Predictors of preeclampsia in women in the metformin in gestational diabetes (MiG) study

Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), maternal obesity and pregnancy weight gain are associated with an increased risk of developing Preeclampsia (PE). The aim of this study was to examine the predictors of PE in women commencing pharmacotherapy for GDM in the Metformin in Gestational diabetes trial.Methods: Descriptive and logistic regression analyses examined the relationship between maternal enrolment characteristics and later development of PE.Results: 46 (6.3%) of 703 women developed PE. At enrolment ((30 (SD3.2) weeks gestation), women who later developed PE had higher HbA1c (6.14% (95% CI 5.84, 6.45) vs. 5.73% (95% CI 5.67, 5.78), P = 0.003), fasting triglycerides (2.93 mmol/L (95% CI 2.57, 3.29) vs. 2.55mmol/L (95% CI 2.47, 2.62), P = 0.03) and blood pressure. Their infants were born 9 days earlier (P < 0.001) but were otherwise not different. In univariate analysis, the strongest positive predictors for PE were Polynesian ethnicity (OR 2.75 (95% CI 1.48, 5.09), P= 0.001), personal or family history of PE (OR 2.65 (95% CI 1.36, 5.16), P=0.004), maternal HbA1c (OR 1.96 (95% CI 1.35, 2.89), P< 0.001), triglycerides (OR 1.45 (95% CI 1.07,1.97), P=0.002), and weight gain from early pregnancy (OR 1.09 (95% CI 1.03,1.17), P=0.01). HDL-C was a negative predictor of PE (OR 0.29 (95% CI 0.09, 0.94), P= 0.04).Following adjustment for Polynesian ethnicity and personal or family history of PE, and when further adjusted for HbA1c or early pregnancy BMI, these variables remained significant.Conclusion: Treatment allocation and BMI were not associated with risk of PE. Personal or family history of PE, Polynesian ethnicity, degree of hyperglycemia, maternal triglycerides and weight gain prior to treatment signal increased risk of subsequent PE in women needing pharmacotherapy for GDM

A method for exposing rodents to resuspended particles using whole-body plethysmography

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported increased risks of cardiopulmonary-related hospitalization and death in association with exposure to elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) across a wide range of urban areas. In response to these findings, researchers have conducted animal inhalation exposures aimed at reproducing the observed toxicologic effects. However, it is technically difficult to quantitate the actual amount of PM delivered to the lung in such studies, and dose is frequently estimated using default respiration parameters. Consequently, the interpretation of PM-induced effects in rodents exposed via whole-body inhalation is often compromised by the inability to determine deposited dose. To address this problem, we have developed an exposure system that merges the generation of dry, aerosolized particles with whole-body plethysmography (WBP), thus permitting inhalation exposures in the unrestrained rat while simultaneously obtaining data on pulmonary function. RESULTS: This system was validated using an oil combustion-derived particle (HP12) at three nominal concentrations (3, 12, and 13 mg/m(3)) for four consecutive exposure days (6 hr/day); a single 6-hour exposure to 13 mg/m(3 )of HP12 was also conducted. These results demonstrated that the system was both reliable and consistent over these exposure protocols, achieving average concentrations that were within 10% of the targeted concentration. In-line filters located on the exhaust outlets of individual WBP chambers showed relative agreement in HP12 mass for each day and were not statistically different when compared to one another (p = 0.16). Temperatures and relative humidities were also similar between chambers during PM and air exposures. Finally, detailed composition analyses of both HP12 filter and bulk samples showed that grinding and aerosolization did not change particle chemistry. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that it is possible to expose rodents to resuspended, dry PM via whole-body inhalation while these animals are maintained in WBP chambers. This new methodology should significantly improve the ability to assess dosimetry under minimally stressful exposure conditions

A lithostratigraphical and chronological study of Oligocene-Miocene sequences on eastern King George Island, South Shetland Islands (Antarctica) and correlation of glacial episodes with global isotope events

King George Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula) is renowned for its terrestrial palaeoenvironmental record, which includes evidence for potentially up to four Cenozoic glacial periods. An advantage of the glacigenic outcrops on the island is that they are associated with volcanic formations that can be isotopically dated. As a result of a new mapping and chronological study, it can now be shown that the published stratigraphy and ages of many geological units on eastern King George Island require major revision. The Polonez Glaciation is dated as c. 26.64 ± 1.43 Ma (Late Oligocene (Chattian Stage)) and includes the outcrops previously considered as evidence for an Eocene glacial ('Krakow Glaciation'). It was succeeded by two important volcanic episodes (Boy Point and Cinder Spur formations) formed during a relatively brief interval (< 2 Ma), which also erupted within the Oligocene Chattian Stage. The Melville Glaciation is dated as c. 21–22 Ma (probably 21.8 Ma; Early Miocene (Aquitanian Stage)), and the Legru Glaciation is probably ≤ c. 10 Ma (Late Miocene or younger). As a result of this study, the Polonez and Melville glaciations can now be correlated with increased confidence with the Oi2b and Mi1a isotope zones, respectively, and thus represent major glacial episodes

Dust in Spiral Galaxies: Comparing Emission and Absorption to Constrain Small-Scale and Very Cold Structures

The detailed distribution of dust in the disks of spiral galaxies is important to understanding the radiative transfer within disks, and to measuring overall dust masses if significant quantities of dust are either very opaque or very cold. We address this issue by comparing measures of dust absorption, using the galaxy-overlap technique in the optical, with measures of the dust grains' thermal emission from 50-2000 micron using ISOPHOT on board ISO and SCUBA at the JCMT. We examine three spiral galaxies projected partially in front of E/S0 galaxies --- AM1316-241, NGC 5545, and NGC 5091 (for NGC 5091 we have only optical and ISO data). Adopting an empirical exponential model for the dust distribution, we compare column densities and dust masses derived from the absorption and emission techniques. This comparison is sensitive to the amount of dust mass in small, opaque structures, which would not contribute strongly to area-weighted absorption measures, and to very cold dust, which would contribute to optical absorption but provide only a small fraction of the sub-mm emission. In AM1316-241, we find global dust masses of 2-5 x 10^7 M_solar, both techniques agreeing at the 50% level. NGC 5545 has about half this dust mass. The concordance of dust masses is well within the errors expected from our knowledge of the radial distribution of dust, and argues against any dominant part of the dust mass being so cold or opaque. The 50-2000 micron data are well fitted by modified Planck functions with an emissivity law beta=-2, at 21 +/- 2 K. We also present 12 micron ISOCAM observations of these pairs.Comparison of H-alpha and 12 micron images of NGC 5545 indicate that ISOCAM images are reliable tracers of star formation.Comment: 16 pages, 4 tables, 8 figures, in press for October Astronomical Journa

NAP SACC UK:protocol for a feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial in nurseries and at home to increase physical activity and healthy eating in 2-4 year olds

Introduction: Systematic reviews have identified the lack of intervention studies with young children to prevent obesity. This feasibility study examines the feasibility and acceptability of adapting the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) intervention in the UK to inform a full-scale trial. Methods and analysis: A feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial in 12 nurseries in England, with 6 randomly assigned to the adapted NAP SACC UK intervention: nursery staff will receive training and support from an NAP SACC UK Partner to review the nursery environment (nutrition, physical activity, sedentary behaviours and oral health) and set goals for making changes. Parents will be invited to participate in a digital media-based home component to set goals for making changes in the home. As this is a feasibility study, the sample size was not based on a power calculation but will indicate the likely response rates and intracluster correlations. Measures will be assessed at baseline and 8–10 months later. We will estimate the recruitment rate of nurseries and children and adherence to the intervention and data. Nursery measurements will include the Environmental Policy Assessment and Observation score and the nursery staff's review of the nursery environment. Child measurements will include height and weight to calculate z-score body mass index (zBMI), accelerometer-determined minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day and sedentary time, and diet using the Child and Diet Evaluation Tool. Questionnaires with nursery staff and parents will measure mediators. A process evaluation will assess fidelity of intervention delivery and views of participants. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval for this study was given by Wales 3 NHS Research Ethics Committee. Findings will be made available through publication in peer-reviewed journals, at conferences and to participants via the University of Bristol website. Data will be available from the University of Bristol Research Data Repository

Increased Nonconducted P-Wave Arrhythmias after a Single Oil Fly Ash Inhalation Exposure in Hypertensive Rats

Background: Exposure to combustion-derived fine particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality especially in individuals with cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. PM inhalation causes several adverse changes in cardiac function that are reflected in the electrocardiogram (ECG), including altered cardiac rhythm, myocardial ischemia, and reduced heart rate variability (HRV). The sensitivity and reliability of ECG-derived parameters as indicators of the cardiovascular toxicity of PM in rats are unclear. Objective: We hypothesized that spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats are more susceptible to the development of PM-induced arrhythmia, altered ECG morphology, and reduced HRV than are Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, a related strain with normal blood pressure. Methods: We exposed rats once by nose-only inhalation for 4 hr to residual oil fly ash (ROFA), an emission source particle rich in transition metals, or to air and then sacrificed them 1 or 48 hr later. Results: ROFA-exposed SH rats developed nonconducted P-wave arrhythmias but no changes in ECG morphology or HRV. We found no ECG effects in ROFA-exposed WKY rats. ROFA-exposed SH rats also had greater pulmonary injury, neutrophil infiltration, and serum C-reactive protein than did ROFA-exposed WKY rats. Conclusions: These results suggest that cardiac arrhythmias may be an early sensitive indicator of the propensity for PM inhalation to modify cardiovascular function. Originally published Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 117, No. 5, May 200

An algorithm to compute the polar decomposition of a 3 × 3 matrix

We propose an algorithm for computing the polar decomposition of a 3 × 3 real matrix that is based on the connection between orthogonal matrices and quaternions. An important application is to 3D transformations in the level 3 Cascading Style Sheets specification used in web browsers. Our algorithm is numerically reliable and requires fewer arithmetic operations than the alternative of computing the polar decomposition via the singular value decomposition

The Three Rs: The Way Forward

This is the report of the eleventh of a series of workshops organised by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), which was established in 1991 by the European Commission. ECVAM\u27s main goal, as defined in 1993 by its Scientific Advisory Committee, is to promote the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods which are of importance to the biosciences and which reduce, refine or replace the use of laboratory animals. One of the first priorities set by ECVAM was the implementation of procedures which would enable it to become well-informed about the state-of-the-art of non-animal test development and validation. and the potential for the possible incorporation of replacement alternative tests into regulatory procedures. It was decided that this would be best achieved by the organisation of ECVAM workshops on specific topics, at which small groups of invited experts would review the current status of various types of in vitro tests and their potential uses, and make recommendations about the best ways forward