Maternal and neonatal morbidities associated with cesarean delivery without labor compared with induction of labor around term

Objective We aimed to compare the maternal and neonatal morbidities associated with elective cesarean delivery (CD) without labor and those associated with induction of labor (IOL) at ≥38 weeks of gestation. Methods This retrospective observational study from 2013 to 2020 included singleton pregnancies in nulliparous women at ≥38 weeks of gestation. Maternal and neonatal morbidities associated with elective CD without labor were compared with those associated with IOL. Results Altogether, 395 women were recruited. Among these, 326 underwent delivery through IOL, while 69 underwent elective CD. The elective CD group exhibited higher maternal age, lower gestational age at birth, and lower neonatal birth weight than the IOL group (P3) after discharge between the groups. Perinatal morbidities were similar between the groups except the incidence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid. Elective CD exhibited similar rates of complications related to composite maternal morbidity when compared with IOL, but had a lower risk of complications related to composite neonatal morbidity (relative risk, 0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.24–0.85). Conclusion Elective CD and IOL had similar rates of composite maternal morbidity but the former exhibited some benefits against obstetric wound infection. The elective CD group exhibited a decreased risk of composite neonatal morbidity despite lower gestational age at birth and higher maternal age

Evaluation of an immunochromatographic assay for the detection of anti-hepatitis A virus IgM

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a causative agent of acute hepatitis, which is transmitted by person-to-person contact and via the faecal-oral route. Acute HAV infection is usually confirmed by anti-HAV IgM detection. In order to detect anti-HAV IgM in the serum of patients infected with HAV, we developed a rapid assay based on immunochromatography (ICA) and evaluated the sensitivity of this assay by comparing it with a commercial microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) that is widely used for serological diagnosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The newly developed ICA showed 100% sensitivity and specificity when used to test 150 anti-HAV IgM-positive sera collected from infected patients and 75 negative sera from healthy subjects. Also, the sensitivity of ICA is about 10 times higher than MEIA used in this study by determining end point to detect independent on infected genotype of HAV. In addition, the ICA was able to detect 1 positive sample from among 50 sera from acute hepatitis patients that had tested negative for anti-HAV IgM using the MEIA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Conclusively, ICA for the detection of anti-HAV IgM will be very effective for rapid assay to apply clinical diagnosis and epidemiological investigation on epidemics due to the simplicity, rapidity and specificity.</p

Analysis of Online Home Training Users’ Behavioral Intention and Use Behavior Based on the UTAUT Model: Moderating Roles of Risk Perception toward the COVID-19 Infection and Generational Difference

PURPOSE This study aimed (1) to analyze the behavioral intention and use behavior among the consumers of online home training contents via YouTube by employing the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT); (2) to test the moderating effects of risk perception toward the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, and 3) to test differential impacts of generational difference across millennial and baby boom generations. METHODS A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed, and 383 samples were used for the final analysis after excluding 17 incomplete responses. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 22.0. RESULTS It was found that (1) the performance expectancy, the effort expectancy, and the social influence had positive effects on behavioral intention; (2)the facilitating condition had negative effects on the use behavior; (3) the behavioral intention had positive impact on the use behavior. Moreover, the risk perception toward the COVID-19 infection did not have moderating impacts on the UTAUT model, whereas generational differences did. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the marketing strategy that improves exercise performance, convenience, and social influencing factors may be key to home training customers' behavioral intention and use behavior. Furthermore, home training material makers should recognize that the features and infrastructure required for the two generations are distinct and develop a separate marketing strategy for each

Application of transposon systems in the transgenesis of bovine somatic and germ cells

Several DNA transposons including PiggyBac (PB), Sleeping Beauty (SB), and Tol2 have been applied as effective means for of transgenesis in many species. Cattle are not typically experimental animals, and relatively little verification has been presented on this species. Thus, the goal here was to determine the applicability of three transposon systems in somatic and embryo cells in cattle, while also investigating which of the three systems is appropriate for each cell type. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing transposon systems were used for electroporation and microinjection in the somatic cells and embryo stage, respectively. After transfection, the GFP-positive cells or blastocysts were observed through fluorescence, while the transfection efficiency was calculated by FACS. In bovine somatic cells, the PB (63.97 ± 11.56) showed the highest efficiency of the three systems (SB: 50.74 ± 13.02 and Tol2: 16.55 ± 5.96). Conversely, Tol2 (75.00%) and SB (70.00%) presented a higher tendency in the embryonic cells compared to PB (42.86%). These results demonstrate that these three transposon systems can be used in bovine somatic cells and embryos as gene engineering experimental methods. Moreover, they demonstrate which type of transposon system to apply depending on the cell type

Effect of ablated hippocampal neurogenesis on the formation and extinction of contextual fear memory

Newborn neurons in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus incorporate into the dentate gyrus and mature. Numerous studies have focused on hippocampal neurogenesis because of its importance in learning and memory. However, it is largely unknown whether hippocampal neurogenesis is involved in memory extinction per se. Here, we sought to examine the possibility that hippocampal neurogenesis may play a critical role in the formation and extinction of hippocampus-dependent contextual fear memory. By methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) or gamma-ray irradiation, hippocampal neurogenesis was impaired in adult mice. Under our experimental conditions, only a severe impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis inhibited the formation of contextual fear memory. However, the extinction of contextual fear memory was not affected. These results suggest that although adult newborn neurons contribute to contextual fear memory, they may not be involved in the extinction or erasure of hippocampus-dependent contextual fear memory