Nutritional evaluation of Robin sequence infants: a retrospective study

Objectives: To evaluate the nutritional status of infants with Robin Sequence (RS) cared at Hospital de Reabilitação de Anomalias Craniofaciais da Universidade de São Paulo (HRAC-USP). Material and methods: 223 records of infants with RS, admitted at HRAC-USP from July 2003 to June 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. The sample comprised 210 patients who had been weighed and measured. Results: The group presented deviation to the left for the measurements when compared with WHO reference using the WHO Anthro software, with standard deviation of weight, length, age Z score (C/i), weight/age and IMC/age respectively, -1.5(1.67), -2.24(1.84), -2.6(1.5) and - 2.07(1.67); 51.9% were boys and presented more C/I impairment than girls (p=0.018); no differences were found for other measurements between gender. RS patients with other syndromes presented C/I and IMC/I lower than those without syndrome (p<0.001 and 0.054, respectively). There was no significant correlation between hospitalization time (Md=16d) and nutritional status. Hospitalized patients with less than 30 days of age (94- 44.8%) had a much better nutritional status (p<0.001) than those hospitalized later, with the median line p/I, c/I and IMC/I -1.82, -1.64, -1.53 for the latter and -3.43, -2.63, and -2.75 for the others. Only 15 patients (7.1%) were not having nasogastric feeding and were not different from the others. Conclusions: Hospitalized RS infants showed significant nutritional impairment. Patients who were hospitalized before 1 month of age were less nutritionally impaired, indicating that they had been less exposed to feeding and respiratory difficulties effects that come with RS. This reinforces the need for an early diagnosis and referral to specialized centers

Should breast reconstruction and breast oncoplastic procedures be performed during the coronavirus pandemic?

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of the treatment of breast cancer and breast reconstruction globally. Mastectomy with immediate implant-based breast reconstruction was on the rise due to advances in meshes and implants. However, due to the prioritisation of the critically ill and diversion of the work force, breast cancer treatment has drastically changed. This is an opinion paper written by the authors with experience and importance in the scenario of breast reconstructive surgery. The authors are from different countries with the COVID-19 pandemic in different stages

Neoliberalisation and 'lad cultures' in higher education

This paper links HE neoliberalisation and ‘lad cultures’, drawing on interviews and focus groups with women students. We argue that retro-sexist ‘laddish’ forms of masculine competitiveness and misogyny have been reshaped by neoliberal rationalities to become modes of consumerist sexualised audit. We also suggest that neoliberal frameworks scaffold an individualistic and adversarial culture among young people that interacts with perceived threats to men’s privilege and intensifies attempts to put women in their place through misogyny and sexual harassment. Furthermore, ‘lad cultures’, sexism and sexual harassment in higher education may be invisibilised by institutions to preserve marketability in a neoliberal context. In response, we ask if we might foster dialogue and partnership between feminist and anti-marketisation politics

EXD2 governs germ stem cell homeostasis and lifespan by promoting mitoribosome integrity and translation

Mitochondria are subcellular organelles critical for meeting the bioenergetic and biosynthetic needs of the cell. Mitochondrial function relies on genes and RNA species encoded both in the nucleus and mitochondria, as well as their coordinated translation, import and respiratory complex assembly. Here we describe the characterization of exonuclease domain like 2 (EXD2), a nuclear encoded gene that we show is targeted to the mitochondria and prevents the aberrant association of mRNAs with the mitochondrial ribosome. The loss of EXD2 resulted in defective mitochondrial translation, impaired respiration, reduced ATP production, increased reactive oxygen species and widespread metabolic abnormalities. Depletion of EXD2/CG6744 in D.melanogaster caused developmental delays and premature female germline stem cell attrition, reduced fecundity and a dramatic extension of lifespan that could be reversed with an anti-oxidant diet. Our results define a conserved role for EXD2 in mitochondrial translation that influences development and aging

Implications of COP21 for China

Three months after the historic Paris Agreement affirmed the ambition of 195 countries to keep global average temperature rises below 2 °C, the world had an opportunity to assess how the efforts of China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, will measure up to its promises, at the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing in March