Circulating levels of matrix proteases and their inhibitors in pregnant women with and without a history of recurrent pregnancy loss

Background: We have recently shown that serum relaxin-2 levels are attenuated in women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). We sought to determine whether a history of RPL is also associated with changes in serum matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases (TIMP) -1 and -2. Methods: We obtained serum from 20 pregnant women with a history of RPL and 20 age-matched pregnant women with no history of RPL (NRPL) at 6-8, 10-12, 20, and 34 weeks gestation, and from cord blood. We quantified total serum concentrations of MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 by ELISA. We determined whether these serum marker levels were associated with a history of RPL and delivery before 37 weeks gestation. Results: There was no difference in the rates of miscarriage, preterm birth or prelabour rupture of fetal membranes between RPL and NRPL. However babies born to RPL were lighter than those born to NRPL. Serum MMP-1, 9, and TIMP-1 did not differ between RPL and NRPL but MMP-3 was higher in RPL vs. NRPL at 6-8 weeks (P < 0.05). Serum TIMP-2 levels were higher in RPL women at all gestations (P < 0.01). The ratio of RLX-2 (reported previously) to TIMP-2 at 10-12 weeks gestation was more strongly associated with a history of RPL than either peptide separately - area under the ROC curves for RLX-2 0.79 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.92), TIMP-2 0.83 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.95), and for RLX-2: TIMP-2 ratio 0.92 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.99). Conclusions: Women with a history of RPL demonstrate increased serum TIMP-2 and reduced RLX-2 during a subsequent viable pregnancy. Determination of both markers in early pregnancy enhances the discrimination of women with a history of RPL. These observations suggest roles for these two peptides in early implantation and placental development. Whether these may prove to be reliable early predictive markers for subsequent pregnancy loss in the index pregnancy is unknown and will require further studies

More about spontaneous Lorentz-violation and infrared modification of gravity

We consider a model with Lorentz-violating vector field condensates, in which dispersion laws of all perturbations, including tensor modes, undergo non-trivial modification in the infrared. The model is free of ghosts and tachyons at high 3-momenta. At low 3-momenta there are ghosts, and at even lower 3-momenta there exist tachyons. Still, with appropriate choice of parameters, the model is phenomenologically acceptable. Beyond a certain large distance scale and even larger time scale, the gravity of a static source changes from that of General Relativity to that of van Dam--Veltman--Zakharov limit of the Fierz--Pauli theory. Yet the late time cosmological evolution is always determined by the standard Friedmann equation, modulo small correction to the ``cosmological Planck mass'', so the modification of gravity cannot by itself explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe. We argue that the latter property is generic in a wide class of models with condensates.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, JHEP3.cls; Added reference

The critical role of ants in the extensive dispersal of Acacia seeds revealed by genetic parentage assignment

Ants are prominent seed dispersal agents in many ecosystems, and dispersal distances are small in comparison with vertebrate dispersal agents. However, the distance and distribution of ant-mediated dispersal in arid/semi-arid environments remains poorly explored. We used microsatellite markers and parentage assignment to quantify the distance and distribution of dispersed seeds of Acacia karina, retrieved from the middens of Iridomyrmex agilis and Melophorus turneri perthensis. From parentage assignment, we could not distinguish the maternal from each parent pair assigned to each seed, so we applied two approaches to estimate dispersal distances, one conservative (CONS), where the parent closest to the ant midden was considered to be maternal, and the second where both parents were deemed equally likely (EL) to be maternal, and used both distances. Parentage was assigned to 124 seeds from eight middens. Maximum seed dispersal distances detected were 417 m (CONS) and 423 m (EL), more than double the estimated global maximum. Mean seed dispersal distances of 40 m (±5.8 SE) (CONS) and 79 m (±6.4 SE) (EL) exceeded the published global average of 2.24 m (±7.19 SD) by at least one order of magnitude. For both approaches and both ant species, seed dispersal was predominantly (44–84 % of all seeds) within 50 m from the maternal source, with fewer dispersal events at longer distances. Ants in this semi-arid environment have demonstrated a greater capacity to disperse seeds than estimated elsewhere, which highlights their important role in this system, and suggests significant novel ecological and evolutionary consequences for myrmecochorous species in arid/semi-arid Australia

Computational approaches for understanding the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease

This study describes how the application of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) can be used to study motor function in humans with Parkinson's disease (PD) and in animal models of PD. Human data is obtained using commercially available sensors via a range of non-invasive procedures that follow conventional clinical practice. EAs can then be used to classify human data for a range of uses, including diagnosis and disease monitoring. New results are presented that demonstrate how EAs can also be used to classify fruit flies with and without genetic mutations that cause Parkinson's by using measurements of the proboscis extension reflex. The case is made for a computational approach that can be applied across human and animal studies of PD and lays the way for evaluation of existing and new drug therapies in a truly objective way

Finitely-Generated Projective Modules over the Theta-deformed 4-sphere

We investigate the "theta-deformed spheres" C(S^{3}_{theta}) and C(S^{4}_{theta}), where theta is any real number. We show that all finitely-generated projective modules over C(S^{3}_{theta}) are free, and that C(S^{4}_{theta}) has the cancellation property. We classify and construct all finitely-generated projective modules over C(S^{4}_{\theta}) up to isomorphism. An interesting feature is that if theta is irrational then there are nontrivial "rank-1" modules over C(S^{4}_{\theta}). In that case, every finitely-generated projective module over C(S^{4}_{\theta}) is a sum of a rank-1 module and a free module. If theta is rational, the situation mirrors that for the commutative case theta=0.Comment: 34 page

Clouds, shadows, or twilight? Mayfly nymphs recognise the difference

1. We examined the relative changes in light intensity that initiate night-time locomotor activity changes in nymphs of the mayfly, Stenonema modestum (Heptageniidae). Tests were carried out in a laboratory stream to examine the hypothesis that nymphs increase their locomotion in response to the large and sustained reductions in relative light intensity that take place during twilight but not to short-term daytime light fluctuations or a minimum light intensity threshold. Ambient light intensity was reduced over a range of values representative of evening twilight. Light was reduced over the same range of intensities either continuously or in discrete intervals while at the same time nymph activity on unglazed tile substrata was video recorded. 2. Nymphs increased their locomotor activity during darkness in response to large, sustained relative light decreases, but not in response to short-term, interrupted periods of light decrease. Nymphs did not recognise darkness unless an adequate light stimulus, such as large and sustained relative decrease in light intensity, had taken place. 3. We show that nymphs perceive light change over time and respond only after a lengthy period of accumulation of light stimulus. The response is much lengthier than reported for other aquatic organisms and is highly adaptive to heterogeneous stream environments

Hamiltonian BFV-BRST theory of closed quantum cosmological models

We introduce and study a new discrete basis of gravity constraints by making use of harmonic expansion for closed cosmological models. The full set of constraints is splitted into area-preserving spatial diffeomorphisms, forming closed subalgebra, and Virasoro-like generators. Operatorial Hamiltonian BFV-BRST quantization is performed in the framework of perturbative expansion in the dimensionless parameter which is a positive power of the ratio of Planckian volume to the volume of the Universe. For the (N+1) - dimensional generalization of stationary closed Bianchi-I cosmology the nilpotency condition for the BRST operator is examined in the first quantum approximation. It turns out, that certain relationship between dimensionality of the space and the spectrum of matter fields emerges from the requirement of quantum consistency of the model.Comment: 28 pages, LaTe

A comparison of the pharmacokinetics of Aspen Ceftriaxone and Rocephin in community-acquired meningitis

BACKGROUND. Community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) is a life-threatening condition that is common among immunocompromised individuals. Intravenous ceftriaxone, of which Rocephin (ROC) is the originator brand, is recommended as first-line therapy in South Africa. Despite concerns regarding therapeutic equivalence with generic agents, this is the first study that has been conducted comparing clinical pharmacokinetics (PK) of a generic ceftriaxone formulation with the originator. OBJECTIVE. To compare the PK and safety of Aspen Ceftriaxone (AC) and ROC in the treatment of adult CABM. METHODS. A total of 63 eligible patients were randomised 1:1 to receive 2 g of either medication twice daily for a duration based on the identity of the causative organism and their physician’s clinical judgment. The primary endpoint of this study was the comparison of clinical PK, specifically the concentrations of each drug in the cerebrospinal fluid with corresponding paired plasma samples. While this study was underpowered to assess efficacy, safety could be evaluated on the basis of reported adverse events. RESULTS. The two patient groups were epidemiologically similar. There were no statistically significant differences in PK between either agent, nor any difference with regard to safety. CONCLUSION. AC can be considered as equivalent to ROC with regard to PK and safety in patients with CABM.Aspen Pharmacare Ltd, SA.http://www.samj.org.zaam2014ay201

Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather

The Sun's outer atmosphere is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees, and solar plasma flows out into interplanetary space at supersonic speeds. This paper reviews our current understanding of these interrelated problems: coronal heating and the acceleration of the ambient solar wind. We also discuss where the community stands in its ability to forecast how variations in the solar wind (i.e., fast and slow wind streams) impact the Earth. Although the last few decades have seen significant progress in observations and modeling, we still do not have a complete understanding of the relevant physical processes, nor do we have a quantitatively precise census of which coronal structures contribute to specific types of solar wind. Fast streams are known to be connected to the central regions of large coronal holes. Slow streams, however, appear to come from a wide range of sources, including streamers, pseudostreamers, coronal loops, active regions, and coronal hole boundaries. Complicating our understanding even more is the fact that processes such as turbulence, stream-stream interactions, and Coulomb collisions can make it difficult to unambiguously map a parcel measured at 1 AU back down to its coronal source. We also review recent progress -- in theoretical modeling, observational data analysis, and forecasting techniques that sit at the interface between data and theory -- that gives us hope that the above problems are indeed solvable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Special issue connected with a 2016 ISSI workshop on "The Scientific Foundations of Space Weather." 44 pages, 9 figure