Unmet social needs and teenage pregnancy in Ogbomosho, South-western Nigeria

Background: Consistent high teenage pregnancy rates in South-western Nigeria are characteristically underpinned by the unmet social needs of the teenagers.Objective: To elicit intergenerational views on the influence of unmet social needs on teenage pregnancy. Methods: Through a descriptive and cross-sectional design, a total of 174 respondents who were either pregnant teenagers, teenage mothers during the survey or had been pregnant as teenagers, were interviewed, using questionnaire supplemented with 12 key informant interviews.Results: With the mean age of 16.5 years, and educational status range of between primary and below (25.8%) and tertiary (9.8%) levels, only 39.7% respondents were married, about half (47.7%) remained single while others were separated (12.6%). Less than half (44.9%) of the respondents were engaged in occupational activities. The unmet material and financial supports expected from parents (43.1%), the lack of free education from government up till secondary school level (51.2%), the lack of sex education and knowledge needs for signs of maturity (53.4%) and discouragement from friends not to have boyfriend (66.1%) prone teenagers to unplanned pregnancy.Conclusion: Promotion of sexual education and parental care is encouraged as strategy against unplanned pregnancy among teenagers.Keywords: Unmet needs, pregnancy resolution, teenagers, Nigeri

Effet de la Saison de Culture et de la Densité des Plants sur les Adventices et la Production de la Cucurbite oléagineuse Citrullus lanatus (Thunberg) Matsum. & Nakai (Cucurbitaceae)

Citrullus lanatus a été cultivée sur 2 périodes de l’année (saison 1 : d’Avril à Juillet et saison 2 : de Septembre à Décembre 2006) à la ferme expérimentale de l’Université d’Abobo-Adjamé en Côte d’Ivoire. Ces études visaient à déterminer la densité de la cucurbite qui assure un contrôle biologique des adventices et celle qui permet une meilleure productivité de cette culture mineure. Le dispositif expérimental est un bloc complètement randomisé, subdivisé en parcelles élémentaires de 6 m × 6 m avec trois répétitions par traitement. Sept paramètres agronomiques chez la cucurbite et la densité d’adventices (estimée uniquement au cours de la 1ère saison) ont été analysés dans trois systèmes culturaux. L’analyse a été suivie de tests de comparaisons multiples. Il en ressort que l’augmentation de la densité de la cucurbite réduit le nombre d’adventices. Les résultats montrent également que les composantes de rendement de la cucurbite, excepté le nombre de fruits à l’hectare (NFHa), diminuent avec la densité de semis. Cette diminution est plus prononcée à la deuxième saison. Sur la base des résultats obtenus, il a été suggéré de cultiver C. lanatus, à forte densité pour lutter contre les adventices et à faible densité pour obtenir des effets bénéfiques au niveau de son rendement.Mots-clés : Citrullus lanatus – densité – adventives – rendement

Prenatal paracetamol exposure is associated with shorter anogenital distance in male infants.

STUDY QUESTION: What is the relationship between maternal paracetamol intake during the masculinisation programming window (MPW, 8-14 weeks of gestation) and male infant anogenital distance (AGD), a biomarker for androgen action during the MPW? SUMMARY ANSWER: Intrauterine paracetamol exposure during 8-14 weeks of gestation is associated with shorter AGD from birth to 24 months of age. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN: The increasing prevalence of male reproductive disorders may reflect environmental influences on foetal testicular development during the MPW. Animal and human xenograft studies have demonstrated that paracetamol reduces foetal testicular testosterone production, consistent with reported epidemiological associations between prenatal paracetamol exposure and cryptorchidism. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Prospective cohort study (Cambridge Baby Growth Study), with recruitment of pregnant women at ~12 post-menstrual weeks of gestation from a single UK maternity unit between 2001 and 2009, and 24 months of infant follow-up. Of 2229 recruited women, 1640 continued with the infancy study after delivery, of whom 676 delivered male infants and completed a medicine consumption questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHOD: Mothers self-reported medicine consumption during pregnancy by a questionnaire administered during the perinatal period. Infant AGD (measured from 2006 onwards), penile length and testicular descent were assessed at 0, 3, 12, 18 and 24 months of age, and age-specific Z scores were calculated. Associations between paracetamol intake during three gestational periods (14 weeks) and these outcomes were tested by linear mixed models. Two hundred and twenty-five (33%) of six hundred and eighty-one male infants were exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy, of whom sixty-eight were reported to be exposed during 8-14 weeks. AGD measurements were available for 434 male infants. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Paracetamol exposure during 8-14 weeks of gestation, but not any other period, was associated with shorter AGD (by 0.27 SD, 95% CI 0.06-0.48, P = 0.014) from birth to 24 months of age. This reduction was independent of body size. Paracetamol exposure was not related to penile length or testicular descent. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Confounding by other drugs or endocrine-disrupting chemicals cannot be discounted. The cohort was not fully representative of pregnant women in the UK, particularly in terms of maternal ethnicity and smoking prevalence. There is likely to have been misclassification of paracetamol exposure due to recall error. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our observational findings support experimental evidence that intrauterine paracetamol exposure during the MPW may adversely affect male reproductive development. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This work was supported by a European Union Framework V programme, the World Cancer Research Fund International, the Medical Research Council (UK), the Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, the Evelyn Trust, the Mothercare Group Foundation, Mead Johnson Nutrition, and the National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre. The authors declare no conflict of interest.European Union (Framework V programme), World Cancer Research Fund International, Medical Research Council (UK), Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, Evelyn Trust, Mothercare Group Foundation, Mead Johnson Nutrition, National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Comprehensive Biomedical Research CentreThis is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Oxford University Press

Early Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein A Concentrations are Associated with Third Trimester Insulin Sensitivity

Context: First or early second trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) concentrations have previously been shown to be lower in women who subsequently develop gestational diabetes (GDM) and gestational hypertension. Objective: We therefore sought to investigate why circulating PAPP-A concentrations are related to the subsequent risk of GDM and gestational hypertension. Patients, Design and Setting: We measured serum PAPP-A concentrations around week 15 of pregnancy and related these to indices derived from week 28 oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and blood pressures across pregnancy in the Cambridge Baby Growth Study cohort. Results: Increased PAPP-A concentrations were associated with reduced GDM risk (odds ratio 0.623 (0.453, 0.856), P=3.5 x 10$^{-3}$, n=777) and reduced mean arterial blood pressures (β=-0.202– -0.177, P=1.7–6.9 x 10$^{-3}$, n=347–355). They were also negatively associated with week 28 fasting (β=-0.149, P=6.6 x 10$^{-4}$, n=777) and 60 minute (β=-0.188, P=1.5 x 10-5, n=777) OGTT glucose concentrations. These associations were underpinned by the strong associations between increased week 15 PAPP-A concentrations and decreased week 28 insulin resistance (HOMA IR: β=-0.319, P=1.7 x 10$^{-13}$, n=768), and increased insulin secretion relative to insulin sensitivity (insulin disposition index: β=0.202, P=6.5 x 10$^{-6}$, n=731). Conclusions: These results suggest that links between PAPP-A concentrations in early pregnancy and subsequent glucose concentrations and blood pressures may be mediated by changes in insulin sensitivity (and secretion).Most of the endocrine measurements described in this study were funded by the Wellbeing of Women (the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, U.K.) (RG1644). Core funding for the Cambridge Baby Growth Study has come from the Medical Research Council (7500001180); European Union Framework 5 (QLK4-1999-01422); the Mothercare Charitable Foundation (RG54608); Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children (07/20) and the World Cancer Research Fund International (2004/03). In addition, there has been support from National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre

The Microfloral Analysis of Secondary Caries Biofilm around Class I and Class II Composite and Amalgam Fillings

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Secondary caries is responsible for 60 percent of all replacement restorations in the typical dental practice. The diversity of the bacterial sources and the different types of filling materials could play a role in secondary caries. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the microbial spectrum of secondary caries biofilms around amalgam and composite resin restorations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Clinical samples were collected from freshly extracted teeth diagnosed with clinical secondary caries. Samples were categorized into four groups according to the types of restoration materials and the classification of the cavity. Biofilms were harvested from the tooth-restoration interface using a dental explorer and after dilution were incubated on special agars. The bacteria were identified using the biochemical appraisal system. Statistical calculations were carried out using SPSS11.5 software to analyze the prevalence of the bacteria involved in secondary caries.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Samples from a total of four groups were collected: two groups were collected from amalgam restorations, each had 21 samples from both Class I and Class II caries; and the other two groups were from composite resin restorations, each had 13 samples from both class I and class II caries. Our results showed: (1) Anaerobic species were dominant in both restoration materials. (2) In terms of the types of individual bacteria, no significant differences were found among the four groups according to the geometric mean of the detected bacteria (P > 0.05). However, there were significant differences among the detected bacteria within each group (P < 0.05). The composition of each bacterium had no statistical difference among the four groups (P > 0.05), but showed significant differences among the detected bacteria in each group (P < 0.05). (3) Among the four groups, there were no significant differences for the detection rate of each bacterium (P > 0.05), however, the detection rate of each bacterium within each group was statistically different among the detected bacteria (P < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The proportion of obligatory anaerobic species was much greater than the facultative anaerobic species in the biofilm of secondary caries. Statistically, the materials of restoration and the location of secondary caries did not show any significant effects on the composition of the microflora.</p

Meibum Lipid Composition in Asians with Dry Eye Disease

10.1371/journal.pone.0024339PLoS ONE610

Elevated Paracellular Glucose Flux across Cystic Fibrosis Airway Epithelial Monolayers Is an Important Factor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Growth.

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) who develop related diabetes (CFRD) have accelerated pulmonary decline, increased infection with antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and increased pulmonary exacerbations. We have previously shown that glucose concentrations are elevated in airway surface liquid (ASL) of people with CF, particularly in those with CFRD. We therefore explored the hypotheses that glucose homeostasis is altered in CF airway epithelia and that elevation of glucose flux into ASL drives increased bacterial growth, with an effect over and above other cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-related ASL abnormalities. The aim of this study was to compare the mechanisms governing airway glucose homeostasis in CF and non-CF primary human bronchial epithelial (HBE) monolayers, under normal conditions and in the presence of Ps. aeruginosa filtrate. HBE-bacterial co-cultures were performed in the presence of 5 mM or 15 mM basolateral glucose to investigate how changes in blood glucose, such as those seen in CFRD, affects luminal Ps. aeruginosa growth. Calu-3 cell monolayers were used to evaluate the potential importance of glucose on Ps. aeruginosa growth, in comparison to other hallmarks of the CF ASL, namely mucus hyperviscosity and impaired CFTR-dependent fluid secretions. We show that elevation of basolateral glucose promotes the apical growth of Ps. aeruginosa on CF airway epithelial monolayers more than non-CF monolayers. Ps. aeruginosa secretions elicited more glucose flux across CF airway epithelial monolayers compared to non-CF monolayers which we propose increases glucose availability in ASL for bacterial growth. In addition, elevating basolateral glucose increased Ps. aeruginosa growth over and above any CFTR-dependent effects and the presence or absence of mucus in Calu-3 airway epithelia-bacteria co-cultures. Together these studies highlight the importance of glucose as an additional factor in promoting Ps. aeruginosa growth and respiratory infection in CF disease

Associations between a fetal imprinted gene allele score and late pregnancy maternal glucose concentrations

$\textbf{Aim}$ We hypothesised that some of the genetic risk for gestational diabetes (GDM) is due to the fetal genome affecting maternal glucose concentrations. Previously, we found associations between fetal IGF2 gene variants and maternal glucose concentrations in late pregnancy. $\textbf{Methods}$ In the present study, we tested associations between SNP alleles from 15 fetal imprinted genes and maternal glucose concentrations in late pregnancy in the Cambridge Baby Growth and Wellbeing cohorts (1160 DNA trios). $\textbf{Results}$ Four fetal SNP alleles with the strongest univariate associations: paternally-transmitted IGF2 rs10770125 (P-value = 2 × 10$^{-4}$) and INS rs2585 (P-value = 7 × 10$^{-4}$), and maternally-transmitted KCNQ1(OT1) rs231841 (P-value = 1 × 10$^{-3}$) and KCNQ1(OT1) rs7929804 (P-value = 4 × 10$^{-3}$), were used to construct a composite fetal imprinted gene allele score which was associated with maternal glucose concentrations (P-value = 4.3 × 10$^{-6}$, n = 981, r$^{2}$ = 2.0%) and GDM prevalence (odds ratio per allele 1.44 (1.15, 1.80), P-value = 1 × 10$^{-3}$, n = 89 cases and 899 controls). Meta-analysis of the associations including data from 1367 Hyperglycaemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Study participants confirmed the paternally-transmitted fetal IGF2/INS SNP associations (rs10770125, P-value = 3.2 × 10$^{-8}$, rs2585, P-value = 3.6 × 10$^{-5}$) and the composite fetal imprinted gene allele score association (P-value = 1.3 × 10$^{-8}$), but not the maternally-transmitted fetal KCNQ1(OT1) associations (rs231841, P-value = 0.4; rs7929804, P-value = 0.2). $\textbf{Conclusion}$ This study suggests that polymorphic variation in fetal imprinted genes, particularly in the IGF2/INS region, contribute a small but significant part to the risk of raised late pregnancy maternal glucose concentrations.This work was supported by the Evelyn Trust (grant number EW9035322); Diabetes UK (grant number 11/0004241); the Wellbeing of Women (the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK) (grant number RG1644); the Medical Research Council (grant number 7500001180); European Union Framework 5 (grant number QLK4-1999-01422); the Mothercare Charitable Foundation (grant number RG54608); Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children (grant number 07/20); the World Cancer Research Fund International (grant number 2004/03); and the National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. The HAPO Study work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers HD-34242, HD-34243, HG-004415, and CA-141688); the Institutes of Health Research–INMD (grant number 110791); and by the American Diabetes Association

Improved measurement of the K+->pi+nu(nu)over-bar branching ratio

An additional event near the upper kinematic limit for K+-->pi(+)nu(nu) over bar has been observed by experiment E949 at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Combining previously reported and new data, the branching ratio is B(K+-->pi(+)nu(nu) over bar)=(1.47(-0.89)(+1.30))x10(-10) based on three events observed in the pion momentum region 211<P<229 MeV/c. At the measured central value of the branching ratio, the additional event had a signal-to-background ratio of 0.9

Anterior shear strength of the porcine lumbar spine after laminectomy and partial facetectomy

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common reason for lumbar surgery in patients in the age of 65 years and older. The standard surgical management is decompression of the spinal canal by laminectomy and partial facetectomy. The effect of this procedure on the shear strength of the spine has not yet been investigated in vitro. In the present study we determined the ultimate shear force to failure, the displacement and the shear stiffness after performing a laminectomy and a partial facetectomy. Eight lumbar spines of domestic pigs (7 months old) were sectioned to obtain eight L2–L3 and eight L4–L5 motion segments. All segments were loaded with a compression force of 1,600 N. In half of the 16 motion segments a laminectomy and a 50% partial facetectomy were applied. The median ultimate shear force to failure with laminectomy and partial facetectomy was 1,645 N (range 1,066–1,985) which was significantly smaller (p = 0.012) than the ultimate shear force to failure of the control segments (median 2,113, range 1,338–2,659). The median shear stiffness was 197.4 N/mm (range 119.2–216.7) with laminectomy and partial facetectomy which was significantly (p = 0.036) smaller than the stiffness of the control specimens (median 216.5, 188.1–250.2). It was concluded that laminectomy and partial facetectomy resulted in 22% reduction in ultimate shear force to failure and 9% reduction in shear stiffness. Although relatively small, these effects may explain why patients have an increased risk of sustaining shear force related vertebral fractures after spinal decompression surgery