Intrauterine intervention in a case of recurrent meconium peritonitis

We present a case of recurrent meconium peritonitis detected in the second trimester and treated by intrauterine intervention. Antenatal ultrasound findings included fetal ascites and intra-abdominal calcification. Aspiration of fetal ascites under ultrasound guidance and determination of the bilirubin concentration established the diagnosis of meconium peritonitis. Paracentesis was repeated to remove irritating intestinal contents and to decrease pressure on the fetal thorax. Although the exact cause of the meconium peritonitis remains unknown, the recurrence of the condition suggests a genetic basis. A possibility of cystic fibrosis was not considered because the clinical picture did not suggest it. Intrauterine intervention helped to establish the diagnosis of meconium peritonitis and may have contributed to the good outcome.     

Promiscuity in mice is associated with increased vaginal bacterial diversity

Differences in the number of sexual partners (i.e., mating system) have the potential to exert a strong influence on the bacterial communities present in reproductive structures like the vagina. Because this structure serves as a conduit for gametes, bacteria present there may have a pronounced, direct effect on host reproductive success. As a first step towards the identification of the relationship between sexual behavior and potentially pathogenic bacterial communities inhabiting vital reproductive structures, as well as their potential effects on fitness, I sought to quantify differences in bacterial diversity in a promiscuous and monogamous mammal species. To accomplish this, I used two sympatric species of Peromyscus rodents—Peromyscus californicus and Peromyscus maniculatus that differ with regard to the number of sexual partners per individual to test the hypothesis that bacterial diversity should be greater in the promiscuous P. maniculatus relative to the monogamous P. californicus. As predicted, phylogenetically controlled and operational taxonomic unit-based indices of bacterial diversity indicated that diversity is greater in the promiscuous species. These results provide important new insights into the effects of mating system on bacterial diversity in free-living vertebrates, and may suggest a potential cost of promiscuity.     

垃圾乱舞太空

如果你想扔掉一台旧冰箱或者旧电视机，你可以在路边叫人把它们收走。但是一颗废弃的人连卫星，或是用过的火箭呢?     

基于双向门控循环单元的地表水氨氮预测

为提高水环境中NH4+-N的预测精度,提出了一种互补完全集合经验模式分解(CCEEMDAN)和双向门控循环单元(BiGRU)神经网络的混合预测模型(CCB).首先,通过CCEEMDAN将NH4+-N数据分解成一系列较为简单的模态成份;然后利用BiGRU神经网络对各成份进行预测,将所有分解成份的预测结果相加即可获得最终预...     

欧盟的生物燃料像石油一样是高碳经济

研究结果关于油棕榈种植园温室气体排放的一项新研究已经计算出CO₂排放水平,它比以前认为的数据增长50%以上。英国莱萨斯特大学为国际清洁运输委员会（一个国际智囊团）做了一项新研究,希望估算出与生物柴油生产相关的温室气体排放量。受命提炼