Onset Of Period Research Articles

Longitudinal patterns of childhood homelessness and early adolescent trajectories of internalising and externalising behaviour

BackgroundChild homelessness has been associated with elevated mental health problems during early adolescence, a period of onset for psychiatric problems. Prior literature has relied on cross-sectional studies, limiting the understanding...

A systematic review: Idiom comprehension in aphasia: The effects of stimuli and task type

Idioms differ from other forms of figurative language because of their semantic dimensions of familiarity (frequency of encounter), ambiguity (possibility to have a literal interpretation), decomposability (possibility of the idiom's words to assist in its figurative interpretation) and transparency (possibility to deduce the original metaphorical motivation of an idiomatic phrase from its literal analysis). A variety of approaches have been used to investigate the way idioms are processed in the brain. Studying clinical populations is one of them. Supporting evidence has been drawn from studies examining subjects suffering from aphasia, typically caused by lesions to a complex language network involving the main language areas in the Left Hemisphere (LH) of the brain. Patients with aphasia sometimes show selective impairment in idiom comprehension, implying that there are types of idioms, less impaired in comprehension, which do not depend solely on the LH of the brain. However, recent literature does not seem to agree in terms of when such preference exists and if the types of idioms and tasks employed play a crucial role. This study investigates idiom comprehension in aphasia and seeks to explore (1) the effect of idiomatic stimuli in terms of their semantic dimensions on the patients' language performance (2) a potential effect of the tasks employed on the patients' language performance. A systematic review was done following the PRISMA approach. Starting from an initial find of n = 457, after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 articles were retained for further analysis. Relevant information that was extracted included differences and similarities across studies, especially focusing on patient characteristics (age, type of aphasia, severity of aphasia, post onset period, handedness, type of lesion (i.e., single focal vs. multiple), lesion location, etiology and test used for diagnosis), stimuli (types of stimuli, stimuli's assessment, consistent use of terminology) and task employed (type of task, task options, modality of presentation and response, and types of measurements) and language comprehension patterns. Results indicated that studies in idiom comprehension in aphasia are characterized by great heterogeneity regarding the experimental task and the type of idiomatic stimuli employed. Heterogeneity in these key aspects, results in unclear interpretation of idiom comprehension patterns in aphasia across studies. In addition, the nature of idiomatic stimuli and more specifically their semantic dimensions were insufficiently described, and their descriptions were sometimes accompanied by terminological inconsistencies. Moreover, patient profiles were occasionally incomplete and more importantly, language comprehension patterns were reported after considering patients with aphasia as one homogenous group irrespective of their aphasic syndrome. Last, this review proposes recommendations for future research, focusing on patient profiles, experimental tasks and stimuli as well as the interpretation of language comprehension patterns.

Diabetes Technology and the Human Factor.

Diabetes Technology and the Human Factor.

Monitoring the Process and Characterizing Symptoms of Suckling Mouse Inoculation Promote Isolating Viruses from Ticks

Objective: Suckling mouse inoculation is an important method that has been used for years to isolate viruses from ticks; however, this method has usually been briefly described in the literature on a case-by-case basis upon successful isolation rather than providing extensive details. Methods: This study describes the procedure from preparation of tick homogenates to identification of virus isolation using the suckling mouse inoculation method. The transient and persistent features were characterized and the incidence of manifestations that developed in the suckling mice, especially in mice from which viruses were isolated, is reported. Results: We identified 22 symptoms that developed in mice, including 13 transient symptoms that recovered by the end of the observation period and 7 persistent symptoms that the mice suffered from throughout the observation period. Persistent symptoms (lateral positioning and dead) and transient symptoms (malaise, emaciation, and difficulty turning over) were the main symptoms based on the high overall incidence. Moreover, we showed that mice from which viruses were isolated had a concentrated period and advanced days of disease onset. Conclusion: This study provides detailed information necessary for better use of suckling mouse inoculation to isolate viruses from ticks, which may benefit optimization of this method to identify, discover, and acquire tick-borne viruses.

Impact of extreme heatwaves and life-history traits on seed germination responses in Cumberland Plain Woodland native plant species

Context The Cumberland Plain Woodland (CPW) is a threatened ecological community that is expected to experience heatwaves of increasing intensity and frequency into the future. Given the central role that temperature plays in regulating seed germination, understanding the impacts of such heatwaves on key germination attributes is vital to identify potential impacts on plant community structure. Aims To determine the impacts of increased heatwave intensity and frequency treatments on seed germination within and across 15 native species of the CPW. We also examined the influence of interspecific variation in life-history traits on germination responses. Methods Seeds were exposed to seven heatwave treatments of increasing intensity and frequency. Life-history trait data were also collected for each species’ dormancy type, fire response traits, life form and seed mass. Key results There was evidence within the study species of a significant effect of heatwave treatment. Germination duration was prolonged for the two most extreme simulated heatwave events. Life-history traits could not explain germination responses after heatwave treatments, however, larger seeded species had quicker germination onset and shorter periods of germination over small-seeded species; and trees had lower proportions of germination than any other life form. Conclusions Increases in heatwave intensity and frequency have an impact on seed germination responses in native species of the CPW. Life-history traits could not explain germination responses across species along the heatwave gradient. Implications Projected increases in heatwave intensity and frequency are likely to impact seed germination, and thus community composition, in species from the CPW.

The Extent to Which Rainfall Variability has Affected Small Scale Dairy Farmers in Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya

Dairy farming in Kenya remains among the key wheelers to the Nations GDP contributor at about 6- 8%. Majority of the farmers in this sector, are small scale who mostly have no knowledge and capacity to handle challenges posed by rainfall variability that causes frequent droughts, impacting on water and pasture supply to their animals. Objective of study was: To assess the extent to which rainfall variability had affected small scale dairy farming in Uasin-Gishu County in Kenya between years 2010-2020. Rainfall data was collected from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), Eldoret. While milk produce data was obtained from Ministry of Agriculture Uasin-Gishu County. Structured Questionnaires were used to collect data from farmers with few key respondents interviewed on the same . The questionnaire was administered to small scale dairy farmers who were sampled in a stratified manner based on their sub counties, then randomly within the Sub County. In total about 368 small scale dairy farmers were sampled out of which 300 (82%) of administered questionnaire were fully responded to. Analysis of objective one was done by Pearson correlation to establish the relationship between various rainfall characteristics and milk produce. Total annual rainfall with total annual milk had correlation of r= 0.532, number of rainy days in a year to the amount of milk with Pearson correlation of r =0.375, P>0.05. Onset and cessation periods had Pearson correlation of r=0.305 and r=0,019 respectively. Average monthly rainfall to milk had Pearson correlation indicating a negative relationship of r= -0.424, P= 0.169, meaning months with high rainfall amounts had lower milk produced while dry ones had higher milk produced. The researcher therefore failed to accept the null hypothesis and adopted the alternative one that rainfall variability has had significant impact on small scale dairy farming in Uasin –Gishu County. Research recommended that farmers should keep more of cross breed animals which cope with climate variability unlike exotic ones. There was also need for farmers to join and strengthen cooperative societies to assist them adapt, this is besides use of digital methods of sharing challenges and solutions to rainfall variability

Intranasal dexmedetomidine versus intranasal midazolam as sole sedative agents for pelviabdominal magnetic resonance imaging in pediatrics: A randomized double-blind trial

Background: The diagnostic effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) resulted in its growing usage among cases of all ages. Nevertheless, children having MRIs are frequently sedated due to the magnetic field’s extremely loud decibel level and to avoid motion artefacts. This research aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of intranasal dexmedetomidine and midazolam in pediatric MRI patients. Materials and Methods: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial involved 60 cases aged 2–8 years, both sexes getting elective MRI. Sixty children were randomly allocated into two equal groups, subjects in group D were sedated with 2 μg/kg intranasal dexmedetomidine, whereas group M were sedated with 0.3 mg/kg intranasal midazolam. Successful sedation was considered when the Modified Observer Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale < 4. Results: The 1st and 2nd dose success rates were significantly higher in group D (80% and 90%) as opposed to group M (46.67% and 63.33%) (P = 0.015 and 0.032, respectively). Sedation onset was significantly faster in group D compared to group M (P = 0.037). Sedation time was significantly prolonged in group D than group M (P = 0.044). MRI satisfaction of operator was significantly higher in group D compared to group M (P = 0.022). Conclusion: Intranasal dexmedetomidine provided higher incidence of successful sedation and operator satisfaction with quicker onset and prolonged period of sedation and less adverse events than intranasal midazolam in pediatrics undergoing pelviabdominal MRI.

The Impact of Visual Impairment on Healthcare Use among Four Medical Institution Types: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study in Korea.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of visual impairment (VI) onset on the use of healthcare services across four types of institutions in South Korea. We utilized data from the National Health Insurance Service database from 2006 to 2015 for 714 persons who experienced VI onset in 2009-2012 and for 2856 matched persons for a 1:4 ratio of matching controls. We compared trends in healthcare use and expenditures for eye diseases at clinics, hospitals, general hospitals, and tertiary teaching hospitals using 3 years of data prior to and after the onset of VI. The inpatient and outpatient healthcare expenditures of individuals with VI were higher than those without VI, peaking at the pre-VI onset period in tertiary teaching hospitals. During the pre-VI onset period, the proportion of healthcare expenditures attributed to eye diseases ranged 11%-40.8% among individuals with VI, but 1.9%-11% among individuals without VI at the four types of institutions. The differences in healthcare use between the pre- and post-VI periods were primarily observed in tertiary teaching hospitals for inpatient care. There was a peak in utilization of outpatient care in the year preceding VI onset at tertiary teaching hospitals, clinics, and hospitals, but there was a decrease in outpatient care over time during the post-VI period. Our findings suggest economic burden of healthcare in tertiary teaching hospitals during pre-VI onset period and a potential lack of regular management and continuity of care in post-VI periods.

Research Progress of Chinese and Western Medicine in Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

At present, the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not clear, and its pathogenesis has not been clarified. For this, in clinic can only make corresponding treatment for the onset period and sequelae of the disease. Through reviewing relevant literature in recent years, it is found that the combined use of traditional Chinese and western medicine has great advantages in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This paper will analyze and summarize the current treatment status and medication rules of traditional Chinese and western medicine for rheumatoid arthritis, hoping to provide reference for clinical treatment plans, so as to further improve clinical efficacy and improve treatment plans.

Patients without Increased Lymphocyte Counts and Decreased CT Scores During the Early 2nd Week of Illness Onset may Develop to Severe COVID-19.

Lymphopenia and high CT score is associated with COVID-19 severity. Herein we describe the change pattern in lymphocyte count and CT score during hospitalization and explore a possible association with the severity of COVID-19. In this retrospective study, 13 non-severe COVID-19 patients diagnosed at admission were enrolled. One patient progressed to severe disease. Change patterns in lymphocyte counts and CT scores of all patients were analyzed. Lymphocyte count increased gradually from day 5 post-illness onset (day 5 vs. day 15, p = 0.001). Lymphocyte count of the severe patient fluctuated at low levels throughout the 15-day period. Chest CT scores of non-severe patients increased significantly during the first 5 days of illness onset, but decreased gradually beginning day 9 (illness onset vs. day 5, p = 0.002, day 9 vs. day 15, p = 0.015). In the severe patient, CT score continued to increase over the 11 days post-illness onset period. Non-severe COVID-19 patients had significantly increased lymphocyte counts and decreased CT scores beginning day 5 and day 9 of illness onset, respectively. The patients without increased lymphocyte counts and decreased CT scores during the early 2nd week of illness onset may develop to severe COVID-19.

Metal-insulator transition and resistive switching in Y-doped CeO2 ceramics.

Y-doped ceria, Y0.16Ce0.84O1.92, is an oxide ion conductor that shows n-type conductivity under a small applied voltage. With increasing voltage, resistive switching by 2-3 orders of magnitude occurs that is reversible with some hysteresis and is enhanced in atmospheres of reduced pO2. The switching is a bulk effect, is not associated with Schottky barriers or with a crystallographic transition, occurs rapidly after a premonitory onset period depending on conditions and shows characteristics of a Mott transition. This is the third known example of low field-induced resistive switching in a bulk ceramic and represents an emergent phenomenon in materials that are taken outside their zone of thermodynamic stability.

北京主要气传致敏花粉年浓度峰值日期预测

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 北京主要气传致敏花粉年浓度峰值日期预测 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202202220416 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 北京市科技计划课题（Z191100009119013） Prediction of date of annual maximum concentration of main airborne allergenic pollen in Beijing Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project(Z191100009119013) 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:花粉是我国北方引发过敏性鼻炎最主要过敏原，花粉症发病期与花粉浓度高峰期吻合。基于北京地区2012至2020年花粉季多站、逐日分类花粉浓度观测数据分析，得出北京地区花粉浓度在3月上旬至5月中旬（可进一步划分为3月中旬至4月上旬和4月下旬至5月上旬两个高峰期）和8月中旬至9月中旬分别存在两个高峰期，第一个高峰期内优势致敏花粉种类为柏科、杨柳科和松科，第二个高峰期内优势致敏花粉种类为桑科、菊科蒿属和藜科。根据优势致敏花粉年浓度峰值日期观测数据，使用与花粉采样站点位置相匹配的逐日气象观测数据累积值，基于作物模型概念和模糊逻辑原理建立了北京地区主要气传致敏花粉年浓度峰值日期预测模型。经检验，柏科、杨柳科、松科、桑科、菊科蒿属和藜科花粉模型预测准确率分别为87.8%、80.0%、64.4%、86.7%、78.8%和81.8%。基于北京地区主要气传致敏花粉年浓度峰值日期预测模型可为本地花粉症防治提供理论参考。 Abstract:The prevalence and severity of pollen-induced pollinosis has been increasing yearly worldwide in recent years. Pollen is the main allergen causing allergic rhinitis in North China and the onset period of airborne allergenic pollen-induced pollinosis coincides with the peak period of pollen concentration. As one of the mega-cities in the northern region of China, Beijing is becoming increasingly aware of the problems caused by allergenic pollen. Based on the analysis of 12 pollen sampling stations daily classified pollen concentration observation data during pollen season in Beijing from 2012 to 2020, there were two peak periods of pollen concentration in Beijing from early March to mid-May (it could be further divided into two peak periods from mid-March to early April and from late April to early May) and from mid-August to mid-September, respectively. The dominant allergenic pollen species in the first peak period were Cupressaceae, Salicaceae (from early March to mid-April, the annual average concentration accounted for 39.1% and 18.2% respectively) and Pinaceae (from mid-April to early May, the annual average concentration accounted for 18.2%), and the dominant allergenic pollen species in the second peak period were Moraceae, Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae (from mid-August to mid-September, the annual average concentration accounted for 34.4%, 30.4% and 12.7% respectively). The annual maximum concentration of dominant airborne allergenic pollen in Beijing varied significantly among stations and pollen seasons, and fluctuated significantly. In contrast, the variation of the dates of annual maximum pollen concentration of the same species is relatively stable, and its prediction research work is more meaningful for pollen-induced pollinosis control. Based on the observation data of annual maximum concentration of dominant airborne allergenic pollen and the cumulative value of daily meteorological observation data matched with the location of pollen sampling stations, a prediction model of date of annual maximum concentration of main airborne allergenic pollen in Beijing is established based on the principle of crop growth model and fuzzy logic. The results showed that the prediction accuracy of pollen models of Cupressaceae, Salicaceae, Pinaceae, Moraceae, Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae were 87.8%, 80.0%, 64.4%, 86.7%, 78.8% and 81.8%, respectively. Using a model based on fuzzy logic principle and driven by the cumulative values of daily meteorological elements for pollen annual maximum concentration date, combined with the high-resolution regional numerical weather prediction model in Beijing, we can make a reasonable prediction of the time of maximum pollen concentration of different airborne allergenic pollens and provide a theoretical reference for the prevention and control of local airborne allergenic pollen-induced pollinosis. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

A caveat to using wearable sensor data for COVID-19 detection: The role of behavioral change after receipt of test results.

Recent studies indicate that wearable sensors can capture subtle within-person changes caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection and play a role in detecting COVID-19 infections. However, in addition to direct effects of infection, wearable sensor data may capture changes in behavior after the receipt of COVID test results. At present, it remains unclear to what extent the observed discriminative performance of the wearable sensor data is affected by behavioral changes upon receipt of the test results. We conducted a retrospective study of wearable sensor data in a sample of medical interns who had symptoms and received COVID-19 test results from March to December 2020, and calculated wearable sensor metrics incorporating changes in step, sleep, and resting heart rate for interns who tested positive (cases, n = 22) and negative (controls, n = 83) after symptom onset. All these interns had wearable sensor data available for > 50% of the days in pre- and post-symptom onset periods. We assessed discriminative accuracy of the metrics via area under the curve (AUC) and tested the impact of behavior changes after receiving test results by comparing AUCs of three models: all data, pre-test-result-only data, and post-test-result-only data. Wearable sensor metrics differentiated between symptomatic COVID-19 positive and negative individuals with good accuracy (AUC = 0.75). However, the discriminative capacity of the model with pre-test-result-only data substantially decreased (AUC from 0.75 to 0.63; change = -0.12, p = 0.013). The model with post-test-result-only data did not produce similar reductions in discriminative capacity. Changes in wearable sensor data, especially physical activity and sleep, are robust indicators of COVID-19 infection, though they may be reflective of a person's behavior change after receiving a positive test result as opposed to a physiological signature of the virus. Thus, wearable sensor data could facilitate the monitoring of COVID-19 prevalence, but not yet replace SARS-CoV-2 testing.

Features of gynecological pathology in women with infertility and pathology of the thyroid gland

The objective: to study the structure of gynecological pathology and the hormonal background in women with infertility and various types of thyroid pathology. Materials and methods. The anamnesis of infertile patients was studied. The women, depending on the pathology of the thyroid gland and the method of fertilization were divided into the following groups: the 1st group included 119 women with infertility without thyroid pathology who became pregnant after the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART); the 2nd group – 47 patients who became pregnant with the help of ART and in whom antibodies to thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO antibodies) were detected; the 3rd group – 30 women with compensated hypothyroidism, whose pregnancy occurred with ART; the 4th group – 39 women without thyroid pathology and with spontaneous pregnancy; the 5th group – 128 patients with compensated hypothyroidism and spontaneous pregnancy. The concentrations of the following hormones in the blood plasma in the early follicular phase were determined in all the patients: luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, prolactin, testosterone, cortisol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate.Results. There were no significant differences between the women with infertility and thyroid pathology and the patients with spontaneous pregnancy without thyroid pathology regarding the age of menarche onset, the period of regularity onset of the menstrual cycle after menarche. The most frequent disorder of the menstrual cycle in patients of the 1st (26.9 %), 2nd (25.5 %) and 3rd (26.6 %) groups was dysmenorrhea. Oligomenorrhea was more often detected in women with infertility and thyroid pathology who became pregnant with the help of ART (25.5 % of patients in the 2nd group and 23.3% – in the 3rd group), compared to women with spontaneous pregnancy. The endocrine factor of infertility was most often determined in women with infertility who became pregnant after ART and had thyroid pathology: in the presence of anti-TPO antibodies, this factor was found in 29.8 % of women, hypothyroidism – 23.3 %. External genital endometriosis as a cause of infertility prevailed among patients with infertility without thyroid pathology, who became pregnant after ART (34.4 %), and women with compensated hypothyroidism, whose pregnancy occurred with the help of ART (26.6 %). In patients with infertility and anti-TPO antibodies, who became pregnant after ART, a significant increase of LH concentration was found compared to the patients with spontaneous pregnancy without thyroid diseases. A significant increase of FSH level was also determined in women of the 1st group compared to healthy patients with spontaneous pregnancy. Conclusions. In women with infertility and various types of thyroid pathology the disorders of the ovarian-menstrual cycle such as dysmenorrhea and oligomenorrhea are typical. The main factor of infertility in patients without thyroid diseases is external genital endometriosis, in persons with thyroid pathology – an endocrine factor. In women with infertility and various types of thyroid pathology, a significant increase of luteinizing hormone concentration in the blood plasma in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle was established.

Body Mass Trajectory Affects the Long-Term Occurrence of Metabolic Syndrome in Adult Patients with Severe Obesity.

Independently of absolute BMI values, the amount, onset date, and duration of early body weight gain may influence cardio-metabolic health later in adulthood. Values of cardiac and metabolic variables from a cohort study of morbidly obese patients were retrospectively analyzed to study the association between early weight history and metabolic syndrome (MetS) occurrence in adults. Of 950 patients with severe morbid obesity (age 44.3 ± 13.8 y, BMI 42.5 ± 7.0 kg/m2), 31.4% had started excess weight gain in childhood (CH), 19.9% in adolescence (ADO), and 48.7% in adulthood (AD). Despite different BMI values, MetS prevalence (57.8%) was not significantly different in the three groups (54.4% CH vs. 57.7% ADO vs. 59.8% AD, p = 0.59). The overweight onset period was not significantly associated with the development of MetS in adults (ADO: OR = 1.14 [0.69-1.92], p = 0.60; AD: OR = 0.99 [0.62-1.56], p = 0.95) despite a higher BMI in the early obesity onset group. Weight gain of more than 50% after age 18 years significantly increased the risk of MetS (OR = 1.75 [1.07-2.88], p = 0.026). In addition to crude BMI values, analysis of body mass trajectories is a relevant clinical tool in the assessment of metabolic risk, suggesting that the magnitude of weight gain may be more important for metabolic syndrome progression than the period of obesity onset.

Evaluation of the Immunochromatography Assay's Diagnostic Performance for Quickly Detecting the Presence of COVID-19 Antigen in Patients with Positive PCR Results

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SAR-CoV-2) is the novel infectious disease agent that causes COVID-19. The laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 is based on nucleic acid-based virus genome sequencing and real-time PCR and serological methods, rapid antigenic testing. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of the immunochromatography method by comparing it with PCR in covid-19 diagnosis. The study involved 116 samples, 90 samples included covid-19 patients and 26 samples included healthy, as a control group. Two nasopharyngeal swabs (NP) were taken, one for an antigenic test cassette and the other swab for re-confirmation of the infection by a real-time RT-PCR. The result of this study showed that there was a significant difference (P value = 0.0001) between RT PCR and rapid Ag tests in patients and healthy groups. The low sensitivity recorded for rapid antigen detection kits was 69% and 70%, respectively, compared with the 100% sensitivity of PCR. This study demonstrated an elevated positive rate of rapid Ag positive during the period (8–14 days) of symptoms onset. This study concluded that the rapid antigen test is a helpful tool for detecting the presence of COVID-19 infection, but it may not be the best alternative due to its low sensitivity.

Diagnostic efficacy of aneuploidy markers correlated with early onset preeclampsia

Low-dose aspirin administration before 16 weeks of gestation can prevent preeclampsia (PE) more effectively. In order to determine if aspirin should be administered, this study aimed to investigate the predictive value of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and aneuploidy markers for the onset period of PE. 1053 singleton pregnant women were included in the study, and serum PAPPA-A and aneuploidy markers were analyzed between 3 group (normotensive, late-onset PE, and early-onset PE). The utility of these markers for predicting early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE) was compared using each marker and their combination. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)/PAPP-A > 6.89 and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)/PAPP-A > 7.94 were associated with EOPE with a positive likelihood ratio (LR) (6.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.9-7.1), and (5.77, 95% CI 3.9-6.4). The combination of markers could predict EOPE more accurately compared to the single markers. AFP/PAPP-A > 6.89 and hCG/PAPP-A > 7.94had a predictive ability for EOPE, and these cutoff values can help determine the use of aspirin at an earlier gestational age (GA).

Gestational bisphenol A exposure advances puberty onset in female offspring: Critical time window identification

Increasing evidence shows that the early onset of puberty in female offspring may be caused by maternal prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy; however, the critical time window of maternal prenatal BPA exposure remains unknown. Here, we identify the critical time window of gestational BPA exposure that induces early onset of puberty in female offspring. Pregnant CD-1 mice were gavaged with BPA (8 mg/kg) daily during the early gestational stage (GD1–GD6), middle gestational stage (GD7–GD12) or late gestational stage (GD13–GD18). We show that maternal BPA exposure during the early and middle gestational stages could advance the vaginal opening time and increase the serum levels of kisspeptin-10 and GnRH in the female offspring at PND 34. Mechanistically, maternal BPA exposure during early and middle gestation could significantly increase CpG island methylation in the Eed gene promoters but reduce the mRNA expression of Eed in the hypothalamus tissues of the female offspring. In conclusion, the critical period of maternal BPA exposure-induced early onset of puberty in female offspring is early and middle gestation; this BPA-induced early onset of puberty might be partly attributed to epigenetic programming of the Eed gene in the hypothalamus. This study provides important insights regarding the relationship and the mechanisms between BPA and offspring pubertal development.

Effectiveness of enhanced check during acute phase to reduce central venous catheters-associated bloodstream infections: a before-after, real-world study

BackgroundTo evaluate the effectiveness of enhanced check to the duration of the central venous catheters associated bloodstream infections (CABSIs), and the impact on infection rates.MethodsA before-after, real-world study in six adult intensive care units was conducted. All adult patients who had only one central venous catheter were included during two consecutive periods. The intervention period, added cross-check that all patients with central venous catheter (CVC) need to be performed, and included nurses' checks for insertion practices and doctors' checks for maintenance practices. Propensity scores matching were used to account for potential confounding, and restricted cubic spline was served as visualizing the CABSI risk.ResultsA total of 2906 patients with 26,157 CVC-days were analyzed. After intervention, the density incidence of CABSI decreased from 10.24 to 6.33/1,000 CVC-days (P < 0.001), and the acute period of rapid increase in CABSI risk was shortened, 6.5 to 5 days for femoral-vein catheterization and 7 to 5.5 days for subclavian-vein catheterization. For jugular-vein catheterization, the acute onset period disappeared.ConclusionEnhanced check during the first 7 calendar days after CVC insertion shortens the duration of the CABSI acute phase and tends to decrease CABSI rate.

An External Coincidence Model for the Lunar Cycle Reveals Circadian Phase-Dependent Moonlight Effects on Coral Spawning.

Many marine organisms synchronously spawn at specific times to ensure the success of external fertilization in the ocean. Corals are famous examples of synchronized spawning at specific lunar phases, and two distinct spawning patterns have been observed in two dominant taxa: merulinid corals spawn at regular lunar phases, several days after the full moon, whereas Acropora corals spawn at more irregular lunar phases around the full moon. Although it has been suggested that the two coral taxa have different responses to moonlight and seawater temperature, their spawning times have never been analyzed by integrating the two environmental factors, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of spawning. In this study, we developed a new predictive model of coral spawning days by integrating moonlight and temperature effects based on the external coincidence model for the lunar cycle. We performed model fitting using a 10-year monitoring record of coral spawning time in Taiwan. Our model successfully demonstrated the synergistic effects of moonlight and temperature on coral spawning time (days) and provided two testable hypotheses to explain the different spawning patterns regarding the preparation (maturation) process for spawning and the sensitivity to moonlight at different circadian phases: (1) Acropora corals may have an earlier onset and longer period of preparation for spawning than merulinid corals; and (2) merulinid corals may use moonlight signals near sunset, while Acropora corals may have a similar onset at approximately midnight. This is the first study to indicate the difference in circadian phase-dependent moonlight sensitivities between coral taxa, providing a basis for underlying coral spawning mechanisms for rhythmic studies.