A Population-Based Study of Pregnancy and Delivery Characteristics Among Women with Vulvodynia

Introduction: To examine pregnancy and delivery characteristics of women with and without vulvodynia. Methods: The authors analyzed 227 vulvodynia cases that were less than 45 years old at pain onset; controls were age matched 1:1 to cases and had no history of vulvar pain. Pregnancy and delivery events were assessed after age at first vulvar pain onset (the reference age) in cases and a matched age in controls. Results: The authors observed no significant difference between cases and controls in achieving pregnancy after reference age. Also, no difference in pregnancy outcome was observed between cases and controls (P = 0.87). There was an indication that cases were more likely to receive a Cesarean section delivery (P = 0.07). In addition, 37.1% of cases who had vaginal delivery versus 11.3% of controls (P < 0.01) reported pain at 2 months postpartum. Comparing only women with vulvodynia, women who had intermittent pain versus constant pain were more than twice as likely to have a pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio 2.26, 95% CI 1.10–4.60). Conclusions: Women with vulvodynia may be as likely as other women to carry their pregnancy to birth; however, they may experience higher rates of Cesarean section delivery and could reflect a selection towards those women with vulvodynia who have inconsistent pain

Predictors and pathways of language and motor development in four prospective cohorts of young children in Ghana, Malawi, and Burkina Faso

BackgroundPrevious reviews have identified 44 risk factors for poor early child development (ECD) in low- and middle-income countries. Further understanding of their relative influence and pathways is needed to inform the design of interventions targeting ECD.MethodsWe conducted path analyses of factors associated with 18-month language and motor development in four prospective cohorts of children who participated in trials conducted as part of the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (iLiNS) Project in Ghana (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;1,023), Malawi (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;675 and 1,385), and Burkina Faso (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;1,122). In two cohorts, women were enrolled during pregnancy. In two cohorts, infants were enrolled at 6 or 9&nbsp;months. In multiple linear regression and structural equation&nbsp;models (SEM), we examined 22 out of 44 factors identified in previous reviews, plus 12 additional factors expected to be associated with ECD.ResultsOut of 42 indicators of the 34 factors examined, 6 were associated with 18-month language and/or motor development in 3 or 4 cohorts: child linear and ponderal growth, variety of play materials, activities with caregivers, dietary diversity, and child hemoglobin/iron status. Factors that were not associated with child development were indicators of maternal Hb/iron status, maternal illness and inflammation during pregnancy, maternal perceived stress and depression, exclusive breastfeeding during 6&nbsp;months postpartum, and child diarrhea, fever, malaria, and acute respiratory infections. Associations between socioeconomic status and language development were consistently mediated to a greater extent by caregiving practices than by maternal or child biomedical conditions, while this pattern for motor development was not consistent across cohorts.ConclusionsKey elements of interventions to ensure quality ECD are likely to be promotion of caregiver activities with children, a variety of play materials, and a diverse diet, and prevention of faltering in linear and ponderal growth and improvement in child hemoglobin/iron status

N fertilizer and harvest impacts on bioenergy crop contributions to SOC

Below ground root biomass is infrequently measured and simply represented in models that predict landscape level changes to soil carbon stocks and greenhouse gas balances. Yet, crop-specific responses to N fertilizer and harvest treatments are known to impact both plant allocation and tissue chemistry, potentially altering decomposition rates and the direction and magnitude of soil C stock changes and greenhouse gas fluxes. We examined switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and corn (Zea mays L.,) yields, below ground root biomass, C, N and soil particulate organic matter-C (POM-C) in a 9-year rain fed study of N fertilizer rate (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N ha-1) and harvest management near Mead, NE, USA. Switchgrass was harvested with one pass in either August or postfrost, and for no-till (NT) corn, either 50% or no stover was removed. Switchgrass had greater below ground root biomass C and N (6.39, 0.10 Mg ha-1) throughout the soil profile compared to NT-corn (1.30, 0.06 Mg ha-1) and a higher below ground root biomass C:N ratio, indicating greater recalcitrant below ground root biomass C input beneath switchgrass. There was little difference between the two crops in soil POM-C indicating substantially slower decomposition and incorporation into SOC under switchgrass, despite much greater root C. The highest N rate decreased POM-C under both NT-corn and switchgrass, indicating faster decomposition rates with added fertilizer. Residue removal reduced corn below ground root biomass C by 37% and N by 48% and subsequently reduced POM-C by 22% compared to no-residue removal. Developing productive bioenergy systems that also conserve the soil resource will require balancing fertilization that maximizes above ground productivity but potentially reduces SOC sequestration by reducing below ground root biomass and increasing root and soil C decomposition

N fertilizer and harvest impacts on bioenergy crop contributions to SOC

Below ground root biomass is infrequently measured and simply represented in models that predict landscape level changes to soil carbon stocks and greenhouse gas balances. Yet, crop-specific responses to N fertilizer and harvest treatments are known to impact both plant allocation and tissue chemistry, potentially altering decomposition rates and the direction and magnitude of soil C stock changes and greenhouse gas fluxes. We examined switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and corn (Zea mays L.,) yields, below ground root biomass, C, N and soil particulate organic matter-C (POM-C) in a 9-year rain fed study of N fertilizer rate (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N ha-1) and harvest management near Mead, NE, USA. Switchgrass was harvested with one pass in either August or postfrost, and for no-till (NT) corn, either 50% or no stover was removed. Switchgrass had greater below ground root biomass C and N (6.39, 0.10 Mg ha-1) throughout the soil profile compared to NT-corn (1.30, 0.06 Mg ha-1) and a higher below ground root biomass C:N ratio, indicating greater recalcitrant below ground root biomass C input beneath switchgrass. There was little difference between the two crops in soil POM-C indicating substantially slower decomposition and incorporation into SOC under switchgrass, despite much greater root C. The highest N rate decreased POM-C under both NT-corn and switchgrass, indicating faster decomposition rates with added fertilizer. Residue removal reduced corn below ground root biomass C by 37% and N by 48% and subsequently reduced POM-C by 22% compared to no-residue removal. Developing productive bioenergy systems that also conserve the soil resource will require balancing fertilization that maximizes above ground productivity but potentially reduces SOC sequestration by reducing below ground root biomass and increasing root and soil C decomposition

The Lantern Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 1949

• Want, an Old Freedom Unused • Is History Bunk? • How Things Grow • A Real Gone Poem • Hish Proves Himself • Death? Not Yet! • On the Neglect of Victorian Literature • The Tradition Lives On • To the Other Side • Autumn\u27s Panorama • Autumn Treasure • A Walk • Leaves • The Moment • Dawn • Sentiments • Dustinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1049/thumbnail.jp

The Lantern Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 1949

• Want, an Old Freedom Unused • Is History Bunk? • How Things Grow • A Real Gone Poem • Hish Proves Himself • Death? Not Yet! • On the Neglect of Victorian Literature • The Tradition Lives On • To the Other Side • Autumn\u27s Panorama • Autumn Treasure • A Walk • Leaves • The Moment • Dawn • Sentiments • Dustinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1049/thumbnail.jp