The decline of laparoscopic sterilisation

Female sterilisation is an extensively used method of contraception all over the world but there appears to be a decline in the performance of this procedure in Ireland. There also appears to be an increased uptake of safe, long-acting contraceptive alternatives. We set out to establish the extent of the decline of laparoscopic sterilisation and to explore possible explanations. Data for female sterilisation from Ireland was obtained from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Scheme (HIPE) section of the Economic and Social Research Institute for the years 1999 to 2004. Recent sales figures for long acting reversible contraceptives, specifically the levo-norgestrel-loaded intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) (Mirena) and the etonogestrel implant (Implanon) were also obtained. Laparoscopic tubal ligations reduced from 2,566(1999) to 910 (2004). In the corresponding period the use of Mirena coils increased from 4,840 (1999) to 17,077 (2004)

Ascertaining women’s preferred mode of address and preferred choice of title during pregnancy and childbirth

To determine how women in pregnancy would like to be addressed and to ascertain their preferred choice of title during pregnancy. A questionnaire was administered to 925 antenatal women. Midwifery and medical staff (183) were invited to respond to a similar questionnaire.The response rate was 71.2% from the survey of pregnant women. The vast majority (82.1%) preferred to be addressed by their first name. Women were in favour of being called ’patient’ (32.8%) as their first choice. The staff survey yielded a response rate of 77%. The majority (81.8%) of health professionals preferred to address women by their first name. ’Mother’ (28.7%) was the most popular first choice. We conclude that women in pregnancy do have a preference on how they would like to be addressed and this is predominantly by first name. Health professionals also prefer to call pregnant women by their first name. The term ’patient’ was the most popular first choice of title of women in pregnancy but the term ’mother’ was the preferred choice of the health professionals. Medical staff were more likely to choose ’patient’ than midwives

Dynamic changes of the extracellular matrix after acute tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy

Funding Tenovus Scotland. Grant number G13/10.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Using genomic DNA-based probe-selection to improve the sensitivity of high-density oligonucleotide arrays when applied to heterologous species

High-density oligonucleotide (oligo) arrays are a powerful tool for transcript profiling. Arrays based on GeneChip® technology are amongst the most widely used, although GeneChip® arrays are currently available for only a small number of plant and animal species. Thus, we have developed a method to improve the sensitivity of high-density oligonucleotide arrays when applied to heterologous species and tested the method by analysing the transcriptome of Brassica oleracea L., a species for which no GeneChip® array is available, using a GeneChip® array designed for Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Genomic DNA from B. oleracea was labelled and hybridised to the ATH1-121501 GeneChip® array. Arabidopsis thaliana probe-pairs that hybridised to the B. oleracea genomic DNA on the basis of the perfect-match (PM) probe signal were then selected for subsequent B. oleracea transcriptome analysis using a .cel file parser script to generate probe mask files. The transcriptional response of B. oleracea to a mineral nutrient (phosphorus; P) stress was quantified using probe mask files generated for a wide range of gDNA hybridisation intensity thresholds. An example probe mask file generated with a gDNA hybridisation intensity threshold of 400 removed > 68 % of the available PM probes from the analysis but retained >96 % of available A. thaliana probe-sets. Ninety-nine of these genes were then identified as significantly regulated under P stress in B. oleracea, including the homologues of P stress responsive genes in A. thaliana. Increasing the gDNA hybridisation intensity thresholds up to 500 for probe-selection increased the sensitivity of the GeneChip® array to detect regulation of gene expression in B. oleracea under P stress by up to 13-fold. Our open-source software to create probe mask files is freely available http://affymetrix.arabidopsis.info/xspecies/ webcite and may be used to facilitate transcriptomic analyses of a wide range of plant and animal species in the absence of custom arrays

Alteration of Gene Expression Signatures of Cortical Differentiation and Wound Response in Lethal Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinomas

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common malignancy of the adult kidney and displays heterogeneity in clinical outcomes. Through comprehensive gene expression profiling, we have identified previously a set of transcripts that predict survival following nephrectomy independent of tumor stage, grade, and performance status. These transcripts, designated as the SPC (supervised principal components) gene set, show no apparent biological or genetic features that provide insight into renal carcinogenesis or tumor progression. We explored the relationship of this gene list to a set of genes expressed in different anatomical segments of the normal kidney including the cortex (cortex gene set) and the glomerulus (glomerulus gene set), and a gene set expressed after serum stimulation of quiescent fibroblasts (the core serum response or CSR gene set). Interestingly, the normal cortex, glomerulus (part of the normal renal cortex), and CSR gene sets captured more than 1/5 of the genes in the highly prognostic SPC gene set. Based on gene expression patterns alone, the SPC gene set could be used to sort samples from normal adult kidneys by the anatomical regions from which they were dissected. Tumors whose gene expression profiles most resembled the normal renal cortex or glomerulus showed better survival than those that did not, and those with expression features more similar to CSR showed poorer survival. While the cortex, glomerulus, and CSR signatures predicted survival independent of traditional clinical parameters, they were not independent of the SPC gene list. Our findings suggest that critical biological features of lethal ccRCC include loss of normal cortical differentiation and activation of programs associated with wound healing

Distribution Pattern Variability of Granular VRT Applicators

Granular applicators equipped with variable-rate technology (VRT) have gained popularity in recent years as a result of increased interest in variable-rate application. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize distribution patterns at varying rates for different granular applicators. Uniform-rate (UR) tests were conducted to assess the accuracy of variable-rate application from four granular applicators: two spinner-disc spreaders (A and B), and two pneumatic applicators (C and D). Pattern results indicated a consistent triangular pattern for spinner spreader B and consistent patterns for the pneumatic applicators (C and D). However, applicator D produced pattern variations at the center and right side. Simulated overlap analysis generated CVs \u3c 20% for applicators B and C. Applicator A performed well at the two lower rates (CVs \u3c 19%) but not at the highest rate (CV = 27%). Pattern unevenness for applicator D produced CVs between 25% and 34%. The spinner-disc spreaders over-applied, while the pneumatic applicators under-applied at the margins, suggesting an adjustment to the effective swath spacing or spinner-disc speed is needed to improve application accuracy. Further, overlap plots indicated pattern variability even when acceptable CVs were attained for applicators B and C. Therefore, it is recommended that CVs accompany simulated overlap pattern plots to ensure proper calibration of VRT equipment. Swath spacing analysis indicated that three of the four applicator spacings could be changed from the recommended value to improve application uniformity. Pattern comparisons showed that pattern shifts occurred for applicator A (P = 0.0092) with increasing application rate but not for applicators B, C, and D. These results demonstrate potential application errors with VRT and the need for proper calibration to maintain acceptable performance. Further, this investigation demonstrates the need for a VRT equipment testing standard