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The Murray River is Australia's longest river, draining the continent's largest exoreic catchment. The river is Australia's most economically valuable, but is highly degraded by water extraction. The Murray River's terminal lakes, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert, formed following the mid-Holocene marine transgression. These lakes are part of one of the most ecologically important wetland ecosystems on the Australian continent and are recognised as internationally significant by the Ramsar Convention. As a result of upstream water extraction, the Lower Lakes are threatened by rising salinity. To combat this threat, water is allocated to maintain the Lower Lakes as freshwater ecosystems. This practice is part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, one of the largest environmental water allocation plans in the world. The water allocations and the natural history of the Lower Lakes are the subject of academic and public debate, since the water would otherwise be used for consumptive purposes, particularly irrigated agriculture, upstream. Recent modelling postulated that the lakes were saline for much of the period between 8500 and 5000 years ago. However, using new sedimentary diatom and hydrodynamic modelling evidence, we demonstrate that the Lower Lakes were fresh for most of this time, particularly after 7200 years ago. Elevated Murray River discharge between 7200 and 6600 years ago prevented sea water ingress, despite sea levels +1 m higher than present. After 6600 years ago, the lakes remained predominately fresh. Current management is, therefore, consistent with the lakes' history before European colonisation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To estimate associations of residential mobility with body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and diet and whether associations differ across demographics., Design: Longitudinal cohort with 4 waves of survey follow-up over 15 years., Participants and Setting: A total of 2,110 adolescents and young adults originally from the Twin Cities of Minnesota responded to at least 2 waves of follow-up, beginning at ages 15 to 23 years., Main Outcome Measure(s): Self-reported BMI, physical activity, fast food consumption, breakfast frequency, sugary drink consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and screen time., Analysis: Each outcome was modeled as a continuous variable using hierarchical linear regression. Residential mobility-change in residential address-was the main effect of interest. Models adjusted for demographics, marriage during follow-up, and previous level of the outcome. Inverse propensity weights accounted for loss to follow up., Results: No weight-related outcomes differed between movers and nonmovers in the whole sample. When examining effect modification by age, as participants aged, moving was increasingly associated with improvements in weight-related outcomes, particularly BMI., Conclusions and Implications: Results suggest that moving may be associated with poorer weight-related outcomes during a brief window from late teens and early-20s and less associated with weight-related outcomes in the mid-20s and 30s., (Copyright © 2021 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Choropleth mapping continues to be a dominant mapping technique despite suffering from the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP), which may distort disease risk patterns when different administrative units are used. Spatially adaptive filters (SAF) are one mapping technique that can address the MAUP, but the limitations and accuracy of spatially adaptive filters are not well tested. Our work examines these limitations by using varying levels of data aggregation using a case study of geocoded breast cancer screening data and a synthetic georeferenced population dataset that allows us to calculate SAFs at the individual-level. Data were grouped into four administrative boundaries (i.e., county, Zip Code Tabulated Areas, census tracts, and census blocks) and compared to individual-level data (control). Correlation assessed the similarity of SAFs, and map algebra calculated error maps compared to control. This work describes how pre-aggregation affects the level of spatial detail, map patterns, and over and under-prediction., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: Proline Rich 12 (PRR12) is a gene of unknown function with suspected DNA-binding activity, expressed in developing mice and human brains. Predicted loss-of-function variants in this gene are extremely rare, indicating high intolerance of haploinsufficiency., Methods: Three individuals with intellectual disability and iris anomalies and truncating de novo PRR12 variants were described previously. We add 21 individuals with similar PRR12 variants identified via matchmaking platforms, bringing the total number to 24., Results: We observed 12 frameshift, 6 nonsense, 1 splice-site, and 2 missense variants and one patient with a gross deletion involving PRR12. Three individuals had additional genetic findings, possibly confounding the phenotype. All patients had developmental impairment. Variable structural eye defects were observed in 12/24 individuals (50%) including anophthalmia, microphthalmia, colobomas, optic nerve and iris abnormalities. Additional common features included hypotonia (61%), heart defects (52%), growth failure (54%), and kidney anomalies (35%). PrediXcan analysis showed that phecodes most strongly associated with reduced predicted PRR12 expression were enriched for eye- (7/30) and kidney- (4/30) phenotypes, such as wet macular degeneration and chronic kidney disease., Conclusion: These findings support PRR12 haploinsufficiency as a cause for a novel disorder with a wide clinical spectrum marked chiefly by neurodevelopmental and eye abnormalities.

Drug reactions resulting from chemotherapy agents are common and frequently affect the skin. Although often benign, a select few of these cutaneous reactions may necessitate immediate changes to the antineoplastic regimens. Given the diversity of chemotherapeutic skin reactions and their complex implications on patient management, an organized conceptual schema is imperative for proper patient care. We evaluate a number of commonly seen chemotherapy-induced skin toxicities organized by pathogenic mechanism and drug class, providing a framework for the identification and categorization of adverse events to prevent unrecognition. Groupings of these reactions include direct cytotoxicity and/or drug accumulation, immunologic hypersensitivity, and aberrant molecular signaling., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The increasing frequency and complexity of cancer genomic profiling represents a challenge for the oncology community. Results from next-generation sequencing-based clinical tests require expert review to determine their clinical relevance and to ensure patients are stratified appropriately to established therapies or clinical trials., Methods: The Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK/UCL Genomics Review Board (GRB) was established in 2014 and represents a multidisciplinary team with expertise in molecular oncology, clinical trials, clinical cancer genetics and molecular pathology. Prospective data from this board were collated., Results: To date, 895 patients have been reviewed by the GRB, of whom 180 (20%) were referred for clinical trial screening and 62 (7%) received trial therapy. For a further 106, a clinical trial recommendation was given., Conclusions: Numerous challenges are faced in implementing a GRB, including the identification of potential germline variants, the interpretation of variants of uncertain significance and consideration of the technical limitations of pathology material when interpreting results. These challenges are likely to be encountered with increasing frequency in routine practice. This GRB experience provides a model for the multidisciplinary review of molecular profiling data and for the linking of molecular analysis to clinical trial networks., Competing Interests: Competing interests: PB has participated in ThermoFisher’s European Clinical Oncology Advisory Board meetings, and has delivered sponsored, but not for profit, presentations at the invitation of ThermoFisher UK on a number of occasions. CS reports grant support from Cancer Research UK, UCLH Biomedical Research Council, Rosetrees Trust and AstraZeneca. Personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Roche Ventana, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Genentech and Celgene. Stock options in GRAIL, APOGEN Biotechnologies and EPIC Bioscience and has stock options and is cofounder of Achilles Therapeutics.

Peri-prosthetic osteolysis (PPO) occurs in response to prosthetic wear particles causing an inflammatory reaction in the surrounding tissue that leads to subsequent bone loss. Semaphorin-3a (SEM3A), neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and plexin-A1 (PLEXA1) are axonal guidance molecules that have been recently implicated in regulating bone metabolism. This study investigated SEM3A, NRP1 and PLEXA1 protein and mRNA expression in human PPO tissue and polyethylene (PE) particle-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-derived osteoclasts in vitro. In addition, the effects of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) on cultured osteoclasts was assessed. In PPO tissues, a granular staining pattern of SEM3A and NRP1 was observed within large multi-nucleated cells that contained prosthetic wear particles. Immunofluorescent staining confirmed the expression of SEM3A, NRP1 and PLEXA1 in large multi-nucleated human osteoclasts in vitro. Furthermore, SEM3A, NRP1 and PLEXA1 mRNA levels progressively increased throughout osteoclast differentiation induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL), and the presence of PE particles further increased mRNA expression of all three molecules. Soluble SEM3A was detected in human osteoclast culture supernatant at days 7 and 17 of culture, as assessed by ELISA. TNFα treatment for 72h markedly decreased the mRNA expression of SEM3A, NRP1 and PLEXA1 by human osteoclasts in vitro. Our findings suggest that SEM3A, NRP1 and PLEXA1 may have important roles in PPO, and their interactions, alone or as a complex, may have a role in pathological bone loss progression., Statement of Significance: Peri-prosthetic osteolysis occurs in response to prosthetic wear particles causing an inflammatory reaction in the surrounding tissue that leads to subsequent bone loss. The rate of hip and knee arthroplasty is increasing by at least 5% per year. However, these joint replacements have a finite lifespan, with data from the National Joint Replacement Registry (Australia) showing that the major cause of failure of total hip replacements is aseptic loosening. In aseptic loosening, wear particles liberated from prostheses are phagocytosed by macrophages, leading to release of inflammatory cytokines and up-regulation of osteoclast formation and activity. Semaphorin-3a, neuropilin-1 and plexin-A1 are axonal guidance molecules that have been recently implicated in regulating bone metabolism. This is the first report to show that these molecules may be involved in the implant failure., (Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Osteoclasts are specialised bone resorptive cells responsible for both physiological and pathological bone loss. Osteoclast differentiation and activity is dependent upon receptor activator NF-kappa-B ligand (RANKL) interacting with its receptor RANK to induce the transcription factor, nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic, calcineurin-dependent 1 (NFATc1). The immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-dependent pathway has been identified as a co-stimulatory pathway in osteoclasts. Osteoclast-associated receptor (OSCAR) and triggering receptor expressed in myeloid cells (TREM2) are essential receptors that pair with adaptor molecules Fc receptor common gamma chain (FcRγ) and DNAX-activating protein 12kDa (DAP12) respectively to induce calcium signalling. Treatment with calcineurin-NFAT inhibitors, Tacrolimus (FK506) and the 11R-VIVIT (VIVIT) peptide, reduces NFATc1 expression consistent with a reduction in osteoclast differentiation and activity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of inhibiting calcineurin-NFAT signalling on the expression of ITAM factors and late stage osteoclast genes including cathepsin K (CathK), Beta 3 integrin (β3) and Annexin VIII (AnnVIII). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were differentiated with RANKL and macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) over 10days in the presence or absence of FK506 or VIVIT. Osteoclast formation (as assessed by tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)) and activity (assessed by dentine pit resorption) were significantly reduced with treatment. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that FK506 treatment significantly (p<0.05) reduced the expression of NFATc1, CathK, OSCAR, FcRγ, TREM2 and DAP12 during the terminal stage of osteoclast formation. VIVIT treatment significantly (p<0.05) decreased CathK, OSCAR, FcRγ, and AnnVIII, gene expression. This data suggest FK506 and VIVIT act differently in targeting the calcineurin-NFAT signalling cascade to suppress key mediators of the ITAM pathway during late stage osteoclast differentiation and this is associated with a reduction in both osteoclast differentiation and activity., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Wear particle-induced orthopaedic prosthesis loosening is associated with elevated osteoclast activity. The immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-related molecules OSCAR, FcRγ, TREM2 and DAP12 are important for osteoclast formation. The aim of this study was to determine if these molecules are involved in peri-implant loosening by investigating their expression in peri-implant tissues obtained at revision of joint replacement components containing polyethylene (PE) wear particles, and in osteoclasts formed in vitro in the presence of PE particles. The results showed that there was a marked and statistically significant increase in protein levels of the ITAM-related molecules in the revision tissues. The levels of OSCAR, FcRγ, TREM2 and DAP12 mRNA in the revision tissues were also increased. In vitro PE particles stimulated osteoclast resorption in the presence of 50 ng ml(-1) receptor activator NFκB (RANKL) and significantly elevated the expression of OSCAR, FcRγ, TREM2 and DAP12 during osteoclast formation. These findings suggest that the ITAM signalling molecules and their co-receptors have a role in pathogenic bone loss associated with implant PE wear., (Copyright © 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. All rights reserved.)

Photosystem II (PSII) herbicides are used in large quantities on agricultural lands adjoining the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Routine monitoring at 14 sites in inshore waters of the GBR using passive sampling techniques detected diuron (32-94% of sampling periods) at maximum concentrations of 1.7-430ng L(-1) in the relatively pristine Cape York Region to the Mackay Whitsunday Region, respectively. A PSII herbicide equivalent (PSII-HEq) index developed as an indicator for reporting was dominated by diuron (average contribution 89%) and typically increased during the wet season. The maximum PSII-HEq indicates the potential for photosynthetic inhibition of diatoms, seagrass and coral-symbionts. PSII herbicides were significantly positively correlated with remotely sensed coloured dissolved organic matter, a proxy for freshwater extent. Combining these methods provides for the first time the potential to cost-effectively monitor improvements in water quality entering the GBR with respect to exposure to PSII herbicides., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to determine how the activities of human osteoblastic cells and osteoclasts respond to substrates of thermal-sprayed mechanical blends of hydroxyapatite and fluorapatite with a view of determining an optimal blend ratio for osseointegration. Human osteoblastic cells and osteoclasts were grown on titanium alloy discs coated with blends of hydroxyapatite and fluorapatite, with concentrations ranging from 0 to 100% fluorapatite. Human osteoblastic cells attached in greater numbers and proliferated at a greater rate on blends containing 40% fluorapatite. Human osteoblastic cells grown on blends containing 40% fluorapatite for 7 days also expressed the highest levels of mRNA for several proteins involved with regulating bone metabolism (osteoprotegerin and receptor activator nuclear factor kappa B ligand), and bone formation (osteopontin, osteonectin and bone sialoprotein 1). Osteoclasts resorbed the dentine but poorly resorbed the hydroxyapatite-fluorapatite blends, particularly at high levels of fluorapatite. This in vitro study demonstrates that thermal-sprayed hydroxyapatitecoatings containing 40% fluorapatite may promote optimal bone growth and improve osseointegration of implants., (Copyright 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pesticide runoff from agriculture poses a threat to water quality in the world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and sensitive monitoring tools are needed to detect these pollutants. This study investigated the utility of passive samplers in this role through deployment during a wet and dry season at river mouths, two near-shore regions and an offshore region. The nearshore marine environment was shown to be contaminated with pesticides in both the dry and wet seasons (average water concentrations of 1.3-3.8 ng L(-1) and 2.2-6.4 ng L(-1), respectively), while no pesticides were detected further offshore. Continuous monitoring of two rivers over 13 months showed waters flowing to the GBR were contaminated with herbicides (diuron, atrazine, hexazinone) year round, with highest average concentrations present during summer (350 ng L(-1)). The use of passive samplers has enabled identification of insecticides in GBR waters which have not been reported in the literature previously., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Inshore coral reefs adjacent to the wet tropics in North Queensland, Australia, are regularly exposed to flood plumes from coastal river systems. Changes in the nature of these plumes have been linked to the declining health of coral reefs in the region. The effect of flood plumes on the health of inshore corals was investigated by quantifying aspects of the demography of populations of corymbose and digitate Acropora at three groups of Island reefs along a gradient of exposure and decreasing water quality (High Island >Frankland's >Fitzroy). The size-structures of colonies, the rates of sexual recruitment, and the growth and survival of juveniles, all varied among the Island reefs. Juvenile and adult sized colonies were far more abundant at the Fitzroy Island reefs, than at the High or Frankland Island reefs that were more exposed to flood plumes. Additionally, there were up to eight times as many sexual recruits at the Fitzroy Island reefs, compared with the High Island reefs. However, the rates of growth and survival of the juvenile sized corals at the Fitzroy Island reefs were lower than at the more exposed reefs. The comparatively low abundance of adult corals at the exposed reefs is most likely due to their histories of disturbance from crown-of-thorns and coral bleaching, but the lack of subsequent recovery due to their low levels of larval recruitment. If a stock-recruitment relationship is typical for these groups of reefs, then the low rates of recruitment may be linked to the low density of adult colonies. Alternately, direct or indirect effects of chronic exposure to poor water quality may have resulted in less suitable substrata for larval settlement. We discuss these results and provide examples of how information about population structure and dynamics can be used in simple matrix models to quantify the current and future health of populations of corals under various scenarios.

This paper presents a multi-criteria based tool for assessing the relative impact of diffuse-source pollution to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) from the river basins draining into the GBR lagoon. The assessment integrates biophysical and ecological data of water quality and pollutant concentrations with socio-economic information pertaining to non-point source pollution and (potential) pollutant impact. The tool generates scores for each river basin against four criteria, thus profiling the basins and enabling prioritization of management alternatives between and within basins. The results support policy development for pollution control through community participation, scientific data integration and expert knowledge contributed by people from across the catchment. The results specifically provided support for the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, released in October 2003. The aim of the plan is to provide a framework for reducing discharge of sediment, nutrient and other diffuse-source loads and (potential) impact of that discharge and for prioritising management actions both between and within river basins.

Tissue samples of liver and blubber were salvaged from fifty-three dugong (Dugong dugon) carcasses stranded along the Queensland coast between 1996 and 2000. Liver tissue was analysed for a range of heavy metals and blubber samples were analysed for organochlorine compounds. Metal concentrations were similar in male and female animals and were generally highest in mature animals. Liver concentrations of arsenic, chromium, iron, lead, manganese, mercury and nickel in a number of individual animals were elevated in comparison to concentrations previously reported in Australian dugong. Dieldrin, DDT (and its breakdown products) and/or heptachlor epoxide were detected in 59% of dugong blubber samples. In general, concentrations of organochlorines were similar to those reported in dugong 20 years earlier, and were low in comparison to concentrations recorded from marine mammal tissue collected elsewhere in the world. With the exception of lead, the extent of carcass decomposition, the presence of disease or evidence of animal starvation prior to death did not significantly affect dugong tissue concentrations of metals or organochlorines. The results of the study suggest that bioaccumulation of metals and organochlorine compounds (other than dioxins) does not represent a significant risk to Great Barrier Reef dugong populations, particularly in the context of other pressures associated with coastal development and other anthropogenic activities.

Increased sediment and nutrient losses resulting from unsustainable grazing management in the Burdekin River catchment are major threats to water quality in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. To test the effects of grazing management on soil and nutrient loss, five 1 ha mini-catchments were established in 1999 under different grazing strategies on a sedimentary landscape near Charters Towers. Reference samples were also collected from watercourses in the Burdekin catchment during major flow events. Soil and nutrient loss were relatively low across all grazing strategies due to a combination of good cover, low slope and low rainfall intensities. Total soil loss varied from 3 to 20 kg ha(-1) per event while losses of N and P ranged from 10 to 1900 g ha(-1) and from 1 to 71 g ha(-1) per event respectively. Water quality of runoff was considered moderate across all strategies with relatively low levels of total suspended sediment (range: 8-1409 mg l(-1)), total N (range: 101-4000 microg l(-1)) and total P (range: 14-609 microg l(-1)). However, treatment differences are likely to emerge with time as the impacts of the different grazing strategies on land condition become more apparent. Samples collected opportunistically from rivers and creeks during flow events displayed significantly higher levels of total suspended sediment (range: 10-6010 mg l(-1)), total N (range: 650-6350 microg l(-1)) and total P (range: 50-1500 microg l(-1)) than those collected at the grazing trial. These differences can largely be attributed to variation in slope, geology and cover between the grazing trial and different catchments. In particular, watercourses draining hillier, grano-diorite landscapes with low cover had markedly higher sediment and nutrient loads compared to those draining flatter, sedimentary landscapes. These preliminary data suggest that on relatively flat, sedimentary landscapes, extensive cattle grazing is compatible with achieving water quality targets, provided high levels of ground cover are maintained. In contrast, sediment and nutrient loss under grazing on more erodable land types is cause for serious concern. Long-term empirical research and monitoring will be essential to quantify the impacts of changed land management on water quality in the spatially and temporally variable Burdekin River catchment.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine prospectively the incidence of congenital anomalies and neonatal complications after prenatal exposure to antidepressant medication., Study Design: Birth outcomes were obtained from a review of obstetric and neonatal records of 138 women who were treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant medications (SSRIs) during pregnancy., Results: The incidence of congenital anomalies in this study was 1.4%, comparable to general population rates. Rates of low birth weight and preterm births were low, occurring in 2.9% and 6.5% of births, respectively. The low birth weight infants had been exposed to relatively high doses of fluoxetine (40-80 mg/d) throughout pregnancy. Average maternal weight gain in pregnancy was comparable across the three major medication categories (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline)., Conclusion: After prenatal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant medications, neonatal complications and congenital anomalies appear to occur within general population rates. However, maternal use of high doses of fluoxetine throughout pregnancy may be associated with a risk for low birth weight.

Erythrosin B (Red Dye No. 3) and Rose Bengal photosensitize the destruction of the Ca2+:Mg2+-ATPase pump protein in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles with respective quantum efficiencies of (1.53 +/- 0.19) X 10(-3) and (1.25 +/- 0.18) X 10(-3). Damage to vesicle function was assayed by measurements of increases in passive Ca2+ permeability. Rates of passive Ca2+ movement into the SR lumen were increased by dye photosensitization in proportion to radiation absorbed. Active Ca2+ transport into SR vesicles was blocked independent of radiation absorbed by Erythrosin B and Rose Bengal at free concentrations of 0.69 microM and 1.16 microM, respectively. The photochemical lability of the Ca2+ pump protein and alterations in passive and active Ca2+ transport may be dependent on the concentration of the dye in the membrane. The photosensitization results may have implications with respect to the suitability of Erythrosin B usage in vivo, since the brightness of our irradiation source is comparable to that of sunlight at 480 nm.

Over a three-week period, a sample of fourth grade pupils brought home nutrition education homework, with which their parents had previously agreed to help. Pupils in a comparison group had the same nutrition program in school but with no homework assignments. Six months later, parents in both samples anonymously completed a survey form inquiring about nutritional practices at home. Returns were obtained from 214 parents in the homework group and from 218 parents in the non-homework group. A significantly greater percentage of parents in the homework group reported that meals at home had changed in an important way in the interim period, that their children were eating more of the "right foods" for breakfast and for supper, and that they had requested printed materials on how to plan a balanced diet. In a parallel study, a greater reduction in cigarette smoking had been reported by parents who had helped their children with anti-smoking homework. The corroborative nature of the two sets of outcomes would suggest that it is worth while to encourage parental involvement with homework in nutrition education at the elementary grade levels.

Adult nonpregnant female rhesus monkeys fed purified diets containing 100 or 4 ppm zinc for 1 yr were mated then studied through midgestation. At mating, zinc-deprived (ZD) monkeys showed maternal lymphocyte response to mitogens concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA), serum uric acid and carbon dioxide, and WBC lower than in control (C) monkeys. There was a significant positive association between plasma zinc and PHA response. At midgestation, discriminant analysis revealed that maternal lymphocyte response to Con A, fetal abdominal circumference (by ultrasound), plasma fibrinogen, serum IgM, and amniotic fluid iron level were discriminators for diet group, all lower in ZD than in C monkeys. Maternal plasma and RBC zinc at midgestation were positively associated with fetal growth and plasma uric acid. These observations suggest that immune function (ie, mitogen response and serum immunoglobulin level) is a strong discriminator of dietary zinc deprivation in rhesus monkeys, both before and during pregnancy.

To assess long-term effects of marginal zinc deprivation on pregnancy, adult non-pregnant female rhesus monkeys were fed diets containing 100 or 4 ppm zinc for 1 yr. then mated; effects on pregnancy and its outcome are under study. During this year, food intake was not depressed in zinc-deprived (ZD) monkeys, and there were relatively few effects on biochemical or hematological indices. By the end of the year, plasma zinc concentration was somewhat lower in ZD monkeys than in controls. Several immune variables, including serum IgM and IgG levels and polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) function, were depressed in the ZD group, changes closely reflecting circannual fluctuations in plasma zinc levels in both diet groups. Endotoxin-activated plasma from ZD monkeys had less potential to promote chemotaxis than that from control monkeys, suggesting that defective PMN function may relate to a plasma effect. Marginal zinc deprivation may thus influence immune function before other variables are affected.

Rhesus monkey infants fed a marginally zinc-deficient diet (4 ppm) from conception through 12 mo of postnatal life were monitored for changes in hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters. These zinc-deprived (ZD) infants were compared to control infants whose mothers were fed a zinc-replete (100 ppm) diet either ad libitum (AL) or pair-fed (PF) throughout gestation and lactation. Blast transformation of peripheral blood lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin (PHA-P), concanavalin A (Con A), and pokeweed mitogen (PWM), was dramatically depressed in the zinc-deficient (ZD) group. Similarly, ZD infants had reduced polymorphonuclear leukocyte function as measured by chemotaxis to endotoxin-activated plasma and phagocytosis of Candida albicans. Levels of serum IgM were significantly altered in zinc-deficient infants compared to controls. Serum concentrations of IgG and IgA were similar in zinc-deficient and control infants. ZD infants also manifested a hypochromic microcytic anemia at one month of age, reduced activity of the zinc metalloenzyme alkaline phosphatase, and lower activity of SGPT.

This article analyzes cesarean hysterectomies performed at Louisville General Hospital on clinic patients for the 25 year period 1953 through 1977. During this time there were 63,259 deliveries, of which 2417 were cesarean sections and 149 were cesarean hysterectomies. Twenty-six of the latter were classified as emergency operations done for urgent medical indications; in the remaining 123 patients the indications were elective to some degree. Operative and postoperative complications and morbidity are discussed, and changing trends regarding the place of cesarean hysterectomy in obstetrics over the years are evaluated.

Prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane A2 (TxA2) formation by whole-tissue segments of nine carotid endarterectomy specimens (CES), five normal aortic specimens (NAS), six saphenous vein specimens (SVS), and four platelet samples were determined by incubation with 10 mumol/L 1-14C-radiolabeled prostaglandin endoperoxide H2 (PGH2), and in other experiments with and without 10 mumol/L of CGS 13080, a TxA2 synthase inhibitor. PGI2 formation (expressed as picomoles 6-keto-PGF1 alpha/2-min incubation per sample) by nonatheromatous proximal intima of CES (307 +/- 23, mean +/- standard error) and distal intima of CES (260 +/- 22) was not statistically different; however, it was greater than atheromatous transitional plaque (159 +/- 13 pmol) (p less than 0.01) and ulceration regions (140 +/- 15 pmol) (p less than 0.01) of CES, NAS (204 +/- 16 pmol) (p less than 0.01), and SVS (165 +/- 9 pmol) (p less than 0.01). TxA2 formation (expressed as picomoles TxB2/2-min incubation per sample) by CES ulceration (51 +/- 2 pmol) was low but greater than proximal (17 +/- 2 pmol) (p less than 0.01), distal (19 +/- 3 pmol) (p less than 0.01), and transitional (23 +/- 3 pmol) (p less than 0.01) regions. TxA2 formation by NAS and SVS was not detected (less than 10 pmol). CGS 13080 inhibited TxA2 formation by CES below the limits of detection. Incubation of 1.9 x 10(5) intact platelets with 10 mumol/L of PGH2 formed a quantity of TxA2 equal to that of CES ulceration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)