Medicine
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Observational Study
Differential effects of stress and African ancestry on preterm birth and related traits among US born and immigrant Black mothers.
Preterm birth (PTB, <37 weeks of gestation) is influenced by a wide range of environmental, genetic and psychosocial factors, and their interactions. However, the individual and joint effects of genetic factors and psychosocial stress on PTB have remained largely unexplored among U. S. born versus immigrant mothers. ⋯ S. born women, our study is one of the first to identify a subset of immigrant women could be at significantly increased risk of PTB and related outcomes if they have high AAP and are under high LS or PS. In light of the growing number of immigrant mothers in the U. S., our findings may have important clinical and public health implications.
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Observational Study
Serum uromodulin is associated with impaired glucose metabolism.
Uromodulin is the most abundant urine protein under physiological conditions. It has recently been described as a serum and plasma marker for kidney disease. Whether uromodulin is associated with impaired glucose metabolism is unknown. ⋯ Prospectively, uromodulin was lowest in patients with T2DM at baseline, higher in initially nondiabetic subjects who developed diabetes during follow-up (FU) and highest among nondiabetic patients (147.7 ± 69.9 vs 164 ± 67 vs 179.9 ± 82.2 ng/mL, Ptrend < 0.001). Similar results were seen with respect to prediabetes (168.0 ± 81.2 vs 172.8 ± 66.3 vs 188.2 ± 74.0 ng/mL, P = 0.011). We conclude that serum uromodulin is significantly associated with impaired glucose metabolism and the development of prediabetes and diabetes.
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Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a common congenital malformation among live births, and depends on race and ethnic background. The CDH1 gene plays a vital role in orofacial development. Our research was conducted to examine the association between 3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the CDH1 gene and NSCL/P. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that the CDH1 polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk of NSCL/P in the northern Chinese Han population. We provide further evidence regarding the role of CDH1 variations in the development of NSCL/P in a northern Chinese Han population.
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Thoracic cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screw fixation can maximize the thread contact with cortical bone, and it is 53.8% higher than that of the traditional pedicle screws. Moreover, it can also enable less tissue dissection and retraction for reduced muscle disruption. Eighty pediatric patients are divided into 4 age groups and their thoracic vertebrae are analyzed on computed tomography (CT) images. ⋯ Our study establishes the feasibility of 4.5 to 5.5 mm CBT screws fixation via pedicle or pedicle rib unit in the pediatric thoracic spine. The entry point of the pediatric thoracic CBT screws is 6 o'clock orientation of the pedicle. Findings of our study also provide insights into the screw insertion angle and screw size decision.
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Observational Study
Genotyping diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in Saudi adults with liver cirrhosis.
The acute phase protein alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is mainly produced in liver cells. AAT deficiency affects the lungs and liver. We conducted a case-control study to define a valuable method for the proper diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), as well as the association of liver cirrhosis with AATD in Saudi adults. ⋯ A significant deviation in AAT genotypes frequencies from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the adult cirrhosis group occurred due to a higher observed frequency than expected for the Pi ZZ homozygous genotype. Pi ZZ in adults may be considered as the risk factor for liver cirrhosis. However, we could not establish this relationship for heterozygous AATD genotypes (such as Pi MZ and Pi SZ).