The impact of fetal sex on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in twin gestation.

PURPOSE: Fetal sex is independently associated with pregnancy complications and impacts neonatal outcomes. Evidence suggests that females have an advantage over males, with a better outcome in the perinatal period. In addition, fetal outcome in twin gestations is also related to the intrauterine position of the fetus, such as the first, the presenting or second twin. It has been demonstrated that the neonatal outcome of the second fetus is worse than that of the first fetus. This study aimed to examine the influence of fetal sex on obstetric outcomes in twin pregnancies based on the location of the fetus in the uterus. METHODS: Retrospective study. Maternal and obstetric outcomes were compared among three groups: male‒male, female‒female, and male‒female groups. Comparisons of neonatal outcomes were performed among the four groups: male A-male B, male A-female B, female A-male B, and female A-female B. RESULTS: A total of 1073 twin gestations were included, comprising 288 male‒male, 288 female‒female, and 497 male‒female gestations. A greater percentage of neonates admitted to the NICU was observed for male fetuses than for female fetuses. Adverse composite neonatal outcome was more common in the male‒male group than in the female‒male group and in the female‒female group. CONCLUSION: Twin gestation with a first twin male tends to have worse neonatal outcomes than does twin gestation with a first twin female. The presence of a male co-twin increases the risk of adverse outcomes.

Dieldrin accumulation, distribution in plant parts and phytoextraction potential for several plant species and Cucurbita pepo varieties.

Dieldrin, an organochlorine pesticide (OCP) widely used for crop protection in the second half of the 20th century till the 70's, is worldwide still present in arable soils. It can be transferred to crops, notably cucurbits, depending on plant species and cultivars. Finding strategies to decrease OCP bioavailability in soil is therefore a main concern. Phytomanagement strategies could provide (i) ready-to-use short term solution for maintaining the production of edible plant parts with dieldrin concentrations below the Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) and (ii) long-term solution for dieldrin phytoextraction reducing progressively its bioavailability in the soil. This field study aimed at determining dieldrin accumulation capacities and allocation pattern in 17 non-Cucurbitaceae species and 10 Cucurbita pepo varieties, and assessing the dieldrin phytoextraction potential of these plant species when grown to maturity in a historically dieldrin-contaminated soil. Out of the non-Cucurbitaceae species, vetiver was the only one able to accumulate significant amounts of dieldrin, which mainly remained in its roots. All C. pepo varieties were able to uptake and translocate high dieldrin amounts into the shoots, leading to the highest phytoextraction potential. Despite the intraspecific variability in dieldrin concentration in zucchini plant parts, mainly in the reproductive organs, the phytoextraction capacity for shoots and fruits was high for all tested varieties (147 to 275 µg dieldrin plant-1, corresponding to 5.6 % of the n-heptane extractable soil dieldrin), even for the one with low fruit dieldrin concentration. Both food safety and phytoextraction could be achieved by selecting productive zucchini varieties displaying low dieldrin concentration in fruits and high one in shoots.

Morphological Diversity of Turtle Hyoid Apparatus is Linked to Feeding Behavior.

The hyoid apparatus of tetrapods is highly diverse in its morphology. It plays an important role in feeding, breathing, sound production, and various other behaviors. Among turtles, the diversity of the hyoid apparatus has been recurrently linked to their habitat. The ossification of the hyoid corpus is often the main trait used in correlations with "niche" occupancy, an ossified corpus being associated with aquatic environments and a cartilaginous corpus with terrestrial life. Most studies conducted so far have focused on species belonging to Testudinoidea, the clade that occupies the biggest diversity of habitats (i.e., terrestrial, semi-terrestrial, and aquatic animals), while other turtle lineages have been largely understudied. We assessed the adult anatomy of the hyoid apparatus of 92 turtle species from all "families", together with ossification sequences from embryological series of 11 species, some described for the first time here. Using nearly 40 different discrete anatomical characters, we discuss the evolutionary patterns and the biological significance of morphological transformations in the turtle hyoid elements. Morphological changes are strongly associated to feeding modes, with several instances of convergent evolution within and outside the Testudines clade, and are not as strongly connected to habitat as previously thought. Some of the hyoid character states we describe are diagnostic of specific turtle clades, thus providing phylogenetically relevant information.

El aparato hyoideo de los tetrápodos es muy diverso en su morfología. El mismo desempeña un papel importante en la alimentación, la respiración, la producción de sonidos y otras funciones. En las tortugas, la diversidad del aparato hyoideo se ha relacionado con el hábitat. La osificación del cuerpo hyoideo es a menudo el rasgo principal utilizado en correlaciones con la ocupación de "nichos"; un cuerpo osificado se asocia con ambientes acuáticos y un cuerpo cartilaginoso con la vida terrestre. La mayoría de los estudios realizados se han centrado en especies pertenecientes a Testudinoidea, el clado que ocupa la mayor diversidad de hábitats (terrestre, semiterrestre y acuático), mientras que otros linajes de tortugas han sido poco estudiados. Evaluamos la anatomía adulta del aparato hyoideo de 92 especies de tortugas de todas las "familias", junto con secuencias de osificación de series embriológicas de once especies, algunas descritas por primera vez aquí. Utilizando casi 40 caracteres anatómicos discretos diferentes, discutimos los patrones evolutivos y el significado biológico de lastransformaciones morfológicas en los elementos hyoideos de las tortugas. Los cambios morfológicos están asociados con los modos de alimentación, con varios casos de convergencia dentro y fuera del clado Testudines; la asociación con el hábitat no es tan robusta como se ha hipotetizado. Algunos de los estados de caracteres que describimos son diagnósticos de clados de tortugas específicos, proporcionando así información filogenéticamente relevante.

Eventos clínicos en pacientes que consultan a la guardia por dolor precordial / Clinical events in emergency room patients' with chest pain

Evaluamos los eventos ocurridos durante un período de seguimiento de 30 días en 1280 pacientes que concurrieron a la guardia por dolor precordial. La mortalidad global fue de 2,18 por ciento, siendo en un 90 por ciento de causa cardíaca, agrupada en los pacientes con síndromes isquémicos agudos (IAM, angina inestable). El IAM tuvo una incidencia del 9,6 por ciento, con una mortalidad global del 15 por ciento. La angina inestable representó el 14,3 por ciento, con una mortalidad del 2,8 por ciento