Obstetric consequences of subfertility : a retrospective cohort study

Funding No funding was received for this study. Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the help and expertise provided by Fiona Chaloner who performed the data linkage and extraction from the databases. We also thank the medical statistics team, University of Aberdeen, and in particular Dr Lorna Aucott, for their advice on the analysis of the data. We would also like to thank Margery Heath for proofreading and formatting the paper.Peer reviewedPostprintPostprin

Trace metals and micronutrients in bone tissues of the red fox Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)

In this study we determined the levels of trace elements (zinc, copper, lead, cadmium and mercury) in three layers of bones of the hip joint (cartilage, compact bone and spongy bone) of 30 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from north-western Poland. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (ICP-AES) in inductively coupled argon plasma using a Perkin-Elmer Optima 2000 DV. Determination of Hg concentration was performed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. In cartilage, compact bone and spongy bone samples from the red fox, median concentrations of the metals studied could be arranged in the following descending series: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd > Hg, the values ranging from 142 to 0.002 mg/kg dw. There was a significant difference in Cu concentrations, among all the materials analyzed, with much more Cu found in spongy bone than in compact bone. Significant differences were also noted in the case of Hg concentrations in cartilage with compact bone and the spongy bone, and between concentrations of this metal in compact bone and spongy bone. In males, the concentration of Hg in spongy bone was greater than in females. Younger foxes had a higher concentration of this metal in cartilage than adults. The strongest synergistic relationships were observed in spongy bone between the Zn and Cu, Zn and Cd, as well as between Cu and Cd. Statistically significant antagonistic relationships were detected between zinc and lead in compact bone. In addition to monitoring studies conducted on the abiotic environment, an urgent need exists for long-term monitoring of concentrations of heavy metals with long-term effects on living organisms. An important addition is provided by biomonitoring studies on domesticated and free-living mammals, including Canidae

Age-dependent changes in the calcium concentration in women's bones and teeth

The inorganic part of bone tissue is mainly composed of Ca. In adult people, the resorption processes lead to the removal of minerals from calcified tissues. Women’s bodies are particularly vulnerable to a decrease in the concentration of Ca because the osteolysis processes that occur with age are compounded by hormonal changes during the menopause. The aim of the study was to determine the age-dependent concentration of Ca in the bones and teeth of adult women. The object of the research was calcified tissues bones and teeth (n=323). Samples were taken from women aged 26 - 85 years (mean: 55.7 years), living in Poland, in the Silesian Province. Samples were submitted to wet microwave mineralization (spectrally pure nitric acid). The Ca concentration in teeth and bones was determined with the AAS method. The concentration of Ca in the tested samples of calcified tissues from women aged 26 - 85 years was 10.1‑32.0%, and the average concentration was 16.7±3.5% in bones and 22.2±4.7% in teeth. The calcified tissues, from both bones and teeth, show a progressive decrease in the Ca concentration that occurs as women age. The decreasing level of Ca in bone and teeth was statistically significant (p<0.05). There was a difference in what age calcium is released from bones and teeth. The research showed that a decrease in the Ca concentration in bone tissue occurs earlier than it happens in teeth (about 10 years). The decrease in the Ca concentration in calcified tissues of teeth was slight greater than in bones, indicating slightly greater mobilization of Ca from the tissues of teeth

Valuable roadside tree avenues in the North-Eastern part of The Drawski Landscape Park

The observation of the rapid rate of plant cover transformation caused by urbanization and agricultural technology was the inspiration for undertaking the study in rural areas. The study was carried out in the Sandomierz Basin in four typical villages with varying degrees of the anthropogenic impact. The changes observed included: Koszyce Małe – evident transformation of fields and meadows into building land; Kolbuszowa Dolna – intensive changes in land use, abandonment of fields and meadows, and river regulation; Roźwienica – emergence of new habitats for plant colonization after reclamation of land previously occupied by a brick factory and a landfill; Krzeczowice – intensive crop cultivation and unchanged land use. In 2009–2010, floristic investigations with the patrol method were carried out in these areas. The historical-geographical classification and indices of the anthropogenic changes of the flora were employed in the analysis. Substantially, domination of synanthropic species over non-synanthropic spontaneophytes was noted in the analysed floras. In the synanthropic species group, the proportion of apophytes was 3-fold higher than that of anthropophytes. Archaeophytes were more abundant than kenophytes. The flora of Krzeczowice, an area affected by long-term anthropopressure, was by approx. 30% less abundant than that in the other villages; it was also characterised by the highest synanthropization index, apophytization index, and index of apophytism of spontaneophytes. In turn, the flora found in Kolbuszowa Dolna was rich due to the presence of a wide variety of habitats; it was characterised by the lowest apophytization index accompanied by the highest anthropophization index

Longitudinal Assessments of fNIRS background functional connectivity in low- and middle-income infants during a social cognition task

Shortly after birth, human infants demonstrate behavioural selectivity to social stimuli. However, the neural underpinnings of this selectivity are largely unknown. Here we examine patterns of functional connectivity to determine how regions of the brain interact while processing social stimuli and how these interactions change during the first two years of life. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we measured functional connectivity at 6 (n = 147) and 24 (n = 111) months of age in infants from Bangladesh who were exposed to varying levels of environmental adversity (i.e., low- and middle-income cohorts). We employed a background functional connectivity approach that regresses out the effects of stimulus-specific univariate responses that are believed to affect functional connectivity. At 6 months, the two cohorts had similar fNIRS patterns, with moderate connectivity estimates for regions within and between hemispheres. At 24 months, the patterns diverged for the two cohorts. Global (brain-wide) connectivity estimates increased from 6 to 24 months for the low-income cohort and decreased for the middle-income cohort. In particular, connectivity estimates among regions of interest (ROIs) within the right hemisphere decreased for the middle-income cohort, providing evidence of neural specialization by two years of age. These findings provide insights about the impact of early environmental influences on functional brain development relevant to the processing of social stimuli

A new gastric impedancemeter for detecting the development of a visceral edema: a proof-of-concept study on an experimental endotoxemic shock

International audienceVisceral congestion and edema are important features of advanced heart failure. Monitoring the evolution of fluid content in the gastric wall might provide an index of the development of this phenomenon and therefore constitute an innovative marker to early detect acute decompensated heart failure episodes. The evolution of the fluid content in the gastric wall is measured using a device implanted in the submucosa layer of the fundic region of the stomach. The device composed of two electrodes measures the bioimpedance values that reflects the water content of the tissue.An in-vivo experiment in a pig was carried out to validate the feasibility of detecting the gastric bioimpedance variations during the development of an experimental acute visceral edema caused by an endotoxemic shock. Our preliminary results confirm the possibility to monitor the bioimpedance variations due to moderate changes in tissue water content (10%) with a two-electrode configuration device implanted in the submucosa of the stomach