Impact of Sclerotinia Stem Rot on Yield of Canola.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is the causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) of canola (Brassica napus). In North Dakota, the leading canola producer in the United States, SSR is an endemic disease. In order to estimate the impact of this disease on canola yield, field experiments were conducted from 2000 to 2004 at several locations in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Profiling excretory/secretory proteins of Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

Infection of mammalian skeletal muscle with the intracellular parasite Trichinella spiralis results in profound alterations in the host cell and a realignment of host cell gene expression. The role of parasite excretory/secretory (E/S) products in mediating these effects is unknown, largely due to the difficulty in identifying and assigning function to individual proteins. In this study, we have used two-dimensional electrophoresis to analyse the profile of muscle larva excreted/secreted proteins and have coupled this to protein identification using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Analysis of differentially expressed parasite genes and proteins using transcriptomics and proteomics.

At any particular point in time, the full complement of transcribed RNAs and relevant proteins of a cell are known as the transcriptome and proteome, respectively. The composition of these two populations changes throughout the life cycle of a parasite or in response to environmental factors, such as drug treatments. Comparing the changes in the composition of the transcriptome and proteome between different life-cycle stages or in the same stage but under different conditions can be of particular interest, as it can allow the identification of potentially important differentially expressed genes and proteins.

Developmental regulation and secretion of nematode-specific cysteine-glycine domain proteins in Trichinella spiralis.

The muscle larva of Trichinella spiralis is an intracellular parasite of mammalian skeletal muscle, encapsulating within a portion of the myofiber and resulting in muscle de-differentiation. Parasite-derived factors secreted or excreted by the muscle larva are thought to play a role in the formation of the host-parasite complex and in the induction of changes in the host cell. We screened a library enriched for T.

Anopheles gambiae collagen IV genes: cloning, phylogeny and midgut expression associated with blood feeding and Plasmodium infection.

A prerequisite for understanding the role that mosquito midgut extracellular matrix molecules play in malaria parasite development is proper isolation and characterisation of the genes coding for components of the basal lamina. Here we have identified genes coding for alpha1 and alpha2 chains of collagen IV from the major malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae. Conserved sequences in the terminal NC1 domain were used to obtain partial gene sequences of this functional region, and full sequence was isolated from a pupal cDNA library.

The Toronto Tri-Hospital Gestational Diabetes Project. A preliminary review.

In this study, we assessed maternal-fetal outcomes in untreated patients with increasing carbohydrate intolerance not meeting the current criteria for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), examined the relationship between birth weight and mode of delivery among women with untreated borderline GDM, treated overt GDM, and normoglycemia, and established more efficient screening strategies for detection of GDM. This was a prospective analytic cohort study in which nondiabetic women aged > or = 24 years were eligible for enrollment. A 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) and a 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were administered at 26 and 28 weeks gestational age, respectively.

Impact of increasing carbohydrate intolerance on maternal-fetal outcomes in 3637 women without gestational diabetes. The Toronto Tri-Hospital Gestational Diabetes Project.

Objective: Our purpose was to assess maternal-fetal outcomes in patients with increasing carbohydrate intolerance not meeting the current criteria for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

Study Design: We conducted a prospective analytic cohort study in which nondiabetic women aged > or = 24 years, receiving prenatal care in three Toronto teaching hospitals, were eligible for enrollment. A glucose challenge test and an oral glucose tolerance test were administered at 26 and 28 weeks' gestation, respectively; risk factors for unfavorable maternal-fetal outcomes were recorded.

Impact of time since last meal on the gestational glucose challenge test. The Toronto Tri-Hospital Gestational Diabetes Project.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of time since the last meal on the glucose challenge test and to find cut points that are most likely to predict the outcome of the oral glucose tolerance test in patients screened for gestational diabetes.

Study Design: This prospective analytic cohort study was carried out at the University of Toronto Perinatal Complex. A 50 gm glucose load was given at 26 weeks' gestation and the time since previous meal ingestion was recorded.

Association of fetal heart block and massive placental infarction due to maternal autoantibodies.

Two different effects of maternal autoantibodies presented in a third-trimester pregnancy. The first was complete fetal heart block, demonstrated ultrasonographically, which correlated with the presence of anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies in the maternal serum. The second effect was decidual vasculopathy and thrombosis, a morphologic finding in the placenta that caused massive placental infarction and intrauterine death.

Dantrolene in pregnancy: lack of adverse effects on the fetus and newborn infant.

Twenty malignant hyperthermia-susceptible pregnant patients were given dantrolene sodium orally for 5 days before delivery and 3 days after delivery. When cesarean section was necessary, triggering agents were avoided. No patient had a malignant hyperthermia reaction.

Psychological adaptation to pregnancy in childless women more than 35 years of age.

Forty-five pregnant childless women with a mean age of 36.6 years (+/- 1.7) were compared with 42 nulliparous pregnant women with a mean age of 26.

Cervical ripening and labor induction with prostaglandin E2 gel: a placebo-controlled study.

A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of a single intracervical application of prostaglandin E2 gel on the ripening of the cervix and on the subsequent induction of labor with oxytocin in patients with low Bishop scores (less than or equal to 4). Compared to controls receiving gel only, the group receiving prostaglandin E2 gel had significant increases in their cervical Bishop scores, shorter induction-to-delivery intervals, shorter time requiring use of oxytocin, and more successful labor induction without oxytocin. Systemic side effects were minimal and fetal outcomes were comparable, as were the routes of delivery.

The influence of prolonged pregnancy on infant development at one and two years of age: a prospective controlled study.

Isolated reports of developmental disturbances following prolonged pregnancy led us to compare, prospectively, at 1 and 2 years of age, infants born after normal term gestations with those born after prolonged pregnancies (exceeding 294 days). The infants were subgrouped according to their physical condition at birth, that is, normal or dysmature (mild or advanced dysmaturity). Infant assessments included: (1) height and weight, (2) hospitalizations, and (3) mental development by the Griffiths Mental Development Scales.

The variability of fetal breathing movements in normal human fetuses at term.

With the use of a B-scan phase-locked tracking system, 108 observations of fetal breathing were performed on 97 normal antenatal patients at term. One hundred thirty-three recorded segments of fetal breathing movements were obtained. Breath-to-breath variability was analyzed in 79 segments and expressed as a coefficient of variability.

Plasma levels of immunoreactive beta-endorphin and adrenocorticotropic hormone during labor and delivery.

beta-endorphin and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) are derived from the same precursor protein, and the plasma levels of beta-endorphin and ACTH are thought to be representative of the pituitary secretion of these peptides. Simultaneous measurements of immunoreactive beta-endorphin and ACTH were done on plasma samples from pregnant women at term and found to be normal, but a significant increase was observed during the stress of labor. Simultaneous measurement of immunoreactive beta-endorphin and ACTH in the umbilical vein at time of vaginal delivery demonstrated elevated levels of both peptides.

Prolonged pregnancy: surveillance of the fetus and the neonate and the course of labor and delivery.

The perinatal events in 184 term control pregnancies and 129 prolonged pregnancies were prospectively compared. Fetal surveillance consisted of weekly biophysical profile testing. Thirty-two infants were dysmature, and 10 of these had advanced dysmaturity.

The effect of maternal steroid administration on fetal platelet count in immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura. Management of pregnancy and mode of delivery.

Eight pregnancies complicated by immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura are described and the literature is reviewed. We conclude that, while steroid treatment favorably influenced fetal platelet counts in our cases, overall experience with this disease indicates that such protection is incomplete in some cases and unnecessary in others. Antiplatelet antibody levels show promise as excellent indicators of fetal thrombocytopenia, and elevated levels may be an indication for steroid therapy for the improvement of fetal well-being in some cases.

Home or hospital births?

Advocates of home birth cite psychological and medical benefits in their demand for a different approach to birthing procedures. Opponents emphasize the risks of this approach and point to improved outcomes through medical progress available only in hospitals, as well as to recent, less positive European attitudes toward home births. A review of the literature shows that present data are limited and do not conclusively support either opinion.

Rhythmic fetal movements.

In recent years, studies have confirmed that rhythmic movement of the fetal torso occurs. These movements have been investigated with respect to a large number of factors, but no conclusive evidence of their significance has been documented. Much effort has been directed at developing better methods of measuring these movements.

Coping with obstetric hemorrhage.

Intrapartum hemorrhage can be life threatening at worst; at best it is an obstetrical emergency. This article outlines the main causes-uterine atony, lacerations, retained placental fragment, abruptio placentae and placenta previa-together with the steps to take in managing these acute conditions.