The genetics of feto-placental development: A study of acid phosphatase locus 1 and adenosine deaminase polymorphisms in a consecutive series of newborn infants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acid phosphatase locus 1 and adenosine deaminase locus 1 polymorphisms show cooperative effects on glucose metabolism and immunological functions. The recent observation of cooperation between the two systems on susceptibility to repeated spontaneous miscarriage prompted us to search for possible interactional effects between these genes and the correlation between birth weight and placental weight. Deviation from a balanced development of the feto-placental unit has been found to be associated with perinatal morbidity and mortality and with cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined 400 consecutive newborns from the Caucasian population of Rome. Birth weight, placental weight, and gestational length were registered. Acid phosphatase locus 1 and adenosine deaminase locus 1 phenotypes were determined by starch gel electrophoresis and correlation analysis was performed by SPSS programs. Informed verbal consent to participate in the study was obtained from the mothers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Highly significant differences in birth weight-placental weight correlations were observed among acid phosphatase locus 1 phenotypes (p = 0.005). The correlation between birth weight and placental weight was markedly elevated in subjects carrying acid phosphatase locus 1 phenotypes with medium-low F isoform concentration (A, CA and CB phenotypes) compared to those carrying acid phosphatase locus 1 phenotypes with medium-high F isoform concentration (BA and B phenotypes) (p = 0.002). Environmental and developmental variables were found to exert a significant effect on birth weight-placental weight correlation in subjects with medium-high F isoform concentrations, but only a marginal effect was observed in those with medium-low F isoform concentrations. The correlation between birth weight and placental weight is higher among carriers of the adenosine deaminase locus 1 allele*2, which is associated with low activity, than in homozygous adenosine deaminase locus 1 phenotype 1 carriers (p = 0.04). The two systems show a cooperative effect on the correlation between birth weight and placental weight: the highest value is observed in newborns carrying adenosine deaminase locus 1 allele*2 and acid phosphatase locus 1 phenotypes with medium-low F isoform concentration (p = 0.005).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that zygotes with low adenosine deaminase locus 1 activity and low F activity may experience the most favourable intrauterine conditions for a balanced development of the feto-placental unit.</p

Mixing in a swarm of bubbles rising in a confined cell measured by mean of PLIF with two different dyes

The present contribution reports an experimental study of the mixing of a passive scalar of very low diffusivity in a homogeneous swarm of inertial bubbles rising in a thin gap. A patch of fluorescent dye is injected within the swarm, and we observe the evolution of its mass in a given region of observation. We analyse the effect of the liquid agitation on the mixing mechanisms varying the gas volume fraction from 1.3 to 7.5 %, while the Reynolds number of the bubbles, Re = 450, their Weber number, We = 0.7, and the gapto-bubble diameter ratio, w/d = 0.25, are kept approximately constant. Here, the in-plane local mass of dye is measured by using a two-dyes planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique that has been adapted to fix the problem of multiple light reflections at the bubble interfaces. Indeed, they induce both temporal and spatial variations of the captured light intensity that are superimposed to the effective fluorescence signal and prevent from using a standard PLIF technique. The analysis of the instantaneous concentration fields reveals the dominant role of the bubble wakes in the scalar transport. It is shown that mixing in this planar confined geometry is very efficient and enhanced by the increasing gas volume fraction. The present study also highlights that the mixing is not governed by a Fickian law of diffusion

[Interaction between carbon nanotubes and cardiovascular autonomic nervous system regulation: proposal of an animal model and preliminary findings]

Altered autonomic cardiovascular regulation (ACR) may mediate the association between single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) exposure and adverse cardiovascular events