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The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) increases in women during pregnancy and negatively affects maternal and fetal outcomes. The updated systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the validity of the Berlin, STOP-Bang, and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) questionnaires in detecting OSA in pregnant women. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched systematically up to March 2022. After eligible studies inclusion, two independent reviewers extracted demographic and clinical data. Bivariate random effects models were used to estimate the pooled accuracy measures including sensitivity and specificity, positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPVs), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve. We included 8 studies including 710 pregnant women with suspected OSA. The performance values of Berlin, STOP-Bang, and ESS questionnaires were as follows: the pooled sensitivity were 61% (95% confidence interval (CI): 40%-80%), 59% (95% CI: 49%-69%), and 29%, (95% CI: 10%-60%); pooled specificity were 61% (95% CI: 42%-78%), 80% (95% CI: 55%-93%), and 80% (95% CI: 50%-94%); pooled PPVs were 60% (95% CI: 0.49-0.72), 73% (95% CI: 61%-85%), and 59% (95% CI: 31%-87%); pooled NPVs were 60% (95% CI: 0.49-0.71), 65% (95% CI: 54%-76%), and 53% (95% CI: 41%-64%); and pooled DORs were 3 (95% CI: 1-5), 6 (95% CI: 2-19), and 2 (95% CI: 1-3), respectively. It seems that the Berlin, STOP-Bang, and ESS questionnaires had poor to moderate sensitivity and specificity in pregnancy, with the ESS showing the worst characteristics. Further studies are required to evaluate the performance of alternative screening methods for OSA in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecules present in an animal's environment can indicate the presence of predators, food, or sexual partners and consequently, induce migratory, reproductive, foraging, or escape behaviors. Three sensory systems, the olfactory, gustatory, and solitary chemosensory cell (SCC) systems detect chemical stimuli in vertebrates. While a great deal of research has focused on the olfactory and gustatory system over the years, it is only recently that significant attention has been devoted to the SCC system. The SCCs are microvillous cells that were first discovered on the skin of fish, and later in amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Lampreys also possess SCCs that are particularly numerous on cutaneous papillae. However, little is known regarding their precise distribution, innervation, and function. Here, we show that sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus L.) have cutaneous papillae located around the oral disk, nostril, gill pores, and on the dorsal fins and that SCCs are particularly numerous on these papillae. Tract‐tracing experiments demonstrated that the oral and nasal papillae are innervated by the trigeminal nerve, the gill pore papillae are innervated by branchial nerves, and the dorsal fin papillae are innervated by spinal nerves. We also characterized the response profile of gill pore papillae to some chemicals and showed that trout‐derived chemicals, amino acids, and a bile acid produced potent responses. Together with a companion study (Suntres et al., Journal of Comparative Neurology, this issue), our results provide new insights on the function and evolution of the SCC system in vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is an intermediate product in the recovery of tungsten from its minerals. Recently, it has attracted increasing attention due to its exclusive structural properties and its high potential in electronic applications. The crystal lattice of tungsten trioxide is highly dependent on temperature. In this paper we investigated the equilibrium structure of tungsten trioxide in four crystal systems, i.e. monoclinic system, tetragonal system, orthorhombic system, and cubic system. We did our first principle calculations using a pseudopotential model based on the spin dependent density functional theory and implementing generalized gradient approximation for exchange correlation energy. In each case, we calculated total energy, Fermi energy, band structure, and density of states and then we made comparisons. The results show that WO3 is a semiconductor in all four crystal structures with zero total magnetization. Moreover, tungsten trioxide has a direct band gap in the range of visible wavelength that improves its optical applications potentially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]