The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO

DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to open a new window of observation for gravitational wave astronomy especially between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz, revealing various mysteries of the universe such as dark energy, formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and inflation of the universe. The pre-conceptual design of DECIGO consists of three drag-free spacecraft, whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry– Perot Michelson interferometer. We plan to launch two missions, DECIGO pathfinder and pre- DECIGO first and finally DECIGO in 2024

DECIGO pathfinder

DECIGO pathfinder (DPF) is a milestone satellite mission for DECIGO (DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) which is a future space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to provide us fruitful insights into the universe, in particular about dark energy, a formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and the inflation of the universe. Since DECIGO will be an extremely large mission which will formed by three drag-free spacecraft with 1000m separation, it is significant to gain the technical feasibility of DECIGO before its planned launch in 2024. Thus, we are planning to launch two milestone missions: DPF and pre-DECIGO. The conceptual design and current status of the first milestone mission, DPF, are reviewed in this article

The status of DECIGO

DECIGO (DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) is the planned Japanese space gravitational wave antenna, aiming to detect gravitational waves from astrophysically and cosmologically significant sources mainly between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz and thus to open a new window for gravitational wave astronomy and for the universe. DECIGO will consists of three drag-free spacecraft arranged in an equilateral triangle with 1000 km arm lengths whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry-Perot interferometer, and four units of triangular Fabry-Perot interferometers are arranged on heliocentric orbit around the sun. DECIGO is vary ambitious mission, we plan to launch DECIGO in era of 2030s after precursor satellite mission, B-DECIGO. B-DECIGO is essentially smaller version of DECIGO: B-DECIGO consists of three spacecraft arranged in an triangle with 100 km arm lengths orbiting 2000 km above the surface of the earth. It is hoped that the launch date will be late 2020s for the present

Clinical features of isolated gestational proteinuria progressing to pre-eclampsia: retrospective observational study

Objectives Some women with isolated gestational proteinuria (IGP) later develop hypertension and are diagnosed with pre-eclampsia (PE). This study was performed to determine whether clinical features of such proteinuria preceding PE (P-PE) differ from those of other PE (O-PE). Design Retrospective observational study after approval of the institutional review board of ethics. Setting A single university hospital. Proteinuria was defined as a protein-to-creatinine ratio (mg/mg; P/Cr) of 0.27 in the spot urine specimen. IGP was defined as proteinuria in the absence of hypertension. P-PE was defined as PE in which proteinuria preceded hypertension by more than 2days. Participants All of 10 and 18 consecutive women with P-PE and O-PE, respectively, who gave birth between January 2008 and August 2013. Results Proteinuria appeared earlier (at 30.23.0 vs 35.3 +/- 4.3weeks, p=0.001), the P/Cr level was greater at birth (7.28 +/- 2.14 vs 3.19 +/- 2.49, p<0.001), net maternal weight gain during the last antenatal 1week was greater (3.1 +/- 1.8 vs 1.3 +/- 1.7kg, p=0.023) and length of pregnancy was shorter (32.5 +/- 1.9 vs 36.1 +/- 3.6weeks, p=0.001) in women with P-PE than in O-PE. The duration of IGP was 10.0 +/- 5.9days (range 3-20), and the time interval until delivery after diagnosis of PE was 6.1 +/- 8.2days (range 0-23) in 10 women with P-PE. The P/Cr levels at birth were significantly inversely correlated with the antenatal lowest antithrombin activity and fibrinogen levels among the 28 women with PE. Conclusions Women with P-PE were likely to exhibit greater proteinuria in the urine, greater water retention in the interstitial space and more enhanced coagulation-fibrinolysis, thus suggesting that they may constitute a more severe form of PE than women with O-PE do

Differentiation of acute fatty liver of pregnancy from syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet counts

As proposed criteria (Swansea criteria) for the diagnosis of acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) do not include antithrombin (AT) activity, diagnosis of AFLP may be delayed. The aim of this review is to underscore problems in the differential diagnosis of AFLP and the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet counts (HELLP syndrome) and to facilitate prompt diagnosis of AFLP. Published works dealing with liver dysfunction in pregnancy, HELLP syndrome and AFLP were reviewed. AFLP and HELLP syndrome shared common clinical, laboratory, histological and genetic features, and differential diagnosis between them was often difficult. However, HELLP syndrome was likely to occur in patients with hypertension, but AFLP occurred often in the absence of hypertension. In addition, AFLP was exclusively associated with pregnancy-induced antithrombin deficiency (PIATD). Approximately 50% of patients with AFLP did not have thrombocytopenia at presentation. As the Swansea criteria for AFLP did not include PIATD, diagnosis of AFLP was delayed until manifestation of life-threatening complications; 60% of women were admitted to intensive care and 15% to a specialist liver unit. In conclusion, incorporation of AT activity of less than 65% into the diagnostic criteria for AFLP may facilitate suspicion and prompt diagnosis of AFLP, decrease uncertainty regarding the diagnosis of AFLP, and contribute to better investigation and understanding of the process leading to the development of liver dysfunction

Successful pregnancy in a woman with uterine scarring by transverse fundal cesarean section

There has been only one case to date of pregnancy outcome after fundal transverse cesarean section (FTC). We report a pregnancy established after FTC. The FTC was performed at gestational week (GW) 24 in this patient’s first pregnancy, but the uteruswas preserved.Magnetic resonance imaging studies performed four times in her second pregnancy consistently showed part of the uterine fundus in which the muscle layer was interrupted. Concern regarding spontaneous uterine rupture in the absence of labor pains prompted us to interrupt her pregnancy at GW 31+5, delivering a premature, but otherwise healthy female infant, weighing 1832 g. The infant required transient intratracheal intubation for respiratory distress syndrome (for less than 1 h), but had an otherwise uneventful clinical course. Two cases, including ours, suggest that successful pregnancy outcome is feasible at least in some women with uterine scarring due to FTC

Essential thrombocythemia as a risk factor for stillbirth

Introduction: The risk of abortion is known to be high in women with essential thrombocythemia (ET). However, a few studies have focused on the risk of stillbirth among fetuses reaching gestational age compatible with life. Methods: Review of medical charts of pregnant women with ET who received cares at a single center between January 2003 and June 2013 and the English literature in which more than 20 pregnancies with ET were dealt with regarding outcomes. Outcomes were classified into three categories: spontaneous abortion or preterm delivery before GW 24, stillbirth at and after GW 24, and live birth (LB). Japan national statistics was used to estimate the risk of stillbirth among women with GW 22 or more. Results: In all nine pregnancies in four women with ET at our hospital, two miscarriages, one stillbirth (intrauterine death at GW 35), and six LBs occurred. There were six reports in the English literature in which a total of 374 pregnancy outcomes were described: 110 miscarriages (29%), 14 stillbirths (3.7% of all 374 pregnancies and 5.3% of 264 pregnancies with GW >= 24), and 250 LBs (67%) occurred. Japan national statistics between 1995 and 2011 indicated that the risk of stillbirth was less than 0.50% among women with GW >= 22. Conclusions: The risk of still birth was extremely high among women with ET. More intensified monitoring of fetal wellbeing may be required to improve outcome of pregnancy complicated with ET. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Changes in hemoglobin F levels in pregnant women unaffected by clinical fetomaternal hemorrhage

Background: Complete automation of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for determination of hemoglobin F (%Hb F) and hemoglobin A1c (%Hb A1c) levels has made this procedure available in many clinical laboratories. However, the physiological changes in %Hb F during pregnancy and the effects of physiological and supraphysiological levels of %Hb A1c on measurement of %Hb F have not been studied extensively. Methods: Simultaneous determination of %Hb F and %Hb A1c was conducted in 490 blood samples obtained before (n=21), during the 1st (n=150), 2nd (n=116), and 3rd (n=192) trimesters of pregnancy, and postpartum (n=11) from 357 women, including 60 women with hyperglycemia but unaffected by clinical fetomaternal hemorrhage, by HPLC. Results: Mean (SD) Hb F levels were 0.71% (0.25%) before pregnancy. The value of 0.82% (0.47%) during the 1st trimester decreased significantly to 0.66% (0.35%) during the 2nd trimester and to 0.58% (0.38%) during the 3rd trimester. The level was 0.62% (0.31%) approximately one year after delivery. Thus, %Hb F was highest during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. The effects of varied %Hb A1c levels on %Hb F measurements were clinically negligible. Conclusions: The data presented in this work may be used as reference intervals of %Hb F determined with HPLC during pregnancy