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Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) es un insecto polífago que ha invadido los campos de cultivos agrícolas en todo el mundo. El control más efectivo en los sistemas de producción intensivos se ha basado en el uso de insecticidas químicos, a pesar de sus efectos adversos. Ante esto, actualmente emergen alternativas de control con alta eficiencia que pueden ser empleadas para el control de esta plaga en los invernaderos. Sin embargo, la introducción de una nueva estrategia de control en un sistema de producción intensivo representa un reto que debe evaluarse antes de su implementación. En el presente trabajo se presenta una revisión del estado actual de las estrategias de control más efectivas contra esta plaga en la producción agrícola intensiva.

The accelerated growth of cyanobacteria in water bodies is a global critical environmental issue caused by continuous discharges of effluents into the environment that are rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. So, cyanobacteria have found propitious conditions for proliferation, provoking significant ecological imbalances. Cyanobacteria produce cyanotoxins, which are harmful to life, and compounds like 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin that affect water's taste and odor. This study analyzed a long-term database of important environmental parameters from a tropical reservoir in São Paulo State, Brazil. The statistical methods of correlation matrices and principal component analysis were used. Data analysis revealed a significant relationship between cyanobacteria growth and high levels of phosphate and nitrogen. Furthermore, positive correlations were found among concentrations of biocidal elements like antimony, arsenic, and selenium related to cyanobacterial bloomings. These correlations can be attributed to agricultural wastewaters and/or possible algicide used to control these microorganisms. HIGHLIGHTS Maintenance and safe management of public supply reservoirs.; Water quality factors correlating with cyanobacteria blooms.; Consequences of cyanobacteria blooms and contamination by cyanotoxins.; Sustainable management and monitoring of supply reservoirs.; Correlations of pollutants and compounds originating from human activity with cyanobacteria blooms.;

La solución del suelo (SS) constituye el volumen de donde las raíces de las plantas extraen los nutrientes disueltos. A pesar de su importancia, el impacto de su composición por la aplicación de enmiendas orgánicas se encuentra relativamente poco estudiado. El objetivo de esta investigación fue estudiar el impacto de los ácidos húmicos (AH) y quitosán (Cs) sobre la concentración de los minerales en la SS, así como su efecto en el rendimiento del cultivo de col (Brassica oleracea L.). En condiciones de invernadero con suelo calcáreo se aplicaron dos dosis de AH (200 y 500 kg ha-1), así como 50 y 150 kg ha-1 de Cs de forma dirigida. De la SS se tomaron 22 muestras en forma no destructiva de la zona de la raíz una vez por semana. Los resultados del contenido mineral en la solución del suelo y del contenido mineral en la biomasa no presentaron diferencias significativas, no obstante, se apreció que el tratamiento Cs50 estimuló 41% la biomasa vegetal superior al testigo (P ≤ 0.5, Tukey). Se concluye que el Cs y AH no impactan significativamente el contenido iónico de la SS ni el contenido mineral de la biomasa, aunque si estimulan el rendimiento.

La producción de los cultivos agrícolas ante el cambio climático es un tema de interés actual. En años recientes se han observado los efectos negativos de los factores bióticos y abióticos en su productividad. En este sentido, el esclarecimiento de los mecanismos de tolerancia que emplean las plantas hacia los diversos factores de estrés debe perfilarse como estrategia para generar cultivares y sistemas de producción resilientes. La medición de la fluorescencia de la clorofila es una forma rápida y no destructiva de entender la sensibilidad de las plantas a los diversos factores. El presente artículo de revisión conjunta información científica en torno a los efectos de los factores abióticos y bióticos cambiantes que actualmente se registran en la fluorescencia de la clorofila de las plantas cultivadas. Se analiza la utilidad de los parámetros de fluorescencia como indicadores de los mecanismos de adaptación y las tendencias futuras de su uso.

La producción de tomate mini en invernadero ha aumentado en las últimas décadas, sin embargo, el uso eficiente de los fertilizantes y el efecto en la calidad de los frutos, con frecuencia se pasan por alto. En este trabajo se determinaron los rangos de concentración iónica, así como la relación entre los iones (NO3-, K+, Ca2+, y Na+), el pH, conductividad eléctrica de la solución nutritiva, los sólidos totales solubles (TSS) del extracto celular de peciolo (PCE) y el extracto celular de fruto (FCE) en tomates mini (Grape, Savantas, y Tov) en el ciclo verano-invierno. Se registraron altos rangos de concentración iónica. El Na+ y K+ colectados en los emisores, mostraron fuerte correlación con los mismos iones registrados en el PCE. El mapa de calor de las correlaciones mostró agrupaciones entre el K+ y Ca2+ de la solución nutritiva, los cuales se encontraron en alta correlación con el contenido en PCE y FCE en la temporada de invierno. El análisis de componentes principales mostró que el NO3- y Na+ distan del contenido de K+ y Ca2+ del PCE y FCE. Los rangos de concentración encontrados, sugieren suficiencia iónica para los genotipos de tomate mini producidos en invernadero de alta tecnología.

Crop fertilization greatly impacts food production. However, insufficient applications can lead to poor yields. On the other hand, an excessive application leads to soil and aquifers pollution. In this paper, field studies were carried out to determine the ranges of mineral concentration and the interaction of the ions in the soil solution (SS) and the petiole cellular extract (PCE) in several cultures established in the states of Guanajuato, Colima and Jalisco, Mexico. The hypothesis states that there is a causal relationship between the mineral composition of the soil solution (SS) and the minerals and total soluble solids (TSS) in petiole cellular extract (PCE). The following cultures were studied in this research: avocado, blueberry, broccoli, cauliflower, raspberry, strawberry, lettuce, cantaloupe, papaya, and pepper. For each culture, PCE samples and SS samples using a press to break tissue and ceramic tip lysimeters were obtained. The results were processed to obtain ranges of variation within 50% of the closest values to the median. Correlations between the several ion concentrations were analyzed using analysis of variance. The results showed values (mg L-1) of NO3- (40-620), PO43- (17-66), K+ (3-377), Ca2+ (27-582), Na+ (15.3-500), Mg2+ (10-53), Fe3+ (0.6‑1.8), and Zn2+ (2.8-7.4) in soil solution, which allowed obtaining values of NO3- (27-9225), K+ (820-9375), Ca2+ (1.0-650), Na+ (25-620) and TSS (2-13 °Brix) in petiole cellular extract of petiole. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the concentrations of the SS ions regarding the concentrations in PCE in crops suggesting a relationship between the plant nutritive assimilation and cations or anions present in soil solution. The conclusion derived from this study is that ionic concentration ranges registered in the SS and in the PCE provide an approximation to the ranges of nutritional sufficiency for the horticultural crops established in the summer-winter in western Mexico.

Environmental data is crucial for planning, permitting, execution and post construction monitoring of marine renewable energy projects. In harsh conditions in which marine renewable energy is harvested, integrated monitoring platforms comprising multibeam imaging sonar systems coupled with other sensors can provide multiparametric data of the marine environment surrounding marine renewable energy installations. The aim of this study was to test the possibilities of observing the occurrence of fish and marine mammals using a multibeam imaging sonar system deployed at a wave power test site. The results obtained from a ten-day data set proved the platform as suitable for long time underwater monitoring and also revealed that the occurrence of fish and marine mammals was distributed across characteristic time and space domains. Large fish [>0.4 m] frequently occurred at night-time and near the benthic zone. Small fish [

Copyright of Terra Latinoamericana is the property of Sociedad Mexicana de la Ciencia del Suelo A.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Anthropogenic activities and their influences on aquatic systems is an important topic, especially considering the growing interest in using the earth's resources in a sustainable way. One of those anthropogenic activities is the introduction of renewable technologies into the aquatic environment such as instream turbines. Environmental studies around those technologies are often still ongoing due to their novelty. During the spring of 2018, juvenile individuals of two salmonid species, Atlantic salmon and brown trout were released upstream a vertical axis instream turbine in the river Dal (Dalälven) in eastern Sweden. The aim of this study was to investigate the swimming behavior of the salmonids around a small‐scale prototype vertical axis instream turbine. The swimming pattern and the possible response of avoiding the vertical axis instream turbine were documented with a multi beam sonar. A control area, next to the turbine, was used as reference. No consistent results were shown for trout as they were passing the control area with a statistically high variation, and specimens were rarely observed in proximity of the turbine, neither if the turbine was operating nor at stand still. Salmon clearly avoided the operating turbine, but did not avoid the turbine when it was at stand still, and was often observed swimming straight through the turbine area. These findings indicate that operating this type of instream turbine in a river affects the swimming behavior of Atlantic salmon but is unlikely to affect its migration paths. For brown trout, the statistical results are inconclusive, although data indicate a response of avoiding the turbine. The species are in little risk to suffer physical harm as no fish entered the rotating turbine, despite very turbid water conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micronutrient nanoparticles (NPs) are currently an option for chemical fertilization and biostimulation in crops. However, there is little information on the phytotoxic or biostimulatory effects of NPs at low concentrations of some elements, such as Zn. In this study, the effect of low concentrations of Zn oxide (ZnO) NPs on germination, growth variables, and nutritional attributes of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was evaluated in comparison to Zn sulfate. Romaine lettuce seeds were treated with ZnSO4- × 7H2O and ZnO NPs at Zn molar concentrations of 1 × 10-3, 5 × 10-3, 1 × 10-4, 5 × 10-4, 1 × 10-5, 5 × 10-5, 1 × 10-6, and 5 × 10-6. The seeds treated with ZnSO4 - at 5 × 10-6 registered the highest radicle length, 73% more than the control treatment. The seeds treated with ZnSO4 - at 5 × 10-3 registered the lowest values, with 50% less than the control treatment. ZnO NPs at 5 × 10-6 significantly increased content of chlorophyll A and B and total phenolics. These results indicate the possible existence of a mechanism related to the intrinsic nanoparticle properties, especially at low concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Techniques for marine monitoring have been greatly evolved over the past decades, making the acquisition of environmental data safer, more reliable and more efficient. On the other hand, the marine renewable energy sector has introduced dissimilar ways of exploring the oceans. Marine energy is mostly harvested in murky and high energetic places where conventional data acquisition techniques are impractical. This new frontier on marine operations brings the need for finding new techniques for environmental data acquisition, processing and analysis. Modern sonar systems, operating at high frequencies, can acquire detailed images of the underwater environment. Variables such as occurrence, size, class and behavior of a variety of aquatic species of fish, birds, and mammals that coexist within marine energy sites can be monitored using imaging sonar systems. Although sonar images can provide high levels of detail, in most of the cases they are still difficult to decipher. In order to facilitate the classification of targets using sonar images, this study introduces a framework of extracting visual features of marine animals that would serve as unique signatures. The acoustic visibility measure (AVM) is here introduced as technique of identification and classification of targets by comparing the observed size with a standard value. This information can be used to instruct algorithms and protocols in order to automate the identification and classification of underwater targets using imaging sonar systems. Using image processing algorithms embedded in Proviwer4 and FIJI software, this study found that acoustic images can be effectively used to classify cod, harbour and grey seals, and orcas through their size, shape and swimming behavior. The sonar images showed that cod occurred as bright, 0.9 m long, ellipsoidal targets shoaling in groups. Harbour seals occurred as bright torpedo-like fast moving targets, whereas grey seals occurred as bulky-ellipsoidal targets with serpentine movements. Orca or larger marine mammals occurred with relatively low visibility on the acoustic images compared to their body size, which measured between 4 m and 7 m. This framework provide a new window of performing qualitative and quantitative observations of underwater targets, and with further improvements, this method can be useful for environmental studies within marine renewable energy farms and for other purposes.

Freshwater scarcity is one of humanity’s reoccurring problems that hamper socio-economic development in many regions across the globe. In coastal areas, seawater can be desalinated through reverse osmosis (RO) and transformed into freshwater for human use. Desalination requires large amounts of energy, mostly in the form of a reliable electricity supply, which in many cases is supplied by diesel generators. The objective of this work is to analyze the wave power resource availability in Kilifi-Kenya and evaluate the possible use of wave power converter (WEC) to power desalination plants. A particular focus is given use of WECs developed by Uppsala University (UU-WEC). The results here presented were achieved using reanalysis—wave data revealed that the local wave climate has an approximate annual mean of 7 kW/m and mode of 5 kW/m. Significant wave height and wave mean period are within 0.8–2 m and 7–8 s respectively, with a predominant wave mean direction from southeast. The seasonal cycle appeared to be the most relevant for energy conversion, having the highest difference of 6 kW/m, in which April is the lowest (3.8 kW/m) and August is the peak (10.5 kW/m). In such mild wave climates, the UU–WEC and similar devices can be suitable for ocean energy harvesting for water desalination systems. Technically, with a capacity factor of 30% and energy consumption of 3 kWh/m3, a coastal community of about five thousand inhabitants can be provided of freshwater by only ten WECs with installed capacity of 20 kW.

With the prospect to deploy hydrokinetic energy converters in areas with heavy boat traffic, a study was conducted to observe and assess the depth range of cavitating flow produced by ferryboats in narrow channels. This study was conducted in the vicinity of Finnhamn Island in Stockholm Archipelago. The objectives of the survey were to assess whether the sonar systems were able to observe and measure the depth of what can be cavitating flow (in a form of convected cloud cavitation) produced by one specific type of ferryboats frequently operating in that route, as well as investigate if the cavitating flow within the wake would propagate deep enough to disturb the water column underneath the surface. A multibeam and a dual-beam sonar systems were used as measurement instruments. The hypothesis was that strong and deep wake can disturb the optimal operation of a hydrokinetic energy converter, therefore causing damages to its rotors and hydrofoils. The results showed that both sonar system could detect cavitating flows including its strength, part of the geometrical shape and propagation depth. Moreover, the boat with a propeller thruster produced cavitating flow with an intense core reaching 4 m of depth while lasting approximately 90 s. The ferry with waterjet thruster produced a less intense cavitating flow; the core reached depths of approximately 6 m, and lasted about 90 s. From this study, it was concluded that multibeam and dual-beam sonar systems with operating frequencies higher than 200 kHz were able to detect cavitating flows in real conditions, as long as they are properly deployed and the data properly analyzed.

Decarbonization of ports is a major goal to reduce their global carbon footprint. The port of Hvide Sande is located on the coast of the North Sea in Denmark and it has the potential to utilize various renewable energy sources. Wind and solar thermal parks are already installed there. Wave energy is an alternative to solar and wind energies and its advantage is the spatial concentration, predictability, and persistence. Heat to the town is provided by Hvide Sande Fjernvarme. In this work, it is investigated if the heat demand could be fully covered by renewable energies. Power profiles for each renewable energy resource were calculated using 30 years of re-analysis environmental data. Long, mid, and short term time series of power supply has been statistically and quantitatively examined. Considering the heat demand of Hvide Sande, the lowest frequency of zero occurrence in power generation can be ensured by the combination of wind, solar energy and wave. The article also estimated the capacity for Lithium-ion batteries. The optimal size of the battery is found by the bisection method. Finally, different combinations of renewable energy and demand as well as batteries are evaluated. The lowest zero occurrences in power production is met by the mix of three renewable energies. Also, the mix of three renewable energies significantly reduces the value of energy, required from the battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nova Scientia is the property of Nova Scientia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Así se expresa el narrador cuando Santiaguito Ibero, protagonista de Prim y La de los tristes destinos, intenta recordar el nombre de una persona cuyas facciones ha reconocido, y no hay que esperar mucho a que ese nombre llegue de forma efectiva a los labios del personaje ("la memoria le dio con fulgor de relámpago el nombre del sujeto", se dice en el párrafo siguiente). Igual, seguramente, le aconteció a Galdós más de una vez en la composición de los últimos ocho episodios nacionales, que relatan los años finales del reinado de Isabel II, el posterior sexenio revolucionario y los albores de la Restauración. Y no es sólo que muchos de los eventos históricos que tienen lugar en ellos sean acontecimientos ya vividos por el joven Galdós, a quien, por tanto, le basta con recuperarlos de su memoria, sino que numerosos personajes secundarios y sucesos menores deben de proceder, como es lógico, de recuerdos del propio escritor: es lo que sucede, sin duda, con las abundantes referencias a periodistas y redacciones de prensa de una época en que él comenzaba a hacer sus primeros pinitos en una profesión en la que pronto destacó, llegando a ser director de El Debate.

The article focuses on the role of culpability principle in the implementation of substantive criminal law treaties in the domestic legal system. It presents the theoretical features of the culpability principle. It describes the methods of implementation of substantive criminal law. It also looks at the subjective preconditions for determining criminal liability under criminal law.

Evidence syntheses for advancing equitable traumatic brain injury (TBI) research, policy, and practice presents formidable challenges. Research and clinical frameworks are currently not specific to equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations, despite evidence that persons with TBI live in societies in which power imbalances and systems of social dominance may privilege some people and marginalize others. The present protocol outlines a strategy for a research program, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, that explores the integration of PROGRESS-Plus parameters in research with the goal of advancing open-science databases and tools to improve our understanding of equity in cognitive and brain health outcomes in TBI. PROGRESS-Plus is a framework outlining social, economic, and cultural parameters that may influence health opportunities and outcomes (e.g., place of residence, race, occupation, gender, etc.). A multistep research program is proposed to support three objectives: (1) organizing existing data on TBI-induced changes in cognition and brain health into a template to facilitate future research, including research using machine learning techniques; (2) updating published evidence with a more rigorous approach to the consideration of PROGRESS-Plus parameters; and (3) mobilizing knowledge on the current state of evidence that is relevant, equitable, and accessible. This program facilitates partnerships with knowledge users across clinical, research, academic, and community sectors to address the three research objectives through a unifying workflow of exchange, synthesis, and knowledge mobilization. We anticipate that this global collaboration between topic experts and community leaders in equity in brain health will add significant value to the field of TBI by promoting equity-transformative advancements in knowledge synthesis, policy, and practice., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Sant’Ana et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Patient satisfaction has been shown to changes based on the distance a patient to see their physician. We sought to examine the effects of telehealth on patient satisfaction. Methods: We examined patient satisfaction survey scores from outpatient clinics at University of California, San Francisco. Patient home and clinic addresses were used to calculate distance in kilometers (km). Outcomes were "top scores (9-10)" and "low scores (<9)." Results: Of 103,124 evaluations that met inclusion criteria, those where patient traveled >100 km for in-person visits had more top scores (84%) than those traveled <10 km (80.2%). Relative to in-person visits, telehealth was associated with an increased odds (odds ratio [OR]: 1.48) of receiving a top score at all distances. Those traveling >100 km had the highest odds of top score for telehealth (OR: 1.86). Conclusions: Patients receiving care through telehealth, particularly those far from the outpatient clinic, are more likely to provide high patient satisfaction scores for the visit provider.

Introduction: Disparities exist and affect outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between race, ethnicity, and insurance type on the incidence of ACL reconstruction in the United States., Methods: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database was used to determine demographics and insurance types for those undergoing elective ACL reconstruction from 2016 to 2017. The US Census Bureau was used to obtain demographic and insurance data for the general population., Results: Non-White patients undergoing ACL reconstruction with commercial insurance were more likely to be younger, male, less burdened with comorbidities including diabetes, and less likely to smoke. When we compared Medicaid patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction with all Medicaid recipients, there was an under-representation of Black patients and a similar percentage of White patients undergoing ACL reconstruction (P < 0.001)., Discussion: This study suggests ongoing healthcare disparities with lower rates of ACL reconstruction for non-White patients and those with public insurance. Equal proportions of patients identifying as Black undergoing ACL reconstruction as compared with the underlying general population suggests a possible narrowing in disparities. More data are needed at numerous points of care between injury, surgery, and recovery to identify and address disparities., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.)

Introduction: Although disparities exist in patient access to and outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there are limited data regarding the relationship between travel distance and patient demographics or postoperative complications., Methods: We identified patients who underwent TKA in Florida and New York between 2006 and 2014 using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases. The American Hospital Association and UnitedStatesZipCodes.org Enterprise databases were further used to calculate distance traveled from patient population-weighted zip code centroid points to the hospitals at which they underwent TKA. Patients were grouped by travel distance: 25 to 50, 50 to 100, 100 to 500 miles, and greater than 500 miles. Patient demographic characteristics and postoperative outcomes were compared between the travel distance groups., Results: Older age, increased medical comorbidities, White race, Medicare insurance coverage, and living in zip codes with greater mean income levels were associated with greater travel distance (P < 0.001). There were no clinically significant relationships between various postoperative complications and distance traveled., Discussion: Certain demographic variables are associated with increased travel distance to undergo TKA. These relationships were most pronounced at the extremes of distance traveled (>500 miles). These differences may indicate that specific patient groups are either electing to or being forced to travel notable distances for orthopaedic care. Additional research is needed to determine the causative mechanisms underlying these findings., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.)

Cross-border reproductive care is undoubtedly a current phenomenon. The number of people interested in receiving reproductive care abroad is increasing every year. This new context needs a political solution that would respond to the definition of standard care within the circumstances of providing healthcare to the citizens of another country. Patients that undergo reproductive treatment abroad very often face complications such as language problems, insufficient information, separation from family members, cultural differences and customs, potential unrealistic expectations, and also restrictions by law. This work is descriptive in nature and aims to illustrate the variables that come into play when choosing the Czech Republic over other destinations as a country to receive infertility treatment. We analyze the phenomenon by selecting documents used as sources of data. In our research, we focused on infertility treatment and justified the reasons why foreign citizens choose the Czech Republic over other destinations for infertility treatment. The variables that lead to the selection of cross-border infertility treatment in the Czech Republic include no waiting time, anonymous donations, international departments in various languages, and affordable prices compared to other destinations.

In the United States, Black gay and bisexual men account for a quarter of HIV infections and face intersecting social and structural stigmas along the axes of race, sexuality and class. For those diagnosed with HIV, these inequities shape their lived experiences which include HIV disclosure. Public health has privileged HIV status disclosure as the appropriate moral and responsible choice to protect sex partners, reduce stigma and obtain social support. Though little is known about the emotional aspects of HIV disclosure for Black gay and bisexual men, or how they are shaped by social and structural contexts. Using the frameworks of healthism and emotion work, I explore HIV disclosure among a sample of 30 Black gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the Deep South. Drawing on in-depth, qualitative interviews, I identify the emotion work that men engaged in to manage their own emotions and protect the emotions of others before, during and after disclosure or nondisclosure. These findings challenge public health research that has explored disclosure as discrete measurable events by illustrating how HIV disclosure is embedded in ongoing social and structural relations and provide insights that can guide new approaches focused on structural inequities that constitute HIV disclosure., (© 2021 Foundation for Sociology of Health & Illness.)

Context: Prenatal exposure to phthalates disrupts male sex development in rodents. In humans, the placental glycoprotein hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is required for male development, and may be a target of phthalate exposure., Objective: This study aimed to test the hypothesis that phthalates disrupt placental hCG differentially in males and females with consequences for sexually dimorphic genital development., Design: The Infant Development and Environment Study (TIDES) is a prospective birth cohort. Pregnant women were enrolled from 2010-2012 at four university hospitals., Participants: Participants were TIDES subjects (n = 541) for whom genital and phthalate measurements were available and who underwent prenatal serum screening in the first or second trimester., Main Outcome Measures: Outcomes included hCG levels in maternal serum in the first and second trimesters and anogenital distance (AGD), which is the distance from the anus to the genitals in male and female neonates., Results: Higher first-trimester urinary mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP; P = .01), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP; P = .03), and mono-carboxy-isooctyl phthalate (P < .01) were associated with higher first-trimester hCG in women carrying female fetuses, and lower hCG in women carrying males. First-trimester hCG was positively correlated with the AGD z score in female neonates, and inversely correlated in males (P = 0.01). We measured significant associations of MnBP (P < .01), MBzP (P = .02), and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP; P < .01) with AGD, after adjusting for sex differences. Approximately 52% (MnBP) and 25% (MEHP) of this association in males, and 78% in females (MBzP), could be attributed to the phthalate association with hCG., Conclusions: First-trimester hCG levels, normalized by fetal sex, may reflect sexually dimorphic action of phthalates on placental function and on genital development.

Enzymes fold into unique three-dimensional structures, which underlie their remarkable catalytic properties. The requirement to adopt a stable, folded conformation is likely to contribute to their relatively large size (>10,000 Da). However, much shorter peptides can achieve well-defined conformations through the formation of amyloid fibrils. To test whether short amyloid-forming peptides might in fact be capable of enzyme-like catalysis, we designed a series of seven-residue peptides that act as Zn(2+)-dependent esterases. Zn(2+) helps stabilize the fibril formation, while also acting as a cofactor to catalyse acyl ester hydrolysis. These results indicate that prion-like fibrils are able to not only catalyse their own formation, but they can also catalyse chemical reactions. Thus, they might have served as intermediates in the evolution of modern-day enzymes. These results also have implications for the design of self-assembling nanostructured catalysts including ones containing a variety of biological and non-biological metal ions.

Primary extraluminal gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) originating from outside of the GI tract are not uncommon. However, none have been reported to arise from the falciform ligament of the liver. The natural history and prognostic indicators for primary GISTs, while still unclear, have been under much investigation, and some promising therapeutic options have surfaced, including surgical removal and adjuvant chemotherapy with imatinib.

Myocardial repair remains a major challenge for both cellular and tissue engineering approaches. Several studies have been conducted looking at utilizing extracellular matrix-based therapies to promote repair after a myocardial infarction. In this review, strategies for treating myocardial infarctions using extracellular matrix-derived peptides are discussed. Using an ischemia/reperfusion myocardial infarction rodent model, we showed that extracellular-matrix-derived peptides were able to induce angiogenesis and alter the negative remodeling seen after a myocardial infarction. This therapy opens up a potentially new non-invasive strategy for repairing damaged cardiac tissue.