Effect of Maternal Prepregnancy/Early-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Pregnancy Smoking and Alcohol on Congenital Heart Diseases: A Parental Negative Control Study.

Background Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common congenital anomaly. The causes of CHDs are largely unknown. Higher prenatal body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol consumption are associated with increased risk of CHDs.

Impact of Chronic Hypertension and Antihypertensive Treatment on Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Maternal chronic hypertension is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previous studies examined the association between either chronic hypertension or antihypertensive treatment and adverse pregnancy outcomes. We aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effect of chronic hypertension/antihypertensive treatment on adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Effectiveness of current hygiene practices on minimization of in different mushroom production-related environments.

Background: The commercial production of is a three stage process: 1) production of compost, also called "substrate"; 2) production of casing soil; and 3) production of the mushrooms. Hygiene practices are undertaken at each stage: pasteurization of the substrate, hygiene practices applied during the production of casing soil, postharvest steam cookout, and disinfection at the mushroom production facilities. However, despite these measures, foodborne pathogens, including are reported in the mushroom production environment.

A risk score for prediction of venous thromboembolism in gynecologic cancer: The Thrombogyn score.

Background: Gynecologic cancers are associated with high rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which is exacerbated by pelvic surgery and chemotherapy.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a risk score for VTE in patients with gynecologic cancer and to test the predictive ability of the score following addition of procoagulant biomarker data.

Patients And Methods: Clinical and laboratory variables were used to develop a risk score for the prediction of VTE in patients with gynecological cancer (n = 616), which was validated in a separate cohort of patients (n = 406).

Telemetry and genetics reveal asymmetric dispersal of a lake-feeding salmonid between inflow and outflow spawning streams at a microgeographic scale.

The degree of natal philopatry relative to natal dispersal in animal populations has important demographic and genetic consequences and often varies substantially within species. In salmonid fishes, lakes have been shown to have a strong influence on dispersal and gene flow within catchments; for example, populations spawning in inflow streams are often reproductively isolated and genetically distinct from those spawning in relatively distant outflow streams. Less is known, however, regarding the level of philopatry and genetic differentiation occurring at microgeographic scales, for example, where inflow and outflow streams are separated by very small expanses of lake habitat.

Taphonomic experiments resolve controls on the preservation of melanosomes and keratinous tissues in feathers.

Fossils are a key source of data on the evolution of feather structure and function through deep time, but their ability to resolve macroevolutionary questions is compromised by an incomplete understanding of their taphonomy. Critically, the relative preservation potential of two key feather components, melanosomes and keratinous tissue, is not fully resolved. Recent studies suggesting that melanosomes are preferentially preserved conflict with observations that melanosomes preserve in fossil feathers as external moulds in an organic matrix.

Development of a dehydrated fortified food base from fermented milk and parboiled wheat, and comparison of its composition and reconstitution behavior with those of commercial dried dairy-cereal blends.

Dehydrated blends of milk and cereal are reconstituted and consumed as a nutritious soup or porridge in many regions; the composition and reconstitution behavior of the blends are likely to impact on nutritional quality and consumer acceptability of the soup/porridge. Experimental samples of dried fermented milk-bulgur wheat blend (FMBW) and commercial samples of dried dairy-cereal blends, namely kishk, tarhana, and super cereal plus corn-soy blend (SCpCSB) were compared for composition, color, water sorption, and reconstitution characteristics. FMBW blends had higher contents of protein, Ca, lactose and lactic acid, lower levels of salt (NaCl) and Fe, and a lighter, more-yellow color (higher * and *-color co-ordinates) than tarhana or kishk.

Distinct gelatinous zooplankton communities across a dynamic shelf sea.

Understanding how gelatinous zooplankton communities are structured by local hydrography and physical forcing has important implications for fisheries and higher trophic predators. Although a large body of research has described how fronts, hydrographic boundaries, and different water masses (e.g.

Evolutionary stasis of a heritable morphological trait in a wild fish population despite apparent directional selection.

Comparing observed versus theoretically expected evolutionary responses is important for our understanding of the evolutionary process, and for assessing how species may cope with anthropogenic change. Here, we document directional selection for larger female size in Atlantic salmon, using pedigree-derived estimates of lifetime reproductive success as a fitness measure. We show the trait is heritable and, thus, capable of responding to selection.

Amplicon sequencing of 42 nuclear loci supports directional gene flow between South Pacific populations of a hydrothermal vent limpet.

In the past few decades, population genetics and phylogeographic studies have improved our knowledge of connectivity and population demography in marine environments. Studies of deep-sea hydrothermal vent populations have identified barriers to gene flow, hybrid zones, and demographic events, such as historical population expansions and contractions. These deep-sea studies, however, used few loci, which limit the amount of information they provided for coalescent analysis and thus our ability to confidently test complex population dynamics scenarios.

Divergent patterns of telomere shortening in tropical compared to temperate stonechats.

Telomeres have emerged as important biomarkers of health and senescence as they predict chances of survival in various species. Tropical birds live in more benign environments with lower extrinsic mortality and higher juvenile and adult survival than temperate birds. Therefore, telomere biology may play a more important role in tropical compared to temperate birds.

Understanding the population consequences of disturbance.

Managing the nonlethal effects of disturbance on wildlife populations has been a long-term goal for decision makers, managers, and ecologists, and assessment of these effects is currently required by European Union and United States legislation. However, robust assessment of these effects is challenging. The management of human activities that have nonlethal effects on wildlife is a specific example of a fundamental ecological problem: how to understand the population-level consequences of changes in the behavior or physiology of individual animals that are caused by external stressors.

Quantifying dispersal between marine protected areas by a highly mobile species, the bottlenose dolphin, .

The functioning of marine protected areas (MPAs) designated for marine megafauna has been criticized due to the high mobility and dispersal potential of these taxa. However, dispersal within a network of small MPAs can be beneficial as connectivity can result in increased effective population size, maintain genetic diversity, and increase robustness to ecological and environmental changes making populations less susceptible to stochastic genetic and demographic effects (i.e.

Phenotypic integration and the evolution of signal repertoires: A case study of treefrog acoustic communication.

Animal signals are inherently complex phenotypes with many interacting parts combining to elicit responses from receivers. The pattern of interrelationships between signal components reflects the extent to which each component is expressed, and responds to selection, either in concert with or independently of others. Furthermore, many species have complex repertoires consisting of multiple signal types used in different contexts, and common morphological and physiological constraints may result in interrelationships extending across the multiple signals in species' repertoires.

Search and foraging behaviors from movement data: A comparison of methods.

Search behavior is often used as a proxy for foraging effort within studies of animal movement, despite it being only one part of the foraging process, which also includes prey capture. While methods for validating prey capture exist, many studies rely solely on behavioral annotation of animal movement data to identify search and infer prey capture attempts. However, the degree to which search correlates with prey capture is largely untested.

A psychology of the human brain-gut-microbiome axis.

In recent years, we have seen increasing research within neuroscience and biopsychology on the interactions between the brain, the gastrointestinal tract, the bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract, and the bidirectional relationship between these systems: the brain-gut-microbiome axis. Although research has demonstrated that the gut microbiota can impact upon cognition and a variety of stress-related behaviours, including those relevant to anxiety and depression, we still do not know how this occurs. A deeper understanding of how psychological development as well as social and cultural factors impact upon the brain-gut-microbiome axis will contextualise the role of the axis in humans and inform psychological interventions that improve health within the brain-gut-microbiome axis.

Effect of different salt and fat levels on the physicochemical properties and sensory quality of black pudding.

Black pudding, also known as blood sausages or blood pudding, is a kind of meat product made by blood, popular in Asia, Europe, and America. Twenty-five black pudding formulations with varying fat contents of 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% (w/w) and sodium contents of 0.

Chronic P-glycoprotein inhibition increases the brain concentration of escitalopram: potential implications for treating depression.

Recent preclinical studies have revealed a functionally important role for the drug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp) at the blood-brain barrier in limiting brain levels and thus antidepressant-like activity of certain antidepressant drugs. Specifically, acute administration of P-gp inhibitors, such as verapamil and cyclosporin A (CsA), has been shown to augment brain concentrations and functional activity of the antidepressant escitalopram in rodents. However, depression is a chronic disorder and current treatments require prolonged administration to elicit their full therapeutic effect.

Interobserver agreement for neonatal seizure detection using multichannel EEG.

Objective: To determine the interobserver agreement (IOA) of neonatal seizure detection using the gold standard of conventional, multichannel EEG.

Methods: A cohort of full-term neonates at risk of acute encephalopathy was included in this prospective study. The EEG recordings of these neonates were independently reviewed for seizures by three international experts.

Survey of Health Care Workers Suggests Unmet Palliative Care Needs in Parkinson's Disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and previous training of Irish health care workers (HCWs) in palliative care in end-stage Parkinson's disease (PD). A survey was distributed to HCWs, including neurologists, geriatricians, general practitioners, nurses, and allied health professionals, in acute and community settings in the Republic of Ireland. Three-hundred and six surveys were returned (32% average response rate).

Do Parkinson's Disease Patients Have Deficits in Sequential Sampling Tasks?

The aim of this study was to assess the neuropsychological behavior of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with addictive behaviors. Characteristically, these patients have younger onset of PD, higher novelty-seeking personality traits, jump to conclusions, and often make irrational choices. We assessed whether PD patients with and without addictive behaviors have deficits in a sequential sampling task, often called the secretary problem.

A review of oral preventative strategies to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Aim: This article evaluates the evidence for and efficacy of the use of mechanical hygiene and chlorhexidine in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Inclusion Criteria: primary research articles; randomized controlled trials; systematic reviews.

Exclusion Criteria: quasi-experimental trials; opinion articles.