Complement in reproductive white adipose tissue characterizes the obese preeclamptic-like BPH/5 mouse prior to and during pregnancy

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious hypertensive disorder of pregnancy characterized by abnormal placental development with an unknown etiology. To better understand which women will develop PE, a number of maternal risk factors have been identified, including obesity. Visceral white adipose tissue (WAT) contains inflammatory mediators that may contribute to PE. To explore this, we utilized the blood pressure high (BPH)/5 mouse model of superimposed PE that spontaneously recapitulates the maternal PE syndrome. We hypothesized that BPH/5 visceralWAT adjacent to the female reproductive tract (reproductiveWAT) is a source of complement factors that contribute to the inflammatory milieu and angiogenic imbalance at the maternal-fetal interface in this model and in preeclamptic women. To test our hypothesis, we calorie-restricted BPH/5 females for two weeks prior to pregnancy and the first seven days of pregnancy, which attenuated complement component 3 (C3) but not complement factor B, nor complement factor D, (adipsin) in the reproductiveWAT or the implantation site in BPH/5. Furthermore, calorie restriction during pregnancy restored vascular endothelial and placental growth factor mRNA levels in the BPH/5 implantation site. These data show maternal reproductive WAT may be a source of increased C3 during pregnancy, which is increased at the maternal-fetal interface in preeclamptic BPH/5 mice. It also suggests that calorie restriction could regulate inflammatory mediators thought to contribute to placental dysfunction in PE. Future studies are necessary to examine the e_ect of calorie restriction on C3 throughout pregnancy and the role of maternal obesity in PE

Early village technology : A view through the microscope

A rigorous approach to the identification and classification of artifacts is of central importance to the archeologist. A system incorporating morphological-statistical measurements and wear pattern observations is presented. Several distinctive wear patterns observed on artifacts from the early village of Çayönü in southeastern Turkey are described and illustrated. The general position put forth in this paper is that major effort must be continued to be put into the recognition and understanding of the function of artifacts and the typological underpinnings of classificatory systems because all further analyses, no matter how sophisticated, are only as reliable as the categories they are based upon.L'identification et le classement rigoureux du matériel archéologique est d'une importance primordiale. Cet article propose une méthode d'analyse élaborée à partir de mesures morphologiques et statistiques d'une part, d'observations faites sur des marques d'usure d'autre part. Ces marques d'usure ont été effectuées sur des objets provenant du site de Çayönü dans le Sud-Est de l'Anatolie. L'accent est mis sur la nécessité de reconnaître et de comprendre la fonction des objets recueillis et les implications typologiques des systèmes de classification. En effet, toutes les analyses, aussi poussées soient-elles, n'ont de valeur que dans la mesure où les catégories sur lesquelles elles sont fondées sont elles-mêmes solidement établies.Redman Charles L. Early village technology : A view through the microscope. In: Paléorient, 1973, vol. 1, n°2. pp. 249-261

Implementing the Transition to Sustainable Development

From 1890 to 1990, the world population increased four times over while consumption of industrial products grew 40 times, energy consumption 16, water consumption 9 and the total size of the economy 14 times. Thanks to his creativity, man has the power to innovate and adapt his technologies, socio-political institutions and attitude towards respect for Nature in order to alleviate pressure on the environment. Markets in general do not take into account the value of many goods and services which are provided by Nature (such as the pollination of plants by insects, the regulation of floods by vegetation cover, the decomposition, by bacteria, of waste and toxic waste released into the water and soil, or the aesthetic value of the landscape) The successful transition to sustainable development requires the combination of sound information on the state of the environment, motivation turned into action and capacity to do so

Assessment, referral and management of obstructive sleep apnea by Australian general practitioners: a qualitative analysis

BACKGROUND: The high and increasing demand for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) care has exceeded the capacity of specialist sleep services prompting consideration of whether general practitioners could have an enhanced role in service delivery. However, little is known about the current involvement, experiences and attitudes of Australian general practitioners towards OSA. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth analysis of Australian general practitioners' experiences and opinions regarding their care of patients with OSA to inform the design and implementation of new general practice models of care. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants with maximum variation in age, experience and location. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and were analysed using Thematic Analysis. RESULTS: Three major themes were identified: (1) General practitioners are important in recognising symptoms of OSA and facilitating a diagnosis by others; (2) Inequities in access to the assessment and management of OSA; and (3) General practitioners currently have a limited role in the management of OSA. CONCLUSIONS: When consulting with patients with symptoms of OSA, general practitioners see their primary responsibility as providing a referral for diagnosis by others. General practitioners working with patients in areas of greater need, such as rural/remote areas and those of socio-economic disadvantage, demonstrated interest in being more involved in OSA management. Inequities in access to assessment and management are potential drivers for change in future models of care for OSA in general practice.Nicole Grivell, Jenny Haycock, Anne Redman, Andrew Vakulin, Nicholas Zwar, Nigel Stocks ... et al