Reproductive Patterns Among Mothers of Males Diagnosed With Duchenne or Becker Muscular Dystrophy

Diagnosis of a child with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy (DBMD) may impact future maternal reproductive choice; however, little is known about the reproductive patterns of mothers with a male child diagnosed with DBMD. Using population-based surveillance data collected by the muscular dystrophy surveillance, tracking, and research network, the proportion of mothers who conceived and delivered a live birth following the diagnosis of DBMD in an affected male child and factors associated with such reproductive choice were identified. To accomplish this, maternal demographic data were linked to birth certificate data to construct the reproductive history for 239 mothers. Univariable and bivariable analyses were conducted to determine the proportion of mothers delivering a live birth and associated factors. By the time of the current study, 96 (40.2%) of the 239 mothers had at least one live birth following delivery of their oldest affected male child; 53 (22.2%) of these mothers had a live birth before and 43 (18.0%) had a live birth after DBMD diagnosis of a male child. Mothers with a live birth after diagnosis were significantly younger at diagnosis of the oldest affected male child (26.2 AE 4.2 years vs. 31.5 AE 5.5 years), and were less likely to be white non-Hispanic compared to those with no live birth after diagnosis. These results suggest that about one in five mothers deliver a live birth subsequent to DBMD diagnosis in a male child. Maternal age and race/ethnicity were associated with this reproductive choice

ICT PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ICT CAREER – REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA CASE STUDY

Abstract: Actuality: Developing professional skills in ICT is a key factor that determines the development of the ICT sector from Moldova. In 2014 ISDI and StarNet launched the initiative of establishing a network of centers of excellence in ICT outside the capital of the country. The initiative is based on a pre-feasibility study conducted by the ISDI team during December 2014 – February 2015. The aim of the article is to analyse the results of the pre-feasibility study, with a focus on surveys and discussions held with representatives of public authorities, teachers and pupils from 6 visited districts. The article presents some of the results of the visits made by ISDI team and an analysis of international and local situation in the area of ICT professional skills. The methodology comprises several research methods: data analysis (statistical and pre-feasibility study period), statistical review, descriptive method, comparative method, case studies. Results: It was performed an analysis of the international and European experience in e-skills field. Survey results and discussions shows that pupils want new extracurricular activities in their localities in the area of ICT. Teachers and public servants support the idea of creating centers that would allow students to develop their ICT professional skills

Multiancestry genome-wide association study of 520,000 subjects identifies 32 loci associated with stroke and stroke subtypes (vol 50, pg 524, 2018)

The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper