Associating sensory cues with incoming seizures: developing an animal model of auras.

For patients with epilepsy, one of the biggest problems is the unpredictability of the time when the next seizure will occur. Interestingly, some epileptic patients experience a sensory sensation preceding seizures, called aura, which helps them move to safety before a seizure. Here, we describe the development of the first animal model of auras, which could allow for a more detailed study of this phenomenon.

Compensating for a stressful pregnancy? Glucocorticoid treatment during gravidity reduces metabolic rate in female fence lizards post-parturition.

Reproduction is a critical part of an animal's life history, but one which incurs significant costs to survival and future reproductive potential. These physiological consequences are likely to be influenced by context - for example, if an individual is subject to environmental stressors, physiological and behavioral changes associated with reproduction may be altered. Glucocorticoids, hormones produced as part of the physiological response to stressors, may alter how reproduction affects female physiology and behavior, and therefore the outcomes of reproductive trade-offs.

Increased maternal Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) associated with older age at diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in offspring.

Aims: Obesity and insulin resistance have been linked to rising incidence and earlier onset of Type 1 diabetes. Inherited differences in insulin action might also influence the evolution of Type 1 diabetes.Our aim was to determine whether parental BMI and insulin resistance influences age of onset of Type 1 diabetes in their offspring.

Evaluation of the acceptability of a new oral vitamin K prophylaxis for breastfed infants.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptability and tolerability of the oral food supplement Neokay for the prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in newborns.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 45 midwives in which they were asked 10 questions about their use of Neokay, its advantages and disadvantages, and their perceptions of parental attitudes towards this new prophylactic treatment.

Results: During a 6-month period one dose of Neokay was given to 1794 healthy newborns at birth and further daily doses were given to 812 breastfed infants for 3 months.

Satellite-borne limb scanning UV spectrometer for thermospheric remote sensing.

A concave grating Wadsworth spectrometer designed to scan the UV limb of the earth was flown on a Defense Department meteorological satellite to obtain measurements of atmospheric emissions in the 85-395-nm wavelength range as a function of height above the solid earth. The instrument field of view was 0.14 x 3.