Lack of association between polymorphism rs540782 and primary open angle glaucoma in Saudi patients.

Background To investigate whether polymorphism rs540782 on chromsome 1, in close proximity to the Zona Pellucida Glycoprotein 4 (ZP4) gene, is a risk factor for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Method The study genotyped 92 unrelated POAG cases and 95 control subjects from Saudi Arabia using Taq-Man® assay. Results The genotype frequency distribution did not deviate significantly from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p > 0.05). Overall, both the genotype and allele frequencies were not significantly different between cases and controls. The minor ‘C’ allele frequency was 49.4%, which was comparable to the Japanese population and higher than the Indian and Afro-Caribbean populations. Similarly, no significant association was found between genotypes and systemic diseases and health awareness/behavior domain variables. Importantly, glaucoma specific indices, such as intraocular pressure, cup/disc ratio and number of anti-glaucoma medication, also showed no statistically significant effect of genotypes within POAG cases. Conclusion Polymorphism rs540782 is not a risk factor for POAG in the Saudi cohort

Long-term Impact of Mode of Delivery on Stress Urinary Incontinence and Urgency Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) are associated with physical and psychological morbidity, and large societal costs. The long-term effects of delivery modes on each kind of incontinence remain uncertain.Objective: To investigate the long-term impact of delivery mode on SUI and UUI.Evidence acquisition: We searched Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, and relevant major conference abstracts up to October 31, 2014, including any observational study with adjusted analyses or any randomized trial addressing the association between delivery mode and SUI or UUI >= 1 yr after delivery. Two reviewers extracted data, including incidence/prevalence of SUI and UUI by delivery modes, and assessed risk of bias.Evidence synthesis: Pooled estimates from 15 eligible studies demonstrated an increased risk of SUI after vaginal delivery versus cesarean section (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56-2.19; I-2 = 57%; risk difference: 8.2%). Metaregression demonstrated a larger effect of vaginal delivery among younger women (p = 0.005). Four studies suggested no difference in the risk of SUI between spontaneous vaginal and instrumental delivery (aOR: 1.11; 95% CI, 0.84-1.45; I-2 = 50%). Eight studies suggested an elevated risk of UUI after vaginal delivery versus cesarean section (aOR: 1.30; 95% CI, 1.02-1.65; I-2 = 37%; risk difference: 2.6%).Conclusions: Compared with cesarean section, vaginal delivery is associated with an almost twofold increase in the risk of long-term SUI, with an absolute increase of 8%, and an effect that is largest in younger women. There is also an increased risk of UUI, with an absolute increase of approximately 3%.Patient summary: In this systematic review we looked for the long-term effects of childbirth on urinary leakage. We found that vaginal delivery is associated with an almost twofold increase in the risk of developing leakage with exertion, compared with cesarean section, with a smaller effect on leakage in association with urgency. (C) 2016 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V

High- K three-quasiparticle isomers in the proton-rich nucleus 129 Nd

Three three-quasiparticle isomers, one at an excitation energy of 2.3 MeV with T1/2=0.48(4)μs, and two shorter-lived with unknown half-lives at slightly lower energies have been identified in Nd129 using the MARA + JUROGAM 3 setup and the recoil tagging technique. All three isomers present decay patterns characteristic of high-K isomers. The known 6.7 s β-decaying isomer previously assigned to the 5/2+ level is now assigned to the new 7/2- ground state. A new low-spin 5/2+ isomeric state with a half-life of a few tens of nanoseconds has been identified, while a previously known 2.6 s β-decay activity was assigned to the band head of the ν1/2+[411] band. The transitions depopulating the high-K isomers to low-lying states also establish the relative energies of three low-lying one-quasiparticle bands, leading to a new spin-parity assignment of 7/2- to the ground state of Nd129. The partial half-lives of the depopulating transitions suggest spin-parities 21/2+, 19/2+, and 17/2+ for the three high-K isomers. The properties of the band built on the 21/2+ isomeric state suggest a one neutron-two proton configuration. Based on the results of extensive calculations with different models, we also assign one neutron-two proton configurations to the 19/2+ and 17/2+ isomeric states. The assigned configurations of the 17/2+ and 21/2+ isomeric states involve the π9/2+[404] orbital, which is identified in three-quasiparticle bands of proton-rich A≈130 nuclei

Melanoides tuberculata as intermediate host of Philophthalmus gralli in Brazil

Melanoides tuberculata that naturally harbored trematode larvae were collected at the Pampulha dam, Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil), during malacological surveys conducted from 2006 to 2010. From 7,164 specimens of M. tuberculata collected, 25 (0.35%) were infected by cercariae, which have been morphologically characterized as belonging to the Megalurous group, genus Philophthalmus. Excysted metacercariae were used for successful experimental infection of Gallus gallus domesticus, and adult parasites recovered from the nictitating membranes of chickens were identified as Philophthalmus gralli. This is the first report of P. gralli in M. tuberculata in Brazil

Long-term Impact of Mode of Delivery on Stress Urinary Incontinence and Urgency Urinary Incontinence : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) are associated with physical and psychological morbidity, and large societal costs. The long-term effects of delivery modes on each kind of incontinence remain uncertain. Objective: To investigate the long-term impact of delivery mode on SUI and UUI. Evidence acquisition: We searched Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, and relevant major conference abstracts up to October 31, 2014, including any observational study with adjusted analyses or any randomized trial addressing the association between delivery mode and SUI or UUI >= 1 yr after delivery. Two reviewers extracted data, including incidence/prevalence of SUI and UUI by delivery modes, and assessed risk of bias. Evidence synthesis: Pooled estimates from 15 eligible studies demonstrated an increased risk of SUI after vaginal delivery versus cesarean section (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56-2.19; I-2 = 57%; risk difference: 8.2%). Metaregression demonstrated a larger effect of vaginal delivery among younger women (p = 0.005). Four studies suggested no difference in the risk of SUI between spontaneous vaginal and instrumental delivery (aOR: 1.11; 95% CI, 0.84-1.45; I-2 = 50%). Eight studies suggested an elevated risk of UUI after vaginal delivery versus cesarean section (aOR: 1.30; 95% CI, 1.02-1.65; I-2 = 37%; risk difference: 2.6%). Conclusions: Compared with cesarean section, vaginal delivery is associated with an almost twofold increase in the risk of long-term SUI, with an absolute increase of 8%, and an effect that is largest in younger women. There is also an increased risk of UUI, with an absolute increase of approximately 3%. Patient summary: In this systematic review we looked for the long-term effects of childbirth on urinary leakage. We found that vaginal delivery is associated with an almost twofold increase in the risk of developing leakage with exertion, compared with cesarean section, with a smaller effect on leakage in association with urgency. (C) 2016 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe