Educational inequality in multimorbidity: causality and causal pathways. A mendelian randomisation study in UK Biobank.

Background: Multimorbidity, typically defined as having two or more long-term health conditions, is associated with reduced wellbeing and life expectancy. Understanding the determinants of multimorbidity, including whether they are causal, may help with the design and prioritisation of prevention interventions. This study seeks to assess the causality of education, BMI, smoking and alcohol as determinants of multimorbidity, and the degree to which BMI, smoking and alcohol mediate differences in multimorbidity by level of education.

Neuronal sensitivity to the interaural time difference of the sound envelope in the mouse inferior colliculus.

We examined the sensitivity of the neurons in the mouse inferior colliculus (IC) to the interaural time differences (ITD) conveyed in the sound envelope. Utilizing optogenetic methods, we compared the responses to the ITD in the envelope of identified glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. More than half of both cell types were sensitive to the envelope ITD, and the ITD curves were aligned at their troughs.

Precision of recumbent crown-heel length when using an infantometer.

Background: Crown-heel length (CHL) measurement is influenced by technique, training, experience and subject cooperation. We investigated whether extending one or both of an infant's legs affects the precision of CHL taken using an infantometer. The influence of staff training and infant cooperation were also examined.

Systematic Review of the Methodological Quality of Studies Aimed at Creating Gestational Weight Gain Charts.

A range of adverse outcomes is associated with insufficient and excessive maternal weight gain in pregnancy, but there is no consensus regarding what constitutes optimal gestational weight gain (GWG). Differences in the methodological quality of GWG studies may explain the varying chart recommendations. The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the methodological quality of studies that aimed to create GWG charts by scoring them against a set of predefined, independently agreed-upon criteria.

Gestational weight gain standards based on women enrolled in the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project: a prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Objective: To describe patterns in maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) in healthy pregnancies with good maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Design: Prospective longitudinal observational study.

Setting: Eight geographically diverse urban regions in Brazil, China, India, Italy, Kenya, Oman, United Kingdom, and United States, April 2009 to March 2014.

Long-Lasting Sound-Evoked Afterdischarge in the Auditory Midbrain.

Different forms of plasticity are known to play a critical role in the processing of information about sound. Here, we report a novel neural plastic response in the inferior colliculus, an auditory center in the midbrain of the auditory pathway. A vigorous, long-lasting sound-evoked afterdischarge (LSA) is seen in a subpopulation of both glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of normal hearing mice.

Functional organization of the local circuit in the inferior colliculus.

The inferior colliculus (IC) is the first integration center of the auditory system. After the transformation of sound to neural signals in the cochlea, the signals are analyzed by brainstem auditory nuclei that, in turn, transmit this information to the IC. However, the neural circuitry that underlies this integration is unclear.

Differences in the strength of cortical and brainstem inputs to SSA and non-SSA neurons in the inferior colliculus.

In an ever changing auditory scene, change detection is an ongoing task performed by the auditory brain. Neurons in the midbrain and auditory cortex that exhibit stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) may contribute to this process. Those neurons adapt to frequent sounds while retaining their excitability to rare sounds.

Differential distribution of GABA and glycine terminals in the inferior colliculus of rat and mouse.

The inferior colliculus (IC), the midbrain component of the auditory pathway, integrates virtually all inputs from the auditory brainstem. These are a mixture of excitatory and inhibitory ascending inputs, and the inhibitory transmitters include both gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine (GLY). Although the presence of these inhibitory inputs is well established, their relative location in the IC is not, and there is little information on the mouse.

Expression of glutamate and inhibitory amino acid vesicular transporters in the rodent auditory brainstem.

Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the auditory system, but associations between glutamatergic neuronal populations and the distribution of their synaptic terminations have been difficult. Different subsets of glutamatergic terminals employ one of three vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUT) to load synaptic vesicles. Recently, VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 terminals were found to have different patterns of organization in the inferior colliculus, suggesting that there are different types of glutamatergic neurons in the brainstem auditory system with projections to the colliculus.

Differential patterns of inputs create functional zones in central nucleus of inferior colliculus.

Distinct pathways carry monaural and binaural information from the lower auditory brainstem to the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC). Previous anatomical and physiological studies suggest that differential ascending inputs to regions of the ICC create functionally distinct zones. Here, we provide direct evidence of this relationship by combining recordings of single unit responses to sound in the ICC with focal, iontophoretic injections of the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold at the physiologically characterized sites.

Two classes of GABAergic neurons in the inferior colliculus.

The inferior colliculus (IC) is unique, having both glutamatergic and GABAergic projections ascending to the thalamus. Although subpopulations of GABAergic neurons in the IC have been proposed, criteria to distinguish them have been elusive and specific types have not been associated with specific neural circuits. Recently, the largest IC neurons were found to be recipients of somatic terminals containing vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2).

Diurnal O2 and carbohydrate levels in wheat kernels during embryony.

In vitro zygotic and somatic embryogenesis procedures for wheat have been improved by simulating in ovulo nutritional, hormonal and dissolved oxygen (dO2) conditions. However, diurnal fluctuations in these conditions during early embryony are not well characterized. In this study, dO2 and water-soluble carbohydrate Levels in wheat kernels were determined after 8 h of light and 8 h of dark at approximately 6, 12 and 18 day post anthesis (DPA).

Organization of binaural excitatory and inhibitory inputs to the inferior colliculus from the superior olive.

The major excitatory, binaural inputs to the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) are from two groups of neurons with different functions-the ipsilateral medial superior olive (MSO) and the contralateral lateral superior olive (LSO). A major inhibitory, binaural input emerges from glycinergic neurons in the ipsilateral LSO. To determine whether these inputs converge on the same postsynaptic targets in the ICC, two different anterograde tracers were injected in tonotopically matched areas of the MSO and the LSO on the opposite side in the same animal.

Topography of interaural temporal disparity coding in projections of medial superior olive to inferior colliculus.

Neurons in the medial superior olive encode interaural temporal disparity, and their receptive fields indicate the location of a sound source in the azimuthal plane. It is often assumed that the projections of these neurons transmit the receptive field information about azimuth from point to point, much like the projections of the retina to the brain transmit the position of a visual stimulus. Yet this assumption has never been verified.

Surgical options and results of repeated aortic root replacement for failed aortic allografts placed in childhood.

Objectives: This report reviews our experience with repeated aortic root replacement after failure of cryopreserved aortic allografts placed during childhood and compares replacement with aortic allografts, pulmonary autografts, and mechanical valved conduits in these patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of all such patients from 1986 through May 2001.

Results: There were 25 operations (11 aortic allografts, 9 pulmonary autografts, and 5 mechanical valved conduits) among 23 patients.

Aortic allografts for left ventricular outflow tract replacement in children.

Aortic allografts provide many advantages in children requiring left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) reconstruction. The low risk of thromboembolic events and freedom from the requirement for anticoagulation are primary benefits. Additionally, excellent hemodynamic results are possible even in the presence of multilevel obstruction.