A structural and thematic analysis of the early picaresque novel

In form the picaresque novel is episodic; the hero travels from place to place meeting various people and undergoing various adventures. Since the characters of one episode seldom reappear, the incidents of one episode often have no connection with any other, the major unity is achieved only because the novel is written as the first person memoirs of a hero who appears in most of the adventures

Annexin A5 haplotype M2 is not a risk factor for recurrent spontaneous abortion in Northern Europe: is there sufficient evidence?

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Chromosome 16p11.2 deletions: another piece in the genetic puzzle of childhood obesity

Ipercaloric diet and reduced physical activity have driven the rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity over a relatively short time interval. Family and twin studies have led to the conclusion that the strong predicitve value of parental body mass index (BMI) mainly stems from genetic rather than environmental factors. Whereas the common polygenic obesity arises when an individual genetic make-up is susceptible to an environment that promotes energy consumption over energy expenditure, monogenic obesity, on the contrary, is the obesity associated with a single gene mutation, which is sufficient by itself to cause weight gain in a food abundant context. Genes involved in the leptin-melanocortin pathway are often mutated in these cases. The cumulative prevalence of monogenic obesity among children with severe obesity is about 5%

Talking about assisted reproductive techniques and thromboembolic risk: everything we always wanted to know

The last report on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) showed a steady increase in the annual number of treatment cycles worldwide. The most common techniques of autologous ART - in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) - require the use of exogenous gonadotropins with possible adverse effects [...]

Low molecular weight heparin use during pregnancy and risk of postpartum hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide with a prevalence rate of approximately 6%. Although most cases of PPH have no identifiable risk factors, the incidence of PPH has been associated to the thromboprophylaxis in pregnancy with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Thus, the aim of the study is to evaluate the risk of PPH in cases of pregnant women exposed to LMWH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic research was performed in OVID, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, MEDLINE, the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials through April 2016. We included randomized controlled trials, cohort and case-control studies of women who underwent thromboprophylaxis with LMWH during pregnancy compared to a control group (either placebo or no treatment). The primary outcome was the incidence of PPH. The summary measures were reported as relative risk (RR) or as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Eight studies including 22,162 women were analyzed. Of the 22,162 women, 1320 (6%) were administered LMWH, 20,842 (94%) women formed the nonexposed group (control group). Women treated with LMWH had a higher risk of PPH (RR 1.45, 95%CI 1.02-2.05) compared to controls; there was no difference in mean of blood loss at delivery (MD -32.90, 95%CI 68.72-2.93) and in risk of blood transfusion at delivery (RR 1.24, 95%CI 0.62-2.51), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Women who receive LMWH during pregnancy have a significantly higher risk of developing PPH. Women who receive LMWH during pregnancy have neither significantly higher mean blood loss at delivery nor higher risk of blood transfusion

Infectious agents including COVID-19 and the involvement of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. A narrative review

Platelets, blood coagulation along with fibrinolysis are greatly involved in the pathophysiology of infectious diseases induced by bacteria, parasites and virus. This phenomenon is not surprising since both the innate immunity and the hemostatic systems are two ancestral mechanisms which closely cooperate favoring host's defense against foreign invaders. However, the excessive response of these systems may be dangerous for the host itself