Prevalencia de caries dental en niños entre 1996–2000

Objectives This study was carried out to assess whether delaying umbilical cord clamping is effective in improving the haematological status of term infants living in a malaria-endemic area, and whether this is associated with complications in infants and mothers. Metyhods We randomly assigned women delivering term babies in Mpongwe Mission Hospital, Zambia, to delayed cord clamping (DCC, n = 46) or immediate cord clamping (controls, n = 45) and followed their infants on a bi-monthly basis until the age of 6 months. We compared the haemoglobin (Hb) change from cord values and the proportion of anaemic infants. Secondary outcomes related to infant and maternal safety. Results Throughout the observation period infant Hb levels in both groups declined, but more rapidly in controls than in the DCC group [difference in Hb change from baseline at 4 months 1.1 g/dl, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2; 2.1]. By 6 months, this difference had disappeared (0.0 g/dl, 95% CI -0.9; 0.8). The odds ratio for iron deficiency anaemia in the DCC group at 4 months was 0.3 (95% CI 0.1; 1.0), but no differences were found between the groups at 6 months. No adverse events were seen in infants and mothers. Conclusion Our findings indicate that DCC could help improve the haematological status of term infants living in a malaria-endemic region at 4 months of age. However, the beneficial haematological effect disappeared by 6 months. This simple, free and safe delivery procedure might offer a strategy to reduce early infant anaemia risk, when other interventions are not yet feasible

Mode of inheritance of resistance to ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei [Pass.] Labr.) in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and its consequences for resistance breeding

A disease‐rating data set collected for ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei [Pass.] Labr.) on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in different environments and with different isolates of the pathogen showed that resistance against the disease is quantitative, with a significant vertical component. Lower mean environmental disease ratings will enhance effective selection for resistance. It is proposed that gene pyramiding, using diverse germplasm and pathogenic isolates be used to combat the disease

Project MinE: study design and pilot analyses of a large-scale whole-genome sequencing study in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [preprint]

The most recent genome-wide association study in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) demonstrates a disproportionate contribution from low-frequency variants to genetic susceptibility of disease. We have therefore begun Project MinE, an international collaboration that seeks to analyse whole-genome sequence data of at least 15,000 ALS patients and 7,500 controls. Here, we report on the design of Project MinE and pilot analyses of newly whole-genome sequenced 1,264 ALS patients and 611 controls drawn from the Netherlands. As has become characteristic of sequencing studies, we find an abundance of rare genetic variation (minor allele frequency \u3c 0.1%), the vast majority of which is absent in public data sets. Principal component analysis reveals local geographical clustering of these variants within The Netherlands. We use the whole-genome sequence data to explore the implications of poor geographical matching of cases and controls in a sequence-based disease study and to investigate how ancestry-matched, externally sequenced controls can induce false positive associations. Also, we have publicly released genome-wide minor allele counts in cases and controls, as well as results from genic burden tests

Time-to-reach Target Calprotectin Level in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

OBJECTIVES: Treatment targets in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) move away from controlling symptoms towards complete recovery of the intestinal mucosa. Currently, the most frequently used noninvasive surrogate marker of mucosal healing is a faecal calprotectin concentration in the target range. This study tested if there was a relation between time-to-reach target calprotectin and first flare. METHODS: We prospectively included new-onset IBD patients aged 17 and younger in a cloud-based registry (FastForwardCare) and followed them for at least 52 weeks. They were treated according to Dutch national guidelines that advocate a step-up approach. Time-to-reach target was defined as the first calprotectin measurement below 250 μg/g after the start of induction therapy. Time-to-first-flare was the time from the first calprotectin measurement below 250 μg/g until reappearance of symptoms with calprotectin values above 250 μg/g. RESULTS: We included 76 patients (luminal Crohn's disease (CD) 43); ulcerative colitis (UC) 33). Median age at diagnosis was respectively 14.5 and 14.1 years. Median time-to-reach target calprotectin was 37 weeks in CD and 11 weeks in UC patients (Log-rank test, p=0.001). Once the calprotectin target was reached, time-to-first flare was significantly longer in CD than in UC patients (Log-rank test, p=0.001). CD patients with time-to-reach target calprotectin ≤12 weeks after conventional induction therapy (i.e. exclusive enteral nutrition or steroids) had a more favourable disease course in the first year than those with time-to-reach target calprotectin >12 weeks (Log-rank test, p=0.057). In UC patients time-to-reach target calprotectin ≤12 weeks is not associated with a favourable disease course in the first year. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this prospective registry suggest that a quick response to conventional therapy predicts a favourable disease course in new-onset paediatric CD, but not in UC. The concept "time-to-reach target calprotectin level" rationalizes the indefinite term "response to treatment" and is well suited for studying treatment effectiveness in real-world practices

Screening for Ascochyta Blight Resistance in Chickpea Under Controlled Environment and Field Conditions

The occurrence and severity of Ascochyta blight of chickpea is influenced by environmental factors, which can complicate field screening. A controlled-environment plant growth room was developed at ICRISAT Asia Center to rapidly screen chickpea genotypes within 15 days for resistance to Ascochyta blight caused by Ascochyta rabiei. A positive correlation was observed between results from controlled-environment and field screenings in an area where the pathogen is endemic

Induction and inheritance of determinate growth habit in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The character of determinate plant growth has not been reported for chickpea and has not been observed in the world germplasm collection at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India. A determinate growth habit would be desirable where growing conditions often lead to excessive vegetative growth. We attempted to generate this trait by mutation breeding. Seeds of the cultivar ICCV 6 were exposed to varying irradiation treatments, M1 and M2 populations were raised, and in the latter one plant was detected that showed the determinate growth habit and female sterility. The character of determinate growth segregated in a postulated digenic epistatic 3:13 fashion in the F2 and confirmed its digenic mode of inheritance in the F3 and F4. The symbol cd is proposed for the allele conditioning for determinancy and Dt for the allele expressing the determinate trait. Continued mutation breeding with this and other material may result in identifying fully fertile, determinate plant type

Root-knot nematode disease of chickpea in Nepal

The root-knot nematode disease of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) caused by Meloidogyne spp. was found to be widespread in the Tarai region of Nepal. The disease was moderate to severe in Bhairahawa, Gadari, Gopalkoti, and Rampur. In Nawalpur, Nepalganj and Parwanipur, the disease incidence was low. Leucas aspera, a common weed in chickpea fields, was found to harbour the root-knot nematod

Long-range potential fluctuations and 1/f noise in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

We present a microscopic theory of the low-frequency voltage noise (known as "1/f" noise) in micrometer-thick films of hydrogenated amorphous silicon. This theory traces the noise back to the long-range fluctuations of the Coulomb potential produced by deep defects, thereby predicting the absolute noise intensity as a function of the distribution of defect activation energies. The predictions of this theory are in very good agreement with our own experiments in terms of both the absolute intensity and the temperature dependence of the noise spectra.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, several new parts and one new figure are added, but no conceptual revision