2D:4D Suggests a Role of Prenatal Testosterone in Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria (GD) reflects distress caused by incongruence between one’s experienced gender identity and one’s natal (assigned) gender. Previous studies suggest that high levels of prenatal testosterone (T) in natal females and low levels in natal males might contribute to GD. Here, we investigated if the 2D:4D digit ratio, a biomarker of prenatal T effects, is related to GD. We first report results from a large Iranian sample, comparing 2D:4D in 104 transwomen and 89 transmen against controls of the same natal sex. We found significantly lower (less masculine) 2D:4D in transwomen compared to control men. We then conducted random-effects meta-analyses of relevant studies including our own (k = 6, N = 925 for transwomen and k = 6, N = 757 for transmen). In line with the hypothesized prenatal T effects, transwomen showed significantly feminized 2D:4D (d ≈ 0.24). Conversely, transmen showed masculinized 2D:4D (d ≈ − 0.28); however, large unaccounted heterogeneity across studies emerged, which makes this effect less meaningful. These findings support the idea that high levels of prenatal T in natal females and low levels in natal males play a part in the etiology of GD. As we discuss, this adds to the evidence demonstrating the convergent validity of 2D:4D as a marker of prenatal T effects

Experimental and computational investigation of flow structure of buoyancy induced flow in heated rotating cavities

This paper presents Laser-Doppler Anemometry (LDA) measurements obtained from the Sussex Multiple Cavity test facility. This facility comprises a number of heated disc cavities with a cool bore flow and is intended to emulate the secondary air system flow in an H.P compressor. Measurements were made of the axial and tangential components of velocity over the respective range of Rossby, Rotational and Axial Reynolds numbers, (Ro, Reθ and Rez), 0.32 < Ro < 1.28, Reθ = 7.1 × 105, 1.2 × 104 < Rez < 4.8 × 104 and for the values of the buoyancy parameter (βΔT) : 0.50 < βΔT < 0.58. The frequency spectra analysis of the tangential velocity indicates the existence of pairs of vortices inside the cavities. The swirl number, Xk, calculated from these measurements show that the cavity fluid approaches solid body rotation near the shroud region. The paper also presents results from Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) calculations for the test case where Ro = 0.64. The time-averaged LDA data and numerical results show encouraging agreement

Experimental and computational investigation of flow structure in buoyancy dominated rotating cavities

The flow and heat transfers inside high-pressure (HP) compressor rotating cavities are buoyancy driven and are known to be extremely difficult to predict. The experimental data of laser-Doppler anemometry (LDA) measurements inside an engine representative cavity rig are presented in this paper. Traverses using a two component LDA system have been carried out in the shaft bore and the cavity regions in order to map the axial and tangential velocity components. The velocity data are collected for a range of Rossby, Rotational, and Axial Reynolds numbers, Ro, Reθ, and Rez, 0.08<Ro<0.64⁠, 7×105< Reθ<2.83×106⁠, and 1.2×104< Rez<4.8×104, respectively, and for values of the buoyancy parameter βΔT⁠, 0.284<βΔT<0.55⁠. Numerical study using unsteady Reynolds-averaged-Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations has been carried out to elucidate flow details for a few selected cases. The experimental results revealed that the Swirl number (Xk) varies from a value < 1 near the bore to near solid body rotation at increased radii within the cavity. The analysis of frequency spectrum of the tangential velocity inside the cavities has also shown the existence of pairs of rotating and contra-rotating vortices. There is generally satisfactory agreement between measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. There is also convincing evidence of two or more separate regions in the flow dominated by the bore flow and rotation

Caspian Sea’s Navicula salinicola Hustedt 1939 and effect of the prolonged culture on its fatty acid profile

Diatoms are a potent source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This study was conducted for screening a Naviculoid diatom strains from the southern Caspian Sea with analyzing its lipid production and accumulation potentials. The isolate was identified as Navicula salinicola strain IBRC-M 5083 based on micro-morphological characterization and analysis of 18S rRNA genomic region. Navicula salinicola were cultured in the f/2 medium under both normal and prolonged culture (21 days) conditions. Total lipid percentages of this strain were found to be 31.83% under normal condition and 43.72±1.4% in prolonged culture respectively on the basis of their dry cell weight (DCW). Also, the oil droplets were detected in 21 days’ cells as shown by Sudan Black B staining experiments. Furthermore, the main fatty acids were found by Gas Chromatography analyses of this strain under prolonged condition to be Eicosapentaenoic acid (25.58%TFA). Such oil accumulation capabilities seem to be promising for performing further studies on this strain as a source of Omega-3 in aquafeed, pharmaceutical and biofuel industries

The isolation and preliminary characterization of native cyanobacterial and microalgal strains from lagoons contaminated with petroleum oil in Khark Island

Introduction: Algae has many applications in terms of ecology, biodiversity, agriculture, medicine, biotechnology, industry, etc. They are potent organisms in bio-active compound production, bioremediation and primary producer. Therefore, it is important to discover local strains with biotechnological and ecological applications. Materials and methods: Soil and water samples were collected from different sites of Khark Island (Persian Gulf). The samples were cultivated and purified using different techniques. Seven different antibiotics together with other physical methods used to purify the isolates. Results: Throughout the project 7 strains including 2 eukaryotic algae and 5 cyanobacteria have been isolated. Imipenem and cycloheximide were the best antibiotics for purification of cultures. Three of isolates were morphologically similar to Arthronema africanum, Pseudanabaena teremula, Anabaenopsis sp. However, they have some different characteristics which according to the present identification keys it is not possible to identify their identity (they have nominated Kh.C.d2, Kh.T.1 and Kh.T.2). Discussion and conclusion: According to the results, isolated strains were identified at the genus level based on morphology characters; therefore the complementary examinations such as molecular identification, ITS, 18s rRNA, 16s rRNA and sequencing can help to approve the strains identity. Upon approval of the new strains account for morphological traits are necessary for their easy identification. The Imipenem antibiotic is the best for eukaryotic algae purification and Cycloheximide is suitable for prokaryotic algae (cyanobacteria) purification

High-dose vitamin D supplementation is associated with an improvement in several cardio-metabolic risk factors in adolescent girls: a nine-week follow up study

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a prevalent and important global health problem. Because of its role in growth and development, vitamin D status is likely to be particularly important in adolescent girls. Here we explored the effects of high-dose vitamin D supplementation on cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: We have examined the effects of vitamin D supplementation on cardio-metabolic risk factors in 988 healthy adolescent girls in Iran. Fasting blood samples and anthropometric measurements were obtained at baseline and after supplementation with high dose vitamin D. All individuals took a capsule of 50000 IU vitamin D/ week for nine weeks. The study was completed by 940 participants. Results: the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 90% at baseline, reducing to16.3% after vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin supplementation was associated with a significant increase in serum levels of 25 (OH) vitamin D and calcium. There were significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, waist circumference, and serum fasting blood glucose, total- and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol after the nine-week period on vitamin D treatment, but no significant effects were observed on body mass index, systolic blood pressure, or serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglyceride. Conclusion: vitamin D supplementation had beneficial effects on cardio-metabolic profile in adolescent girls

Global water quality changes posing threat of increasing infectious diseases, a case study on malaria vector Anopheles stephensi coping with the water pollutants using age-stage, two-sex life table method

Background: Water pollution due to uncontrolled release of chemical pollutants is an important global problem. Its effect on medically important insects, especially mosquitoes, is a critical issue in the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases. Methods: In order to understand the effect of water pollutants on the demography of Anopheles stephensi, colonies were reared in clean, moderately and highly polluted water for three consecutive generations at 27 °C, 75% RH, and a photoperiod of 12:12 h (L:D). The demographic data of the 4th generation of An. stephensi were collected and analysed using the age-stage, two-sex life table. Results: The intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), mean fecundity (F) and net reproductive rate (R0) of An. stephensi in clean water were 0.2568 d−1, 1.2927 d−1, 251.72 eggs, and 109.08 offspring, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those obtained in moderately polluted water (r = 0.2302 d−1, λ = 1.2589 d−1, 196.04 eggs, and R0 = 65.35 offspring) and highly polluted water (r = 0.2282 d−1, λ = 1.2564 d−1, 182.45 eggs, and R0 = 62.03 offspring). Female adult longevity in moderately polluted (9.38 days) and highly polluted water (9.88 days) were significantly shorter than those reared in clean water (12.43 days), while no significant difference in the male adult longevity was observed among treatments. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that An. stephensi can partially adapt to water pollution and this may be sufficient to extend the range of mosquito-borne diseases

Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in the global ambition of “leaving no one behind”. Understanding today’s gains and gaps for the health-related SDGs is essential for decision makers as they aim to improve the health of populations. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016), we measured 37 of the 50 health-related SDG indicators over the period 1990–2016 for 188 countries, and then on the basis of these past trends, we projected indicators to 2030

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: A systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Background: A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0-100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0-100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita. Findings In 2016, HAQ Index performance spanned from a high of 97\ub71 (95% UI 95\ub78-98\ub71) in Iceland, followed by 96\ub76 (94\ub79-97\ub79) in Norway and 96\ub71 (94\ub75-97\ub73) in the Netherlands, to values as low as 18\ub76 (13\ub71-24\ub74) in the Central African Republic, 19\ub70 (14\ub73-23\ub77) in Somalia, and 23\ub74 (20\ub72-26\ub78) in Guinea-Bissau. The pace of progress achieved between 1990 and 2016 varied, with markedly faster improvements occurring between 2000 and 2016 for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, whereas several countries in Latin America and elsewhere saw progress stagnate after experiencing considerable advances in the HAQ Index between 1990 and 2000. Striking subnational disparities emerged in personal health-care access and quality, with China and India having particularly large gaps between locations with the highest and lowest scores in 2016. In China, performance ranged from 91\ub75 (89\ub71-93\ub76) in Beijing to 48\ub70 (43\ub74-53\ub72) in Tibet (a 43\ub75-point difference), while India saw a 30\ub78-point disparity, from 64\ub78 (59\ub76-68\ub78) in Goa to 34\ub70 (30\ub73-38\ub71) in Assam. Japan recorded the smallest range in subnational HAQ performance in 2016 (a 4\ub78-point difference), whereas differences between subnational locations with the highest and lowest HAQ Index values were more than two times as high for the USA and three times as high for England. State-level gaps in the HAQ Index in Mexico somewhat narrowed from 1990 to 2016 (from a 20\ub79-point to 17\ub70-point difference), whereas in Brazil, disparities slightly increased across states during this time (a 17\ub72-point to 20\ub74-point difference). Performance on the HAQ Index showed strong linkages to overall development, with high and high-middle SDI countries generally having higher scores and faster gains for non-communicable diseases. Nonetheless, countries across the development spectrum saw substantial gains in some key health service areas from 2000 to 2016, most notably vaccine-preventable diseases. Overall, national performance on the HAQ Index was positively associated with higher levels of total health spending per capita, as well as health systems inputs, but these relationships were quite heterogeneous, particularly among low-to-middle SDI countries. Interpretation GBD 2016 provides a more detailed understanding of past success and current challenges in improving personal health-care access and quality worldwide. Despite substantial gains since 2000, many low-SDI and middle- SDI countries face considerable challenges unless heightened policy action and investments focus on advancing access to and quality of health care across key health services, especially non-communicable diseases. Stagnating or minimal improvements experienced by several low-middle to high-middle SDI countries could reflect the complexities of re-orienting both primary and secondary health-care services beyond the more limited foci of the Millennium Development Goals. Alongside initiatives to strengthen public health programmes, the pursuit of universal health coverage hinges upon improving both access and quality worldwide, and thus requires adopting a more comprehensive view-and subsequent provision-of quality health care for all populations

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: A systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. Background A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0-100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0-100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita. Findings In 2016, HAQ Index performance spanned from a high of 97·1 (95% UI 95·8-98·1) in Iceland, followed by 96·6 (94·9-97·9) in Norway and 96·1 (94·5-97·3) in the Netherlands, to values as low as 18·6 (13·1-24·4) in the Central African Republic, 19·0 (14·3-23·7) in Somalia, and 23·4 (20·2-26·8) in Guinea-Bissau. The pace of progress achieved between 1990 and 2016 varied, with markedly faster improvements occurring between 2000 and 2016 for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, whereas several countries in Latin America and elsewhere saw progress stagnate after experiencing considerable advances in the HAQ Index between 1990 and 2000. Striking subnational disparities emerged in personal health-care access and quality, with China and India having particularly large gaps between locations with the highest and lowest scores in 2016. In China, performance ranged from 91·5 (89·1-93·6) in Beijing to 48·0 (43·4-53·2) in Tibet (a 43·5-point difference), while India saw a 30·8-point disparity, from 64·8 (59·6-68·8) in Goa to 34·0 (30·3-38·1) in Assam. Japan recorded the smallest range in subnational HAQ performance in 2016 (a 4·8-point difference), whereas differences between subnational locations with the highest and lowest HAQ Index values were more than two times as high for the USA and three times as high for England. State-level gaps in the HAQ Index in Mexico somewhat narrowed from 1990 to 2016 (from a 20·9-point to 17·0-point difference), whereas in Brazil, disparities slightly increased across states during this time (a 17·2-point to 20·4-point difference). Performance on the HAQ Index showed strong linkages to overall development, with high and high-middle SDI countries generally having higher scores and faster gains for non-communicable diseases. Nonetheless, countries across the development spectrum saw substantial gains in some key health service areas from 2000 to 2016, most notably vaccine-preventable diseases. Overall, national performance on the HAQ Index was positively associated with higher levels of total health spending per capita, as well as health systems inputs, but these relationships were quite heterogeneous, particularly among low-to-middle SDI countries. Interpretation GBD 2016 provides a more detailed understanding of past success and current challenges in improving personal health-care access and quality worldwide. Despite substantial gains since 2000, many low-SDI and middle- SDI countries face considerable challenges unless heightened policy action and investments focus on advancing access to and quality of health care across key health services, especially non-communicable diseases. Stagnating or minimal improvements experienced by several low-middle to high-middle SDI countries could reflect the complexities of re-orienting both primary and secondary health-care services beyond the more limited foci of the Millennium Development Goals. Alongside initiatives to strengthen public health programmes, the pursuit of universal health coverage hinges upon improving both access and quality worldwide, and thus requires adopting a more comprehensive view - and subsequent provision - of quality health care for all populations