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background and objective: Oxytocin for labor augmentation is widely used in obstetric care in Western countries. Two recent, smaller studies found opposing results regarding the association between prenatal exposure to oxytocin for labor augmentation and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In Denmark, oxytocin is the medication used for nearly all medical augmentations of labor, and we examined the association between medical augmentation of labor and ADHD in a large cohort study based on national register data. methods: All singletons born after spontaneous onset of labor in Denmark between 2000 and 2008 (N = 546 146) were included in the study. Data from the Danish Medical Birth Registry on medical augmentation of labor (yes/no) were used to identify exposed children. ADHD was defined based on the diagnostic codes of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, for hyperkinetic disorder and information on dispensed ADHD medication. A multivariate proportional hazards regression model was used to test the association. results: Among 546 146 deliveries, 26% included medical augmentation of labor, and 0.9% of the children were identified as having ADHD (n = 4617). We found no association between augmentation of labor and ADHD in the offspring (hazard ratio: 1.05 [95% confidence interval: 0.98-1.13]). conclusions: Our study does not support an association between medical augmentation of labor and ADHD in the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing demand for more jujube (Ziziphus jujube Mill.) production requires understanding the specific fertilization needs of jujube trees. This study was conducted to compare fruit yields, phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of jujube in response to different fertilizers. Application of organic fertilizer appeared to enhance the phenolics and antioxidant activity accumulation of jujubes, compared to conventional fertilized jujubes. Amongst inorganic fertilizers, supplemental potassium as an individual nutrient improved the accumulation of phenolics in jujubes. Our results demonstrate that phenolics levels and antioxidant activity of jujube can be manipulated through fertilizer management and tracked by following proanthocyanidin concentrations. In a practical production context, the combination of organic fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers such as more supplemental individual potassium, and less supplemental individual nitrogen and phosphorus, might be the best management combination for achieving higher phenolic concentration, stronger antioxidant activity and a good harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE. Eclampsia has been found to be a strong risk factor for epilepsy in the offspring, but it is unclear whether the risk also applies to the preceding condition, preeclampsia. METHODS. We conducted a population-based cohort study of 1 537 860 singletons born in Denmark (1978-2004). Information on preeclampsia (mild, severe, and unspecified), eclampsia, and epilepsy was obtained from the Danish National Hospital Register. Information on gestational age, birth weight, and Apgar score was obtained from the Danish Medical Birth Registry. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the incidence rate ratio of epilepsy for children who were exposed to preeclampsia or eclampsia in prenatal life. RESULTS. We identified 45 288 (2.9%) children who were exposed to preeclampsia (34 823 to mild, 7043 to severe, and 3422 to unspecified preeclampsia) and 654 (0.04%) to eclampsia during their prenatal life. We identified 20 260 people who received a diagnosis of epilepsy during up to 27 years of follow-up in the entire cohort. Prenatal exposure to preeclampsia was associated with an increased risk for epilepsy among children with a gestational age at birth of at least 37 weeks. For mild preeclampsia, the incidence rate ratios were 1.16 among children born at term and 1.68 for children born postterm; for severe preeclampsia, the incidence rate ratios were 1.41 among children born at term and 2.57 among children born postterm. No associations between preeclampsia and epilepsy were found among children who were born preterm. Eclampsia was associated with epilepsy with an incidence rate ratio of 1.29 for children born at term and 5.03 for children born postterm. CONCLUSIONS. Prenatal exposure to both preeclampsia and eclampsia was associated with an increased risk of epilepsy in children born after 37 weeks of gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid hormones are essential for brain development, andmaternal thyroid diseasemay affect child neurocognitive development. Some types of seizures may also depend upon early exposure of the developing central nervous system, and we hypothesized that maternal thyroid dysfunction could increase the risk of seizure in the child. In a Danish population-based study we included 1,699,693 liveborn singletons, and from the Danish National Hospital Register we obtained information on maternal diagnosis of hyper- or hypothyroidism and neonatal seizure, febrile seizure, and epilepsy in the child.Maternal diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction before or after birth of the childwas registered in two percent of the singleton births. In adjusted analyses,maternal hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism first time diagnosed after birth of the child were associated with a significant increased risk of epilepsy in the child.Moreover, hypothyroidism diagnosed after birth of the child was associated with a significant increased risk of neonatal and febrile seizures. No significant association was seen for maternal diagnosis prior to birth of the child.We speculate if some degree of maternal thyroid dysfunction was already present during the pregnancy in mothers diagnosed after birth of the child and if this untreated condition may present a neurodevelopmental risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the oil-in-gelatin based tissue-mimicking materials (TMMs) doped with carbon based materials including carbon nanotube, graphene ink or lignin were prepared. The volume percent for gelatin based mixtures and oil based mixtures were both around 50%, and the doping amounts were 2 wt %, 4 wt %, and 6 wt %. The effect of doping material and amount on the microwave dielectric properties including dielectric constant and conductivity were investigated over an ultra-wide frequency range from 2 GHz to 20 GHz. The coaxial open-ended reflection technology was used to evaluate the microwave dielectric properties. Six measured values in different locations of each sample were averaged and the standard deviations of all the measured dielectric properties, including dielectric constant and conductivity, were less than one, indicating a good uniformity of the prepared samples. Without doping, the dielectric constant was equal to 23 ± 2 approximately. Results showed with doping of carbon based materials that the dielectric constant and conductivity both increased about 5% to 20%, and the increment was dependent on the doping amount. By proper selection of doping amount of the carbon based materials, the prepared material could map the required dielectric properties of special tissues. The proposed materials were suitable for the phantom used in the microwave medical imaging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 151 patients with breast cancer spinal metastases. Objective. To investigate the influence of breast cancer subtypes on survival duration of patients with breast cancer spinal metastases, and to aid spine surgeons in selecting treatments on a more precise basis. Summary of Background Data. There is lack of knowledge about specific prognosis of patients with spinal metastases in various breast cancer subtypes. Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) status are the key factors in determining breast cancer subtypes and predicting patients' response to adjuvant treatments. Methods. Until August 2013, we retrieved 151 surgically treated patients with breast cancer spinal metastases and followed up all the patients for at least 2 years. Survival duration analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression model unadjusted and adjusted by age were used. Results. Patients with ER-negative (--) breast cancer had 11 months shorter median survival duration (10.6 vs. 21.5 mo) and 48% higher mortality risk (P = 0.03) than those with ER-positive (+) breast cancer. Patients with PgR (-) status had 59% higher mortality risk than those with PgR (+) status (P = 0.02). Hormone receptor (HR) status is a combination of ER and PgR status. Patients with HR (--) status had an 11-month shorter median survival duration and 52% higher mortality risk (P = 0.01) than patients with HR (+) status. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 subtypes had similar median survival duration and mortality risk. Patients with triple-negative breast cancer had a median survival duration of only 9.9 months. Conclusion. Patients with spinal metastases with ER/HR (-) status and triple-negative breast cancer could be downgraded from score "5" to "3" in Tokuhashi scoring system and from "slow growth" to "moderate growth" in Tomita scoring system. Spine surgeons should be critical before performing high-risk extensive surgery in patients with ER/HR (-) status, and especially, in those with triple-negative status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]