Fetal oxygen affinity and its parameters in a random obstetric population

Peer Reviewe

Gestational Weight Gain Patterns

Background: Managing gestational weight gain (GWG) remains a global health priority as obesity among women of childbearing age and their children have been linked to excessive GWG. Excessive GWG has been linked to increased rates of cesarean sections, preterm births, hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, large for gestational age newborns, postpartum weight retention, long-term obesity for the woman and her children. Conversely, adverse outcomes resulting from weight gain below recommendation could potentially include preterm births, increased rates of neonatal intensive care admission, and newborn morbidity and mortality. Previous studies indicate the need for healthcare providers to help women gain within the recommended guidelines to decrease incidence of adverse outcomes. Purpose: This study explores the concept of gestational weight, describes maternal characteristics of women who adhere to the recommended guidelines, examines correlates of socio-demographic, maternal and newborn characteristics, and gestational weight gain patterns, and identifies women staying within the Institute of Medicine\u27s (IOM) 2009 recommended guidelines for GWG. To adequately address GWG patterns, study aims were achieved through concept analysis and retrospective data collection to: (1) identify GWG patterns among the sample by describing the characteristics of women who gained above, within, or below the IOM\u27s recommended guidelines and (2) examine correlates of GWG patterns. Methods: A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional design using retrospective data abstracted from medical records was used. A purposive sample of all women (N = 4500) who gave birth between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012 at a large multi-community hospital healthcare system in San Diego County provided data for this study. Inclusion criteria: singleton live birth, data on pre pregnancy BMI & GWG, ≥ 4 prenatal visits, and delivered at ≥ 37 weeks gestation. Two hundred ninety women met inclusion criteria. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to assess characteristics of the sample and examine relationships between the variables. Results: Manuscript #1 titled Understanding the Concept of Gestational Weight analyzes the concept of gestational weight and its contributing factors, clarifies its meaning, and addresses implications for practice and the need for future studies. Manuscript #2 titled Mothers\u27 Characteristics and Gestational Weight Gain Patterns identifies adherence to GWG recommendations and examines the characteristics of women who gain within, below or above the 2009 IOM GWG guidelines. Manuscript #3 titled Correlates of Gestational Weight Gain within the 2009 IOM Recommended Guidelines examines the relationships between women\u27s socio-demographic, maternal and newborn characteristics, and gestational weight gain patterns. Implications: The results of this study show there is an increased need for healthcare providers to provide appropriate guidance and support to women of childbearing age. Providers should offer preconception counseling and surveillance to help women achieve normal pre-pregnancy BMI then continue to work with women during pregnancy to gain weight within the recommended range to decrease incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes for both women and their children

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ESTIMATING RETURNS FROM PAST INVESTMENTS INTO BEEF CATTLE GENETICS RD&E IN AUSTRALIA

This study aimed at estimating the costs and benefits of all beef cattle genetic improvement activity, across Australia, over the period 1970 to the present. The total cumulative Present Value (PV) of investments by industry, government and other agencies into selection, crossbreeding and grading up since 1963, and of imported genetics, was estimated to be $340m (in$2001 at a 7% discount rate). Using a suite of genetic evaluation models, farming systems models and an industry-level model, the cumulative PV of industry returns were estimated. Within-breed selection generated $944m; crossbreeding in southern Australia$255m; changing breed composition in southern Australia $62m; and changing breed composition in northern Australia$8.1bn. The benefit/cost ratio for this investment was 28:1 over the last 30 years.Livestock Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Estimating the Returns from Past Investment into Beef Cattle Genetic Technologies in Australia

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Evaluation of yam-based production enterprises in Nigeria

This research investigated yam based production enterprise in Nigeria to identify the ideal farming system for yam. Data were extracted from 360 respondents in selected major yam-producing States in Nigeria. Data were analysed by the use of descriptive statistics and economic analysis. The result of this investigation reveals that yam production is profitable but it requires a large capital outlay. Yam production was more profitable that other comparable crops. There are infinite cropping systems for yam in Nigeria. All the dominant cropping systems for yam are profitable. Yam/maize intercropping system is the most profitable crop system for yam in Nigeria. The key recommendations from this research are increased investment in yam production; adoption of Yam/Maize intercropping system; and the development of an appropriate yam production technique that will reduce the cost of yam and make its production more profitable

Landsat-based lake distribution and changes in western Alaska permafrost regions between the 1970s and 2010s

Lakes are an important ecosystem component and geomorphological agent in northern high latitudes and it is important to understand how lake initiation, expansion and drainage may change as high latitudes continue to warm. In this study, we utilized Landsat Multispectral Scanner System (MSS) images from the 1970s (1972, 1974, and 1975) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) images from the 2010s (2013, 2014, and 2015) to assess broad-scale distribution and changes of lakes larger than 1 ha across the four permafrost zones (continuous, discontinuous, sporadic, and isolated extent) in western Alaska. Across our ca 70,000 km2study area, we saw a decline in overall lake coverage across all permafrost zones with the exception of the sporadic permafrost zone. In the continuous permafrost zone lake area declined by -6.7 % (-65.3 km2), in the discontinuous permafrost zone by -1.6 % (-55.0 km2), in the isolated permafrost zone by -6.9 % (-31.5 km2) while lake cover increased by 2.7 % (117.2 km2) in the sporadic permafrost zone. Overall, we observed a net drainage of lakes larger than 10 ha in the study region. Partial drainage of these medium to large lakes created an increase in the area covered by small water bodies <10 ha, in the form of remnant lakes and ponds by 7.1 % (12.6 km2) in continuous permafrost, 2.5 % (15.5 km2) in discontinuous permafrost, 14.4 % (74.6 km2) in sporadic permafrost, and 10.4 % (17.2 km2) in isolated permafrost. In general, our observations indicate that lake expansion and drainage in western Alaska are occurring in parallel. As the climate continues to warm and permafrost continues to thaw, we expect an increase in the number of drainage events in this region leading to the formation of higher numbers of small remnant lakes

Person-centered approach to examining emergent literacy risks in children with specific language impairment

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) are at increased risk for reading difficulties, and some studies suggest that these problems are evident even with pre-reading skills, such as alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness. To date, most studies asserting these emergent literacy difficulties have relied on mean score differences between children with SLI and children who are typically developing. However, work concerning children with SLI also reports considerable heterogeneity, such that some children perform as well as typically developing peers. The present study utilizes a person-centered approach to examine whether the actual proportion of preschool children with SLI (n = 62) who might be identified as “at risk” on measures of emergent literacy differs significantly from the proportion of age-matched typically developing peers (n = 40), and whether a subset of children with concomitant speech impairment would exhibit greatest risk. Results showed that a significantly greater percentage of children with SLI were classified as at risk on all three emergent literacy measures, and the percentage of children at risk for each measure was similar. Children with concomitant speech and language impairment performed more poorly on the alphabet knowledge measure, as compared to those with LI-only, but had similar scores on the other two measures (rhyme awareness and print knowledge). Implications of these findings with respect to assessing emergent literacy in children with language disorders are discussed

Patient experience of lasting negative effects of psychological interventions for anxiety and depression in secondary mental health care services: a national cross-sectional study

Background Patients who undergo psychological treatment can report both negative and positive effects, but evidence of factors influencing the likelihood of negative effects is limited. Aims To identify aspects of the organisation and delivery of secondary care psychological treatment services that are associated with patient experiences of negative effects. Method Cross-sectional survey of people with anxiety and depression who ended psychological treatment delivered by 50 NHS trusts in England. Respondents were asked about how their treatment was organised and delivered and whether they experienced lasting negative effects. Results Of 662 respondents, 90 (14.1%) reported experiencing lasting negative effects. People over the age of 65 were less likely than younger respondents to report negative effects. There was an association between reporting neutral or negative effects and not being referred at what respondents considered to be the right time (OR = 1.712, 95% CI = 1.078–2.726), not receiving the right number of sessions (OR = 3.105, 95% CI = 1.934–4.987), and not discussing progress with their therapist (OR 2.063, 95% CI = 1.290–3.301). Conclusions One in seven patients who took part in this survey reported lasting negative effects from psychological treatment. Steps should be taken to prepare people for the potential for negative experiences of treatment, and progress reviewed during therapy in an effort to identify and prevent negative effects

β-Glucan is a major growth substrate for human gut bacteria related to Coprococcus eutactus

A clone encoding carboxymethyl cellulase activity was isolated during functional screening of a human gut metagenomic library using Lactococcus lactis MG1363 as heterologous host. The insert carried a glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) catalytic domain with sequence similarity to a gene from Coprococcus eutactus ART55/1. Genome surveys indicated a limited distribution of GH9 domains among dominant human colonic anaerobes. Genomes of C. eutactus-related strains harboured two GH9-encoding and four GH5-encoding genes, but the strains did not appear to degrade cellulose. Instead, they grew well on β-glucans and one of the strains also grew on galactomannan, galactan, glucomannan and starch. Coprococcus comes and Coprococcus catus strains did not harbour GH9 genes and were not able to grow on β-glucans. Gene expression and proteomic analysis of C. eutactus ART55/1 grown on cellobiose, β-glucan and lichenan revealed similar changes in expression in comparison to glucose. On β-glucan and lichenan only, one of the four GH5 genes was strongly upregulated. Growth on glucomannan led to a transcriptional response of many genes, in particular a strong upregulation of glycoside hydrolases involved in mannan degradation. Thus, β-glucans are a major growth substrate for species related to C. eutactus, with glucomannan and galactans alternative substrates for some strains