Meconium proteins as a source of biomarkers for the assessment of the intrauterine environment of the fetus

Intrauterine environmental factors can be associated with perinatal complications and long-term health outcomes although the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. Meconium formed exclusively in utero and passed naturally by a neonate may contain proteins which characterise the intrauterine environment. The aim of the study was proteomic analysis of the composition of meconium proteins and their classification by biological function. Proteomic techniques combining isoelectrofocussing fractionation and LC-MS/MS analysis were used to study the protein composition of a meconium sample obtained by pooling 50 serial meconium portions from 10 healthy full-term neonates. The proteins were classified by function based on the literature search for each protein in the PubMed database. A total of 946 proteins were identified in the meconium, including 430 proteins represented by two or more peptides. When the proteins were classified by their biological function the following were identified: immunoglobulin fragments and enzymatic, neutrophil-derived, structural and fetal intestine-specific proteins. Meconium is a rich source of proteins deposited in the fetal intestine during its development in utero. A better understanding of their specific biological functions in the intrauterine environment may help to identify these proteins which may serve as biomarkers associated with specific clinical conditions/diseases with the possible impact on the fetal development and further health consequences in infants, older children and adults

Hemodialysis Affects Phenotype and Proliferation of CD4-Positive T Lymphocytes

CD4+ T lymphocytes of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are characterized by reduced levels of crucial surface antigens and changes in the cell cycle parameters. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) normalizes their altered phenotype and proliferative capacity. Mechanisms leading to the deficient responses of T lymphocytes are still not clear but it is postulated that immunological changes are deepened by hemodialysis (HD). Study of activation parameters of CD4+ T lymphocytes in hemodialyzed and predialysis CKD patients could bring insight into this problem. Two groups of patients, treated conservatively (predialysis, PD) and hemodialyzed (HD), as well as healthy controls, were included into the study; neither had received rhEPO. Proportions of main CD4+CD28+, CD4+CD25+, CD4+CD69+, CD4+CD95+, and CD4+HLA-DR+ lymphocyte subpopulations and proliferation kinetic parameters were measured with flow cytometry, both ex vivo and in vitro. No differences were seen in the proportions of main CD4+ lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+CD28+, CD4+CD25+, CD4+HLA-DR+, CD4+CD69+, CD4+CD95+) between all examined groups ex vivo. CD4+ T lymphocytes of HD patients exhibited significantly decreased expression of co-stimulatory molecule CD28 and activation markers CD25 and CD69 after stimulation in vitro when compared with PD patients and healthy controls. HD patients showed also decreased percentage of CD4+CD28+ lymphocytes proliferating in vitro; these cells presented decreased numbers of finished divisions after 72 h of stimulation in vitro and had longer G0→G1 time when compared to healthy controls. CD4+ T lymphocytes of PD patients and healthy controls were characterized by similar cell cycle parameters. Our study shows that repeated hemodialysis procedure influences phenotype and proliferation parameters of CD4+ T lymphocytes

The novel XYU-GEM to resolve ambiguities

Removing ambiguities within a single stage becomes crucial when one can not use multiple detectors behind each other to resolve them which naturally is the case for neutral radiation. An example would be RICH detectors. Commonly pixilated readout is choosen for this purpose. However, this causes a remarkable increase in quantity of channels and does not scale up well. Therefore, the XYU-GEM was proposed as a three coordinate strip-readout which is combined with a triple GEM detector. The readout complements a common XY readout with an additional projection which is tilted by 45{\deg}. The overdetermination due to three projections can be used to resovle ambiguities. Following the detector design will be explained, first measurements discussed to understand the response of the detector and a way to change the charge sharing without changing the manufacturing parameters of the readout

X-ray imaging with gaseous detectors using the VMM3a and the SRS

The integration of the VMM3a Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) into RD51's Scalable Readout System (SRS) provides a versatile tool for the readout of Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs). With its self-triggered high-rate readout, its analogue part that allows to get information on the deposited energy in the detector, and its so-called neighbouring-logic that allows to recover information on the charge distribution, this new system has features of particular interest for digital X-ray imaging. In the present article, we want to emphasise the capabilities of VMM3a/SRS by presenting results of X-ray imaging studies. We will highlight the advantages on the energy and the spatial resolution provided by the neighbouring-logic. In the first part, we focus on spatial resolution studies. We show how segmented readout structures introduce a repeating pattern in the distribution of the reconstructed positions (using the centre-of-gravity method) and how this behaviour can be mitigated with the neighbouring-logic. As part of these studies, we explore as well an alternative position reconstruction algorithm. In the second part of the article, we present the energy resolution studies.Peer reviewe

Stepping on invisible land: on the importance of communicating the value of soils.

Soils play fundamental roles in the functioning of the Earth's ecosystems. Despite numerous initiatives to protect soils, it continues to be generally perceived as dirt or, at best, the surface we walk on. To better understand soil perception by the public, we conducted a survey with 99 participants from Poland and Brazil. We applied opportunity sampling and conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 respondents from Poland and 30 from Brazil, and 29 unstructured interviews in Brazil. Most of the respondents (53%) of the semi-structured interviews associated soil with the surface where plants grow, while 27% said that it is the ground we step on. When asked about pro-environmental campaigns, none of the respondents pointed to soil-related initiatives. Most of the respondents (99%) claimed that there is a need to increase their knowledge about the importance of soils, mostly through education (30%). The majority of the respondents of the unstructured interviews in Brazil indicated provision services provided by soils and pointed to the need for youth engagement in soil communication, corroborating the results from the semi-structured interviews. To address this, we present the results on artistic workshops as an experimental model for teaching and dissemination. We present two short documentary movies reporting the results from unstructured interviews and artistic workshops that can be used as data gathering tools, teaching tools and for dissemination purposes. This is a novel approach to communicating with the relevant stakeholders to promote more sustainable resource management