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An estimated 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled a severe humanitarian crisis in their country, most (70%) to other middle-income host countries in the same Andean region. Migration-related exposures during periconception and other critical gestational periods can adversely impact maternal-perinatal outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests that Venezuelan refugee and migrant women (VRMW) who migrate to Andean host countries are at-risk for delivering preterm and low birthweight infants and for Cesarean-sections. However, relatively few studies have examined obstetrical complications that could contribute to these or other short- and longer-term health outcomes of VRMW and/or their offspring. Our exploratory study analyzed four recent years of national hospital discharge data (2018–2021) from Ecuador to compare the primary discharge diagnoses of VRMW (n = 29,005) and Ecuadorian nationals (n = 1,136,796) for ICD-10 O code obstetrical complications related to or aggravated by pregnancy, childbirth, or the puerperium. Our findings indicated that VRMW were hospitalized for 0.5 days longer than Ecuadorian reference group women and they had higher adjusted odds (aOR) for a primary discharge diagnosis for obstetrical complications including preeclampsia (aOR:1.62, 95% CI:1.55,1.69), preterm labor (aOR:1.20, 95% CI:1.11,1.31), premature rupture of membranes (aOR: 1.72, 95% CI:1.63,1.83), oligohydraminos (aOR:1.24, 95% CI:1.12,1.36), obstructed labor (aOR: 1.39, 95% CI:1.31,1.47), perineal lacerations/other obstetric trauma (aOR:1.76, 95% CI:1.63, 1.91), STIs (aOR:2.59, 95% CI:1.29,2.92), anemia (aOR:1.33, 95% CI:1.24,1.42), and ectopic pregnancy (aOR:1.16 95% CI:1.04,1.28). They had similar aOR for diagnosed gestational diabetes and spontaneous abortion (SAB) compared to the reference group but a reduced aOR for genitourinary infections (aOR:0.79, 95% CI:0.74,0.84) and early pregnancy hemorrhage not ending in SAB (aOR:0.43, 95% CI:0.36,0.51). Our findings underscore the vulnerability of VRMW for a number of potentially serious obstetrical complications with the potential to adversely impact the short- and longer-term health of mothers and their offspring. Future studies should collect more detailed information on the migration status, experiences, and exposures of MRMW that influence their risk for obstetrical complications. These are needed to expand our findings to better understand why they have excess risk for these and to inform social and public health policies, programs and targeted interventions aimed at reducing the risk of this vulnerable refugee and migrant group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ecuador is a major host country for Colombians fleeing violence and Venezuelans escaping a complex humanitarian crisis, many of whom are pregnant women. Methods: We used national birth registry data (2018–2020) to compare the maternal care and infant outcomes of Venezuelan and Colombian immigrants with Ecuadorian nationals. Results: Venezuelan immigrants had a lower adjusted odds (AOR) for adequate prenatal care (AOR = 0.64;95%CI = 0.62,0.67) but a higher AOR for institutional (AOR = 2.68;95%CI = 1.84,3.93) and C-section delivery (AOR = 1.28;95%CI = 1.23,1.32) and birthing infants who were moderate-late preterm (AOR = 1.12;95%CI = 1.05,1.20), very preterm (AOR = 1.20;95%CI = 1.04,1.40), extremely pre-term (AOR = 1.65;95%CI = 1.27,2.14), low birthweight (LBW) (AOR = 1.11;95%CI = 1.05,1.17), very LBW (AOR = 1.35;95%CI = 1.12,1.62), and extremely LBW (AOR = 1.71;95%CI = 1.36,2.16). Colombians had decreased AORs for adequate prenatal care (AOR = 0.82;95%CI = 0.78,0.87) but increased AORs for institutional (AOR = 2.03;95%CI = 1.19,3.46) and C-section deliveries (AOR = 1.07;95%CI = 1.01,1.13) and birthing infants with moderate-late preterm (AOR = 1.17;95%CI = 1.05,1.30) but not LBW. Discussion: The findings underscore the need to address the causes of adequate prenatal care, excess C-sections, and poorer infant outcomes among refugee and immigrant women, especially Venezuelans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household food insecurity (HFI) has been linked to poorer cardiometabolic health and reduced health care access but few studies have examined these issues in the large Mexican immigrant population living on the U.S.-Mexico border. This exploratory study examined the association of HFI with cardiometabolic conditions and health care in 40–84 year urban border immigrants (n = 75). Data were collected on HFI, self-reported and clinical cardiometabolic conditions, health care sources and use. HFI affected 45% of participants. HFI was associated with self-reported and clinical diabetes but not hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, or metabolic syndrome. It also was associated with increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations but not source of primary health care or preventative health care use. These findings highlight the need for additional research on the relationship of HFI with cardiometabolic health and health care in border immigrants as well as reassessment of current immigrant food security and health laws and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are at high risk for musculoskeletal and other occupational injuries. Although persons aged 40-80 years account for 40 % of all US farmworkers and as many as 50 % in certain regions, little is known about their occupational health issues. The current study examined work-related persistent musculoskeletal injuries (PMIs) and their association with clinical and functional indicators of disability and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in 177 middle-aged and elderly US-Mexico border farmworkers. At interview, 68 % reported current PMI pain; 51 % had pain at multiple sites. PMI pain was associated with increased shoulder, knee, and lower extremity dysfunction and reduced HRQOL scores. However, fewer than 25 % of injured participants received any conventional medical treatment. The study results indicated that work-related PMIs, especially multiple PMIs, caused significant functional impairment, disability, and poorer HRQOL, adversely affecting the ability of the aging farmworkers to perform work, self-care, and other daily activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size at birth is an important indicator of future infant morbidity and mortality. Ethnic/racial disparities in birth weight and other fetal growth outcomes are well documented for US and Canadian minority groups but not for those in Latin America. The study compared the growth outcomes of 1,227 full-term Ecuadorian newborns delivered by Afro-descendant and indigenous minority women with those of ethnic majority (mestizo) women. Minority newborns had higher risk for congenital microcephaly but no excess risk for low birth weight or stunted linear growth compared to mestizos. However, minority newborns were significantly heavier at birth, weighing an average of 3-5% more than mestizos. Afro-Ecuadorians newborns also were fatter. The risk profile of Ecuadorian ethnic groups for certain fetal growth outcomes differs from some of those reported for North American minorities. Further studies are needed to investigate the origins of these between-group differences and to develop ethnic specific interventions for adverse growth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. migrant and seasonal farmworker (MSFW) workforce is aging. Aging causes functional changes that can affect work performance and increase injury/accident risk. It also has been linked with deferred health-seeking. The exploratory study was conducted to investigate occupational injuries and health-seeking in Hispanic MSFW on the U.S.-Mexico border. Data were collected using an abbreviated Spanish-version of the California Agricultural Worker Health Survey. Nearly 60% of the 141 participants were middle-aged or older. Musculoskeletal injuries and those consistent with agrochemical and environmental exposures were common. Farmworkers aged >40 years were 2.5-5 times more likely than younger MSFW to report persistent single and multiple injuries involving the knees, shoulder, feet, and hands. Except for neck and back injuries, few received any medical treatment. Although many self-treated with traditional home remedies, few used CAM practitioners. The study findings highlight the multiple workplace health and health-seeking challenges faced by aging immigrant MSFW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing football score data with statistical techniques, we investigate how the not purely random, but highly co-operative nature of the game is reflected in averaged properties such as the probability distributions of scored goals for the home and away teams. As it turns out, especially the tails of the distributions are not well described by the Poissonian or binomial model resulting from the assumption of uncorrelated random events. Instead, a good effective description of the data is provided by less basic distributions such as the negative binomial one or the probability densities of extreme value statistics. To understand this behavior from a microscopical point of view, however, no waiting time problem or extremal process need be invoked. Instead, modifying the Bernoulli random process underlying the Poissonian model to include a simple component of self-affirmation seems to describe the data surprisingly well and allows to understand the observed deviation from Gaussian statistics. The phenomenological distributions used before can be understood as special cases within this framework. We analyzed historical football score data from many leagues in Europe as well as from international tournaments, including data from all past tournaments of the “FIFA World Cup” series, and found the proposed models to be applicable rather universally. In particular, here we analyze the results of the German women’s premier football league and consider the two separate German men’s premier leagues in the East and West during the cold war times as well as the unified league after 1990 to see how scoring in football and the component of self-affirmation depend on cultural and political circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two patients with thalassemia minor and end-stage renal failure on hemodialysis were treated with epoetin zeta (Silapo®, Retacrit®; STADA, Germany), a medicinal product that was developed and registered as biosimilar to epoetin alfa. Dosing was titrated individually for two patients to achieve a stable hemoglobin (Hb) concentration of 10.5–12.0 g/dL. One patient was treated intravenously with epoetin zeta; the other patient was treated subcutaneously. After 12 weeks of therapy both patients achieved Hb levels within the target range, confirming the effi cacy of epoetin zeta in patients with thalassemia minor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a novel microfluidic perfusion system for high-resolution microscopes. Its modular design allows pre-coating of the coverslip surface with reagents, biomolecules, or cells. A poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) layer is cast in a special molding station, using masters made by photolithography and dry etching of silicon or by photoresist patterning on glass or silicon. This channel system can be reused while the coverslip is exchanged between experiments. As normal fluidic connectors are used, the link to external, computer-programmable syringe pumps is standardized and various fluidic channel networks can be used in the same setup. The system can house hydrogel microvalves and microelectrodes close to the imaging area to control the influx of reaction partners. We present a range of applications, including single-molecule analysis by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), manipulation of single molecules for nanostructuring by hydrodynamic flow fields or the action of motor proteins, generation of concentration gradients, trapping and stretching of live cells using optical fibers precisely mounted in the PDMS layer, and the integration of microelectrodes for actuation and sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Reproduktionsmedizin is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

Copyright of Reproduktionsmedizin is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

A derivation of the relativistic Hartree-Fock-Approximation for finite temperatures is given by utilizing a thermodynamic extremum principle for the construction of an approximate (thermal HF-) hamiltonian of single-particle structure. By use of the Wigner transform one can obtain the so-called quasi-classical expansion of the theory; i.e. the thermal Thomas-Fermi theory plus quantum corrections. The details are illustrated for the Walecka Lagrangian density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naftopidil exerts its antihypertensive action via α-adrenoceptor blockage and Ca antagonism in vascular smooth muscle. Since the chemically similar 1-(1-naphthyl) piperazine is known to be a 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonist, the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) antagonistic properties of naftopidil were tested by examining 5-HT-induced aggregation and 5-HT uptake in platelets from 12 healthy volunteers after oral administration of 60 mg naftopidil or placebo. Platelet aggregation in vitro was inhibited by naftopidil with a K value of 1.1 μM, the pIC was 5.09 with induction of aggregation by 1 μM 5-HT. After oral administration of naftopidil, 5-HT-induced aggregation was significantly inhibited by 36%. 4 h after naftopidil administration, 5-HT uptake velocity was reduced by 33%. Naftopidil not only cancelled the circadian increase in 5-HT-induced aggregation velocity observed during placebo application, but also caused a decrease in aggregation velocity directly after peak plasma naftopidil levels. 5-HT uptake in platelets was also reduced following peak naftopidil plasma concentrations. The 5-HT inhibitory action of naftopidil adds a third possible antihypertensive property to naftopidil's α-adrenoceptor blocking and Ca antagonistic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing clinical use of estrogens in the treatment of stress-incontinent women caused us to examine receptor patterns in the female bladder and urethral tissue, and to characterize possible receptors by means of Scatchard plot analysis, competition experiments and density gradient centrifugation. Tissue samples of the lower urogenital tract (bladder, urethra and pubococcygeal muscles) from 16 pre- and postmenopausal women were examined for the presence of estradiol, progesterone and androgen receptors. The radioactivity labeled ligand for the estradiol receptor was I-estradiol, for the progesterone receptor the highly specific binding synthetic progestin H-R5020, and for the androgen receptor H-DHT or the synthetic tritium-labeled R1881. The binding capacity and the dissociation constant were determined by a multipoint saturation charcoal dextran absorption assay and Scatchard plot analysis of the binding data. Four of the 16 bladders examined were estradiol receptor-positive and in two tissue samples progesterone receptors could be detected. Androgen receptors were present in all tissue samples analyzed using DHT as a tritium-labeled ligand. As the amount of tissue was limited, the androgen receptor could not be characterized in all tissue samples using R1881 as a specifically binding ligand. However, six of the 13 tissue samples examined using R1881 were receptor-positive. The hierarchy of the relative binding affinity (RBA) patterns corresponded to that of the human uterus, a typical target organ for sexual steroids, or to that of the rat prostate, a tissue with a high content of androgen receptors. Splitting the H-estradiol, H-R5020 and/or H-DHT receptor complexes via a 10%-30% sucrose density gradient in a low-salt buffer resulted in steroid receptor complexes sedimenting in the 4S and 8S regions, which is considered to be a specific characteristic of steroid hormone receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anatomia Clinica is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

Nuclear matter as well as neutron matter is studied in the framework of a relativistic nuclear field theory at finite temperature. A spectral representation for the two-point Green's function at finite temperature and finite density is constructed. The bulk properties of the interacting system are calculated in the Hartree and Hartree-Fock approach. In addition σ- and σ-self-interactions have been taken into account. We present and discuss the results of hot and dense matter for temperatures T≦ 50 MeV and densities θ≦6 θ ( ρ≈0.17 fm) using six different model parameter sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A semiclassical expansion is given for the microscopic optical potential in ladder-type approximations. The problem has been approached by starting with the formulation of the optical potential within the Green's function scheme. By a reordering of the WignerKirkwood expansion it has been possible to obtain a general expansion, which agrees in zeroth order with the standard nuclear matter approach. The next order, which we discuss in more detail, contains the curvature corrections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy-density for the Skyrme forces in the Hartree-Fock-approximation is compared with the energy-density in the quasi-Hartree-Fock-approximation for two-body nucleon-nucleon forces with hard-core repulsion. From these expressions the magnitudes of the corresponding Hartree-Fock parameters of the nucleon-nucleon force are estimated. As an example, a simple nucleon-nucleon force is constructed, which reproduces the results of the Skyrme force SII. The ambiguities of such an comparison are discussed. The Skyrme forces SII-SIV correspond to potentials with hard-core radii ≈0.5-0.7 F. Smaller hard-core radii correspond to larger exchange contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing the so-called λ-approximation the effective single-particle potential ('mass operator') is investigated with respect to its energy and momentum dependence. For the nucleon-nucleon interaction a local S-wave potential matching the experimental phase shifts is used. The dispersion behaviour of the real and imaginary parts of the generalized optical potential is studied. The potential on the energy-shell is in satisfactory agreement with the phenomenological fits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Λ-approximation of the Green's function theory the nuclear matter properties have been calculated for several local potentials. All these potentials contain a hard core repulsion and match the experimental S-wave phase-shifts. Due to the analytical form of these potentials one can obtain many results analytically. Thus the whole structure of this approximation becomes relatively transparent and can easily be calculated. Therefore this model can be used as an input for more complicated approximations. Furthermore one can also treat the optical potential problem. Te results for nuclear matter are comparable with the results for nonlocal potentials. The momentum distribution deviates more strongly from the independent particle model as in the case of nonlocal potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renormalized EPA is treated for density-dependent semi-phenomenological and microscopic pp-forces. In the Pb region the results are compared with experiment and standard EPA calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Il Nuovo Cimento: A is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

A number of solvable S-wave potentials are presented which match the S-wave nucleon-nucleon phase shifts. The calculation shows that for simple, four parameter potentials there are many rather different parameter sets which yield nearly the same scattering data. We give furthermore some parameter sets which are especially suited for the low energy region. The possibility of fitting the phase shifts with an energy-dependent repulsion was examined phenomenologically. We also calculated a Scott-Moszkowski version of the potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the gas approximation the optical potential is expressed as a function of the scattering matrix of nucleon-nucleon scattering. The formalism of Green functions is used. The imaginary part of the optical potential in nuclear matter is calculated for high energies using the experimental phase shifts. In addition, a calculation of the imaginary part is made using the S-wave part of the Tabakin potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral representations of special Green functions are given explicitly. We consider the density correlation function G( x η x η, x η x η′) and the function G( x η x η, x η x η Coupling the field operators Ψ (x, η), Ψ(x, η) to singlet and triplet operators A ( x), we obtain spectral representations for these G-functions. The formulae derived may be of use when studying the system of equations for the Green functions, which describe many particle systems from a microscopic point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integrated cross section of photonuclear reactions is considered in the electricdipole approximation. The nucleon-nucleon potential used is well-behaved and nonlocal. We use the Tabakin potential, which matches S-, P- and D-wave phase shifts up to 320 MeV without generating strong short-range correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analytical behaviour of the scattering amplitude with respect to energy and angular momentum is considered for a group of soluble velocity-dependent potentials plus Yukawa potential. The Yukawa potential is brought in by means of a modified Born approximation. Convergent and semiconvergent expansions of the Jost functions are given for small and large energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Archives of Gynecology & Obstetrics is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

A correction notice is presented for the article "Musculoskeletal Injury, Functional Disability, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Aging Mexican Immigrant Farmworkers" by M. M. Weigel, R. X. Armijos and O. Beltran, which appeared in a previous issue of the journal.