A historical cohort study

OK Funding Information: Catarina R. Palma dos Reis acknowledges support from a Clarendon Fund Scholarship. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).Introduction: The velocity of fetal deterioration in fetal growth restriction is extremely variable, which makes monitoring and counseling very challenging. The soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase to placental growth factor (sFlt1/PlGF) ratio provides a readout of the vasoactive environment that correlates with preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction and that could be useful to predict fetal deterioration. Previous studies showed a correlation between higher sFlt1/PlGF ratios and lower gestational ages at birth, although it is unclear whether this is due to the increased incidence of preeclampsia. Our goal was to evaluate whether the sFlt1/PlGF ratio predicts faster fetal deterioration in early fetal growth restriction. Material and methods: This was a historical cohort study in a tertiary maternity hospital. Data from singleton pregnancies with early fetal growth restriction (diagnosed before 32 gestational weeks) confirmed after birth monitored between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrieved from clinical files. Cases of chromosomal/fetal abnormalities, infection and medical terminations of pregnancy were excluded. The sFlt1/PlGF ratio was acquired at diagnosis of early fetal growth restriction in our unit. The correlation of log10 sFlt1/PlGF with latency to delivery/fetal demise was assessed with linear, logistic (positive sFlt1/PlGF if >85) and Cox regression excluding deliveries for maternal conditions and controlling for preeclampsia, gestational age at time of ratio test, maternal age and smoking during pregnancy. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis tested the performance of sFlt1/PlGF ratio in predicting delivery for fetal reasons in the following week. Results: 125 patients were included. Mean sFlt1/PlGF ratio was 91.2 (SD 148.7) and 28% of patients had a positive ratio. A higher log10 sFlt1/PlGF ratio predicted shorter latency for delivery/fetal demise in linear regression after controlling for confounders, β = −3.001, (−3.713 to −2.288). Logistic regression with ratio positivity confirmed these findings (latency for delivery 5.7 ± 3.32 weeks for ratios ≤85 vs 1.9 ± 1.52 weeks for ratios >85); β = −0.698 (−1.064 to −0.332). Adjusted Cox regression showed that a positive ratio confers a significantly positive hazard ratio (HR) for earlier delivery/fetal demise, HR 9.869 (5.061–19.243). ROC analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.847 (SE ± 0.06). Conclusions: sFlt1/PlGF ratio is correlated with faster fetal deterioration in early fetal growth restriction, independently of preeclampsia.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

Allelic frequencies and statistical data obtained from 12 codis STR loci in an admixed population of the Brazilian Amazon

The allelic frequencies of 12 short tandem repeat loci were obtained from a sample of 307 unrelated individuals living in Macapá, a city in the northern Amazon region, Brazil. These loci are the most commonly used in forensics and paternity testing. Based on the allele frequency obtained for the population of Macapá, we estimated an interethnic admixture for the three parental groups (European, Native American and African) of, respectively, 46%, 35% and 19%. Comparing these allele frequencies with those of other Brazilian populations and of the Iberian Peninsula population, no significant distances were observed. The interpopulation genetic distances (FST coefficients) to the present database ranged from FST = 0.0016 between Macapá and Belém to FST = 0.0036 between Macapá and the Iberian Peninsula

Programa Nacional de Melhoramento do Gir Leiteiro: Sumário Brasileiro de Touros: resultado do teste de progênie: Abril 2018.

Ao longo de 33 anos, o Programa Nacional de Melhoramento do Gir Leiteiro coletou muitas informações de produção e conformação nos animais da raça e mestiços dos rebanhos participantes. As avaliações genéticas contemplam as PTAs de produção de leite e gordura, análises ligadas a qualidade do leite, conformação e manejo. Neste ano, um grande avanço permitiu potencializar as avaliações genéticas: a inclusão dos dados genômicos, a adoção do modelo de repetibilidade, no qual são utilizadas múltiplas lactações das filhas dos touros, além da incorporação no banco de dados de um grande número de informações lineares mensuradas recentemente. Com essas alterações o número de lactações incluídas na avaliação genética subiu de pouco mais de 30 mil para 103 mil, aumentando de forma bastante significativa a confiabilidade das predições das PTAs. Estas alterações tornaram a avaliação genética do teste de progênie muito mais eficiente que, em continuidade com o Projeto Genoma do Gir Leiteiro, são um grande passo na evolução das avaliações genéticas da raça e no seu melhoramento. O sumário deste ano traz a avaliação de 408 touros Gir Leiteiro, sendo 33 sumarizados pela primeira vez. São apresentados também como novidade os compostos de tipo e o Índice de Produção do Gir Leiteiro - IPGL.bitstream/item/176091/1/Doc-216-Sumario-Touros-Gir.pd

Micrometeorological methods for greenhouse gas measurement

Micrometeorological techniques are useful if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from larger areas (i.e. entire fields) should be integrated. The theory and the various techniques such as flux-gradient, aerodynamic, and Bowen ratio as well as Eddy correlationmethods are described and discussed. Alternativemethods also used areEddy correlation, mass balance techniques, and tracer-based methods.The analytical techniques with current state-of-the-art approaches as well as the calculation procedures are presented

Greenhouse gases from agriculture

The rapidly changing global climate due to increased emission of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) is leading to an increased occurrence of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves. The three major GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). The major natural sources of CO2 include ocean-atmosphere exchange, respiration of animals, soils (microbial respiration) and plants, and volcanic eruption; while the anthropogenic sources include burning of fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and oil), deforestation, and the cultivation of land that increases the decomposition of soil organic matter and crop and animal residues. Natural sources of CH4 emission include wetlands, termite activities, and oceans. Paddy fields used for rice production, livestock production systems (enteric emission from ruminants), landfills, and the production and use of fossil fuels are the main anthropogenic sources of CH4. Nitrous oxide, in addition to being a major GHG, is also an ozone-depleting gas. N2O is emitted by natural processes from oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. Anthropogenic N2O emissions occur mostly through agricultural and other land-use activities and are associated with the intensification of agricultural and other human activities such as increased use of synthetic fertiliser (119.4 million tonnes of N worldwide in 2019), inefficient use of irrigation water, deposition of animal excreta (urine and dung) from grazing animals, excessive and inefficient application of farm effluents and animal manure to croplands and pastures, and management practices that enhance soil organic N mineralisation and C decomposition. Agriculture could act as a source and a sink of GHGs. Besides direct sources, GHGs also come from various indirect sources, including upstream and downstream emissions in agricultural systems and ammonia (NH3) deposition from fertiliser and animal manure