WOSMIP II- Workshop on Signatures of Medical and Industrial Isotope Production

Medical and industrial fadioisotopes are fundamental tools used in science, medicine and industry with an ever expanding usage in medical practice where their availability is vital. Very sensitive environmental radionuclide monitoring networks have been developed for nuclear-security-related monitoring [particularly Comprehensive Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) compliance verification] and are now operational

Practical guidelines for rigor and reproducibility in preclinical and clinical studies on cardioprotection

The potential for ischemic preconditioning to reduce infarct size was first recognized more than 30 years ago. Despite extension of the concept to ischemic postconditioning and remote ischemic conditioning and literally thousands of experimental studies in various species and models which identified a multitude of signaling steps, so far there is only a single and very recent study, which has unequivocally translated cardioprotection to improved clinical outcome as the primary endpoint in patients. Many potential reasons for this disappointing lack of clinical translation of cardioprotection have been proposed, including lack of rigor and reproducibility in preclinical studies, and poor design and conduct of clinical trials. There is, however, universal agreement that robust preclinical data are a mandatory prerequisite to initiate a meaningful clinical trial. In this context, it is disconcerting that the CAESAR consortium (Consortium for preclinicAl assESsment of cARdioprotective therapies) in a highly standardized multi-center approach of preclinical studies identified only ischemic preconditioning, but not nitrite or sildenafil, when given as adjunct to reperfusion, to reduce infarct size. However, ischemic preconditioning—due to its very nature—can only be used in elective interventions, and not in acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, better strategies to identify robust and reproducible strategies of cardioprotection, which can subsequently be tested in clinical trials must be developed. We refer to the recent guidelines for experimental models of myocardial ischemia and infarction, and aim to provide now practical guidelines to ensure rigor and reproducibility in preclinical and clinical studies on cardioprotection. In line with the above guideline, we define rigor as standardized state-of-the-art design, conduct and reporting of a study, which is then a prerequisite for reproducibility, i.e. replication of results by another laboratory when performing exactly the same experiment

The avian collection of the Zoological Museum of the University of Athens (ZMUA)

Background The Zoological Museum of the University of Athens (ZMUA) was established in 1858. It is the oldest natural history museum of Greece. The museum began its operation with the acquisition of a core collection and has been expanding ever since. One of the most substantial parts of the museum's collection consists of the avian exhibits, originating from around the world. New information Today, the avian collection consists of 2,948 specimens, preserved mostly through taxidermy, along with a significant number of eggs. The birds have been collected from around the world. A substantial part of the collection consists of individuals originating from Greece, Brazil, Canada and Australia. Having this valuable source of biogeographic information and a potential reserve of historical genetic diversity, ZMUA presents here the contents of the avian collection

First trimester cervical length is associated with mid-trimester loss

Objective: To study the value of the cervical length (CL) measurement at 11-14 weeks in predicting second trimester miscarriage occurring at 16-24 weeks.Methods: Prospective study in routine obstetric population using transvaginal ultrasound examination to measure the length of the endocervical canal at 11-14 weeks.Results: The study group consisted of 2836 singleton pregnancies. Eleven (0.0038%) women miscarried between 16 and 24 weeks whereas 2825 delivered after 34 weeks. CL was significantly shorter (Mann-Whitney U test, p = 0.001), in women that had a second trimester miscarriage in comparison to those who delivered after 34 weeks (median CL 28 mm versus 32 mm, respectively). First trimester CL was predictive of a late miscarriage (OR = 0.7093304, R2 = 0.1211, AUC = 0.7838, p < 0.001). The detection rate was 63.64% for 20% screen positive rate.Conclusions: First trimester endocervix is significantly shorter in women destined to miscarry between 16 and 24 weeks. In low risk singleton pregnancies, first trimester CL can be useful in predicting second trimester miscarriage. © 2014 Informa UK Ltd

Predictive performance for placental dysfunction related stillbirth of the competing risks model for small for gestational age fetuses

Objectives: To examine the predictive performance for placental dysfunction related stillbirths of the competing risks model for small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses based on fetusa combination of maternal risk factors, estimated fetal weight (EFW) and uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI); and second, to compare the performance of this model with that of a stillbirth-specific model using the same biomarkers and with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) guideline for the investigation and management of the SGA fetus. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Two UK maternity hospitals. Population: A total of 131 514 women with singleton pregnancies attending for routine ultrasound examination at 19-24 weeks of gestation. Methods: The predictive performance for stillbirth achieved by three models was compared. Main outcome measure: Placental dysfunction related stillbirth. Results: At 10% false-positive rate, the competing risks model predicted 59%, 66% and 71% of placental dysfunction related stillbirths, at any gestation, at <37 weeks and at <32 weeks, respectively, which were similar to the respective figures of 62%, 70% and 73% for the stillbirth-specific model. At a screen positive rate of 21.8%, as defined by the RCOG guideline, the competing risks model predicted 71%, 76% and 79% of placental dysfunction related stillbirths at any gestation, at <37 weeks and at <32 weeks, respectively, and the respective figures for the RCOG guideline were 40%, 44% and 42%. Conclusion: The predictive performance for placental dysfunction related stillbirths by the competing risks model for SGA was similar to that of the stillbirth-specific model and superior to that of the RCOG guideline

Development and validation of a model for prediction of placental dysfunction-related stillbirth from maternal factors, fetal weight and uterine artery Doppler at mid-gestation.

To examine the predictive performance for all antepartum stillbirths and those due to impaired placentation by a combination of maternal risk factors, uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI) and estimated fetal weight (EFW) at 19-24 weeks' gestation in a training dataset for development of the model and a validation dataset. The data for this study were derived from prospective screening for adverse obstetric outcomes in 131,514 women with singleton pregnancies attending for routine pregnancy care at 19+0 to 24+6 weeks' gestation. There were 131,037 livebirths and 477 (0.36%) stillbirths, including 441 (92.5%) antepartum and 36 (7.5%) intrapartum stillbirths. Placental dysfunction related stillbirths accounted for 59.2% (261/441) of all antepartum stillbirths. The study population was divided into a training dataset used to develop prediction models for placental dysfunction related stillbirths which were then applied in the validation dataset. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to develop a model based on a combination of maternal risk factors, EFW Z-scores and UtA-PI multiple of the median (MoM). We examined the predictive performance of the model by first, the ability of the model to discriminate between the stillbirth and livebirth groups using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve and the detection rate (DR) at fixed false positive rate (FPR) of 10%, and second, calibration by measurements of calibration slope and intercept. There are four main findings of this study. First, 92.5% of stillbirths were antepartum and 7.5% intrapartum and 59% of antepartum stillbirths were observed in association with placental dysfunction and 41% were unexplained or due to other causes. Second, placental dysfunction accounted for 80% of the stillbirths at <32 weeks' gestation, 54% at 32+0 to 36+6 weeks and 33% at ≥37 weeks. Third, the risk of placental dysfunction related stillbirth increased with increasing maternal weight and decreasing height, was 3-fold higher in black than in white women, 5.5-fold higher in parous women with previous stillbirth than livebirth, and was increased in smokers, in those with chronic hypertension, and in parous women with previous pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and / or birth of small for gestational age babies. Fourth, in screening for placental dysfunction related stillbirth by a combination of maternal risk factors, EFW and UtA-PI, the DR at 10% FPR was 62.3% (57.2-67.4) and the AUROC curve was 0.838 (0.799-0.878); these results were consistent with those in the data used for developing the algorithm and demonstrate high discrimination between affected and unaffected pregnancies. Similarly, the calibration slope was 1.029 and intercept was -0.009 demonstrating a good agreement between the predicted risks and observed incidence of placental dysfunction related stillbirth. The performance of screening was better for stillbirths at <37 weeks' gestation compared to those at term (DR at 10% FPR 69.8% vs. 29.2%). Screening at mid-gestation by a combination of maternal risk factors, EFW and UtA-PI can predict a high proportion of placental dysfunction related stillbirths and in particular those that occur preterm. Such screening provides poor prediction of unexplained stillbirth or placental dysfunction related stillbirths at term. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. [Abstract copyright: This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.