In vivo deuteration strategies for neutron scattering analysis of bacterial polyhydroxyoctanoate

The cultivation of microorganisms on deuterated substrates has allowed us to control deuterium incorporation into biopolymer systems which is important for characterisation using neutron scattering techniques. Bacterial polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO) is a polyester formed within inclusions inside bacterial cells and was deuterated in vivo under various conditions to characterise the formation of these inclusions by neutron scattering. Manipulation of deuterated media during microbial growth and PHO production phases resulted in polymer with partial or complete substitution of hydrogen by deuterium, as shown by gas chromatography. Sequential feeding of hydrogenated and deuterated forms of the same precursor was used to demonstrate that neutron scattering analysis could be used to differentiate between chemically similar phases in these polymer inclusions.     

Determinants of premature rupture of membrane in Southern Ethiopia, 2017: case control study design

Objective

To identify the determinants of term premature rupture of membrane in Southern Ethiopia public hospitals, 2017.

Results

Seventy-five cases and 223 controls women were enrolled for the study. Two hundred eighty-four (95.3%) participants were admitted at the gestational age of above 40, and the rest, 14 (4.7%), were admitted at 37–40 weeks of gestation. The current study identified wealth index and inter-birth interval as preventive predictors, but smoking and hypertension during pregnancy were identified as positive determinants of premature rupture of membrane. This finding is supported by multiple logistic regression analysis result of wealth index (AOR: 0.102, 95% CI [0.033, 0.315]), inter-birth interval (AOR: 0.251, 95% CI [0.129, 0 0.488]), smoking (AOR: 17.053, 95% CI [2.145, 135.6]), and hypertension (AOR: 8.92, 95% CI (1.91, 41.605]). The association between PROM and its determinants indicated that evidence-based interventions should be needed and designed to have very high wealth index, and optimal interbirth interval, and prevent smoking and hypertension during pregnancy to decrease PROM occurrence in the study settings. Hence, we recommended that integration of prevention mechanism of modifiable determinants to the obstetrics health care system will reduce premature ruptures of a membrane.

     

Birth in a Health Facility –Inequalities among the Ethiopian Women: Results from Repeated National Surveys

Background

Uptake of health facilities for delivery care in Ethiopia has not been examined in the light of equality. We investigated differences in institutional deliveries by urbanity, administrative region, economic status and maternal education.

Methods

This study was based on nation-wide repeated surveys undertaken in the years 2000, 2005, and 2011. The surveys used a cluster sampling design. Women of reproductive age were interviewed on the place of their last delivery. Data was analyzed using logistic regressions to estimate the weighted association between birth in a health facility and study''s predictors.

Results

Utilization of health institutions for deliveries has improved throughout the study period, however, rates remain low (5.4%,2000 and 11.8%,2011). Compared with women from rural places, women from urban areas had independent OR of a health facility delivery of 4.9 (95% CI: 3.4, 7.0), 5.0 (95% CI: 3.6, 6.9), and 4.6 (95% CI: 3.5, 6.0) in 2000, 2005, and 2011, respectively. Women with secondary/higher education had more deliveries in a healthcare facility than women with no education, and these gaps widened over the years (OR: 35.1, 45.0 and 53.6 in 2000, 2005, and 2011, respectively). Women of the upper economic quintile had 3.0–7.2 times the odds of healthcare facility deliveries, compared with the lowest quintile, with no clear trend over the years. While Addis-Ababa and Dire Dawa remained with the highest OR for deliveries in a health facility compared with Amhara, other regions displayed shifts in their relative ranking with Oromiya, SNNPR, Afar, Harari, and Somali getting relatively worse over time.

Conclusions

The disparity related to urbanity or education in the use of health facility for birth in Ethiopia is staggering. There is a small inequality between most regions except Addis Ababa/Dire Dawa and sign of abating inequity between economic strata except for the richest households.     

Production and use of deuterated polyhydroxyoctanoate in structural studies of PHO inclusions

This work reports on the biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates with medium chain length alkyl substituents in the side chain by Pseudomonas oleovorans using hydrogenated and deuterated substrates. These investigations aimed to obtain polyhydroxyalkanoates with varying degrees of deuterium substitution, and establish whether they are suitable analogues for structural investigation. In order to understand the formation and structure of inclusions in their native state, whole inclusions were isolated from microbial cells and were analysed using Small Angle Neutron Scattering. A contrast variation study was conducted on hydrogenated and deuterated inclusions of polyhydroxyoctanoate, as well as inclusions resulting from co-feeding or sequentially feeding different precursors. The data indicated a core/shell structure resulting from feeding hydrogenated followed by perdeuterated PHO precursor, and demonstrated the utility of this analysis for characterising chemically similar systems.     

The effect of molybdenum on the molecular control of cold tolerance in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) artificial seeds

Molybdenum (Mo) was used to improve the cold tolerance of cauliflower microshoots/artificial seeds. The optimal stage to introduce Mo to the micropropagation system was found to be the microshoots liquid culture stage, since its use within artificial seed capsules or conversion media had negative effects on conversion rate and viability. Mo was found to improve the cold tolerance of both acclimated and non-acclimated microshoots/artificial seeds. The capacity of Mo to up-regulate CBF/DREB1 in cauliflower microshoots was confirmed. Moreover, this study is the first to confirm the ability of this element to up-regulate CBF/DREB1 without any low temperature treatment. Mo significantly increased the accumulation of 23 kDa polypeptide when it was used at 15 ppm concentration. However, Mo had a negative effect on the accumulation of dehydrin proteins which suggest that this group of proteins have no significant role in the cold tolerance of cauliflower microshoots. The study could help in improving the understanding of the abiotic stress network in plants and in improving the quality and efficiency of cauliflower artificial seed production systems.