Proposal for C-Hordein as Reference Material in Gluten Quantification

The concentration of residual barley prolamin (hordein) in gluten-free products is overestimated by the R5 ELISA method when calibrated against the wheat gliadin standard. The reason for this may be that the composition of the gliadin standard is different from the composition of hordeins. This study showed that the recognition of whole hordein by R5 antibody mainly came from C-hordein, which is more reactive than the other hordeins. The proportion of C-hordein in total hordein ranged from 16 to 33% of common Finnish barley cultivars used in this study and was always higher than that of omega-gliadin, the homologous protein class in the gliadin standard, which may account for the overestimation. Thus, a hordein standard is needed for barley prolamin quantification instead of the gliadin standard. When gluten-free oat flour was spiked with barley flour, the prolamin concentration was overestimated 1.8-2.5 times with the gliadin standard, whereas estimates in the correct range were obtained when the standard was 40% C-hordein mixed with an inert protein. A preparative-scale method was developed to isolate and purify C-hordein, and C-hordein is proposed as a reference material to calibrate barley prolamin quantification in R5-based assays.Peer reviewe

Women’s Perceptions of Caesarean Birth: A Roy International Study

The purpose of this Roy adaptation model-based multi-site international mixed method study was to examine the relations of type of caesarean birth (unplanned/planned), number of caesarean births (primary/repeat), and preparation for caesarean birth to women’s perceptions of and responses to caesarean birth. The sample included 488 women from the United States (n = 253), Finland (n = 213), and Australia (n = 22). Path analysis revealed direct effects for type of and preparation for caesarean birth on responses to caesarean birth, and an indirect effect for preparation on responses to caesarean birth through perception of birth the experience

Silicon-directed aldol condensation. Evidence for a pseudorotational mechanism

Mechanistic studies of the reaction of the (S)-prolinol-derived O-silyl ketene N,O-acetal 1 with aromatic aldehydes are reported. Experiments with three 0-silyl ketene N,O-acetals derived from different 1,2-amino alcohols are also described and lead to a coherent mechanistic picture involving pseudorotation of trigonal bipyramidal organosilicon intermediates

Ectodysplasin target gene Fgf20 regulates mammary bud growth and ductal invasion and branching during puberty

Mammary gland development begins with the appearance of epithelial placodes that invaginate, sprout, and branch to form small arborized trees by birth. The second phase of ductal growth and branching is driven by the highly invasive structures called terminal end buds (TEBs) that form at ductal tips at the onset of puberty. Ectodysplasin (Eda), a tumor necrosis factor-like ligand, is essential for the development of skin appendages including the breast. In mice, Eda regulates mammary placode formation and branching morphogenesis, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) receptors have a recognized role in mammary ductal development and stem cell maintenance, but the ligands involved are ill-defined. Here we report that Fgf20 is expressed in embryonic mammary glands and is regulated by the Eda pathway. Fgf20 deficiency does not impede mammary gland induction, but compromises mammary bud growth, as well as TEB formation, ductal outgrowth and branching during puberty. We further show that loss of Fgf20 delays formation of Eda-induced supernumerary mammary buds and normalizes the embryonic and postnatal hyperbranching phenotype of Eda overexpressing mice. These findings identify a hitherto unknown function for Fgf20 in mammary budding and branching morphogenesis.Peer reviewe

Thoracic gas compression during forced expiration in patients with emphysema, interstitial lung disease and obesity

Peer reviewe

Evolving collective structures in the transitional nuclei W-162 and W-164

Excited states in the neutron-deficient nuclides W8874162 and W9074164 were investigated by using the γ-ray spectrometer Jurogam. A change in structure is apparent from the first rotational alignments in W162 and W164, whose rotationally aligned bands are interpreted as ν(h9/2)2 and ν(i13/2)2 configurations, respectively. The level schemes have been extended using recoil (-decay) correlations with the observation of excited collective structures. Configuration assignments have been made on the basis of comparisons of the deduced aligned angular momentum, as a function of rotational frequency, with the predictions of the cranked shell model

Fgf20 governs formation of primary and secondary dermal condensations in developing hair follicles

In hair follicle development, a placode-derived signal is believed to induce formation of the dermal condensation, an essential component of ectodermal organs. However, the identity of this signal is unknown. Furthermore, although induction and patterning of hair follicles are intimately linked, it is not known whether the mesenchymal condensation is necessary for inducing the initial epithelial pattern. Here, we show that fibroblast growth factor 20 (Fgf20) is expressed in hair placodes and is induced by and functions downstream from epithelial ectodysplasin (Eda)/Edar and Wnt/β-Catenin signaling to initiate formation of the underlying dermal condensation. Fgf20 governs formation of primary and secondary dermal condensations in developing hair follicles and subsequent formation of guard, awl, and auchene hairs. Although primary dermal condensations are absent in Fgf20 mutant mice, a regular array of hair placodes is formed, demonstrating that the epithelial patterning process is independent of known histological and molecular markers of underlying mesenchymal patterns during the initial stages of hair follicle development

Antigenic Differences between AS03 Adjuvanted Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic Vaccines : Implications for Pandemrix-Associated Narcolepsy Risk

Peer reviewe

Incident vertebral fractures in children with leukemia during the four years following diagnosis

Objectives: The purpose of this article was to determine the incidence and predictors of vertebral fractures (VF) during the 4 years after diagnosis in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients and Methods: Children were enrolled within 30 days of chemotherapy initiation, with incident VF assessed annually on lateral spine radiographs according to the Genant method. Extended Cox models were used to assess the association between incident VF and clinical predictors. Results:Atotal of 186 children with ALL completed the baseline evaluation (median age, 5.3 years; interquartile range, 3.4 -9.7 years; 58% boys). The VF incidence rate was 8.7 per 100 person-years, with a 4-year cumulative incidence of 26.4%. The highest annual incidence occurred at 12 months (16.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.2-22.7), falling to 2.9% at 4 years (95% CI, 1.1-7.3). Half of the children with incident VF had a moderate or severe VF, and 39% of those with incident VF were asymptomatic. Every 10 mg/m2 increase in average daily glucocorticoid dose (prednisone equivalents) was associated with a 5.9-fold increased VF risk (95% CI, 3.0 -11.8; P \u3c .01). Other predictors of increased VF risk included VF at diagnosis, younger age, and lower spine bone mineral density Z-scores at baseline and each annual assessment. Conclusions: One quarter of children with ALL developed incident VF in the 4 years after diagnosis; most of the VF burden was in the first year. Over one third of children with incident VF were asymptomatic. Discrete clinical predictors of a VF were evident early in the patient\u27s clinical course, including a VF at diagnosis