Early childhood undernutrition,preadolescent physical growth,and cognitive achievement in India: A population-based cohort study

BackgroundThere is a lack of nationally representative estimates for the consequences of early childhood undernutrition on preadolescent outcomes in India. Understanding this relationship is helpful to develop interventions that not only prevent child undernutrition but also mitigate its consequences.Methods and findingsIn this cohort study, we analyzed prospectively gathered data from 2 waves of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) to investigate the association of undernutrition during early childhood (0 to 5 years) in 2004 to 2005 with physical and cognitive outcomes during preadolescent (8 to 11 years) years in 2011 to 2012. These surveys interviewed 41,554 households across all 33 states and union territories in India in 2004 to 2005 and reinterviewed 83% of the households in 2011 to 2012. Primary exposure was assessed using the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) based on 2004 to 2005 survey. Primary outcomes were short stature (height-for-age z-score [HAZ] <−2), thinness (body mass index [BMI] <18.5 kg/m²), reading, and arithmetic skills during preadolescence based on the 2011 to 2012 survey. Survey-weighted generalized linear models were used, and effect modification based on child sex and sociodemographic variables were evaluated using 3-way interaction terms. Of the 7,868 children included in this analysis, 4,334 (57.3%) were undernourished. Being undernourished was associated with increased odds of short stature (odds ratio [OR] 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45 to 2.06) and thinness (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.73) during the preadolescent period, while it was associated with decreased odds of achieving a higher reading (cumulative odds ratio [cumOR]: 0.76, 0.66 to 0.87) and arithmetic (cumOR: 0.72, 0.63 to 0.82) outcomes. The disparity in outcomes based on CIAF increased with age, especially for female children. Increased level of female education within the household reduced the disadvantages of undernutrition among female children. Study limitations include observational and missing data, which limit our ability to draw strong causal inferences.ConclusionsIn this study, we found that early child undernutrition was associated with several adverse preadolescent physical and cognitive outcomes, especially among female children. Improved female education mitigates this association. Female education promotion should assume a central role in Indian public health policy making.

Apurv Soni and co-workers study child nutrition and developmental outcomes in India.     

Identification of the origin of infantile saturnism based on lead isotopic and elemental ratios

BackgroundIn France, the prevalence of childhood lead poisoning is becoming rare since the avoidance of lead in paints in 1949 and the gradual replacement of water pipes. Chronic lead toxicity is well known and is well correlated to blood lead concentration.AimHere we report a case of severe lead poisoning occurring in a young female child with a pica behavior.MethodsA blood sample and four environmental samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma- mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Lead concentration, lead isotopes and elemental ratios were compared.ResultsThe determination of ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb and Cd/Pb has allowed us to identify the origin of lead poisoning.Discussion-conclusionThe source of contamination was eliminated and the child benefited from a psychological and medical follow up. Her outcome was positive. This case illustrated the potential interest of the use of elemental and isotopic ratios for clinical practice as the ICP-MS measurement has allowed a quick response and a rapid eviction of the contamination’s source.     

Effect of Soil Dose on Bioavailability of Lead from Mining Waste Soil in Rats

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of absorption of lead (Pb) in mining waste soil from Butte, Montana. It is the first study to fully investigate the bioavailability of lead in soils containing mine waste using a soil dose response approach. Young 7–8 week-old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (5 animals/sex/group) were given mining waste soil [810 ppm lead (Test Soil I) or 3,908 ppm lead (Test Soil III)] mixed in a purified diet (AIN—76?) at four different dose levels (0.2, 0.5, 2 and 5% dietary soil) for 30 consecutive days. The test soil dose levels at 2 and 5% were chosen to bracket a pica-for-soil child's soil exposure levels. A pica-for-soil child is a young child who eats large quantities of soil (10 g day^?1). Standard groups included untreated controls and dosed feed soluble lead acetate groups (1, 10, 25, 100 and 250 μg Pb g^?1 feed). The concentrations of lead acetate were chosen to bracket the test soil dose levels of lead. Liver, blood and femur, representing the three compartments in which lead is distributed in the body, were analyzed for total lead concentration using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Clinical signs, body weight, food consumption and liver weights for treated and standard groups were similar to control. Tissue lead concentrations from test soil animals were significantly lower than the tissue concentrations for the dosed feed lead acetate group. Group mean whole blood, bone and liver lead concentrations increased with increasing dose levels for most treatment groups. The increases in blood, bone and liver lead concentrations were not proportional with increasing dose levels and plateaued at the high dose levels. Relative percent bioavailability values, based on dosed feed soluble lead as the standard, were independent of the two different test soils, dose levels or sex, and only slightly dependent on the tissue (blood > bone, liver). Overall relative percent bioavailability values were 20% based on the blood data; 9% based on the bone data; and 8% based on the liver data (2 and 5% dose levels only). The results of this study will provide the scientific validity needed to determine the significance of lead exposure from Butte soils in assessing human health risks as part of the Superfund Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study process.     

The Social Life of Death on Delhi's Streets: Unclaimed Souls,Pollutive Bodies,Dead Kin and the Kinless Dead

ABSTRACT

How does the status of ‘street children’ in life inflect the narrative representation of their deaths? Street-dwelling children's interactions with death in North India reveal much about how their identities are produced in public domains. In this paper, I examine several instances of ‘homeless child’ death to illuminate the place of such subjects in society and urban space, and to interrogate the degree to which they can be rendered ‘recognizable’ or ‘grievable’, in Butler's (2010) terminology. In particular, I explore the presence or absence of kin in the ways that child death is narrated. I also explore the related question of how living ‘vagabond (aawara) children’ situate their status in narratives of death and loss. I conclude with discussions of how children negotiate their orientations towards death through ghost narratives, and of the space-, economy- and age-bound assignment of pollutive tasks once reserved for low castes to street-dwelling children.     

恩替卡韦联合异甘草酸镁注射液对慢性乙型肝炎患者血清IL-2、IL-10、IL-17、MIF及外周血T细胞亚群水平的影响

目的:探讨恩替卡韦联合异甘草酸镁注射液对慢性乙型肝炎患者血清白细胞介素-2(IL-2)、白细胞介素-10(IL-10)、白细胞介素-17(IL-17)、巨噬细胞移动抑制因子(MIF)及外周血T细胞亚群水平的影响。方法:选择我院2015年6月~2016年12月收治的92例慢性乙型肝炎患者,并按不同治疗方式分为对照组与研究组,每组46例。对照组采用恩替卡韦治疗,研究组基于对照组加以异甘草酸镁注射液治疗。比较两组的临床疗效,治疗前后血清IL-2、IL-10、IL-17、MIF、谷丙转氨酶(ALT),谷草转氨酶(AST),总胆红素(TbiL)水平,外周血CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+的变化及不良反应的发生情况。结果:治疗后,研究组总有效率高于对照组[93.47%vs.71.74%],差异有统计学意义(P0.05);两组血清IL-2水平及外周血CD3~+、CD4~+、CD4~+/CD8~+水平均较治疗前显著上升,且研究组以上指标均明显高于对照组,两组血清IL-10、IL-17、MIF、ALT、AST、TbiL水平及外周血CD8~+水平均较治疗前显著下降,且研究组以上指标均明显低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。两组不良反应发生率比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:恩替卡韦联合异甘草酸镁注射液对慢性乙型肝炎患者的效果优于单用恩替卡韦,可能与其显著升高血清IL-2、外周血CD3~+、CD4~+、CD4~+/CD8~+水平及降低血清IL-10、IL-17、MIF和外周血CD8~+水平有关。     

Enhanced generation of megakaryocytes from umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ cells expanded in the presence of two nutraceuticals,docosahexanoic acid and arachidonic acid,as supplements to the cytokine-containing medium

Background aimsEx vivo generation of megakaryocytes (MK) from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) is important for both basic research, to understand the mechanism of platelet biogenesis, and clinical infusions, for rapid platelet recovery in thrombocytopenic patients. We investigated the role of two nutraceuticals, docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA), in the in vitro generation of MKMethodsUmbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived CD34+cells were cultured with stem cell factor (SCF) and thrombopoietin (TPO) in the presence (test) or absence (control) of the two additives. On day 10, MK and platelets generated were quantitated by morphologic, phenotypic and functional assaysResultsThe cell yield of MK and platelet numbers were significantly higher in test compared with control cells. Phenotypic analyzes and gene expression profiles confirmed these findings. Functional properties, such as colony-forming unit (CFU)-MK formation, chemotaxis and platelet activation, were found to be enhanced in cells cultured with nutraceuticals. The engraftment potential of ex vivo-expanded cells was studied in NOD/SCID mice. Mice that received MK cultured in the presence of DHA/AA engrafted better. There was a reduction in apoptosis and total reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the CD41⁺ compartment of the test compared with control sets. The data suggest that these compounds probably exert their beneficial effect by modulating apoptotic and redox pathwaysConclusionsUse of nutraceuticals like DHA and AA may prove to be a useful strategy for efficient generation of MK and platelets from cord blood cells, for future use in clinics and basic research.     

Prevalence and Determinants of the Gender Differentials Risk Factors of Child Deaths in Bangladesh: Evidence from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2011

BackgroundThe number of child deaths is a potential indicator to assess the health condition of a country, and represents a major health challenge in Bangladesh. Although the country has performed exceptionally well in decreasing the mortality rate among children under five over the last few decades, mortality still remains relatively high. The main objective of this study is to identify the prevalence and determinants of the risk factors of child mortality in Bangladesh.MethodsThe data were based on a cross-sectional study collected from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), 2011. The women participants numbered 16,025 from seven divisions of Bangladesh – Rajshahi, Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal, Khulna, Rangpur and Sylhet. The 𝟀² test and logistic regression model were applied to determine the prevalence and factors associated with child deaths in Bangladesh.ResultsIn 2011, the prevalence of child deaths in Bangladesh for boys and girls was 13.0% and 11.6%, respectively. The results showed that birth interval and birth order were the most important factors associated with child death risks; mothers’ education and socioeconomic status were also significant (males and females). The results also indicated that a higher birth order (7 & more) of child (OR=21.421 & 95%CI=16.879-27.186) with a short birth interval ≤ 2 years was more risky for child mortality, and lower birth order with longer birth interval >2 were significantly associated with child deaths. Other risk factors that affected child deaths in Bangladesh included young mothers of less than 25 years (mothers’ median age (26-36 years): OR=0.670, 95%CI=0.551-0.815), women without education compared to those with secondary and higher education (OR =0 .711 & .628, 95%CI=0.606-0.833 & 0.437-0.903), mothers who perceived their child body size to be larger than average and small size (OR= 1.525 & 1.068, 95%CI=1.221-1.905 & 0.913-1.249), and mothers who delivered their child by non-caesarean (OR= 1.687, 95%CI=1.253-2.272).ConclusionCommunity-based educational programs or awareness programs are required to reduce the child death in Bangladesh, especially for younger women should be increase the birth interval and decrease the birth order. The government should apply the strategies to enhance the socioeconomic conditions, especially in rural areas, increase the awareness program through media and expand schooling, particularly for girls.     

何氏益气养血补肾方治疗气血亏虚型类风湿关节炎并血液系统受累患者的效果分析

摘要 目的：探讨何氏益气养血补肾方治疗气血亏虚型类风湿关节炎并血液系统受累患者的治疗效果。方法：选取我院2020年10月到2022年10月收治的60例气血亏虚型类风湿关节炎并血液系统受累患者作为研究对象,分为观察组与对照组,每组30例。对照组采取常规本病治疗与对症治疗,观察组采取何氏益气养血补肾方与本病治疗,对比两组患者临床疗效,治疗前后中医证候积分变化,血红蛋白（Hb）、白细胞计数（WBC）、超敏C反应蛋白（hsCRP）及血沉（ESR）相关血液指标水平变化,CD4⁺、CD3⁺、CD4⁺/ CD8⁺相关T淋巴细胞亚群水平变化,并应用谷丙转氨酶（ALT）表达水平、谷草转氨酶（AST）评价患者治疗前后肝功能,应用血肌酐（Scr）、尿素氮(BUN)来评价患者肾功能变化。结果：观察组总有效率为93.33%明显高于对照组总有效率86.66%（P<0.05）;治疗后,两组患者神疲乏力、心悸气短、自汗、头晕眼花、怕冷、睡眠障碍相关中医证候积分均降低,且观察组低于对照组（P＜0.05）;治疗后两组患者Hb、WBC升高,观察组较对照组高,ESR、hsCRP降低,且观察组低于对照组（P＜0.05）;治疗后两组患者CD4⁺、CD3⁺和CD4⁺/ CD8⁺数值均升高,且观察组高于对照组（P＜0.05）;治疗后两组患者ALT、AST水平无明显变化,但两组患者SCr、BUN水平降低,观察组低于对照组（P＜0.05）。结论：何氏益气养血补肾方治疗气血亏虚型类风湿关节炎并血液系统受累疗效显著,可改善患者相关中医症状,提升血红蛋白和白细胞计数,提高患者免疫功能,且不对肝肾功能造成损伤,能够轻度提升患者肾功能水平,值得临床应用推广。     

NLR、PLR与分化型甲状腺癌术后131I清甲效果的关系及其预测价值分析

摘要 目的：探讨中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比值（NLR）、血小板/淋巴细胞比值（PLR）与分化型甲状腺癌（DTC）术后碘131（¹³¹I）清甲治疗效果的关系及对DTC术后¹³¹I清甲效果的预测价值。方法：选择2019年3月至2021年12月在江苏大学附属徐州医院行甲状腺切除术且术后进行¹³¹I清甲治疗的DTC患者150例为研究对象,根据¹³¹I清甲治疗效果分为清甲成功组（107例）和清甲未成功组（43例）,通过检查血常规获得中性粒细胞计数、血小板计数、淋巴细胞计数并计算NLR、PLR,比较两组NLR、PLR;采用单因素及多因素logistics回归模型分析¹³¹I清甲疗效的影响因素,采用受试者工作特征曲线（ROC）分析NLR、PLR对¹³¹I清甲治疗效果的预测价值。结果：清甲成功组NLR、PLR低于清甲未成功组（P＜0.05）,单因素分析显示清甲成功组促甲状腺激素（TSH）高于清甲未成功组,甲状腺球蛋白（Tg）水平低于清甲未成功组,清甲成功组病灶最大径小于清甲未成功组（P＜0.05）;多因素logistics回归分析显示,高NLR、PLR、Tg是¹³¹I清甲治疗失败的独立危险因素（P＜0.05）;NLR、PLR及联合检测预测¹³¹I清甲治疗效果的ROC曲线下面积（AUC）分别为0.760、0.732、0.829,NLR与PLR联合检测的AUC高于二者单独检测。结论：高NLR、PLR是DTC术后¹³¹I清甲未成功的独立危险因素,早期检测NLR、PLR对DTC术后¹³¹I清甲治疗效果具有较好的预测价值。     

Evaluation of health risks associated with trace metal exposure in water from the Barekese reservoir in Kumasi,Ghana

Abstract

Reservoirs play a pertinent role in providing potable water to humans and aquatic animals. Exposure to trace metal pollution in water may threaten aquatic ecosystem and human health. In this study, total and dissolved trace metals pollution and health risk they posed to humans in water sampled from the Barekese reservoir in Kumasi were investigated. Levels of Hg, As, Ni, and Cr in the water exceeded the WHO and USEPA stipulated limits. Arsenic and Cd recorded the highest non-carcinogenic health risk to humans. Hazard quotients (HQs) ?1 were recorded for an adult (HQ = 9.05) and a child (HQ = 21.11) via oral exposure to dissolved As in water samples. High HQ values of 40.10 and 17.20 for a child and an adult respectively were recorded through oral exposure for As. HQ of 1.41 was estimated for a child’s risk via dermal exposure to total Cd in water from the reservoir. Cancer risks of 1.63?×?10^?5 and 2.33?×?10^?6 were respectively recorded for a child and an adult oral exposure to dissolved As, suggesting possible adverse effects. The study concludes that anthropogenic activities within the Barekese catchment are deteriorating its water quality.     

Picturing women,class, and community in Arab Detroit: The strange case of Eva Habib

This essay explores the on‐going struggle to reveal and conceal the image of Eva Habib, an Arab American woman who worked in a Detroit factory and was photographed in her coveralls circa 1925. Eva's image has been a source of controversy in Detroit's Arab community since it first became public in the 1980s. I chart the evolution of this controversy, examine the interests of the parties involved, and draw conclusions about how this controversial image simultaneously undermines and reinforces popular notions of women, work, and class among Arab Americans.     

Weaving carpets, weaving lives: Childhood and ethnicity in downtown Kathmandu

In the developing metropolis public perceptions about caste and ethnicity are influenced by historical trends in decisions about occupations; but what does this mean for children whose families decide they work? In Kathmandu's carpet industry, a large percentage of workers are Tamang, an ethnic group who represent a small percentage of the country's population. Organisations working with Tamang child labourers have predominantly used quantitative research data to construct their intervention strategies. This has left many factors unexamined. This paper discusses qualitative and quantitative research data generated by a team of Nepali practitioners striving to address child labour issues. The purpose of their study was to examine the social and cultural factors influencing child migration and the quality of life for children in the carpet industry. The methodology included participatory indicators of children's social, economic, physical and psychological well-being. The paper will draw on children's perspectives to highlight the role of ethnicity in opportunity and exploitation.     

Is there a post-racism? On David Theo Goldberg’s conjunctural analysis of the post-racial

ABSTRACT

I comment on David Theo Goldberg’s Are We all Postracial Yet? by interpreting it as a programmatic essay towards a new conjunctural analysis of a globalizing racism, and as an emerging globalizing dialogue against racism. In the spirit of Goldberg’s book I relate these two modes of critical engagement in order to open a global perspective through which a relational understanding of racism can be formulated with respect to two neoliberal contexts, continental Europe and the United States. To this end I draw on the work of Étienne Balibar and in particular his early consideration of ‘neo-racism’.     

鸭疫里默氏杆菌流行菌株的分离鉴定及生物学特性

【背景】鸭疫里默氏杆菌(Riemerella anatipestifer,RA)是引起雏鸭、鹅、火鸡等多种家禽、野禽发生传染性浆膜炎的病原,在全世界范围内广泛存在,危害养禽业发展,造成严重的经济损失。【目的】了解国内RA的流行现状,探究该菌的生物学特性,更好地指导防控鸭疫里默氏杆菌病。【方法】对2020-2021年从山东省、河北省、广东省、山西省等地分离的RA疑似菌株进行PCR、生化和血清型鉴定,并根据药物敏感性结果分析耐药现象,根据半数致死量(median lethal dose,LD₅₀)测定结果分析致病力差异。【结果】共鉴定78株RA分离株,其中,血清1型4株、2型21株、10型11株、6型3株、7型17株,1株有交叉凝集现象,21株血清型未定型;药敏结果显示78株分离株对多粘菌素B、磷霉素、克林霉素等的耐药性最强,对头孢拉定、多西环素、呋喃唑酮、氟苯尼考等抗生素最为敏感,并且78株分离株均存在多重耐药性,其中77株耐药5重及以上;动物试验结果显示,RA的分离株致病力普遍较强,而且不同地区分离株、同地区不同分离株之间均存在差异,数株RA分离株的LD₅₀在10⁴-10⁷ CFU不等。【结论】RA在国内流行表现了强致病力及严重耐药情况,本研究结果为更好地预防控制、临床用药及后续致病机制研究提供了参考依据。     

Large-scale Ficoll gradient separations using a commercially available,effectively closed,system

Background aimsMultiple cell-therapy products require density separation as a part of manufacturing. The traditional method for Ficoll separation, layering cell suspensions over Ficoll in tubes, followed by centrifugation and collection of cells from the interface, is too cumbersome and poses too high a risk of contamination for clinical-scale use. Recently, a system for clinical-scale Ficoll gradient applications has been introduced (Sepax?) but this system has limited availability and is costly.MethodsFor preparations of mononuclear cells (MNC) for dendritic cell (DC) production, we developed a Ficoll separation protocol that employs the Haemonetics? Cell Saver5? surgical blood salvage and wash instrument. This system uses standard blood bags and tubing, has single-use components, and is effectively closed. We analyzed 37 recent separation processes using this instrument and protocol. We measured depletion of red blood cells (RBC) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), and recovery of CD14⁺ monocytes and MNC.ResultsStarting cell counts were 14.6 ± 8.0 (×10⁹). Total cell recovery was 49.2 ± 15.2%, RBC depletion was 88.4 ± 2.8%, PMN depletion was 86.9 ± 6.1%, MNC recovery was 63.6 ± 5.0% and CD14⁺ monocyte recovery was 75.3 ± 9.9%.ConclusionsThe Cell Saver5? is relatively inexpensive to purchase and use. The instrument and its disposables are licensed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for intra-operative blood salvage, and we have obtained approval for investigational use. Our method with this instrument has proven to be simple and efficient for clinical-scale Ficoll separations.     

CHEMICAL AND ENZYMATIC SYNTHESIS OF 4′-THIO-β-D-ARABINOFURANOSYLCYTOSINE MONOPHOSPHATE AND TRIPHOSPHATE

N⁴-Acetyl-1-(2, 3-di-O-acetyl-4-thio-β-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (2) was synthesized in three steps from 1-(4-thio-β-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (1). The reaction of this partially blocked 4′-thio-ara-C derivative 2 with 2-chloro-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin-4-one gave the 5′-phosphitylate derivative 3, which on reaction with pyrophosphate gave the 5′-nucleosidylcyclotriphosphite 4. Product 4 was then oxidized with iodine/pyridine/water and deblocked with concentrated ammonium hydroxide to provide the desired 4′-thio-ara-C-5′-triphosphate 5. This triphosphate 5 was converted to 4′-thio-ara-C -5′-monophosphate 6 by treatment with snake venom phosphodiesterase I. The details of the synthesis, purification, and characterization of both nucleotides are described.     

Adjuvant cytokine-induced killer cell immunotherapy improves long-term survival in patients with stage I–II non-small cell lung cancer after curative surgery

Background aimsNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the most common cancer worldwide, with an annual incidence of around 1.3 million. Surgery represents the standard treatment in early-stage NSCLC when feasible. However, because of cancer recurrence, only approximately 53% of patients with stage I and II NSCLC survive 5 years after radical surgery. The authors performed a retrospective study to investigate the impact of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell immunotherapy on the long-term survival of patients with stage I–II NSCLC after curative resection.MethodsFifty-seven patients with NSCLC were included in the study, with 41 and 16 in the control and CIK groups, respectively. Clinical characteristics were compared using a t-test and χ² test. Survival analysis of patients with NSCLC was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method. The phenotypes and anti-tumor functions of CIK cells were evaluated by flow cytometry.ResultsPatients in the CIK group exhibited significantly longer overall survival (OS) and better disease-free survival (DFS) than those in the control group. Subgroup analysis indicated that patients with a higher risk of recurrence benefited more from CIK treatment and attained longer OS and DFS compared with those in the control group. No severe adverse events related to CIK treatment occurred. CIK cells contained a higher proportion of CD3⁺CD56⁺ natural killer (NK) T cells and CD3⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells and a lower proportion of CD3^–CD56⁺ NK cells compared with peripheral blood mononuclear cells. CIK cells exhibited potent tumor-killing ability, with longer contact times with tumor cells and a greater number of cells exposed to tumor cells.ConclusionsThe authors’ data suggest that adjuvant CIK cell therapy is a safe and effective therapeutic strategy for improving OS and DFS in patients with stage I–II NSCLC after curative resection.     

GENETIC TIES: ARE THEY MORALLY BINDING?

Does genetic relatedness define who is a mother or father and who incurs obligations towards or entitlements over children? While once the answer to this question may have been obvious, advances in reproductive technologies have complicated our understanding of what makes a parent. In a recent publication Bayne and Kolers argue for a pluralistic account of parenthood on the basis that genetic derivation, gestation, extended custody and sometimes intention to parent are sufficient (but not necessary) grounds for parenthood. ¹ 1 Bayne, T. & Kolers, A. . Toward A Pluralist Account of Parenthood . Bioethics 2003 ; 17 : 221 – 242 .
Bayne and Kolers further suggest that definitions of parenthood are underpinned by the assumption that ‘being causally implicated in the creation of a child is the key basis for being its parent’. ² 2 Ibid. p. 241.
This paper examines the claim that genetic relatedness is sufficient grounds for parenthood based on a causal connection between genetic parents and their offspring. I argue that parental obligations are about moral responsibility and not causal responsibility because we are not morally accountable for every consequence to which we causally contribute. My account includes the conditions generally held to apply to moral responsibility, i.e. freedom and foreseeability. I argue that parental responsibilities are generated whenever the birth of a child is a reasonably foreseeable consequence of voluntary actions. I consider the implications of this account for third parties involved in reproductive technologies. I argue that under some conditions the obligations generated by freely and foreseeably causing a child to exist can be justifiably transferred to others.     

A radiotracer method to study efflux transport of iodide liberated from thyroid hormones via deiodination metabolism in the brain

AimsThyroid hormones (TH) play an important role in the development and functional maintenance of the central nervous system. The purpose of this study was to develop a radiotracer method for studying the in vivo efflux transport of iodide liberated by the TH metabolism in the brain. The rationale of our method is as follows: a radioiodinated compound can enter the brain and rapidly release iodide in situ; the iodide efflux rate can be estimated from the clearance of brain radioactivity after disappearance of the iodinated compound.Main methods6-[¹²⁵I]Iodo-9-pentylpurine ([¹²⁵I]9Pe6IP) was designed to enter the brain and release ¹²⁵I^? by the reaction with glutathione and synthesized from the corresponding bromo derivative in a Br/¹²⁵I exchange reaction. The brain kinetics of radioactivity and radioactive metabolites were investigated after intravenous injection of [¹²⁵I]9Pe6IP into mice. The iodide efflux rate was estimated in mice pretreated with perchlorate, an inhibitor of iodide transport from the brain.Key findingsHigh brain uptake (5.3% injected dose/g) was observed at 1 min, and almost complete conversion of [¹²⁵I]9Pe6IP to ¹²⁵I^? occurred 10 min after injection. The ¹²⁵I^? uptake from the blood was negligible. ¹²⁵I^? was eliminated from the brain along a single-exponential curve with a half-life of 6.0 min. Furthermore, dose-dependent inhibition of ¹²⁵I^? efflux was observed in mice pretreated with perchlorate.SignificanceWe conclude that 9Pe6IP labeled with ¹²⁴I (positron emitter) or ¹²³I (single-photon emitter) may be useful for studying the in vivo efflux transport of iodide in the brain using nuclear medicine imaging devices.     

Diagnosis of acute intoxications in critically ill patients: focus on biomarkers – part 2: markers for specific intoxications

Abstract

In medical intensive care units, acute intoxications contribute to a large proportion of all patients. Epidemiology and a basic overview on this topic were presented in part one. The purpose of this second part regarding toxicological biomarkers in the ICU setting focuses on specific poisons and toxins. Following the introduction of anion and osmol gap in part one, it’s relevance in toxic alcohols and other biomarkers for these poisonings are presented within this publication. Furthermore, the role of markers in the blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid for several intoxications is evaluated. Specific details are presented, amongst others, for cardiovascular drug poisoning, paracetamol (acetaminophen), ethanol, pesticides, ricin and yew tree intoxications. Detailed biomarkers and therapeutic decision tools are shown for carbon monoxide (CO) and cyanide (CN^-) poisoning. Also, biomarkers in environmental toxicological situations such as mushroom poisoning and scorpion stings are presented.