Renal and vascular function in women with previous preeclampsia: A comparison of low- and high-degree proteinuria

The degree of proteinuria during preeclampsia has been considered to be a marker of severity of the disease and of endothelial dysfunction. The aim of the study was to assess whether the degree of proteinuria in preeclamptic pregnancy is related to impairment of vascular dilatation and/or kidney function years after the index pregnancy. Thirty women with a history of severe preeclampsia divided into low (n=8, dU-prot <5g/day) and high (n=22, dU-prot ≥5g/day) proteinuric groups and 21 women with previous normotensive pregnancy were studied 5–6 years after index pregnancy. Renal function and blood pressure were assessed together with venous occlusion plethysmography, where changes in brachial artery blood flow, induced by intra-arterial infusions of an endothelium-independent (sodium nitroprusside) and an endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine) vasodilator, were measured. The results showed similar renal function in all groups. There was no difference in vasodilation between preeclamptic groups and controls or correlation between degree of proteinuria during index pregnancy and present vasodilation. We conclude that the degree of proteinuria during preeclampsia does not predict vascular dilatation or renal function 5–6 years after preeclamptic pregnancy

A study of HI-selected galaxies in the Hercules cluster

The present study is aimed at a sample of 22 galaxies detected in the blind VLA HI survey of the Hercules cluster by Dickey (1997), 18 of which were selected on an HI line width smaller than 270 km/s and 4 others with only tentative optical counterparts on the Palomar Sky Survey. Sensitive single-dish HI line spectra were obtained for 20 of them, and for one (47-154) the VLA detection was not confirmed. Optical surface photometry was obtained of 10 objects, for 8 of which optical spectroscopy was obtained as well. Based on various selection criteria, two (ce-143 and ne-204) can be classified as dwarfs. The objects of which optical observations were made show star formation properties similar to those of published samples of actively star forming galaxies, and approximately half of them have properties intermediate between those of dwarf galaxies and low-luminosity disc galaxies. No optical redshifts could be obtained for two of the galaxies (sw-103 and sw-194) and their physical association with the HI clouds detected at their positions therefore remains uncertain. Unique among the objects is the Tidal Dwarf Galaxy ce-061 in a tail of the IC 1182 merger system.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Study of galaxies in the Lynx-Cancer void. -- III. New extreme LSB dwarf galaxies

(Abridged) We present the results of the complex study of the low surface brightness dwarf (LSBD) gas-rich galaxies J0723+3621, J0737+4724 and J0852+1350, which reside in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. Their ratios M(HI)/L_B, according to HI data obtained with the NRT, are respectively ~3.9, ~2, ~2.6. For the two latter galaxies, we derived oxygen abundance corresponding to the value of 12+log(O/H) <~7.3, using spectra from the Russian 6m telescope and from the SDSS database. We found two additional blue LSB dwarfs, J0723+3622 and J0852+1351, which appear to be physical companions of J0723+3621 and J0852+1350 situated at the projected distances of ~12--13 kpc. The companion relative velocities, derived from the BTA spectra, are dV = +89 km/s and +30 km/s respectively. The geometry and the relative orientation of orbits and spins in these pairs indicate, respectively, prograde and polar encounters for J0723+3621 and J0852+1350. The NRT HI profiles of J0723+3621 and J0723+3622 indicate a sizable gas flow in this system. The SDSS u,g,r,i images of the five dwarfs are used to derive the photometric parameters and the exponential or Sersic disc model fits. For three of them, the (u-g),(g-r),(r-i) colours of the outer parts, being compared with the PEGASE evolutionary tracks, evidence for the dominance of the old stellar populations with ages of T ~(8-10)+-3 Gyr. For J0723+3622 and J0737+4724, the outer region colours appear rather blue, implying the ages of the oldest visible stars of T <~1-3 Gyr. The new LSB galaxies complement the list of the known most metal-poor and `unevolved' dwarfs in this void, including DDO 68, SDSS J0926+3343 and others. This unique concentration of 'unevolved' dwarf galaxies in a small cell of the nearby Universe implies a physical relationship between the slow galaxy evolution and the void-type global environment.Comment: 16 pages, 5 tables, 9 figures. MNRAS, in pres

Maternal Arterial Stiffness in Women Who Subsequently Develop Pre-Eclampsia

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is associated with profound changes in the maternal cardiovascular system. The aim of the present study was to assess whether alterations in the maternal arterial stiffness precede the onset of PE in at risk women. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This was a cross sectional study involving 70 pregnant women with normal and 70 women with abnormal uterine artery Doppler examination at 22-24 weeks of gestation. All women had their arterial stiffness (augmentation index and pulse wave velocity of the carotid-femoral and carotid-radial parts of the arterial tree) assessed by applanation tonometry in the second trimester of pregnancy, at the time of the uterine artery Doppler imaging. Among the 140 women participating in the study 29 developed PE (PE group) and 111 did not (non-PE group). Compared to the non-PE group, women that developed PE had higher central systolic (94.9 ± 8.6 mmHg vs 104.3 ± 11.1 mmHg; p  =  < 0.01) and diastolic (64.0 ± 6.0 vs 72.4 ± 9.1; p < 0.01) blood pressures. All the arterial stiffness indices were adjusted for possible confounders and expressed as multiples of the median (MoM) of the non-PE group. The adjusted median augmentation index was similar between the two groups (p  =  0.84). The adjusted median pulse wave velocities were higher in the PE group compared to the non-PE group (carotid-femoral: 1.10 ± 0.14 MoMs vs 0.99 ± 0.11 MoMs; p < 0.01 and carotid-radial: 1.08 ± 0.12 MoMs vs 1.0 ± 0.11 MoMs; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Increased maternal arterial stiffness, as assessed by pulse wave velocity, predates the development of PE in at risk women

Microbial metagenomes from three aquifers in the Fennoscandian shield terrestrial deep biosphere reveal metabolic partitioning among populations

Microorganisms in the terrestrial deep biosphere host up to 20% of the earth's biomass and are suggested to be sustained by the gases hydrogen and carbon dioxide. A metagenome analysis of three deep subsurface water types of contrasting age (from &lt;20 to several thousand years) and depth (171 to 448 m) revealed phylogenetically distinct microbial community subsets that either passed or were retained by a 0.22 mu m filter. Such cells of &lt;0.22 mu m would have been overlooked in previous studies relying on membrane capture. Metagenomes from the three water types were used for reconstruction of 69 distinct microbial genomes, each with &gt;86% coverage. The populations were dominated by Proteobacteria, Candidate divisions, unclassified archaea and unclassified bacteria. The estimated genome sizes of the &lt;0.22 mu m populations were generally smaller than their phylogenetically closest relatives, suggesting that small dimensions along with a reduced genome size may be adaptations to oligotrophy. Shallow 'modern marine' water showed community members with a predominantly heterotrophic lifestyle. In contrast, the deeper, 'old saline' water adhered more closely to the current paradigm of a hydrogen-driven deep biosphere. The data were finally used to create a combined metabolic model of the deep terrestrial biosphere microbial community.Supplementary information available for this article at http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/v10/n5/suppinfo/ismej2015185s1.html</p

Concentration levels and spatial distribution of sulphur and metals in fine-grained sediments in western Finland

On the coastal plains of Finland, widespread Holocene marine and lacustrine sediments have developed into acid sulphate soil as a result of extensive artificial drainage for agricultural purposes. This has caused a variety of environmental problems. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration levels and spatial distribution of sulphur, carbon and metals [titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese (Mn), iron, cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn)] in these sediments, in order to increase the geochemical understanding of the parent materials from which acid sulphate soil develops. Sediment samples were collected at 317 sites from a depth of 1.53 m. While the sediments have high S (sulphide) concentrations (median = 0.54%) and thus a strong acidification potential, they carry transition metals mainly in smallsized silicates close to background concentrations far below contamination limits. The previously documented extensive release of Co, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn from oxidised and acidified layers of these sediments (i.e. acid sulphate soil) is thus not explained by anomalously high natural or anthropogenic metal concentrations of the soils/sediments, but by an inherent highly mobile metal pool. Spatial-distribution maps highlight areas of elevated S and Mn concentrations, where it is likely that ditching and subsequent oxidation will result in an exceptionally large release of protons and Mn respectively.

Concentration levels and spatial distribution of sulphur and metals in fine-grained sediments in western Finland

On the coastal plains of Finland, widespread Holocene marine and lacustrine sediments have developed into acid sulphate soil as a result of extensive artificial drainage for agricultural purposes. This has caused a variety of environmental problems. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration levels and spatial distribution of sulphur, carbon and metals [titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese (Mn), iron, cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn)] in these sediments, in order to increase the geochemical understanding of the parent materials from which acid sulphate soil develops. Sediment samples were collected at 317 sites from a depth of 1.53 m. While the sediments have high S (sulphide) concentrations (median = 0.54%) and thus a strong acidification potential, they carry transition metals mainly in smallsized silicates close to background concentrations far below contamination limits. The previously documented extensive release of Co, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn from oxidised and acidified layers of these sediments (i.e. acid sulphate soil) is thus not explained by anomalously high natural or anthropogenic metal concentrations of the soils/sediments, but by an inherent highly mobile metal pool. Spatial-distribution maps highlight areas of elevated S and Mn concentrations, where it is likely that ditching and subsequent oxidation will result in an exceptionally large release of protons and Mn respectively.