Insulin family polymorphisms in pregnancies complicated by small for gestational age infants.

Being born small for gestational age (SGA) increases the risk for adverse perinatal outcomes and later life vascular and metabolic disorders. The insulin family plays a vital role in intrauterine growth. We investigated the association of functional SNPs in insulin (INS), insulin receptor (INSR) and insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) with small for gestational age (SGA) pregnancies, uterine and umbilical artery Doppler and plasma insulin level.

Polymorphisms in the fibrinolytic pathway genes and the risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Impaired fibrinolytic activity is implicated in the pathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). This case-control study assessed the prevalence of polymorphisms in fibrinolytic system genes in RSA. Cases comprised 202 Sinhalese women who had experienced at least two first-trimester spontaneous abortions and had no living children; controls were 202 women with no history of spontaneous abortion and two or more living children.

The association of maternal ACE A11860G with small for gestational age babies is modulated by the environment and by fetal sex: a multicentre prospective case-control study.

Unlabelled: We aimed to determine whether the ACE A11860G genotype is associated with small for gestational age babies (SGA) and to determine whether the association is affected by environmental factors and fetal sex. Overall, 3234 healthy nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies, their partners and babies were prospectively recruited in Adelaide, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. Data analyses were confined to 2121 Caucasian parent-infant trios, among which 216 were pregnancies with SGA infants and 1185 were uncomplicated pregnancies.

The interaction between the maternal BMI and angiogenic gene polymorphisms associates with the risk of spontaneous preterm birth.

Obesity is associated with an increased level of inflammation. Interactions between inflammatory and angiogenic pathways are implicated in the major pregnancy disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate whether functional polymorphisms in angiogenesis-regulating genes (VEGFA rs699947, VEGFA rs3025039, KDR rs2071559 and ANGPT1 rs2507800) interact with the maternal BMI to modify the risk of a spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB).

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the KDR gene in pregnancies complicated by gestational hypertensive disorders and small-for-gestational-age infants.

Introduction: Pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants share placental vascular abnormalities and both disorders confer increased risk of later life coronary artery disease. Kinase insert domain receptor (KDR) is the main receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor A, a potent angiogenic factor which regulates the development of the placental vasculature. Two polymorphisms in KDR (-604T/C and Val297Ile) are known to be associated with coronary artery disease.

A functional variant in ANGPT1 and the risk of pregnancies with hypertensive disorders and small-for-gestational-age infants.

Pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants demonstrate impaired placental vascular remodelling. Angiopoietin-1 (ANG-1) is an angiogenic growth factor which regulates vascular integrity and remodelling. The TT genotype of angiopoietin 1 (ANGPT1) rs2507800 polymorphism has been associated with increased plasma ANG-1 levels compared with the AA genotype.

Association of vascular endothelial growth factor +936 C/T single-nucleotide polymorphism with pregnancies complicated by small-for-gestational-age babies.

Objectives: To examine whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VEGFA (-2578 C/A and +936 C/T) associate with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) pregnancies and to identify their effects on first-trimester placental VEGFA expression.

Design: Multicenter prospective cohort study.

Settings: Adelaide, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand.

Maternal red blood cell folate concentration at 10-12 weeks gestation and pregnancy outcome.

Objective: To determine if maternal circulating red blood cell (RBC) folate concentration in early pregnancy is associated with late gestation pregnancy complications including small for gestational age (SGA) infants, preeclampsia and preterm birth (PTB) in a socioeconomically disadvantaged population.

Method: This was a retrospective case control study, conducted at Lyell McEwin Health Service, South Australia, including 400 primiparous women. RBC folate and demographic data were collected at 10-12 weeks gestation.

Extinction risk assessment for the species survival plan (SSP) population of the Bali mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi).

The Bali mynah Species Survival Plan (SSP), an Association of Zoos and Aquariums program, strives to maintain the genetic and demographic health of its population, avoid unplanned changes in size, and minimize the risk of population extinction. The SSP population meets current demographic and genetic objectives with a population size of 209 birds at 61 institutions and 96% genetic diversity (GD) retained from the source population. However, participating institutions have expressed concerns regarding space allocation, target population size (TPS), breeding restrictions, inbreeding depression, and harvest in relation to future population availability and viability.

Zoo and aquarium research: priority setting for the coming decades.

Scientific study within contemporary zoos and aquariums has developed ad hoc as an extremely broad, academically oriented mixture of basic and applied research spanning a wide array of concepts and disciplines. Several papers have considered prioritization of present or future research efforts within disciplines, but only a few have touched on prioritization across institutions, disciplines, and species. This lack of prioritization across institutions and disciplines is surprising given the growing interdependence of zoos and aquariums to maintain populations through exchange of animals, standardization of animal care procedures, and maintenance of self-sustaining populations.

Disease risk and inter-institutional transfer of specimens in cooperative breeding programs: Herpes and the elephant species survival plans.

Managers of cooperative breeding programs and re-introduction projects are increasingly concerned with the risk of disease transmission when specimens are transferred among facilities or between facilities and the natural environment. We used data maintained in North American studbooks to estimate the potential risks of disease transmission by direct and indirect contact of specimens in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Elephant Species Survival Plan. Histological evidence for a novel herpesvirus disease transmitted between and within elephant species housed in North American facilities prompted an examination of the scope of possible transmission routes within the captive population.