2D:4D Suggests a Role of Prenatal Testosterone in Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria (GD) reflects distress caused by incongruence between one’s experienced gender identity and one’s natal (assigned) gender. Previous studies suggest that high levels of prenatal testosterone (T) in natal females and low levels in natal males might contribute to GD. Here, we investigated if the 2D:4D digit ratio, a biomarker of prenatal T effects, is related to GD. We first report results from a large Iranian sample, comparing 2D:4D in 104 transwomen and 89 transmen against controls of the same natal sex. We found significantly lower (less masculine) 2D:4D in transwomen compared to control men. We then conducted random-effects meta-analyses of relevant studies including our own (k = 6, N = 925 for transwomen and k = 6, N = 757 for transmen). In line with the hypothesized prenatal T effects, transwomen showed significantly feminized 2D:4D (d ≈ 0.24). Conversely, transmen showed masculinized 2D:4D (d ≈ − 0.28); however, large unaccounted heterogeneity across studies emerged, which makes this effect less meaningful. These findings support the idea that high levels of prenatal T in natal females and low levels in natal males play a part in the etiology of GD. As we discuss, this adds to the evidence demonstrating the convergent validity of 2D:4D as a marker of prenatal T effects

Effect of Cichorium intybus L. on the expression of hepatic NF-κB and IKKβ and serum TNF-α in STZ− and STZ+ niacinamide-induced diabetes in rats

Additional file 3. Evaluation of metformin. The HPLC system consisted of PLATIN Blue (KNAUER, Germany) with a PDA detector. The wavelength was set at 233 nm. The column was Nucleosil-100, C-18 (250 4.6 mm, 5 nm). The software was EZChrom Elite. The mobile phase comprised 0.01 M potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (adjusted to pH 4.5 with glacial acetic acid) and acetonitrile (60:40, v/v). Analyses were run at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min and the samples were quantified using peak area. Initial weight of each 500 mg pill: Merck, 516.63 mg; and Chemidaru, 582.50 mg. 2.5, 5, 10, 50, and 100 mg of the powdered pills were dissolved in 1 ml of deionized H2O. Merck metformin dissolved completely in water, whereas metformin from Chemidaru consisted of insoluble part. Injection volumes were 5 µl; each sample was injected only once. The corresponding peaks for 10 mg/ml sample and the resulting standard curves for two metformin brands are compared in graphs

The effect of cutting interval on yield and nutrient composition of different plant fractions of Moringa oleifera tree

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of cutting interval on biomass yield and chemical composition of different plant fractions of Moringa oleifera. In a completely randomized block design experiment, an established Moringa plot was divided into 12 equal plots and subjectedto three cutting intervals of 4, 6 and 8 weeks, each with four replications. The highest fresh and dry matter (DM) yields (t ha-1 cut-1) of total foliage, leaf and stem were obtained at the 8 weeks cutting interval followed by 6 and 4 weeks cutting interval. Effect of leaf to stem ratio was not significant (P>0.05) among harvesting intervals. The CP content of total foliage, leaf and stem was not different (P>0.05) over the harvesting intervals. The acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) of total foliage was significantly (P0.05) different among the treatments. The values of IVDMD and IVOMD ranges were from 772.0 to 802.0 and 761.0 to 798.0 g kg-1 DM, respectively. Both yields and chemical compositions of Moringa foliage and leaf suggest that the optimum cutting interval was 8 weeks in rainy season from mature Moringa tree. These data suggest that the higher CP and lower fibre value in the leaf indicate a good protein source for poultry or other monogastric animals and Moringa foliage could be a potential protein source for ruminant livestock

Optimizing seed rate for summer mungbean varieties

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh from March to June, 2007 to investigate the effect of cultivar and seed rate on morphological characters, yield attributes and yield of summer mungbean. The experiment comprised four varieties viz., BINA moog2, BINA moog5, BINA moog6 and BINA moog7 and four seed rates viz. 30, 40, 50 and 60 kg ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results revealed that variety and seed rate had significant effect on the studied crop characters and yield. The variety BINA moog7 showed superiority in relation to plant height, number of branches and effective pods per plant, number of seeds pod-1 compared to other varieties, which resulted in the highest seed yield both per plant and per hectare. The plant height, stover yield and number of non-effective pods per plant increased with the increase in seed rate, while branch number, number of effective pods per plant, seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, as well as seed weight per plant decreased with increasing seed rate. The higher number of branches and effective pods per plant, number of seeds pod, 100-seed weight and seed yield per plant were recorded at the rate of 30 and 40 kg seeds ha-1 and the lowest values for the above parameters were observed at the rate of 60 kg seeds ha-1. But per unit area basis, the highest seed yield was recorded in 40 kg seeds ha-1 followed by 50 kg seeds ha-1 due to accommodation of higher number of plants. BINA moog7 interacted favorably with the seed rate of 30 kg ha-1 to produce the highest seed yield

Analysis of the flow and heat transfer characteristics for MHD free convection in an enclosure with a heated obstacle

Finite element method based on Galerkin weighted Residual approach is used to solve two-dimensional governing mass, momentum and energy equations for steady state, natural convection flow in presence of magnetic field inside a square enclosure. The cavity consists of three adiabatic walls and one constantly heated wall. A uniformly heated circular solid body is located at the centre of the enclosure. The aim of this study is to describe the effects of MHD on the flow and thermal fields in presence of such heated obstacle. The investigations are conducted for different values of Rayleigh number (Ra) and Hartmann number (Ha). Various characteristics of streamlines, isotherms and heat transfer rate in terms of the average Nusselt number (Nu) are presented for different parameters. The effect of physical parameter (D) is also shown here. The results indicate that the flow pattern and temperature field are significantly dependent on the above mentioned parameters

Trigliserida Sebagai Faktor Prognosis Untuk Hipertensi Tidak Terkendali Pada Wanita Pasca Menopause Di Kota Bogor, Tahun 2014

Further analysis aimed to determine the new cut-off correlation between blood triglyceride levels withuncontrolled hypertension among 888 postmenopausal women from two-year follow up of the cohort studyin Bogor. Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as the average of systolic and diastolic are >140mmHgand >90mmHg consecutively with no underlying diseases and systolic is >130mmHg with co-morbidityat the end of 2-year follow up. The covariate variables included demography, behavior and biologicalfactors. The new triglyceride\u27s cut off was determined by ROC curve with 65% sensitivity and 68%specificity. Data were analyzed with multiple logistic regression. Blood triglyceride level significantlycorrelated with uncontrolled hypertension (p=0.007) after adjusted with LDL, postprandial blood sugarand sodium intake. Triglyceride levels of 108-149mg/dl resulted in OR of 1.54 (95% CI 0.95 to 2.48),150-199mg/dl showed OR of 2.04 (95% CI 1.06 to 3.93) and level of >200 indicated an OR 2.1 (95% CI1.02 to 4.30) compared to normal level (<108mg/dl). Triglyceride level of 108mg/dl is a new cut-off todetermine uncontrolled hypertension in postmenopausal women in the study area. Blood triglyceride\u27slevel can be used as a prognostic factor for hypertensive patients to monitor blood pressure increment

Hallmarks of Splicing Defects in Cancer: Clinical Applications in the Era of Personalized Medicine

Alternative splicing promotes proteome diversity by using limited number of genes, a key control point of gene expression. Splicing is carried out by large macromolecular machineries, called spliceosome, composed of small RNAs and proteins. Alternative splicing is regulated by splicing regulatory cis-elements in RNA and trans-acting splicing factors that are often tightly regulated in a tissue-specific and developmental stage-specific manner. The biogenesis of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes is strictly regulated to ensure that correct complements of RNA and proteins are coordinated in the right cell at the right time to support physiological functions. Any perturbations that impair formation of functional spliceosomes by disrupting the cis-elements, or by compromising RNA-binding or function of trans-factors can be deleterious to cells and result in pathological consequences. The recent discovery of oncogenic mutations in splicing factors, and growing evidence of the perturbed splicing in multiple types of cancer, underscores RNA processing defects as a critical driver of oncogenesis. These findings have resulted in a growing interest in targeting RNA splicing as a therapeutic approach for cancer treatment. This review summarizes our current understanding of splicing alterations in cancer, recent therapeutic efforts targeting splicing defects in cancer, and future potentials to develop novel cancer therapies

In ricordo di Paolo Sylos Labini

Background: Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of disease in children less than 5 y of age. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions are the primary routes of exposure and infection. Sanitation and hygiene interventions are estimated to generate a 36% and 48% reduction in diarrheal risk in young children, respectively. Little is known about whether the number of households sharing a sanitation facility affects a child's risk of diarrhea. The objective of this study was to describe sanitation and hygiene access across the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) sites in Africa and South Asia and to assess sanitation and hygiene exposures, including shared sanitation access, as risk factors for moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in children less than 5 y of age. Methods/Findings: The GEMS matched case-control study was conducted between December 1, 2007, and March 3, 2011, at seven sites in Basse, The Gambia; Nyanza Province, Kenya; Bamako, Mali; Manhiça, Mozambique; Mirzapur, Bangladesh; Kolkata, India; and Karachi, Pakistan. Data was collected for 8,592 case children aged 93%) had access to a sanitation facility, while 70% of households in rural Kenya had access to a facility. Practicing open defecation was a risk factor for MSD in children <5 y old in Kenya. Sharing sanitation facilities with 1–2 or ≥3 other households was a statistically significant risk factor for MSD in Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan. Among those with a designated handwashing area near the home, soap or ash were more frequently observed at control households and were significantly protective against MSD in Mozambique and India. Conclusions: This study suggests that sharing a sanitation facility with just one to two other households can increase the risk of MSD in young children, compared to using a private facility. Interventions aimed at increasing access to private household sanitation facilities may reduce the burden of MSD in children. These findings support the current World Health Organization/ United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) system that categorizes shared sanitation as unimproved