Reproductive efficiency as a social indicator

An index of reproductive effiency (RE) is proposed as a social indicator that will meet the need to consider various forms of pregnancy wastage, to compare their relative costs, and to guide reproductive health policy accordingly. This article discusses conceptual and measurement aspects of RE. Conversion of wanted to unwanted pregnancies and the reverse, interpretation of abortion in relation to other pregnancy outcomes, defining the end point for the reproductive process and criteria for the events to be included as significant outcomes are conceptual issues. Measurement problems include: whether aggregation is justified, prospective and retrospective tracking of outcomes, record limitations, duplication of adversities in a single pregnancy, and selection of optimal rate for comparison. A measurement of RE for the entire United States based on the National Natality Survey of 1964-1966 is presented, showing 74.5 percent of pregnancies resulting in healthy liveborn infants. For those years, data on abortions could not be included. Within the group of reported pregnancy losses, the importance of congenital abnormalities and low-birth-weight babies is enhanced by application of economic weights based on associated medical care costs. Changing opportunities for birth timing, prenatal and infant care, and control of family size are social means of reducing adverse outcomes associated with teenage pregnancy and high-parity births, often found together with poverty. Successive increments in RE may be progressively more expensive to achieve, and cost effectiveness comparison will be necessary.     

Spectrum of AIDS-associated malignant disorders

BACKGROUND: To clarify which types of cancer result from AIDS, we compared the cancer experiences of people with AIDS with those of the general population by matching population-based cancer and AIDS registries in the USA and Puerto Rico. METHODS: We used a probabilistic matching algorithm to compare names, birth dates, and, where available, social-security numbers of 98,336 people with AIDS and 1,125,098 people with cancer aged less than 70 years. We defined AIDS-related cancers as those with both significantly raised incidence post-AIDS and increasing prevalence from 5 years pre-AIDS to 2 years post-AIDS. FINDINGS: Among people with AIDS, we found 7028 cases of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), 1793 of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and 712 other cases of histologically defined cancer. Incidence rates among people with AIDS were increased 310-fold for KS, 113-fold for NHL, and 1.9-fold (95% CI 1.5-2.3) for other cancers. Of 38 malignant disorders other than KS and NHL, only angiosarcoma (36.7-fold), Hodgkin's disease (7.6-fold), multiple myeloma (4.5-fold), brain cancer (3.5-fold), and seminoma (2.9-fold) were raised and increasing significantly (p<0.02) from the pre-AIDS to the post-AIDS period. INTERPRETATION: Interpretation is complicated by screening and shared risk factors, such as sexual behaviour and cigarette smoking. However, our data indicate that AIDS leads to a significantly increased risk of Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, brain cancer, and seminoma. Immunological failure to control herpes or other viral infections may contribute to these malignant diseases.     

Naltrexone, relapse prevention, and supportive therapy with alcoholics: An analysis of patient treatment matching.

Alcohol-dependent patients (N?=?97 ) were randomly assigned to receive either naltrexone or placebo and either relapse prevention therapy or supportive therapy. The present report explored the hypothesis that patients could be matched to the above treatments on the basis of specific pretreatment characteristics. Treatment matching variables explored included craving, alcohol dependence severity, and cognitive measures of learning and memory. Results of linear regression analyses tentatively suggest that patients experiencing higher levels of craving and poorer cognitive functioning may derive the greatest benefit from naltrexone versus placebo. For psychotherapy, lower levels of verbal learning were associated with poorer drinking outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. Conversely, higher levels of verbal learning were associated with better outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prenatal sonographic assessment of early, rapidly growing fetal cervical teratoma

Although malignant transformation of fetal cervical teratoma is extremely rare, perinatal morbidity is high and usually related to the size of the tumour, which may compromise fetal swallowing and subsequently lead to upper airway obstruction. We present a case in which mid-trimester serial sonography demonstrated markedly rapid early growth of a lesion of this type between 17 and 19 weeks' gestation indicating the aggressive nature of this tumour, assisting parental decision to terminate the pregnancy. Histopathology confirmed grade 3 immaturity of the lesion.     

Intraperitoneal in vivo gene therapy to deliver alpha 1-antitrypsin to the systemic circulation

The utility of replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus vector-mediated transfer and expression of the alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1AT) cDNA to peritoneal mesothelial tissues was evaluated as a means of delivering alpha 1AT to the systemic circulation. Preliminary studies with Ad.RSV beta gal, an adenovirus vector expressing the Escherichia coli lacZ gene (beta-galactosidase), showed that intraperitoneal injection of 10(9) plaque-forming units (pfu) to cotton rats resulted in beta-galactosidase activity in mesothelial cells lining the peritoneal cavity. After intraperitoneal administration of 10(9) pfu of Ad alpha 1AT (an adenovirus vector containing the human alpha 1AT cDNA), human alpha 1AT was detectable in serum for up to 24 days, with a maximal level of 3.4 micrograms/ml at 4 days. Expression of the exogenous gene was localized to the peritoneal mesothelium as PCR analyses detected no evidence of expression of the exogenous gene in any other tissues evaluated. Anti-adenovirus vector antibodies were detectable in serum after intraperitoneal administration of the recombinant vectors, including antibodies with neutralizing activity. Repeat administrations of adenovirus vectors to the peritoneal cavity at 1 wk and 1 mo after the initial dose failed to show gene expression, but repeat administration 3 mo after demonstrated measurable gene transfer and expression. Together these observations suggest replication-deficient adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to the peritoneal mesothelium offers a promising means to transfer alpha 1AT to the systemic circulation, although immunity induced against the adenovirus may limit frequent repetitive dosing.     

Influence of fires on O3 concentrations in the western U.S

Because forest fires emit substantial NOx and hydrocarbons--known contributors to O3 production--we hypothesize that interannual variation in western U.S. O3 is related to the burned area. To evaluate this hypothesis we used a gridded database of western U.S. summer burned area (BA) and biomass consumed (BC) by fires between 101-125 degrees W. The fire data were compared with daytime summer O3 mixing ratios from nine rural Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) and National Park Service (NPS) sites. Large fire years exhibited widespread enhanced O3. The summer BA was significantly correlated with O3 at all sites. For each 1 million acres burned in the western U.S. during summer, we estimate that the daytime mean O3 was enhanced across the region by 2.0 ppbv. For mean and maximum fire years, O3 was enhanced by an average of 3.5 and 8.8 ppbv, respectively. At most sites O3 was significantly correlated with fires in the surrounding 5 x 5 degrees and 10 x 10 degrees regions, but not with fires in the nearest 1 x 1 degree region, reflecting the balance between O3 production and destruction in a high NOx environment. BC was a slightly better predictor of O3, compared with BA. The relationship between O3 and temperature was examined at two sites (Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks). At these two sites, high fire years were significantly warmer than lowfire years; however, daytime seasonal meantemperature and O3 were not significantly correlated. This indicates that the presence of fire is a more important predictor for O3 than is temperature.     

Reproducible,biocompatible medical materials from biologically derived polysaccharides: Processing and Characterization

Natural polysaccharides like chitosan and dextran have garnered considerable interest in biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. Nonetheless, the development of a reproducible class of medical devices from these materials is challenging and has had limited success. Chitosan and dextran are inherently variable and synthesis using these materials is prone to inconsistencies. In this study, we put forward a robust product development regimen that allows these natural materials to be developed into a reproducible class of biomaterials. First, an array of validated characterization methods (Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, titrations, Ultraviolet spectroscopy, Size Exclusion Chromatography—Multi-Angle Light Scattering, Size Exclusion Chromatography—Refractive Index, and proprietary methods) were developed that allowed rigorous specifications to be set for unprocessed chitosan and dextran, chitosan and dextran intermediates, and chemically modified materials—acrylated chitosan (aCHN) and oxidized dextran (oDEX). Second, a robust and reproducible synthesis scheme involving various in-process controls was developed to chemically modify the unprocessed polysaccharides. Third, purification methods to remove byproducts and low-molecular-weight impurities for both aCHN and oDEX were developed. The study presents a viable strategy for converting variable, natural materials into a reproducible class of biomaterials that can be applied in various biomedical applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48454.     

Thermal characterization of high performance PBI and 6F polymers and their alloys

The effectiveness of thermal analysis as a technique for screening polymeric candidates for high temperature composite application is described. DSC, DMA, and TGA were employed to measure glass transition temperature, characterize blend phase morphology, and assess thermo-oxidative stability. The materials studied were polybenzimidazole (PBI), polyimide copolymer (6FCoPI), and blends of PBI with Ultem 1000? and 6FCoPI. The potential of misinterpretation of thermal analysis as the primary screening tool was also demonstrated. It was shown that if thermal analysis was used with insufficient understanding of the chemistry and physics of the materials under investigation, highly misleading conclusions may be derived.     

Production and evaluation of silicon immersion gratings for infrared astronomy

Immersion gratings, diffraction gratings where the incident radiation strikes the grooves while immersed in a dielectric medium, offer significant compactness and performance advantages over front-surface gratings. These advantages become particularly large for high-resolution spectroscopy in the near-IR. The production and evaluation of immersion gratings produced by fabricating grooves in silicon substrates using photolithographic patterning and anisotropic etching is described. The gratings produced under this program accommodate beams up to 25 mm in diameter (grating areas to 55 mm x 75 mm). Several devices are complete with appropriate reflective and antireflection coatings. All gratings were tested as front-surface devices as well as immersed gratings. The results of the testing show that the echelles behave according to the predictions of the scalar efficiency model and that tests done on front surfaces are in good agreement with tests done in immersion. The relative efficiencies range from 59% to 75% at 632.8 nm. Tests of fully completed devices in immersion show that the gratings have reached the level where they compete with and, in some cases, exceed the performance of commercially available conventional diffraction gratings (relative efficiencies up to 71%). Several diffraction gratings on silicon substrates up to 75 mm in diameter having been produced, the current state of the silicon grating technology is evaluated.     

Identification of PLCgamma-dependent and -independent events during fertilization of sea urchin eggs

At fertilization, sea urchin eggs undergo a series of activation events, including a Ca2+ action potential, Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum, an increase in intracellular pH, sperm pronuclear formation, MAP kinase dephosphorylation, and DNA synthesis. To examine which of these events might be initiated by activation of phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma), which produces the second messengers inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol, we used recombinant SH2 domains of PLCgamma as specific inhibitors. Sea urchin eggs were co-injected with a GST fusion protein composed of the two tandem SH2 domains of bovine PLCgamma and (1) Ca2+ green dextran to monitor intracellular free Ca2+, (2) BCECF dextran to monitor intracellular pH, (3) Oregon Green dUTP to monitor DNA synthesis, or (4) fluorescein 70-kDa dextran to monitor nuclear envelope formation. Microinjection of the tandem SH2 domains of PLCgamma produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of Ca2+ release and also inhibited cortical granule exocytosis, cytoplasmic alkalinization, MAP kinase dephosphorylation, DNA synthesis, and cleavage after fertilization. However, the Ca2+ action potential, sperm entry, and sperm pronuclear formation were not prevented by injection of the PLCgammaSH2 domain protein. Microinjection of a control protein, the tandem SH2 domains of the phosphatase SHP2, had no effect on Ca2+ release, cortical granule exocytosis, DNA synthesis, or cleavage. Specificity of the inhibitory action of the PLCgammaSH2 domains was further indicated by the finding that microinjection of PLCgammaSH2 domains that had been point mutated at a critical arginine did not inhibit Ca release at fertilization. Additionally, Ca2+ release in response to microinjection of IP3, cholera toxin, cADP ribose, or cGMP was not inhibited by the PLCgammaSH2 fusion protein. These results indicate that PLCgamma plays a key role in several fertilization events in sea urchin eggs, including Ca2+ release and DNA synthesis, but that the action potential, sperm entry, and male pronuclear formation can occur in the absence of PLCgamma activation or Ca2+ increase.