Prognostic accuracy of factors associated with poor outcome in prenatally diagnosed sacrococcygeal teratoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Several factors associated with poor outcome in patients with prenatally diagnosed sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) have been found. However, the prognostic accuracy of these factors has not been well established. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review the prognostic accuracy of factors associated with poor outcome in these patients. We queried Search Premier, COCHRANE Library, EMCARE, EMBASE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases to identify studies regarding patients with prenatally diagnosed SCT. Poor outcome was defined as termination of pregnancy (TOP), intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), or perinatal death. We estimated the odds ratio of factors associated with poor outcome. Eleven studies (447 patients) were included. Overall mortality, including TOP, was 34.9%. Factors associated with poor outcome in fetuses with prenatally diagnosed SCT were cardiomegaly, hypervascular tumor, solid tumor morphology, fetal hydrops, and placentomegaly. A tumor volume to fetal weight ratio (TFR) of >0.12 before a gestational age of 24 weeks is predictive of poor outcome. The prognostic accuracy of factors associated with poor outcome in fetuses prenatally diagnosed with SCT seems promising. Factors associated with cardiac failure such as cardiomegaly, hypervascular tumor, solid tumor morphology, fetal hydrops, placentomegaly, and TFR >0.12 were found to be predictive of poor outcome.     

Altered levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein proteases in preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preeclampsia (PE) are leading causes of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Many studies have found association between low levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) proteases in the first trimester maternal circulation and the risk of subsequent development of PE and/or IUGR. These results are generally interpreted to reflect decreased production of the proteases by the placenta, leading to reduced proteolysis of IGFBPs and lower free levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF), resulting in diminished feto-placental development. However, the association between low circulating levels of placental proteins early in pregnancy and the subsequent development of IUGR and/or PE could be due to low exchange in the placenta and not due to reduced production. In contrast, late in pregnancy, the circulating levels of these proteins and their expression in the placenta are often elevated in PE, which may reflect upregulation to compensate for abnormal placental development, that is an adaptive mechanism to increase IGFBP proteolysis, increase local IGF levels and promote feto-placental growth. Further research into the biological mechanisms underlying these associations will aid the identification of high-risk pregnancies and the development of therapeutic targets for diseases for which there are presently no preventative measures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ethical limits to domestication

Through the process of domestication the genetic make-up of farm animals can be changed by means of either selective breeding or genetic engineering. This paper is about the ethical limits to such genetic changes. It is suggested that the ethical significance of domestication has become clear recently in the light of genetic engineering, but that the problem has been there all along. Two ethical approaches to domestication are presented, genetic integrity and animal welfare. It is argued that the welfare approach is superior. Finally, five ethical hypotheses based on the welfare approach are presented.     

Effectiveness of a light-weight ice-vest for body cooling while wearing fire fighter's protective clothing in the heat.

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of wearing an ice-vest (ca 1 kg) on physiological and subjective responses in fire fighters. The experiments were carried out on a treadmill in a hot-dry environment. The physical cooling effect of the ice-vest was measured with a thermal manikin. The ice-vest effectively reduced skin temperatures under the vest. On average, heart rate was 10 beats/min lower, the amount of sweating was reduced by 13%, and subjective sensations of effort and warmth were lower during work with the ice-vest compared to work without it. Thermal manikin tests indicated that the useful energy available from the vest for body cooling was rather high (58%). In conclusion, the ice-vest reduces physiological and subjective strain responses during heavy work in the heat, and may promote efficient work time by 10%.     

Evaluation of an acid ammonium oxalate extraction to determine fluoride resident concentrations in soils

Fluoride depositions near aluminum smelters and other fluoride-emitting plants can lead to fluoride accumulation in soils, which constitutes a risk for ground water contamination. This study was conducted to investigate the capacity of a 0.2 M acid ammonium oxalate solution to selectively and quantitatively extract fluoride accumulated in soils. The recovery of fluoride added to three soils was evaluated following 7- to 28-d incubations. Oxalate extraction was also compared with a total fluoride extraction method, using oxalate-extractable fluoride (Fox) and total fluoride (Ftot) accumulation profiles derived from column percolation experiments. To determine low-level fluoride concentrations without interference from high Al and Fe concentrations, an adapted ion chromatography method was used. Following soil incubations, oxalate extracted 42 to 86% of added fluoride. Recovery varied between soils and, in one soil, increased with added fluoride concentration. Recovery was unaffected by incubation time. Maximum recovery was obtained in a soil high in amorphous Fe and Al, low in clay, and free of carbonate. Lower recoveries were obtained in soils with higher clay or carbonate contents. Only 4 to 8% of Ftot was extracted in untreated samples using Fox, which suggests a high selectivity of this method for added fluoride. In percolation experiments, the use of Fox reduced considerably the background noise associated with Ftot for the evaluation of fluoride accumulation profiles. Because of its high selectivity and despite incomplete fluoride recovery, the use of Fox to determine fluoride resident concentrations in soils may improve environmental monitoring of fluoride accumulation and movement in contaminated soils.     

Geolocation of free-ranging fish on the European continental shelf as determined from environmental variables

Demersal fish cannot readily be tracked using satellite-based or light-based geolocation techniques. As an alternative, we describe the tidal location method, which uses tidal data recorded by electronic data storage tags (DSTs), to determine geoposition. Times of high water (H) and tidal ranges (R) recorded by DSTs moored at known locations, and from free-swimming tagged plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, were compared with a North Sea tidal database to identify all positions with matching values of H and R. Within the recording precision of the tag (ǂ.2 m, ᆞ min) and the predicted accuracy of the model generated tidal data (ǂ.15 m, ᆨ min), geolocations over much of the North Sea and eastern English Channel were predicted to be accurate to within 40 km, sometimes to within 10 km. Positional estimates of the moored tags were within 15.7Dž.5 km of the actual locations. Geolocations made from tagged plaice within 5 days of release and 5 days pre-recapture were within 35ᆬ km and 37ᆫ km of release and recapture positions respectively. Our results demonstrate the ability of this method to accurately describe the migrations of North Sea plaice throughout their geographical range with a level of accuracy unattainable using light-based geolocation. The method could equally be applied to any shelf-dwelling demersal fish that periodically rests on the sea-bed for the duration of a tidal cycle. In fisheries management, the method has clear potential application in defining the movements and migrations of other commercial species.     

利用曲线补偿变时溶出示差技术测定Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd初步探讨

本文利用曲线补偿，变时溶出示差技术提高了测定Ｃｕ、Ｐｂ、Ｚｎ、Ｃｄ的灵敏度、精密度和准确度，进一步改变了谱图的分辨率，避免了Ｏ２波的干扰     

Some requirements of an interactive software tool for life cycle analysis

This paper briefly presents the current practice for carrying out life cycle inventories, and mentions some advantages and drawbacks of a few dedicated software tools that are commercially available. A list is presented of some features that we think should be present in an ‘ideal’ life cycle analysis (LCA) software tool, after the specifications made at Ecobilan for the development of a specific tool for LCA. Some consideration is given to the technical difficulties involved, and the benefits that could be expected from the implementation of such features.