AURORA : bariatric surgery registration in women of reproductive age : a multicenter prospective cohort study

Background: The expansion of the obesity epidemic is accompanied with an increase in bariatric procedures, in particular in women of reproductive age. The weight loss induced by the surgery is believed to reverse the negative impact of overweight and obesity on female reproduction, however, research is limited to in particular retrospective cohort studies and a growing number of small case-series and case-(control) studies. Methods/design: AURORA is a multicenter prospective cohort study. The main objective is to collect long-term data on reproductive outcomes before and after bariatric surgery and in a subsequent pregnancy. Women aged 18-45 years are invited to participate at 4 possible inclusion moments: 1) before surgery, 2) after surgery, 3) before 15 weeks of pregnancy and 4) in the immediate postpartum period (day 3-4). Depending on the time of inclusion, data are collected before surgery (T1), 3 weeks and 3, 6, 12 or x months after surgery (T2-T5) and during the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy (T6-T8), at delivery (T9) and 6 weeks and 6 months after delivery (T10-T11). Online questionnaires are send on the different measuring moments. Data are collected on contraception, menstrual cycle, sexuality, intention of becoming pregnant, diet, physical activity, lifestyle, psycho-social characteristics and dietary supplement intake. Fasting blood samples determine levels of vitamin A, D, E, K, B-1, B-12 and folate, albumin, total protein, coagulation parameters, magnesium, calcium, zinc and glucose. Participants are weighted every measuring moment. Fetal ultrasounds and pregnancy course and complications are reported every trimester of pregnancy. Breastfeeding is recorded and breast milk composition in the postpartum period is studied. Discussion: AURORA is a multicenter prospective cohort study extensively monitoring women before undergoing bariatric surgery until a subsequent pregnancy and postpartum period

Detection of putative secreted proteins in the plant-parasitic nematode Heterodera schachtii

The beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii is an important pathogen worldwide, but its molecular characterization has been limited to studying individual genes of interest. We undertook a high-throughput genomic approach and drastically increased the number of available sequences for this parasite. A total of 2,662 expressed sequence tags were grouped into 1,212 clusters representing a nonredundant catalog of H. schachtii genes. Implementing a bioinformatic workflow, we identified 50 sequences coding for candidate secreted proteins. All of these contain a putative signal peptide required for entry into the secretory pathway and lack any transmembrane domain. Included are previously postulated cell-wall-degrading enzymes and other parasitism-related genes. Moreover, we provide the first report of an arabinogalactan endo-1,4-beta-galactosidase enzyme (EC 3.2.1.89) in animals. As sequence data increase at a rapid rate, developing high-throughput genomic screening is a necessity. The in silico approach described here is an effective way to identify putative secreted proteins and prioritize candidates for further studies