Single and Serial Fetal Biometry to Detect Preterm and Term Small- and Large-for-Gestational-Age Neonates: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

ObjectivesTo assess the value of single and serial fetal biometry for the prediction of small- (SGA) and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) neonates delivered preterm or at term.MethodsA cohort study of 3,971 women with singleton pregnancies was conducted from the first trimester until delivery with 3,440 pregnancies (17,334 scans) meeting the following inclusion criteria: 1) delivery of a live neonate after 33 gestational weeks and 2) two or more ultrasound examinations with fetal biometry parameters obtained at ≤36 weeks. Primary outcomes were SGA (<5^th centile) and LGA (>95^th centile) at birth based on INTERGROWTH-21^st gender-specific standards. Fetus-specific estimated fetal weight (EFW) trajectories were calculated by linear mixed-effects models using data up to a fixed gestational age (GA) cutoff (28, 32, or 36 weeks) for fetuses having two or more measurements before the GA cutoff and not already delivered. A screen test positive for single biometry was based on Z-scores of EFW at the last scan before each GA cut-off so that the false positive rate (FPR) was 10%. Similarly, a screen test positive for the longitudinal analysis was based on the projected (extrapolated) EFW at 40 weeks from all available measurements before each cutoff for each fetus.ResultsFetal abdominal and head circumference measurements, as well as birth weights in the Detroit population, matched well to the INTERGROWTH-21^st standards, yet this was not the case for biparietal diameter (BPD) and femur length (FL) (up to 9% and 10% discrepancy for mean and confidence intervals, respectively), mainly due to differences in the measurement technique. Single biometry based on EFW at the last scan at ≤32 weeks (GA IQR: 27.4–30.9 weeks) had a sensitivity of 50% and 53% (FPR = 10%) to detect preterm and term SGA and LGA neonates, respectively (AUC of 82% both). For the detection of LGA using data up to 32- and 36-week cutoffs, single biometry analysis had higher sensitivity than longitudinal analysis (52% vs 46% and 62% vs 52%, respectively; both p<0.05). Restricting the analysis to subjects with the last observation taken within two weeks from the cutoff, the sensitivity for detection of LGA, but not SGA, increased to 65% and 72% for single biometry at the 32- and 36-week cutoffs, respectively. SGA screening performance was higher for preterm (<37 weeks) than for term cases (73% vs 46% sensitivity; p<0.05) for single biometry at ≤32 weeks.ConclusionsWhen growth abnormalities are defined based on birth weight, growth velocity (captured in the longitudinal analysis) does not provide additional information when compared to the last measurement for predicting SGA and LGA neonates, with both approaches detecting one-half of the neonates (FPR = 10%) from data collected at ≤32 weeks. Unlike for SGA, LGA detection can be improved if ultrasound scans are scheduled as close as possible to the gestational-age cutoff when a decision regarding the clinical management of the patient needs to be made. Screening performance for SGA is higher for neonates that will be delivered preterm.     

Epidemiology of Leprosy in Spain: The Role of the International Migration

BackgroundAlthough incidence of leprosy in Spain has declined steadily over the years, the fivefold increase in immigration since the turn of the century—much of it from countries where leprosy is still prevalent—has been linked to an uptick in registered cases.ObjectiveTo describe the epidemiologic trends of incident leprosy cases detected in Spain among Spanish- and foreign-born population groups.MethodsObservational, retrospective study of suspected leprosy cases in Spain, as reported through the System of Compulsory Notification of Diseases from 2003 to 2013, with results disaggregated by country of birth. We collected statistical data on leprosy burden for other countries from WHO to estimate the expected number of imported cases.ResultsOf the 168 leprosy cases registered during the study period, 40 (24.6%) were in Spanish patients, while 128 (76.2%) were detected in legally resident immigrants. We identified a significantly higher number of imported leprosy cases during the 2008–2010 and 2011–2013 trienniums compared to the reference biennium 2003–2004 (OR 5.38, 95% CI 1.83–14.88 and OR 4.80, 95% CI 1.41–16.33, respectively). Most imported cases were diagnosed in Latin American immigrants (71.9%), especially Brazilians, but also Paraguayans, Bolivians and other nationalities from South and Central America. However, registered incidence was lower than expected for each year. For example, in 2003, the expected new cases in immigrants was 47.12, compared to only four cases that were actually detected (a 91% difference). Likewise, we expected to find 49.6 incident cases among immigrants in 2009, but only 15 new cases were reported (60% fewer than expected).ConclusionImported cases of leprosy are responsible for most leprosy incidence in Spain, and we cannot rule out some under-diagnosis. Clinicians should be made more aware of the potential for leprosy incidence among patients from countries where the disease is endemic.     

First Report of Peronospora belbahrii on Sweet Basil in Baja California Sur,México

In Baja California Sur, Mexico, a foliar disease occurred on sweet basil which seriously affected its quality and yield. The most common symptoms were yellowing and necrosis on leaves, caused by a downy mycelium growth on the lower leaf surface. Symptomatic leaves from two sampling sites were collected for morphological studies and molecular analysis of pathogen DNA. Based on morphological characteristics (sporangiophore size of 240–530 × 7–11 μm, branches of 5–8 order and a sporangia size of 27–31 × 21–25 μm) and molecular analysis (the GenBank blast of the PCR assays showed unique rDNA sequence data with 99% similarity to P. belbahrii), the pathogen was identified as Peronospora belbahrii, the causal agent of basil downy mildew. This is the first report of P. belbahrii affecting sweet basil in Mexico.     

Begomoviruses Infecting Tomato Crops in Panama

The key regions in Panama involved in open field‐ and greenhouse‐grown commercial tomato production, including the Chiriquí, Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos, Coclé and Panama Oeste provinces, were surveyed for the incidence and distribution of begomoviruses in the growing seasons of 2011 and 2012. The surveys took place in 14 of the 51 districts of the above‐mentioned provinces and comprised all relevant tomato production areas of the provinces. A total of 28 tomato plots were surveyed. The exact location of each plot was geo‐referenced using a hand‐held Global Positioning System unit. In total, 319 individual tomato plants (181 in 2011 and 138 in 2012) were sampled. Plants displayed diverse combinations of virus‐like symptoms of different severity, including necrosis, yellowing, mosaic, mottling, rolling, curling, distortion and puckering of leaves, reduced leaf size, and stunted growth. DNA was extracted from each plant for a subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, using two sets of degenerate primers able to detect members of the genus Begomovirus. The samples displaying a positive reaction were subsequently analysed with specific primer pairs to identify the affecting begomoviruses. A total of 42.3% of all collected samples showed a positive signal to PCRs. Three begomovirus species were detected with the species‐specific set of primers; in particular, in the samples obtained in 2011, Potato yellow mosaic Panama virus (PYMPV), Tomato leaf curl Sinaloa virus (ToLCSiV) and Tomato yellow mottle virus (TYMoV) were detected, while in the 2012 samples, only PYMPV and ToLCSiV were found. To our knowledge, this is the first reported incidence of ToLCSiV and TYMoV in Panamanian tomato crops.     

Diversity and trophic structure of insects associated with grains of three maize landraces in San Agustín Loxicha,Oaxaca, Mexico

Diversity and trophic structure of grain insect communities were examined in Olotillo, Nal‐Tel and Comiteco maize landraces cultivated within a milpa agroecosystem by Zapotec ethnic groups in Mexico. Higher insect diversity was expected in Olotillo, whose cultivation comprises a wide variety of agroecosystems, and low insect abundance in Nal‐Tel with small grains and thick testa. Forty Olotillo cobs were collected at low, medium and high elevations, and 40 each of Nal‐Tel at low elevation and Comiteco at high elevation. Cobs were monitored for 30 days under controlled laboratory conditions until all insects emerged. Thickness of testa of 400 grains from each landrace was measured. Community composition and trophic structure were described and standard diversity indices were estimated. A total of 9,708 insects, corresponding to five orders, 24 families and 36 species, were recorded, with six species not previously reported in this region. Insect guilds were composed of 70% phytophages, 22% parasitoids and 8% predators. Species richness was S = 27, 16 and 8 in Olotillo, Comiteco and Nal‐Tel, respectively. Nal‐Tel and Olotillo had the highest diversity index values (H′ = 1.32 and 1.2, respectively) and no significant differences; Comiteco had the lowest value (H′ = 0.65) and differed significantly from the other landraces. Comiteco and Olotillo, which have large grains and thin testa, showed higher insect abundance than Nal‐Tel, which has small grains and thick testa and showed lower abundance. Results support our hypotheses and highlight the role of traditional crop management in insect agrobiodiversity maintenance and conservation.     

The maize α-zein promoter can be utilized as a strong inducer of cellulase enzyme expression in maize kernels

Transgenic Research - Expression of recombinant proteins in plants is a technology for producing vaccines, pharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes. For the past several years, we have produced...     

Acoustic stimuli from predators trigger behavioural responses in aggregate caterpillars

Prey detect their predators through predator signals and cues and, consequently, respond with anti‐predatory behaviours to inhibit the action of their aggressors. Lepidopterans can intercept signals emitted by predators and may defend themselves through chemical, morphological or behavioural responses. In this study, we investigated the effect of acoustic stimuli of different predators on defensive behaviour of gregarious caterpillars. Our results demonstrated that Hylesia nigricans (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae) caterpillars alter their behaviour (i.e. abruptly raising the head) in response to the acoustic stimulus of the predators (i.e. predation risk signals from birds and wasps). The magnitude of this response depended on predator identity and caterpillar body size. Larger caterpillars responded more strongly to predatory stimuli than smaller caterpillars. However, regardless of the size of the caterpillars, they responded more strongly to the stimuli of wasps. In addition, we identified that H. nigricans caterpillars emit ultrasonic noise after detecting the stimuli of the predators – this noise seems to function as an alert about the risk of predation during the early stages of development (second and fifth instars). The duration of ultrasonic emission (i.e. milliseconds) increases with the number of repetitions of the stimuli (i.e. wing‐beat sounds of the wasps and insectivorous birds). These results provide novel information about predation risk in interactions among caterpillars and their predators, and indicate possible communication among invertebrates mediated by the risk of predation.