Association of Proteinuria Threshold in Pre-Eclampsia with Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes: A Nested Case Control Cohort of High Risk Women

Objectives

To evaluate occurrence of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes with different thresholds of proteinuria (300-499mg and ≥500mg/24 hours) in pre-eclamptic women, comparing outcomes against women with chronic and gestational hypertension.

Design

Secondary analysis of the Vitamins in Pre-Eclampsia Trial.

Setting

25 UK hospitals in ten geographical areas.

Population

946 women with pre-existing risk factors for pre-eclampsia.

Methods

Women with pre-eclampsia and proteinuria 300-499mg/24h (PE300, referent group, n=60) or proteinuria ≥500 mg/24h (PE500, n=161) were compared with two groups of non-proteinuric women with chronic hypertension (CHT, n=615) or gestational hypertension (GH, n=110).

Main Outcome Measures

Maternal: progression to severe hypertension. Perinatal: small for gestational age (SGA) <5^th centile, gestation at delivery.

Results

Severe hypertension occurred more frequently in PE500 (35%) and PE300 (27%) than CHT (5.9%; P≤0.01) and GH (10%; p≤0.001). Gestation at delivery was earlier in PE500 (33.2w) than PE300 (37.3w; P≤0.001), and later in CHT (38.3w; P≤0.05) and GH (39.1w; P≤0.001). SGA infants were more frequent in PE300 (32%) than in CHT (13.3%; P≤0.001) and GH (16.5%; P≤0.05). Women in PE500 were more likely to have a caesarean section than PE300 (78% vs. 48%; P≤0.001), and to receive magnesium sulphate (17% vs. 1.7%, P≤0.05).

Conclusion

Women with PE300 have complication rates above those of women managed as out-patients (GH and CHT), meriting closer surveillance and confirming 300 mg/d as an appropriate threshold for determining in-patient management. Adverse perinatal outcomes are higher still in women with PE500.     

A new steroidal saponin from Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum with antiinflammatory and gastroprotective effects

A new steroidal saponin was isolated from the bulbs of Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum. On the basis of chemical conversions and detailed analyses of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra including 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques, its structure was established as 3-[(O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-O-[O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)]-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-d-galactopyranosyl)oxy]-2,6-dihydroxy-(2α,3β,5α,6β,25R)-spirostane. Results of the present study indicated that the steroidal saponin showed haemolytic effects in the in vitro assays and demonstrated antiinflammatory activity and gastroprotective property using in vivo models.     

Failure of the Amblyomma cajennense nymph to become infected by Theileria equi after feeding on acute or chronically infected horses

Tick-borne diseases in horses are caused by the intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Although T. equi is highly endemic in Latin America, the New World vector of this important parasite is controversial. The aim of this study was to test the ability of nymph Amblyomma cajennense ticks acquire infection by T. equi following feeding on infected horses. Three experiments were performed: tick acquisition of T. equi from an experimentally infected horse, tick acquisition of T. equi from naturally infected foals and tick acquisition of T. equi from a chronically infected horse. A. cajennense adults were dissected and salivary glands were collected in aliquots. Methyl green pyronin staining of the salivary glands did not show the presence of hypertrophy of acini or cell nuclei normally suggestive of Theileria spp. infection. The pools of salivary glands were negative for Theileria DNA in nested PCR assays. Histopathological analysis failed to detect sporoblast and sporozoites of T. equi in salivary gland acini. This study was not able to observe infection of the A. cajennense by T. equi.     

MSMBuilder: Statistical Models for Biomolecular Dynamics

MSMBuilder is a software package for building statistical models of high-dimensional time-series data. It is designed with a particular focus on the analysis of atomistic simulations of biomolecular dynamics such as protein folding and conformational change. MSMBuilder is named for its ability to construct Markov state models (MSMs), a class of models that has gained favor among computational biophysicists. In addition to both well-established and newer MSM methods, the package includes complementary algorithms for understanding time-series data such as hidden Markov models and time-structure based independent component analysis. MSMBuilder boasts an easy to use command-line interface, as well as clear and consistent abstractions through its Python application programming interface. MSMBuilder was developed with careful consideration for compatibility with the broader machine learning community by following the design of scikit-learn. The package is used primarily by practitioners of molecular dynamics, but is just as applicable to other computational or experimental time-series measurements.     

Erratum to: Evaluation of the Use of Selective PCR Amplification of LPS Biosynthesis Genes for Molecular Typing of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Leptospira</Emphasis> at the Serovar Level

Leptospirosis is an important epidemic zoonosis worldwide. Currently, there are more than 250 Leptospira pathogenic serovars known that can potentially infect humans. Conventional classification of leptospires with the serovar as the basic taxon, based on serological recognition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) composition does not correlate well with species determination, based on general genomic features. Here, we investigate the selective amplification of polymorphic regions from the LPS biosynthesis loci (rfb) as a potential tool for serovar typing of Leptospira interrogans species. Eight pairs of primers were designed to target six ORFs from the rfb operon with varying levels of sequence polymorphism. They were tested both separately and multiplexed. Half of these primer pairs produced serovar-specific amplicons, allowing the identification of some specific serovars and also groups of serovars. It was shown that the serovar classification of Leptospira can be accessed by selective amplification of rfb operons in some cases, which may permit a parallel between the serological and the genomic classifications of Leptospira. As a conclusion, the selective amplification of rfb generated promising and already useful results, but it appears necessary to characterize a larger variety of Leptospira genomes or rfb operons to fully develop this method.     

Gamma-Decanolactone Alters the Expression of GluN2B,A1 Receptors,and COX-2 and Reduces DNA Damage in the PTZ-Induced Seizure Model After Subchronic Treatment in Mice

Neurochemical Research - Gamma-decanolactone (GD) has been shown to reduce epileptic behavior in different models, inflammatory decreasing, oxidative stress, and genotoxic parameters. This study...     

Evidence of a landlocked reproducing population of the marine pejerrey Odontesthes argentinensis (Actinopterygii; Atherinopsidae)

In South America, the order Atheriniformes includes the monophyletic genus Odontesthes with 20 species that inhabit freshwater, estuarine and coastal environments. Pejerrey Odontesthes argentinensis is widely distributed in coastal and estuarine areas of the Atlantic Ocean and is known to foray into estuaries of river systems, particularly in conditions of elevated salinity. However, to our knowledge, a landlocked self-sustaining population has never been recorded. In this study, we examined the pejerrey population of Salada de Pedro Luro Lake (south-east of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) to clarify its taxonomic identity. An integrative taxonomic analysis based on traditional meristic, landmark-based morphometrics and genetic techniques suggests that the Salada de Pedro Luro pejerrey population represents a novel case of physiological and morphological adaptation of a marine pejerrey species to a landlocked environment and emphasises the environmental plasticity of this group of fishes.     

Spatiotemporal analysis of mycolactone distribution in vivo reveals partial diffusion in the central nervous system

Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU) disease, is unique amongst human pathogens in its capacity to produce a lipid toxin called mycolactone. While previous studies have demonstrated that bacterially-released mycolactone diffuses beyond infection foci, the spatiotemporal distribution of mycolactone remained largely unknown. Here, we used the zebrafish model to provide the first global kinetic analysis of mycolactone’s diffusion in vivo, and multicellular co-culture systems to address the critical question of the toxin’s access to the brain.Zebrafish larvae were injected with a fluorescent-derivative of mycolactone to visualize the in vivo diffusion of the toxin from the peripheral circulation. A rapid, body-wide distribution of mycolactone was observed, with selective accumulation in tissues near the injection site and brain, together with an important excretion through the gastro-intestinal tract. Our conclusion that mycolactone reached the central nervous system was reinforced by an in cellulo model of human blood brain barrier and a mouse model of M. ulcerans-infection.Here we show that mycolactone has a broad but heterogenous profile of distribution in vivo. Our investigations in vitro and in vivo support the view that a fraction of bacterially-produced mycolactone gains access to the central nervous system. The relative persistence of mycolactone in the bloodstream suggests that assays of circulating mycolactone are relevant for BU disease monitoring and treatment optimization.     

Searching for Euglossa cyanochlora Moure, 1996 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), one of the rarest bees in the world

Euglossa cyanochlora Moure, 1996 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossina) is known from only two specimens and is considered as one of the rarest bees. An intensive search for this species in its expected area of occurrence in eastern Brazil was carried out during three consecutive summers and involved over 1,000?h of active sampling in 50 sites distributed among 20 forest remnants. Almost 15,000 orchid bee males were attracted to scent baits and collected, but only 24 of them belonged to E. cyanochlora. Some degree of mitochondrial gene (COI, cytB, and 16S) variation was observed in this species. Although no intra-specific variation was identified at the 16S locus, three and six haplotypes were characterized at the COI and cytB genes, respectively. Combined data from field work and molecular analysis suggest that the species southernmost distribution limit is close to its type locality, near Parque Nacional do Monte Pascoal, in southern Bahia. The conservation status of E. cyanochlora is discussed and measures for its protection are here proposed.