Caesarean birth in women with infertility: population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Caesarean section (CS) is more common following infertility treatment (IT) but the reasons why remain unclear and confounded. The Robson 10-Group Classification System (TGCS) may further explain variation in CS rates. We assessed the association between mode of conception and CS across Robson groups. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: Ontario, Canada, in a public healthcare system. POPULATION: 921 023 births, 2006-2014. METHODS: Modified Poisson regression produced relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals, comparing the risk of CS among women with (1) subfertility without IT, (2) non-invasive IT (OI, IUI) or (3) invasive IT (IVF)-each relative to (4) spontaneous conception (SC). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CS rate according to one of four modes of conception, overall and stratified by each of the TGCS groups. RESULTS: Relative to SC (26.9%), the risk of CS increased in those with subfertility without IT (RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.16-1.18), non-invasive IT (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.18-1.24) and invasive IT (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.36-1.42). Within each Robson group, similar patterns of RRs were seen, but with markedly differing rates. For example, in Group 1 (nulliparous, singleton, cephalic at ≥37 weeks, with spontaneous labour), the respective rates were 15.0, 19.4, 18.7 and 21.9%; in Group 2 (nulliparous, singleton, cephalic at ≥37 weeks, without spontaneous labour), the rates were 35.9, 44.4, 43.2 and 54.1%; and in Group 8 (multiple pregnancy), they were 55.9, 67.5, 65.0 and 69.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CS is relatively more common in women with subfertility and those receiving IT, an effect that persists across Robson groups. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Caesarean delivery is more common in women with infertility independent of demographics and prenatal conditions.

Undiagnosed type 2 diabetes during pregnancy is associated with increased perinatal mortality: a large population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada.

AIM: To compare perinatal outcomes in women with undiagnosed diabetes with gestational diabetes alone, pre-existing diabetes and women without diabetes, and to identify risk factors which distinguish them from women with gestational diabetes alone. METHODS: This population-based cohort study included administrative data on all women who gave birth in Ontario, Canada, during 2002-2015. Maternal/neonatal outcomes were compared across groups using logistic regression, adjusting for confounders. A nested case control study compared women with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes with women with gestational diabetes alone to determine risk factors that would help identify these women. RESULTS: Among 995 990 women, 68 163 had gestational diabetes (6.8%) and, of those women with gestational diabetes,1772 had undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (2.6%). Those with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes were more likely to be older, from a lower income area, have parity > 3 and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 compared with gestational diabetes alone. Infants had a higher risk of perinatal mortality (OR 2.3 [1.6-3.4]), preterm birth (OR 2.6 [2.3-2.9]), congenital anomalies (OR 2.1 [1.7-2.5]), neonatal intensive care unit admission (OR 3.1 [2.8-3.5]) and neonatal hypoglycaemia (OR 406.0 [357-461]), which were similar to women with pre-existing diabetes. The strongest predictive risk factors included early gestational diabetes diagnosis, previous gestational diabetes and chronic hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes who develop diabetes within 1 year postpartum are at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including perinatal mortality. This highlights the need for earlier diagnosis, preferably pre-pregnancy, and more aggressive treatment and surveillance of suspected type 2 diabetes during pregnancy.

Increased maternal new-onset psychiatric disorders after delivering a child with a major anomaly: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The birth of a child with a major congenital anomaly may create chronic caregiving stress for mothers, yet little is known about their psychiatric outcomes. AIMS: To evaluate the association of the birth of a child with a major congenital anomaly with subsequent maternal psychiatric risk. METHODS: This Danish nationwide cohort study included mothers who gave birth to an infant with a major congenital anomaly (n = 19 220) between 1997 and 2015. Comparators were randomly selected mothers, matched on maternal age, year of delivery and parity (n = 195 399). The primary outcome was any new-onset psychiatric diagnosis. Secondary outcomes included specific psychiatric diagnoses, psychiatric in-patient admissions and redeemed psychoactive medicines. Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for socioeconomic and medical variables. RESULTS: Mothers of affected infants had an elevated risk for a new-onset psychiatric disorder vs. the comparison group (adjusted HR, 1.16, 95% CI 1.11-1.22). The adjusted HR was particularly elevated during the first postpartum year (1.65, 95% CI 1.42-1.90), but remained high for years, especially among mothers of children with multiorgan anomalies (1.37, 95% CI 1.18-1.57). The risk was also elevated for most specific psychiatric diagnoses, admissions and medicines. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers who give birth to a child with a major congenital anomaly are at increased risk of new-onset psychiatric disorders, especially shortly after birth and for mothers of children with more severe anomalies. Our study highlights the need to screen for mental illness in this high-risk population, as well as to integrate adult mental health services and paediatric care.

Haemoglobin levels in early pregnancy and severe maternal morbidity: population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Data regarding low maternal haemoglobin concentration and severe maternal morbidity (SMM) are limited and potentially biased. This study evaluated the relation between early maternal haemoglobin concentration and SMM or maternal mortality. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: Ontario, Canada, in a public healthcare system. POPULATION: 737 393 births with a routine outpatient haemoglobin measured at a calculated gestational age of 2-16 weeks. METHODS: The relation between early-pregnancy outpatient blood haemoglobin concentration and each study outcome was expressed as adjusted relative risks (aRR) and absolute risk differences (aRD), with 95% confidence intervals (CI), generated by modified Poisson regression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was SMM or maternal mortality, from 23 weeks' gestation to 42 days postpartum. RESULTS: The mean (SD) haemoglobin concentration was 126.9 (9.3) g/l. Overall, SMM or death occurred in 13 514 pregnancies (1.8%). Relative to a haemoglobin level of 125-129 g/l, the aRR was 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.13) and aRD (0.09%, 95% CI 0.01-0.18) at 120-124 g/l; aRR 1.31 (95% CI 1.17-1.46) and aRD 0.47% (95% CI 0.24-0.69) at 105-109 g/l; and aRR 4.53 (95% CI 3.59-5.72) and aRD 5.94% (95% CI 4.12-7.76) at <90 g/l. In all, 5961 women (0.8%) required red cell transfusion, with significantly higher risks at all haemoglobin concentrations below 125-129 g/l, peaking at a haemoglobin level <90 g/l (aRR 11.82, 95% CI 9.30-15.03). CONCLUSION: There is a gradual increase in the risk of SMM or death, as well as red cell transfusion, starting from the lower level of the normal range of haemoglobin of non-pregnant women. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Women with low haemoglobin in early pregnancy are at higher future risk of morbidity, death and blood transfusion.

Intergenerational teen pregnancy: a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the intergenerational association in teenage pregnancy, and whether there is a coupling tendency between a mother and daughter in how their teen pregnancies end, such as a termination of pregnancy (TOP) versus a live birth. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: Ontario, Canada. POPULATION: A total of 15 097 mothers and their 16 177 daughters. METHODS: Generalised estimating equations generated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of a daughter experiencing a teen pregnancy in relation to the number of teen pregnancies her mother had. Multinomial logistic regression estimated the odds that a teen pregnancy ended with TOP among both mother and daughter. All models were adjusted for maternal age and world region of origin, the daughter's socio-demographic characteristics and comorbidities, mother-daughter cohabitation, and neighbourhood-level teen pregnancy rate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Teen pregnancy in the daughter, between ages 15 and 19 years, and also the nature of the daughter's teen pregnancy, categorised as (1) no teen pregnancy, (2) at least one teen pregnancy, all exclusively ending with a live birth, and (3) at least one teen pregnancy, with at least one teen pregnancy ending with a TOP. RESULTS: The proportion of daughters having a teen pregnancy among those whose mother had zero, one, two, or at least three teen pregnancies was 16.3, 24.9, 33.5 and 36.3%, respectively. The aOR of a daughter having a teen pregnancy was 1.42 (95% CI 1.25-1.61) if her mother had one, 1.97 (95% CI 1.71-2.26) if she had two, and 2.17 (95% CI 1.84-2.56) if her mother had three or more teen pregnancies, relative to none. If a mother had at least one teen pregnancy ending with TOP, then her daughter had an aOR of 2.12 (95% CI 1.76-2.56) for having a teen pregnancy also ending with TOP; whereas, if a mother had at least one teen pregnancy, all ending with a live birth, then her daughter had an aOR of 1.73 (95% CI 1.46-2.05) for that same outcome. CONCLUSION: There is a strong intergenerational occurrence of teenage pregnancy between a mother and daughter, including a coupling tendency in how the pregnancy ends. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Strong intergenerational association for teenage pregnancy between mother and daughter.

Factors associated with postpartum psychiatric admission in a population-based cohort of women with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify factors associated with postpartum psychiatric admission in schizophrenia. METHOD: In a population-based cohort study of 1433 mothers with schizophrenia in Ontario, Canada (2003-2011), we compared women with and without psychiatric admission in the 1st year postpartum on demographic, maternal medical/obstetrical, infant and psychiatric factors and identified factors independently associated with admission. RESULTS: Admitted women (n = 275, 19%) were less likely to be adolescents, more likely to be low income and less likely to have received prenatal ultrasound before 20 weeks gestation compared to non-admitted women. They also had higher rates of predelivery psychiatric comorbidity and mental health service use. Factors independently associated with postpartum admission were age (<20 vs. ≥35 years: adjusted risk ratio, aRR, 0.48, 95% CI 0.24-0.96), income (lowest vs. highest income: aRR 1.67, 1.13-2.47) and the following mental health service use factors in pregnancy: admission (≥35 days/year vs. no days, aRR 4.54, 3.65-5.65), outpatient mental health care (no visits vs. ≥2 visits aRR 0.35, 0.27-0.47) and presence of a consistent mental health care provider during pregnancy (aRR 0.69, 0.54-0.89). CONCLUSION: Certain subgroups of women with schizophrenia may benefit from targeted intervention to mitigate risk for postpartum admission.

The performance of risk prediction models for pre-eclampsia using routinely collected maternal characteristics and comparison with models that include specialised tests and with clinical guideline decision rules: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Risk prediction models may be valuable to identify women at risk of pre-eclampsia to guide aspirin prophylaxis in early pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of 'simple' risk models for pre-eclampsia that use routinely collected maternal characteristics; compare with 'specialised' models that include specialised tests; and to guideline recommended decision rules. SEARCH STRATEGY: MEDLINE, Embase and PubMed were searched to June 2014. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included studies that developed or validated pre-eclampsia risk models using maternal characteristics with or without specialised tests and reported model performance. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We extracted data on study characteristics; model predictors, validation and performance including area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 29 studies that developed 70 models including 22 simple models. Studies included 151-9149 women with a pre-eclampsia prevalence of 1.2-9.5%. No single predictor was included in all models. Four simple models were externally validated, with a model using parity, pre-eclampsia history, race, chronic hypertension and conception method to predict early-onset pre-eclampsia achieving the highest AUC (0.76, 95% CI 0.74-0.77). Nine studies comparing simple versus specialized models in the same population reported AUC favouring specialised models. A simple model achieved fewer false positives than a guideline recommended risk factor list, but sensitivity to classify risk for aspirin prophylaxis was not assessed. CONCLUSION: Validated simple pre-eclampsia risk models demonstrate good risk discrimination that can be improved with specialised tests. Further research is needed to determine their clinical value to guide aspirin prophylaxis compared with decision rules. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Pre-eclampsia risk models using maternal factors show good risk discrimination to guide aspirin prophylaxis.

Maternal and newborn outcomes among women with schizophrenia: a retrospective population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: More women with schizophrenia are becoming pregnant, such that contemporary data are needed about maternal and newborn outcomes in this potentially vulnerable group. We aimed to quantify maternal and newborn health outcomes among women with schizophrenia. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Population based in Ontario, Canada, from 2002 to 2011. POPULATION: Ontario women aged 15-49 years who gave birth to a liveborn or stillborn singleton infant. METHODS: Women with schizophrenia (n = 1391) were identified based on either an inpatient diagnosis or two or more outpatient physician service claims for schizophrenia within 5 years prior to conception. The reference group comprised 432 358 women without diagnosed mental illness within the 5 years preceding conception in the index pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary maternal outcomes were gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, and venous thromboembolism. The primary neonatal outcomes were preterm birth, and small and large birthweight for gestational age (SGA and LGA). Secondary outcomes included additional key perinatal health indicators. RESULTS: Schizophrenia was associated with a higher risk of pre-eclampsia (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 1.28-2.66), venous thromboembolism (aOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.04-2.85), preterm birth (aOR 1.75, 95% CI 1.46-2.08), SGA (aOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.19-1.86), and LGA (aOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.17-1.99). Women with schizophrenia also required more intensive hospital resources, including operative delivery and admission to a maternal intensive care unit, paralleled by higher neonatal morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Women with schizophrenia are at higher risk of multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes, paralleled by higher neonatal morbidity. Attention should focus on interventions to reduce the identified health disparities.

Differences in maternal-newborn ABO blood groups and risk of serious infant infection.

BACKGROUND: During pregnancy, various maternal IgG antibodies are transferred to the developing fetus, some of which may protect the newborn against infection. If a mother and her fetus have different A, B or O (ABO) blood groups, then transferred maternal antibodies may plausibly protect the infant against infection. AIM: To determine if maternal-newborn ABO blood group incongruence vs. congruence is associated with a lower risk of serious infection in the infant. DESIGN: Retrospective population-based cohort. METHODS: We used linked patient-level datasets for all singleton hospital livebirths from 2008 to 2022 in Ontario, Canada, with known maternal and newborn ABO blood groups. We used a dichotomous exposure state, either ABO blood group congruent (N = 114 507) or incongruent (N = 43 074). The main outcome of interest was the risk of serious infant infection within 27 days, and from 28 to 365 days, after birth. Cox proportional hazard models generated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals, and were adjusted for maternal age, world region of origin, residential income quintile and gestational age at birth. RESULTS: Relative to maternal-newborn congruency, incongruent ABO blood group was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80-0.97) for serious neonatal infection within 27 days of birth, and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.90-0.96) for serious infection between 28 and 365 days after birth. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal-newborn ABO incongruence may be associated with a lower relative risk of a serious infant infection within 27 days, and from 28 to 365 days, after birth.

Complex chronic conditions among children born to women with schizophrenia.

PURPOSE: Maternal schizophrenia is linked to complications in offspring near the time of birth. Whether there is also a higher future risk of the child having a complex chronic condition (CCC) - a pediatric condition affecting any bodily system expected to last at least 12 months that is severe enough to require specialty care and/or a period of hospitalization - is not known. METHODS: In this population-based health administrative data cohort study (Ontario, Canada, 1995-2018), the risk for CCC was compared in 5066 children of women with schizophrenia (the exposed) vs. 2,939,320 unexposed children. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were generated for occurrence of any CCC, by CCC category, and stratified by child sex, and child prematurity. RESULTS: CCC was more frequent in the exposed (7.7 per 1000 person-years [268 children]) than unexposed (4.2 per 100 person-years [124,452 children]) - an aHR of 1.25 (95% CI 1.10-1.41). aHRs were notably higher in 5 of 9 CCC categories: neuromuscular (1.73, 1.28-2.33), cardiovascular (1.94, 1.64-2.29), respiratory (1.83, 1.32-2.54), hematology/immunodeficiency (2.24, 1.24-4.05) and other congenital or genetic defect (1.59, 1.16-2.17). The aHR for CCC was more pronounced among boys (1.32, 1.13-1.55) than girls (1.16, 0.96-1.40), and of similar magnitude in term (1.22, 1.05-1.42) and preterm infants (1.18, 0.95-1.46). CONCLUSIONS: The risk for a CCC appears to be higher in children born to women with schizophrenia. This finding introduces opportunities for targeted preconception counselling, optimization of maternal risk factors, and intervention to support a vulnerable parent population who will experience unique challenges caring for a child with CCCs.

Beneficial Changes in Capsicum frutescens Due to Priming by Plant Probiotic Burkholderia spp.

Plant probiotic mechanisms of endophytic microorganisms are highly remarkable as it play key role in growth and health of plants. Even though Burkholderia spp. have been studied for their role in plant growth and disease management, report on their field performance is very limited. Hence, the objective of the study was to investigate the plant probiotic performance of selected Burkholderia spp. on Capsicum frutescens. The results of the study showed bacterial influence on growth of C. frutescens with remarkable induction of early flowering and fruiting. Most interestingly, the plants treated with Burkholderia strains, ZoB74 and ZoB82 were found to have limited infestation with Bemisia tabaci. However, the control plants and those treated with Burkholderia ZoB86 were observed to have stunted growth with crumpled and curled leaves with no flowers or fruits. Hence, the study confirmed the strain specific potential of Burkholderia spp. in triggering the early flowering and fruiting in C. frutescens with associated protection from insect attack.

Risk of early-onset breast cancer among women exposed to thoracic computed tomography in pregnancy or early postpartum.

Essentials Tests for pulmonary embolism expose women to low-dose radiation. 5859 pregnancies had a thoracic computed tomography (T-CT) vs. 1.3 million who did not. The adjusted hazard ratio for breast cancer was 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.80-1.70). The long-term risk of breast cancer among women who had a T-CT remains unknown. SUMMARY: Background The risk of breast cancer may be higher with direct exposure to ionizing radiation from thoracic computed tomography (CT) during pregnancy or the postpartum. We evaluated the short-term risk of maternal breast cancer after exposure to thoracic CT during these periods. Methods We completed a retrospective population-based cohort study of all deliveries between 1995 and 2014 using universal healthcare databases in the province of Ontario, Canada. The main exposure was thoracic CT in pregnancy or ≤ 42 days postpartum. The passive exposure was ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy (VQ) scan in pregnancy or ≤ 42 days postpartum. Each was compared to pregnancies unexposed to thoracic CT or VQ scan. The primary study outcome was newly diagnosed breast cancer starting 366 days post-index delivery date. Results A total of 5859 pregnancies were exposed to thoracic CT, 4075 to VQ scan and 1 292 059 to neither. Starting from 1 year after the index delivery, the median duration of follow-up was 5.9, 7.3 and 11.1 years, respectively. A total of 10 129 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, of whom 9039 (89.2%) were aged ≤ 50 years. There were 27 new cases of breast cancer (7.1 per 10 000 person-years) following thoracic CT vs. 10 080 (7.0 per 10 000 person-years) among the unexposed, an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80-1.70). Following VQ scan exposure, the incidence rate of breast cancer was 7.0 per 10 000 person-years, an adjusted HR of 1.23 (95% CI 0.81-1.87), compared with the unexposed cohort. Conclusion Exposure to thoracic CT during pregnancy or the postpartum was not associated with an increased short-term risk of maternal breast cancer. The long-term risk should be studied.

Risk of contralateral lower limb amputation and death after initial lower limb amputation - a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Lower limb amputation (LLA) is a complication of lower limb atherosclerosis, infection and tissue gangrene. Following ipsilateral LLA, the risk of major amputation of the contralateral limb or of death is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of a contralateral major LLA, comparing those with a non-malignant/non-traumatic ipsilateral major vs. ipsilateral minor LLA. METHODS: We used pre-existing linked administrative health databases for the study. Data were provided by the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Sciences (ICES), Toronto, Ontario. This is a retrospective population-based cohort study across Ontario, Canada, 2002-2012. Cause-specific Cox regression models were used to obtain hazard ratios. Cumulative incidence functions were used to calculate the risk of contralateral major LLA and the risk of the competing event death. Individuals who did not survive at least 30 days after their first ipsilateral LLA were excluded since they were ineligible to have a contralateral LLA. RESULTS: 5,816 adults underwent an ipsilateral major and 4,143 an ipsilateral minor LLA. The incidences of contralateral major LLA were 4.8 and 2.2 (adjusted HR 2.41, 95% CI 2.04-2.84) after ipsilateral major and minor LLA, respectively. Incidence of death was 18.9 and 11.4 (adjusted HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.13-1.31) following ipsilateral major and minor LLA, respectively. CONCLUSION: There is high incidence of a contralateral major LLA and even higher risk of death following the ipsilateral LLA. Healthcare professionals should develop strategies for contralateral limb preservation in individuals with existing ipsilateral LLA.

Venous thromboembolism in association with features of the metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Central obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and chronic hypertension--features of the metabolic syndrome--have been individually associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, whether each of these factors additively increases the risk of VTE is uncertain. AIM: To determine whether features of the metabolic syndrome independently increase the risk of VTE. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study derived from the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation 2 (HOPE-2) randomized clinical trial. SETTING: One hundred and forty-five clinical centres in 13 countries. METHODS: We studied 5522 adults aged > or =55 years with cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus. At enrollment, 35% had 0-1 features of the metabolic syndrome, 30% had two, 24% had three and 11% had four. We defined symptomatic VTE as an objectively confirmed new episode of deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. RESULTS: VTE occurred in 88 individuals during a median 5.0 years of follow-up. The incidence rate of VTE (per 100 person-years) was 0.30 with 0-1 features, 0.36 with two features, 0.38 with three features and 0.40 with four features of the metabolic syndrome (trend p = 0.43). Relative to the presence of 0-1 features of the metabolic syndrome, the adjusted hazard ratio (95%CI) for VTE was 1.22 (0.71-2.08) with two features, 1.25 (0.70-2.24) with three features, and 1.26 (0.59-2.69) with four features. DISCUSSION: The number of features of the metabolic syndrome present was not a clinically important risk factor for VTE in older adults with vascular arterial disease.

Pseudomonas fluorescens R68 assisted enhancement in growth and fertilizer utilization of Amaranthus tricolor (L.).

Plant probiotic potential of rhizosphere microbiome and its role in phytofertilizer mobilization are largely unexplored. In the current study, the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens R68 (PFR68) isolated from Western Ghat was analyzed for its growth enhancement effect on the leafy vegetable Amaranthus tricolor (L.). One month of field growth of PFR68 inoculated A. tricolor has found to have enhanced growth parameters such as leaf number (1.57 fold), root number (1.76 fold), shoot length (1.28 fold) and fresh weight (2.31 fold). The treatment also improved soil fertility in terms of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium content. Most remarkably, application of PFR68 alone and 50% of recommended NPK dose along with PFR68 has resulted in enhanced growth of A. tricolor comparable to plants treated with full dose of NPK. In addition to this, application of PFR68 along with 50% NPK augmented the available Nitrogen and Phosphorus content in soil. This indicates the potential of selected organism in enrichment of soil health and enhancement of crop productivity. In conclusion, field performance of PFR68 on growth of A. tricolor confirms its promises to develop into plant probiotic formulation.

Silver nanoparticles synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Ziziphus oenoplia (L.) Mill: Characterization and assessment of antibacterial activity.

Biological approach to synthesis of metal nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extract is a highly relevant and recent theme in nanotechnological research. Phytosynthesized AgNPs have better inhibitory and antimicrobial effects compared to aqueous leaf extract and silver nitrate. In the present investigation crystalline silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with size of 10nm have been successfully synthesized using aqueous leaf extract (AQLE) of Ziziphus oenoplia (L.) Mill., which act as both reducing as well as capping agent. The particles were characterized using UV Visible spectroscopy, HRTEM-EDAX, XRD, FT-IR and DLS. An evaluation of the anti bacterial activity was carried out using Agar well diffusion method and MIC determination against four bacterial strains, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi; the AgNPs exhibited quite high antibacterial activity. Furthermore, bactericidal studies with TEM at different time intervals after AgNPs treatment showed the presence of AgNPs near cell membrane of bacteria at about 30min exposure and the bacterial-lysis was found completed at 24h. This gave an insight on the mechanism of bacterial-lysis by direct damage to the cell membrane.

Preterm preeclampsia in relation to country of birth.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between maternal country of birth and the risk of preeclampsia+preterm birth (PTB). STUDY DESIGN: We completed a population-based study in the entire province of Ontario, where there is universal access to obstetrical care. We included 881 700 singleton livebirths among Canadian-born mothers and 305 547 births among immigrant mothers. Adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) were adjusted for maternal age, parity and income quintile. RESULTS: Compared with a rate of preeclampsia+PTB of 4.0 per 1000 among Canadian-born mothers, the aRR of preeclampsia+PTB at 24 to 36 weeks was significantly higher for immigrant women from Nigeria (1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12 to 2.84), the Philippines (1.54, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.86), Colombia (1.68, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.73), Jamaica (2.06, 95% CI 1.66 to 2.57) and Ghana (2.12, 95% CI 1.40 to 3.21). The aRRs generally followed a similar pattern for secondary outcomes. Specifically, women from Ghana were at highest risk of preeclampsia+very PTB (4.55, 95% CI 2.57 to 8.06), and women from Jamaica at the highest risk of preeclampsia+indicated PTB (1.89, 95% CI 1.43 to 2.50). CONCLUSION: The risk of preeclampsia+PTB is highest among women from a select number of countries. This information can enhance initiatives aimed at reducing the risk of PTB related to preeclampsia.

A new approach of oral cancer detection using bilateral texture features in digital infrared thermal images.

Oral cancer is one of the most prevalent form of cancer and its severity is aggrandized specially among the socio-economically backward population in developing countries. A major fraction of patient population is unable to avail diagnosis for oral cancer due to scarcity of state-of-the-art infrastructure and experienced oral and maxillofacial pathologist. Contemporary gold standard of oral cancer confirmation relies on biopsy report. But biopsy is invasive and thus patients are usually reluctant to undergo this test. Moreover, biopsy yields considerable false negatives if investigated tissue is not collected precisely from the carcinogenic location. Till date, there is dearth of computer aided pre-screening tool for detection of oral cancer. The paper presents Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging as a viable modality for early screening of oral cancer. This is the pioneering attempt to discriminate normal subjects from patients by leveraging discriminating texture features on oral thermograms. Statistically significant texture features were selected from a) both halves of frontal face and b) right and left profile faces. Due to disparity of distribution of facial temperature between normal subjects and patients, the corresponding texture features form discriminative class specific local clusters. Such local conglomeration was exploited using k-means and fuzzy k-means clustering. We adopt the concept of cluster prototype classifier which assigns label to each cluster according to majority class labels within that cluster. Highest classification accuracy of 86.12% is attained on fusion of features from left and right half of frontal face of precancerous subject followed by fuzzy k-means guided cluster prototype classification. The proposed work outperforms our previously developed pre-screening framework by upto 6.5%. Such promising results boosts the viability of our approach.

Hepatic fat and abdominal adiposity in early pregnancy together predict impaired glucose homeostasis in mid-pregnancy.

Hepatic fat and abdominal adiposity individually reflect insulin resistance, but their combined effect on glucose homeostasis in mid-pregnancy is unknown. A cohort of 476 pregnant women prospectively underwent sonographic assessment of hepatic fat and visceral (VAT) and total (TAT) adipose tissue at 11-14 weeks' gestation. Logistic regression was used to assess the relation between the presence of maternal hepatic fat and/or the upper quartile (Q) of either VAT or TAT and the odds of developing the composite outcome of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or gestational diabetes mellitus at 24-28 weeks' gestation, based on a 75 g OGTT. Upon adjusting for maternal age, ethnicity, family history of DM and body mass index (BMI), the co-presence of hepatic fat and quartile 4 (Q4) of VAT (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 6.5, 95% CI: 2.3-18.5) or hepatic fat and Q4 of TAT (aOR 7.8 95% CI 2.8-21.7) were each associated with the composite outcome, relative to women with neither sonographic feature. First-trimester sonographic evidence of maternal hepatic fat and abdominal adiposity may independently predict the development of impaired glucose homeostasis and GDM in mid-pregnancy.