Anemia prevalence and risk factors in pregnant women in an urban area of Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Anemia affects almost two-thirds of pregnant women in developing countries and contributes to maternal morbidity and mortality and to low birthweight. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of anemia and the dietary and socioeconomic factors associated with anemia in pregnant women living in an urban community setting in Hyderabad, Pakistan. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational study of 1,369 pregnant women enrolled at 20 to 26 weeks of gestation and followed to 6 weeks postpartum. A blood sample was obtained at enrollment to determine hemoglobin levels. Information on nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practice and dietary history regarding usual food intake before and during pregnancy were obtained by trained interviewers within 1 week of enrollment. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia (defined by the World Health Organization as hemoglobin < 11.0 g/dL) in these subjects was 90.5%; of these, 75.0% had mild anemia (hemoglobin from 9.0 to 10.9 g/dL) and 14.8% had moderate anemia (hemoglobin from 7.0 to 8.9 g/dL). Only 0.7% were severely anemic (hemoglobin < 7.0 g/ dL). Nonanemic women were significantly taller, weighed more, and had a higher body mass index. Multivariate analysis after adjustment for education, pregnancy history, iron supplementation, and height showed that drinking more than three cups of tea per day before pregnancy (adjusted prevalence odds ratio [aPOR], 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 8.0), consumption of clay or dirt during pregnancy (aPOR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 12.3), and never consuming eggs or consuming eggs less than twice a week during pregnancy (aPOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.5) were significantly associated with anemia. Consumption of red meat less than twice a week prior to pregnancy was marginally associated with anemia (aPOR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.8 to 1.8) but was significantly associated with lower mean hemoglobin concentrations (9.9 vs. 10.0 g/dL, p = .05) during the study period. A subanalysis excluding women with mild anemia found similar associations to those of the main model, albeit even stronger. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of women at 20 to 26 weeks of pregnancy had mild to moderate anemia. Pica, tea consumption, and low intake of eggs and red meat were associated with anemia. Women of childbearing age should be provided nutritional education regarding food sources of iron, especially prior to becoming pregnant, and taught how food choices can either enhance or interfere with iron absorption.     

Neoantigen-Specific T-Cell Immune Responses: The Paradigm of NPM1-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The C-terminal aminoacidic sequence from NPM1-mutated protein, absent in normal human tissues, may serve as a leukemia-specific antigen and can be considered an ideal target for NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) immunotherapy. Different in silico instruments and in vitro/ex vivo immunological platforms have identified the most immunogenic epitopes from NPM1-mutated protein. Spontaneous development of endogenous NPM1-mutated-specific cytotoxic T cells has been observed in patients, potentially contributing to remission maintenance and prolonged survival. Genetically engineered T cells, namely CAR-T or TCR-transduced T cells, directed against NPM1-mutated peptides bound to HLA could prospectively represent a promising therapeutic approach. Although either adoptive or vaccine-based immunotherapies are unlikely to be highly effective in patients with full-blown leukemia, these strategies, potentially in combination with immune-checkpoint inhibitors, could be promising in maintaining remission or preemptively eradicating persistent measurable residual disease, mainly in patients ineligible for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Alternatively, neoantigen-specific donor lymphocyte infusion derived from healthy donors and targeting NPM1-mutated protein to selectively elicit graft-versus-leukemia effect may represent an attractive option in subjects experiencing post-HSCT relapse. Future studies are warranted to further investigate dynamics of NPM1-mutated-specific immunity and explore whether novel individualized immunotherapies may have potential clinical utility in NPM1-mutated AML patients.     

When familiarity breeds accuracy: Cultural exposure and facial emotion recognition.

Two studies provide evidence for the role of cultural familiarity in recognizing facial expressions of emotion. For Chinese located in China and the United States, Chinese Americans, and non-Asian Americans, accuracy and speed in judging Chinese and American emotions was greater with greater participant exposure to the group posing the expressions. Likewise, Tibetans residing in China and Africans residing in the United States were faster and more accurate when judging emotions expressed by host versus nonhost society members. These effects extended across generations of Chinese Americans, seemingly independent of ethnic or biological ties. Results suggest that the universal affect system governing emotional expression may be characterized by subtle differences in style across cultures, which become more familiar with greater cultural contact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of some processing variables on non-coloured phenolic compounds in port wines

The non-coloured phenolic fraction of fortified port wines was studied. Trials using several mash-extraction techniques which may be used during port wine making were evaluated for their effectiveness by measuring qualitative and quantitative differences in phenolics. Total phenolic compounds measured by spectrophotometry and HPLC analysis were compared, and the greater values obtained using spectrophotometry are attributable to the contribution of anthocyanins and non-phenolic UV-absorbing compounds. Quantitative and qualitative differences in composition were observed depending on the extraction mode. The greatest total phenolic content was found in port wine made by traditional foot treading, while early addition of extra alcohol to the mash had a neutral or negative effect on the yield of phenolic compounds.     

Changes in vibrational entropy during the early stages of chemical unmixing in fcc Cu–6% Fe

A nanocrystalline face-centered cubic (fcc) solid solution of 6% Fe in Cu was prepared by high-energy ball milling, and annealed at temperatures from 200 to 360 °C to induce chemical unmixing. The chemical state of the material was characterized by three-dimensional atom probe microscopy, Mössbauer spectrometry and X-ray powder diffractometry. The unmixing was heterogeneous, with iron atoms forming iron-rich zones that thicken with further annealing. The phonon partial density of states (pDOS) of ⁵⁷Fe was measured by nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, showing the pDOS of the as-prepared material to be that of an fcc crystal. The features of this pDOS became broader in the early stages of unmixing, but only small changes in average phonon frequencies occurred until the body-centered cubic (bcc) phase began to form. The vibrational entropy calculated from the pDOS underwent little change during the early stage of annealing, but decreased rapidly when the bcc phase formed in the material.     

The relationship between displaying and perceiving nonverbal cues of affect: A meta-analysis to solve an old mystery.

The authors address the decades-old mystery of the association between individual differences in the expression and perception of nonverbal cues of affect. Prior theories predicted positive, negative, and zero correlations in performance—given empirical results ranging from r = ?.80 to r = +.64. A meta-analysis of 40 effects showed a positive correlation for nonverbal behaviors elicited as intentional communication displays but zero for spontaneous, naturalistic, or a combination of display types. There was greater variation in the results of studies having round robin designs and analyzed with statistics that do not account for the interdependence of data. The authors discuss implications for theorists to distinguish emotional skills in terms of what people are capable of doing versus what people actually do. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational decision-making during COVID-19: A qualitative analysis of the organizational decision-making system in the United States during COVID-19

This study sought to understand COVID-19-related organizational decisions were made across sectors. To gain this understanding, we conducted semi-structured interviews with organizational decision-makers in North Carolina about their experiences responding to COVID-19. Conventional content analysis was used to analyse the context, inputs, and processes involved in decision-making. Between October 2020 and February 2021, we interviewed 44 decision-makers from the following sectors: business (n = 4), community non-profit (n = 3), county government (n = 4), healthcare (n = 5), local public health (n = 5), public safety (n = 7), religious (n = 6), education (n = 7) and transportation (n = 3). We found that during the pandemic, organizations looked to scientific authorities, the decisions of peer organizations, data about COVID-19, and their own experience with prior crises. Interpretation of inputs was informed by current political events, societal trends, and organization mission. Decision-makers had to account for divergent internal opinions and community behaviour. To navigate inputs and contextual factors, organizations decentralized decision-making authority, formed auxiliary decision-making bodies, learned to resolve internal conflicts, learned in real time from their crisis response, and routinely communicated decisions with their communities. In conclusion, aligned with systems and contingency theories of decision-making, decision-making during COVID-19 depended on an organization's ‘fit’ within the specifics of their existing system and their ability to orient the dynamics of that system to their own goals.     

Preparation and electrochemical studies of metal–carbon composite catalysts for small-scale electrosynthesis of H2O2

Numerous transition metal–carbon composite catalysts (M = V, Zn, Ni, Sn, Ce, Ba, Fe, Cu) have been synthesized and tested for electroreduction of O₂ to H₂O₂, The activity and selectivity of all synthesized catalysts for electrosynthesis of H₂O₂ were determined by the rotating ring-disk electrode method in acidic and neutral electrolytes. The Co-based catalysts in general showed the highest activity towards H₂O₂ formation. Experiments with different loading contents of Co showed that the activation overpotential losses of oxygen reduction to H₂O₂ reduces as loading increases to about 4 wt% Co. Addition of Co beyond this level did not seem to impact the overpotential losses. The cobalt-based catalysts, were spray-coated onto 120 μm thick Toray^® graphite substrates, and were studied in bulk electrolysis cells for up to 100 h at potentiostatic conditions (0.25 V vs. RHE) in pH 0, 3, and 7 electrolytes. At (25 °C and 1 bar) with a catalysts loading of about and using dissolved O₂ in 0.5 M H₂SO₄, typical H₂O₂ electrosynthesis rates of about were reached with current efficiencies of about 85 ± 5% at 0.25 V (vs. RHE).     

Increased susceptibility to oxidation of low-density lipoproteins isolated from patients with systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE: To examine the resistance to oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and primary Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) compared with healthy controls. METHODS: Plasma LDL were isolated from patients with diffuse cutaneous and limited cutaneous SSc (dcSSc and lcSSc, respectively), patients with primary RP, and healthy control subjects. The lipoproteins were assessed for their resistance to oxidation in the presence of cupric ions, using spectrophotometric assays. RESULTS: LDL from patients with dcSSc and lcSSc were more susceptible to oxidation than were those from healthy control subjects or patients with RP. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that free radicals may play a role in the pathology of SSc.