Reference ranges for the size of the fetal cardiac outflow tracts from 13 to 36 weeks gestation: a single-center study of over 7000 cases

BACKGROUND: Assessment of the outflow tract views is an integral part of routine fetal cardiac scanning. For some congenital heart defects, notably coarctation of the aorta, pulmonary valve stenosis, and aortic valve stenosis, the size of vessels is important both for diagnosis and prognosis. Existing reference ranges of fetal outflow tracts are derived from a small number of cases. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study population comprised 7945 fetuses at 13 to 36 weeks’ gestation with no detectable abnormalities from pregnancies resulting in normal live births. Prospective measurements were taken of (1) the aortic and pulmonary valves in diastole at the largest diameter with the valve closed, (2) the distal transverse aortic arch on the 3 vessel and trachea view beyond the trachea at the distal point at its widest systolic diameter, and (3) the arterial duct on the 3 vessel and trachea view at its widest systolic diameter. Regression analysis, with polynomial terms to assess for linear and nonlinear contributors, was used to establish the relationship between each measurement and gestational age. The measurement for each cardiac diameter was expressed as a z score (difference between observed and expected value divided by the fitted SD corrected for gestational age) and percentile. Analysis included calculation of gestation-specific SDs. Regression equations are provided for the cardiac outflow tracts and for the distal transverse aortic arch:arterial duct ratio. CONCLUSIONS: The study established reference ranges for fetal outflow tract measurements at 13 to 36 weeks’ gestation that are useful in clinical practice

Patterns of cell cycle checkpoint deregulation associated with intrinsic molecular subtypes of human breast cancer cells

Genomic instability is a hallmark of breast cancer, contributes to tumor heterogeneity, and influences chemotherapy resistance. Although Gap 2 and mitotic checkpoints are thought to prevent genomic instability, the role of these checkpoints in breast cancer is poorly understood. Here, we assess the Gap 2 and mitotic checkpoint functions of 24 breast cancer and immortalized mammary epithelial cell lines representing four of the six intrinsic molecular subtypes of breast cancer. We found that patterns of cell cycle checkpoint deregulation were associated with the intrinsic molecular subtype of breast cancer cell lines. Specifically, the luminal B and basal-like cell lines harbored two molecularly distinct Gap 2/mitosis checkpoint defects (impairment of the decatenation Gap 2 checkpoint and the spindle assembly checkpoint, respectively). All subtypes of breast cancer cell lines examined displayed aberrant DNA synthesis/Gap 2/mitosis progression and the basal-like and claudin-low cell lines exhibited increased percentages of chromatid cohesion defects. Furthermore, a decatenation Gap 2 checkpoint gene expression signature identified in the cell line panel correlated with clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients, suggesting that breast tumors may also harbor defects in decatenation Gap 2 checkpoint function. Taken together, these data imply that pharmacological targeting of signaling pathways driving these phenotypes may lead to the development of novel personalized treatment strategies for the latter two subtypes which currently lack targeted therapeutic options because of their triple negative breast cancer status

Comparison of different stomatal conductance algorithms for ozone flux modelling

A multiplicative and a semi-mechanistic, BWB-type [Ball, J.T., Woodrow, I.E., Berry, J.A., 1987. A model predicting stomatalconductance and its contribution to the control of photosynthesis under different environmental conditions. In: Biggens, J. (Ed.), Progress in Photosynthesis Research, vol. IV. Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, pp. 221–224.] algorithm for calculating stomatalconductance (gs) at the leaf level have been parameterised for two crop and two tree species to test their use in regional scale ozone deposition modelling. The algorithms were tested against measured, site-specific data for durum wheat, grapevine, beech and birch of different European provenances. A direct comparison of both algorithms showed a similar performance in predicting hourly means and daily time-courses of gs, whereas the multiplicative algorithm outperformed the BWB-type algorithm in modelling seasonal time-courses due to the inclusion of a phenology function. The re-parameterisation of the algorithms for local conditions in order to validate ozone deposition modelling on a European scale reveals the higher input requirements of the BWB-type algorithm as compared to the multiplicative algorithm because of the need of the former to model net photosynthesis (An

First-dose ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines and thrombocytopenic, thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events in Scotland

Reports of ChAdOx1 vaccine–associated thrombocytopenia and vascular adverse events have led to some countries restricting its use. Using a national prospective cohort, we estimated associations between exposure to first-dose ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2 vaccination and hematological and vascular adverse events using a nested incident-matched case-control study and a confirmatory self-controlled case series (SCCS) analysis. An association was found between ChAdOx1 vaccination and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) (0–27 d after vaccination; adjusted rate ratio (aRR) = 5.77, 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.41–13.83), with an estimated incidence of 1.13 (0.62–1.63) cases per 100,000 doses. An SCCS analysis confirmed that this was unlikely due to bias (RR = 1.98 (1.29–3.02)). There was also an increased risk for arterial thromboembolic events (aRR = 1.22, 1.12–1.34) 0–27 d after vaccination, with an SCCS RR of 0.97 (0.93–1.02). For hemorrhagic events 0–27 d after vaccination, the aRR was 1.48 (1.12–1.96), with an SCCS RR of 0.95 (0.82–1.11). A first dose of ChAdOx1 was found to be associated with small increased risks of ITP, with suggestive evidence of an increased risk of arterial thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events. The attenuation of effect found in the SCCS analysis means that there is the potential for overestimation of the reported results, which might indicate the presence of some residual confounding or confounding by indication. Public health authorities should inform their jurisdictions of these relatively small increased risks associated with ChAdOx1. No positive associations were seen between BNT162b2 and thrombocytopenic, thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events

Space-Time Structure of Loop Quantum Black Hole

In this paper we have improved the semiclassical analysis of loop quantum black hole (LQBH) in the conservative approach of constant polymeric parameter. In particular we have focused our attention on the space-time structure. We have introduced a very simple modification of the spherically symmetric Hamiltonian constraint in its holonomic version. The new quantum constraint reduces to the classical constraint when the polymeric parameter goes to zero.Using this modification we have obtained a large class of semiclassical solutions parametrized by a generic function of the polymeric parameter. We have found that only a particular choice of this function reproduces the black hole solution with the correct asymptotic flat limit. In r=0 the semiclassical metric is regular and the Kretschmann invariant has a maximum peaked in L-Planck. The radial position of the pick does not depend on the black hole mass and the polymeric parameter. The semiclassical solution is very similar to the Reissner-Nordstrom metric. We have constructed the Carter-Penrose diagrams explicitly, giving a causal description of the space-time and its maximal extension. The LQBH metric interpolates between two asymptotically flat regions, the r to infinity region and the r to 0 region. We have studied the thermodynamics of the semiclassical solution. The temperature, entropy and the evaporation process are regular and could be defined independently from the polymeric parameter. We have studied the particular metric when the polymeric parameter goes towards to zero. This metric is regular in r=0 and has only one event horizon in r = 2m. The Kretschmann invariant maximum depends only on L-Planck. The polymeric parameter does not play any role in the black hole singularity resolution. The thermodynamics is the same.Comment: 17 pages, 19 figure

Thorium speciation in seawater

Author Posting. © The Authors, 2006. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Chemistry 100 (2006): 250-268, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2005.10.024.Since the 1960’s, thorium isotopes occupy a special place in the oceanographer’s toolbox as tracers for determining rates and mechanisms of oceanic scavenging, particle dynamics, and carbon fluxes. Due to their unique and constant production rates from soluble parent nuclides of uranium and radium, their disequilibrium can be used to calculate rates and time scales of sinking particles. In addition, by ratio-ing particulate 234Th (as well, in principle, other Thnuclides) to carbon (and other elements), and linking this ratio to the parent-daughter disequilibrium in the water column, it is possible to calculate fluxes of carbon and other elements. Most of these applications are possible with little knowledge of the dissolved chemical properties of thorium, other than its oxidation state (IV) and tendency to strongly sorb to surfaces, i.e., its “particle- or surface-activity”. However, the use of any tracer is hindered by a lack of knowledge of its chemical properties. Recent observations in the variability of carbon to 234Th ratios in different particle types, as well as of associations of Th(IV) with various marine organic biomolecules has led to the need for a review of current knowledge and what future endeavors should be taken to understand the marine chemistry of thorium.The writing of this paper was supported, in parts by NSF (OCE-0351559; OCE-0350758, and OCE 0354757)

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

Novel Loci for Adiponectin Levels and Their Influence on Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Traits : A Multi-Ethnic Meta-Analysis of 45,891 Individuals

J. Kaprio, S. Ripatti ja M.-L. Lokki työryhmien jäseniä.Peer reviewe