primarily capital spending and shareholder distribution (for example, dividends and share repurchases). We use an exhaustive and unique dataset comprised of income statements and balance sheets of leading non-financial firms operating in the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The main results suggest that ECB's monetary policies have encouraged firms to raise their debt burden, especially after the global recession of 2008. Finally, the ECB's policies, especially after 2011, also seem to have led non-financial firms to allocate more resources not just to capital spending but to shareholder distribution as well

Lenguajes de la radio

Libro publicado en Córdoba por Editorial Brujas en el año 2010.Lenguajes de la radio es el cuarto libro de la Colección Vocación de radio que se editó siguiendo la concepción de enseñanza que reconoce al otro en su empeño, en sus logros y se fija como objetivo hacerlo crecer valorando y difundiendo su trabajo. Así, eligiendo prolijamente los mejores textos de tesis junto a ponencias y trabajos de investigación de autores con experiencia en publicaciones, se fueron compilando Vocación de Radio, Los sistemas expresivos del lenguaje audio, Sonidos (atravesando el silencio) y el actual Lenguajes de la radio. La convicción de que sólo abriendo puertas y transitando caminos los nuevos junto a los viejos, en la ardua pero bella tarea de aprender y enseñar, hizo posible estos libros

First-trimester serum biomarkers in twin pregnancies and adverse obstetric outcomes–a single center cohort study

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.Purpose: This study aimed to determine the association of first-trimester maternal serum biomarkers with preterm birth (PTB), fetal growth restriction (FGR) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in twin pregnancies. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of twin pregnancies followed at Maternidade Dr. Alfredo da Costa, Lisbon, Portugal, between January 2010 and December 2022. We included women who completed first-trimester screening in our unit and had ongoing pregnancies with two live fetuses, and delivered after 24 weeks. Maternal characteristics, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels were analyzed for different outcomes: small for gestational age (SGA), gestational hypertension (GH), early and late-onset pre-eclampsia (PE), as well as the composite outcome of PTB associated with FGR and/or HDP. Univariable, multivariable logistic regression analyses and receiver-operating characteristic curve were used. Results: 466 twin pregnancies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 185 (39.7%) pregnancies were affected by SGA 90th percentile developed early-onset PE or PTB 90th percentile) ruled out early-onset PE and PTB < 34 weeks. Unless other major risk factors for hypertensive disorders are present, these women should not be considered candidates for aspirin prophylaxis. Nevertheless, close monitoring of all TwP for adverse obstetric outcomes is still recommended.publishersversioninpres

Suppression of IRAK1 or IRAK4 catalytic activity, but not type1 IFN signaling, prevents lupus nephritis in mice expressing a ubiquitin binding-defective mutant of ABIN1

Polymorphisms in the TNIP1 gene encoding A20-binding inhibitor of NF-κB1 (ABIN1) predispose to lupus and other autoimmune diseases in at least eight different human populations. We found previously that knock-in mice expressing a ubiquitin-binding-defective mutant of ABIN1 (ABIN1[D485N]) develop autoimmunity as they age and succumb to a disease resembling lupus nephritis in humans. Here we report that Flt3-derived dendritic cells from these mice overproduced Type1 IFNs upon stimulation with ligands that activate TLR7 or TLR9. However, crossing the ABIN1[D485N] mice to IFNAR1 knock-out mice that do not express the α-subunit of the Type1 IFN receptor, did not prevent splenomegaly, the appearance of high serum levels of auto-antibodies and other Igs, or liver inflammation, and only reduced kidney inflammation modestly. In contrast, crossing the ABIN1[D485N] mice to knock-in mice expressing catalytically inactive mutants of IRAK1 or IRAK4 prevented splenomegaly, autoimmunity, liver and kidney inflammation. Our results support the notion that IRAK1 and/or IRAK4 are attractive targets for the development of drugs to prevent, and perhaps treat, lupus nephritis and other auto-inflammatory diseases caused by decreased ability of ABIN1 or other proteins to restrict the strength of MyD88 signaling

The Two-Loop Finite-Temperature Effective Potential of the MSSM and Baryogenesis

We construct an effective three dimensional theory for the MSSM at high temperatures in the limit of large-$m_{A}$. We analyse the two-loop effective potential of the 3D theory for the case of a light right handed stop to determine the precise region in the $m_{h}$-$m_{\tilde{t}_{R}}$ plane for which the sphaleron constraint for preservation of the baryon asymmetry is satisfied. We also compare with results previously obtained usind 3D and 4D calculations of the effective potential. A two-stage phase transition still persists for a small range of values of $m_{\tilde{t}_{R}}$. The allowed region requires a value of m_{\tilde{t}_{R}} \lsi m_{t} and m_{h} \lsi 100 (110) GeV for $m_{Q} = 300$ GeV (1 TeV).Comment: 40 pages, 6 Postcsript figures, uses eps