Timely symbiosis: circadian control of legume-rhizobia symbiosis.

Legumes house nitrogen-fixing endosymbiotic rhizobia in specialised polyploid cells within root nodules. This results in a mutualistic relationship whereby the plant host receives fixed nitrogen from the bacteria in exchange for dicarboxylic acids. This plant-microbe interaction requires the regulation of multiple metabolic and physiological processes in both the host and symbiont in order to achieve highly efficient symbiosis.

Tree crown injury from wildland fires: causes, measurement and ecological and physiological consequences.

The dead foliage of scorched crowns is one of the most conspicuous signatures of wildland fires. Globally, crown scorch from fires in savannas, woodlands and forests causes tree stress and death across diverse taxa. The term crown scorch, however, is inconsistently and ambiguously defined in the literature, causing confusion and conflicting interpretation of results.

Characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes: a 5-year national population-based cohort study.

Background: Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with preterm delivery, birthweight extremes, and increased rates of congenital anomaly, stillbirth, and neonatal death. We aimed to identify and compare modifiable risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes and to identify effective maternity clinics.

Methods: In this national population-based cohort study, we used data for pregnancies among women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes collected in the first 5 years of the National Pregnancy in Diabetes audit across 172 maternity clinics in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man, UK.

Reducing the impact of preterm birth: Preterm birth commissioning in the United Kingdom.

Reducing preterm birth is a priority for Maternity and Children's services. In the recent UK Department of Health publication 'Safer Maternity Care' the Secretary of State for Health aimed to achieve the national maternity safety ambition by pledging to reduce the rate of preterm birth from 8% to 6%. It was proposed that specialist preterm birth services should be established in the UK in order to achieve this aim.

Pain scores among emergency department (ED) patients: comparison by ED diagnosis.

Background: Treatment for pain and pain-related conditions has been identified as the most common reason for Emergency Department (ED) visits.

Objective: This study was undertaken to characterize the distribution of self-reported pain scores for common ED diagnoses.

Methods: In this retrospective exploratory chart review, eligible participants included all adult ED patients age 18 years and over, with a self-reported triage pain score of 1 or higher during January-June 2011.

Risk factors for macrosomia and its clinical consequences: a study of 350,311 pregnancies.

Objectives: To identify demographic risk factors for either birthweight >4kg or over the 90th centile and to quantify the obstetric risks.

Study Design: Data from 350,311 completed singleton pregnancies in the North West Thames Region between 1988 and 1997 were analysed using logistic regression. Predisposing factors and pregnancy outcome were compared by birthweight 2.

Serial aggressive platelet transfusion for fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: platelet dynamics and perinatal outcome.

Objectives: Our purpose was to describe the fetal loss rate and platelet dynamics in fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia managed by serial platelet transfusions.

Methods: Retrospective analysis over 10 years of consecutive pregnancies affected by fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia requiring in utero platelet transfusions.

Results: There were 2 perinatal losses in 12 pregnancies managed by 84 platelet transfusions.

X-linked inheritance of Dandy-Walker variant.

We report a family in which two sisters had three male fetuses with isolated Dandy-Walker variant (DWV) diagnosed on antenatal ultrasound. DWV is one part of a spectrum of abnormalities related to Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM) which commonly occur in association with other anomalies with or without chromosome abnormalities. The majority of cases are sporadic but rare reports of recurrence in siblings exist.