A first-in-human, randomized, controlled, subject- and reviewer-blinded multicenter study of Actamax™ Adhesion Barrier

Purpose: Post-surgical adhesions remain a significant concern following abdominopelvic surgery. This study was to assess safety, manageability and explore preliminary efficacy of applying a degradable hydrogel adhesion barrier to areas of surgical trauma following gynecologic laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery. Methods: This first-in-human, prospective, randomized, multicenter, subject- and reviewer-blinded clinical study was conducted in 78 premenopausal women (18–46 years) wishing to maintain fertility and undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery with planned clinically indicated second-look laparoscopy (SLL) at 4–12 weeks. The first two patients of each surgeon received hydrogel, up to 30 mL sprayed over all sites of surgical trauma, and were assessed for safety and application only (n = 12). Subsequent subjects (n = 66) were randomized 1:1 to receive either hydrogel (Treatment, n = 35) or not (Control, n = 31); 63 completed the SLL. Results: No adverse event was assessed as serious, or possibly device related. None was severe or fatal. Adverse events were reported for 17 treated subjects (17/47, 36.2%) and 13 Controls (13/31, 41.9%). For 95.7% of treated subjects, surgeons found the device “easy” or “very easy” to use; in 54.5%, some residual material was evident at SLL. For 63 randomized subjects who completed the SLL, adjusted between-group difference in the change from baseline adhesion score demonstrated a 41.4% reduction for Treatment compared with Controls (p = 0.017), with a 49.5% reduction (p = 0.008) among myomectomy subjects (n = 34). Conclusion: Spray application of a degradable hydrogel adhesion barrier during gynecologic laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery was performed easily and safely, without evidence of clinically significant adverse outcomes. Data suggest the hydrogel was effective in reducing postoperative adhesion development, particularly following myomectomy

Controls of Litter Size—Do Conclusions Drawn from Institutional Research Herds Always Have Relevance to Commercial Swine Production?

Increasing litter size in pigs has been an ongoing concern of many producers because it has the greatest impact on profitability of the swine enterprise. To study the biology of conceptus growth and survival, many models have been used by researchers. It was determined that a major component in limiting litter size results from the impacts of limitations in uterine space (i.e. uterine capacity). Placental efficiency, which is the ratio of a fetus’s weight compared with that of its placenta, has been shown to impact litter size, and is heritable. Selection for breeding animals having a high placental efficiency at term, has been shown to increase litter size. Furthermore, although piglet weight was only slightly decreased in offspring of boars and gilts selected for increased placental efficiency, placental size was profoundly reduced. This reduction in placental size was coupled with an increase in vascularity, thus nutrient and oxygen uptake by the conceptus could be accomplished over a decreased surface area of attachment to the uterine wall. Reproductive data obtained to date have been gathered largely from university swine herds that may have little relevance to commercially used US pig breeds. In contrast to the constant evaluations of physiological changes associated with increased litter size at universities, swine seed stock producers have selected for many generations simply on increased litter size and have not bothered to evaluate the resulting physiological changes associated with increased fecundity. Therefore, it was the objective of this study to investigate the reproductive characteristics of a commercially relevant swine herd in Iowa (PIC Camborough Line) at selected gestational ages. Multiparous sows (ranging from 1 to 14 parities) were slaughtered on days 25, 36, and 44 of gestation, time periods corresponding to intervals which are before, during, and after the time when uterine capacity becomes limiting. At the laboratory, the uterine horns were measured and ovulation rate was determined. Conceptuses were removed and fetal and placental weights were determined. Uterine horn length and ovulation rate did not differ between the three gestational groups. Conceptus number decreased from 15.8 ± 0.6 on day 25 to 12.9 ± 0.5 and 12.1 ± 0.4 on day 36 and day 44 (litter size in this population averages ~11.5 liveborn piglets/litter). Conceptus survival to day 25 was 60.2 ± 0.1%, which then decreased to 50.1 ± 0.1% on day 36 and 46.3 ± 0.1% on day 44. There was a positive correlation between conceptus number and ovulation rate on day 25 but by day 36 this association was lost. Conceptus number was not associated with uterine length on day 25, but by day 36 there was a positive association that remained through day 44. On all three gestation days there was a negative association between conceptus number and placental weight, but no association between conceptus number and fetal weight was observed, indicating that larger litters are comprised of conceptuses having small placentae, but the same sized fetuses. These data indicate that, compared with commonly reported values for university herds (16-18 ovulations), ovulation rate in these mixed parity production animals is extremely high, whereas conceptus survival as estimated from the number of conceptuses divided by the number of ovulations was very low. Additionally, although conceptus number was related to the ovulation rate on day 25, by day 36 the limitations of uterine size began to reduce conceptus number irrespective of ovulation rate. These data suggest that ovulation rate is not a limiting factor in litter size in this line of commercially relevant pigs. In contrast, the higher than expected ovulation rate observed in these pigs resulted in significant embryo losses and early uterine crowding. The consequences of this early conceptus crowding may have detrimental impacts on prenatal and postnatal growth rate and survival

Different levels of overnutrition and weight gain during pregnancy have differential effects on fetal growth and organ development

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nearly 50% of U.S. women of child-bearing age are overweight or obese, conditions linked to offspring obesity and diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Utilizing the sheep, females were fed a highly palatable diet at two levels of overfeeding designed to induce different levels of maternal body weight increase and adiposity at conception, and from conception to midgestation. Fetal growth and organ development were then evaluated at midgestation in response to these two different levels of overfeeding. Ewes were fed to achieve: 1) normal weight gain (control, C), 2) overweight (125% of National Research Council [NRC] recommendations, OW125) or 3) obesity (150% of NRC recommendations, OB150) beginning 10 wks prior to breeding and through midgestation. Body fat % and insulin sensitivity were assessed at three points during the study: 1) diet initiation, 2) conception and 3) mid-gestation. Ewes were necropsied and fetuses recovered at mid-gestation (day 78).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>OB150 ewes had a higher % body fat than OW125 ewes prior to breeding (P = 0.03), but not at mid-gestation (P = 0.37). Insulin sensitivity decreased from diet initiation to mid-gestation (P = 0.04), and acute insulin response to glucose tended to be greater in OB150 ewes than C ewes (P = 0.09) and was greater than in OW125 ewes (P = 0.02). Fetal crown-rump length, thoracic and abdominal girths, and fetal perirenal fat were increased in the OW125 and OB150 versus C ewes at mid-gestation. However, only fetal heart, pancreas, and liver weights, as well as lipid content of fetal liver, were increased (P < 0.05) in OB150 ewes versus both C and OW125 ewes at midgestation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data demonstrate that different levels of overfeeding, resulting in differing levels of maternal weight gain and adiposity prior to and during pregnancy, lead to differential effects on fetal overgrowth and organ development.</p

The Spiderweb galaxy: a forming massive cluster galaxy at z~2

We present a deep image of the radio galaxy MRC 1138-262 taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) at a redshift of z = 2.2. The galaxy is known to have properties of a cD galaxy progenitor and be surrounded by a 3 Mpc-sized structure, identified with a protocluster. The morphology shown on the new deep HST/ACS image is reminiscent of a spider's web. More than 10 individual clumpy features are observed, apparently star-forming satellite galaxies in the process of merging with the progenitor of a dominant cluster galaxy 11 Gyr ago. There is an extended emission component, implying that star formation was occurring over a 50 times 40 kpc region at a rate of more than 100 M_sun/yr. A striking feature of the newly named ``Spiderweb galaxy'' is the presence of several faint linear galaxies within the merging structure. The dense environments and fast galaxy motions at the centres of protoclusters may stimulate the formation of these structures, which dominate the faint resolved galaxy populations in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The new image provides a unique testbed for simulations of forming dominant cluster galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures (reduced to grayscale); ApJ Letter

Simulation study for measurement of horizontal wind profiles in the polar stratosphere and mesosphere using ground-based observations of ozone and carbon monoxide lines in the 230–250 GHz region

Meteorological and atmospheric models are being extended up to 80 km altitude but there are very few observing techniques that can measure stratospheric–mesospheric winds at altitudes between 20 and 80 km to verify model datasets. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of horizontal wind profile measurements using ground-based passive millimetre-wave spectroradiometric observations of ozone lines centred at 231.28, 249.79, and 249.96 GHz. Vertical profiles of horizontal winds are retrieved from forward and inverse modelling simulations of the line-of-sight Doppler-shifted atmospheric emission lines above Halley station (75°37′ S, 26°14′ W), Antarctica. For a radiometer with a system temperature of 1400 K and 30 kHz spectral resolution observing the ozone 231.28 GHz line we estimate that 12 h zonal and meridional wind profiles could be determined over the altitude range 25–74 km in winter, and 28–66 km in summer. Height-dependent measurement uncertainties are in the range 3–8 m s−1 and vertical resolution  ∼  8–16 km. Under optimum observing conditions at Halley a temporal resolution of 1.5 h for measuring either zonal or meridional winds is possible, reducing to 0.5 h for a radiometer with a 700 K system temperature. Combining observations of the 231.28 GHz ozone line and the 230.54 GHz carbon monoxide line gives additional altitude coverage at 85 ± 12 km. The effects of clear-sky seasonal mean winter/summer conditions, zenith angle of the received atmospheric emission, and spectrometer frequency resolution on the altitude coverage, measurement uncertainty, and height and time resolution of the retrieved wind profiles have been determined

Discovery of Two Distant Type Ia Supernovae in the Hubble Deep Field North with the Advanced Camera for Surveys

We present observations of the first two supernovae discovered with the recently installed Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. The supernovae were found in Wide Field Camera images of the Hubble Deep Field North taken with the F775W, F850LP, and G800L optical elements as part of the ACS guaranteed time observation program. Spectra extracted from the ACS G800L grism exposures confirm that the objects are Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) at redshifts z=0.47 and z=0.95. Follow-up HST observations have been conducted with ACS in F775W and F850LP and with NICMOS in the near-infrared F110W bandpass, yielding a total of 9 flux measurements in the 3 bandpasses over a period of 50 days in the observed frame. We discuss many of the important issues in doing accurate photometry with the ACS. We analyze the multi-band light curves using two different fitting methods to calibrate the supernovae luminosities and place them on the SNe Ia Hubble diagram. The resulting distances are consistent with the redshift-distance relation of the accelerating universe model, although evolving intergalactic grey dust remains as a less likely possibility. The relative ease with which these SNe Ia were found, confirmed, and monitored demonstrates the potential ACS holds for revolutionizing the field of high-redshift SNe Ia, and therefore of testing the accelerating universe cosmology and constraining the "epoch of deceleration".Comment: 11 pages, 8 embedded figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

M87: A Misaligned BL LAC?

The nuclear region of M87 was observed with the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) at 6 epochs, spanning 18 months, after the HST image quality was improved with the deployment of the corrective optics (COSTAR) in December 1993. From the FOS target acquisition data, we have established that the flux from the optical nucleus of M87 varies by a factor ~2 on time scales of ~2.5 months and by as much as 25% over 3 weeks, and remains unchanged (<= 2.5%) on time scales of ~1 day. The changes occur in an unresolved central region <= 5 pc in diameter, with the physical size of the emitting region limited by the observed time scales to a few hundred gravitational radii. The featureless continuum spectrum becomes bluer as it brightens while emission lines remain unchanged. This variability combined with the observations of the continuum spectral shape, strong relativistic boosting and the detection of significant superluminal motions in the jet, strongly suggest that M87 belongs to the class of BL Lac objects but is viewed at an angle too large to reveal the classical BL Lac properties.Comment: 12 pages, 3 Postscript figure

Design, development and validity testing of the Gang Affiliation Risk Measure (GARM)

This study aimed to create a measure of risk for gang affiliation, for use in the UK. A pilot stage invited gang affiliated and non-gang affiliated participants between the ages of 16–25 years to retrospectively self-report on 58 items of risk exposure at the age of 11 years. Based on performance of these items, a 26-item measure was developed and administered to a main study sample (n=185) of gang affiliated and non-gang affiliated participants. Categorical Principal Component Analysis was applied to data, yielding a single-factor solution (historic lack of safety and current perception of threat). A 15-item gang affiliation risk measure (GARM) was subsequently created. The GARM demonstrated good internal consistency, construct validity and discriminative ability. Items from the GARM were then transformed to read prospectively, resulting in a test measure for predictive purposes (T-GARM). The T-GARM requires further validation regarding its predictive utility and generalisability. However, this study has resulted in the first measure of gang affiliation, with promising results

Sixty years of genome biology

Sixty years after Watson and Crick published the double helix model of DNA's structure, thirteen members of Genome Biology's Editorial Board select key advances in the field of genome biology subsequent to that discovery