Associations between maternal triclosan concentrations in early pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance, gestational weight gain and fetal markers of metabolic function.

Background: Triclosan is a phenolic biocide used in a multitude of consumer products and in health care settings. It is widely detected in the American and Canadian populations and has been shown in animal models to act as an endocrine disrupting agent. However, there has been little examination to date of the effects of triclosan exposure in pregnancy on perinatal metabolic outcomes in human populations.

Prosthetic Valve-on-Valve Mitral Valve Re-Replacement: A Novel Approach.

Repeat mitral valve replacement in patients who underwent mechanical replacement during infancy may be technically very difficult due to the small-sized annulus accommodating the prosthesis. That can lead to dense fibrosis of the small annulus onto the sewing cuff. An attempt at explanting the prosthesis carries high risk of circumflex coronary artery injury or atrioventricular junction disruption.

Back to the core: A network approach to bolster harm reduction among persons who inject drugs.

Background: Injecting drugs safely almost always includes the presence of one's social network, especially for the prevention of overdose. Yet, the systematic analysis of users' social networks has yet to be established as a focal method in harm reduction research, and interventions.

Methods: This study draws from 200 interviews with persons who inject drugs recruited from North America's first sanctioned supervised injection facility and a drug user's advocacy group.

Deprescribing antihyperglycemic agents in older persons: Evidence-based clinical practice guideline.

Objective: To develop an evidence-based guideline to help clinicians make decisions about when and how to safely taper, stop, or switch antihyperglycemic agents in older adults.

Methods: We focused on the highest level of evidence available and sought input from primary care professionals in guideline development, review, and endorsement processes. Seven clinicians (2 family physicians, 3 pharmacists, 1 nurse practitioner, and 1 endocrinologist) and a methodologist comprised the overall team; members disclosed conflicts of interest.

Modulation of apoptotic response by LAR family phosphatases-cIAP1 signaling during urinary tract morphogenesis.

The elimination of unwanted cells by apoptosis is necessary for tissue morphogenesis. However, the cellular control of morphogenetic apoptosis is poorly understood, notably the modulation of cell sensitivity to apoptotic stimuli. Ureter maturation, the process by which the ureter is displaced to the bladder wall, represents an exquisite example of morphogenetic apoptosis, requiring the receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs): LAR and RPTPσ.

Characterization of Aerosols of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Following Three Generation Methods Using an Optimized Aerosolization System Designed for Experimental Inhalation Studies.

Nanoparticles (NPs) can be released in the air in work settings, but various factors influence the exposure of workers. Controlled inhalation experiments can thus be conducted in an attempt to reproduce real-life exposure conditions and assess inhalation toxicology. Methods exist to generate aerosols, but it remains difficult to obtain nano-sized and stable aerosols suitable for inhalation experiments.

Multi-Modality Imaging in the Evaluation and Treatment of Mitral Regurgitation.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is frequent and associated with increased mortality and morbidity when severe. It may be caused by intrinsic valvular disease (primary MR) or ventricular deformation (secondary MR). Imaging has a critical role to document the severity, mechanism, and impact of MR on heart function as selected patients with MR may benefit from surgery whereas other will not.

Countywide implementation of crisis intervention teams: Multiple methods, measures and sustained outcomes.

The crisis intervention team (CIT) is a tool that can be used to foster pre-booking diversion of individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system and into community treatment services. Although CIT is often implemented solely as the training of law enforcement officers, the model stipulates that CIT is a vehicle for collaboration with community stakeholders who share a similar philosophy, as well as expanded mental health services offering a 24 hour-seven days per week drop-off option for law enforcement officers. This case study presents the countywide implementation of CIT and expands previous findings on the prevalence of officer interaction with persons with mental health issues and CIT training outcomes, including changes in officer perception of individuals with mental health issues.

Myopia and Exposure to Organophosphate and Pyrethroid Pesticides in the General United States Population.

Purpose: Previous research suggests that exposure to pesticides might be associated with human myopia, although data were obtained only from highly exposed individuals. The present study aimed to assess whether exposure to organophosphates and pyrethroids in the United States general population was associated with the prevalence of myopia.

Methods: Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, years 1999-2008).

Changes in water manganese levels and longitudinal assessment of intellectual function in children exposed through drinking water.

Background: Manganese is commonly found in water but potential neurotoxic effects from exposure through drinking water are poorly understood. We previously reported a cross-sectional study showing that drinking water Mn concentration was associated with lower IQ in children aged 6 to 13 years.

Objective: For this follow-up study, we aimed to re-assess the relation between exposure to Mn from drinking water and IQ at adolescence.

Assessment of saliva, hair and toenails as biomarkers of low level exposure to manganese from drinking water in children.

We evaluated hair, toenails, and saliva (whole and supernatant) as biomarkers of exposure to manganese (Mn) in 274 school age children (6-13 years) consuming well water in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. Mn concentrations in tap water ranged from <0.03 to 1046μgL (geometric mean 5.

Mutations in KEOPS-complex genes cause nephrotic syndrome with primary microcephaly.

Galloway-Mowat syndrome (GAMOS) is an autosomal-recessive disease characterized by the combination of early-onset nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) and microcephaly with brain anomalies. Here we identified recessive mutations in OSGEP, TP53RK, TPRKB, and LAGE3, genes encoding the four subunits of the KEOPS complex, in 37 individuals from 32 families with GAMOS. CRISPR-Cas9 knockout in zebrafish and mice recapitulated the human phenotype of primary microcephaly and resulted in early lethality.

Guided Growth: Novel Applications in the Hip, Knee, and Ankle.

Hemiepiphyseodesis for angular deformities in the growing child is effective and avoids the complications of osteotomies and gradual correction with external fixation. This article reviews applications of screw hemiepiphyseodesis for coronal and sagittal plane deformities in the lower extremity. Indications, technical pearls, and pitfalls are discussed.

The Québec NTBC Study.

In this chapter we describe the current Quebec NTBC Study protocol. Quebec's unique characteristics have influenced the development of the protocol, including a high prevalence of hepatorenal tyrosinemia (HT1), universal newborn screening for HT1, availability of treatment with nitisinone (NTBC) and special diet, a large territory, where HT1 treatment is coordinated by a small number of centers. Screened newborns are seen within 3 weeks of birth.

Low level exposure to manganese from drinking water and cognition in school-age children.

Background: Manganese (Mn) is an element found in the environment and certain geographic areas have elevated concentrations in soil and water du to natural conditions or anthropic activities. A growing body of data suggests that exposure to manganese in drinking water could be neurotoxic.

Objective: Firstly, we aimed to examine the association between exposure to manganese from drinking water and cognition in children consuming well water.

Bmp signaling maintains a mesoderm progenitor cell state in the mouse tailbud.

Caudal somites are generated from a pool of progenitor cells located in the tailbud region. These progenitor cells form the presomitic mesoderm that gradually differentiates into somites under the action of the segmentation clock. The signals responsible for tailbud mesoderm progenitor pool maintenance during axial elongation are still elusive.

Associations of Prenatal Urinary Bisphenol A Concentrations with Child Behaviors and Cognitive Abilities.

Background: Prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure has been associated with adverse neurodevelopment in epidemiological studies. However, prior studies had limited statistical power to examine sex-specific effects, and few examined child cognition.

Objectives: We estimated the association between prenatal BPA exposure and child neurobehavior at 3 y of age in a prospective cohort of 812 mothers and their children.

Documenting the kinetic time course of lambda-cyhalothrin metabolites in orally exposed volunteers for the interpretation of biomonitoring data.

Lambda-cyhalothrin is a pyrethroid pesticide largely used in agriculture. Exposure assessment can be performed by measuring key urinary metabolites. For a proper use of biomonitoring data, it is however important to gain information on the toxicokinetics of these key biomarkers of exposure.

The Role of Postural Support in Young Adults' Control of Stationary Kicking.

Purpose: The requirement for postural stability during the performance of motor skills has been clearly demonstrated in infants, but the necessity for such a postural substrate is not well documented in adults. The present study investigated the role of postural stability during a ballistic ball-kicking task in adults by providing varying degrees of external postural support.

Method: In the 1st experiment, 30 participants performed 20 maximal-velocity kicks under each of 3 conditions: grasping a rigid stable handle, light fingertip touch, and grasping a suspended elastic tube.

Lineage Specification from Prostate Progenitor Cells Requires Gata3-Dependent Mitotic Spindle Orientation.

During prostate development, basal and luminal cell lineages are generated through symmetric and asymmetric divisions of bipotent basal cells. However, the extent to which spindle orientation controls division symmetry or cell fate, and the upstream factors regulating this process, are still elusive. We report that GATA3 is expressed in both prostate basal progenitor and luminal cells and that loss of GATA3 leads to a mislocalization of PRKCZ, resulting in mitotic spindle randomization during progenitor cell division.

Detection of Cyanotoxins in Algae Dietary Supplements.

Algae dietary supplements are marketed worldwide as natural health products. Although their proprieties have been claimed as beneficial to improve overall health, there have been several previous reports of contamination by cyanotoxins. These products generally contain non-toxic cyanobacteria, but the methods of cultivation in natural waters without appropriate quality controls allow contamination by toxin producer species present in the natural environment.

Maternal Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Fetal Markers of Metabolic Function and Birth Weight.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous, persistent chemicals that have been widely used in the production of common household and consumer goods for their nonflammable, lipophobic, and hydrophobic properties. Inverse associations between maternal or umbilical cord blood concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonate and birth weight have been identified. This literature has primarily examined each PFAS individually without consideration of the potential influence of correlated exposures.

Mapping the basal ganglia alterations in children chronically exposed to manganese.

Chronic manganese (Mn) exposure is associated with neuromotor and neurocognitive deficits, but the exact mechanism of Mn neurotoxicity is still unclear. With the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in-vivo analysis of brain structures has become possible. Among different sub-cortical structures, the basal ganglia (BG) has been investigated as a putative anatomical biomarker in MR-based studies of Mn toxicity.