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Large heads, narrow pelvises and difficult childbirth in humans: Adaptations in human morphology explain why in new study

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The size of the neonatal skull is large relative to the dimensions of the birth canal in the female pelvis. This is the reason why childbirth is slower and more difficult in humans than in most other primates. Scientists from the Universities of Oslo and Vienna, identified adaptations in the morphology of the human body, which were unknown so far. The results of this new study appeared in the current edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences In hominids, upright walking evolved 4-5 million years ago. The human pelvis was affected by these changes and evolved accordingly to better serve the new pattern of movement. Later, after bipedal movement had long become obligatory, brains evolved to increasingly larger volumes. With that change, the head size of neonates also increased. The growing heads, however, had to be delivered through pelvises that were earlier adapted to upright walking. This is the reason for the l...

Children living in greener neighborhoods show better lung function, reveals study

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A large study of 35,000 children from eight countries has found a "robust" link between exposure to green spaces in early childhood and better lung function. The study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), has been published in Environment International . The research used data from 10 European birth cohorts from 8 countries (Denmark, France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK) to conduct a meta-analysis. This assessment of the data was done at the individual level for each participant. Data on exposure to green spaces were available from two different points in time: pregnancy and childhood (from 3 to 12 years of age). As a proxy for residential green space, the research team used the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in a 300m buffer around the participant's address. NDVI is an index that uses satellite images to estimate the amount of vegetation at a given point. Lung function was measured using spirometr...

Total Blastocyst Usable Rate: A New Independent Predictor of Cumulative Live Birth Rate in IVF Cycles, study reveals

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France: In a groundbreaking development for assisted reproductive technology, researchers have identified a pivotal predictor of success in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles: the Total Blastocyst Usable Rate (TBUR). This newly recognized metric has emerged as a significant indicator of the cumulative live birth rate following IVF procedures, potentially revolutionizing how fertility clinics approach treatment strategies. In the study published in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction , the researchers reported for the first time that TBUR is independently and positively associated with the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) in IVF cycles. The findings suggest that the total blastocyst usable rate reflects the overall quality of the embryonic cohort. "Our results illustrate that TBUR is a valuable prognostic factor of cumulative live birth rate in IVF cycles, which might serve as a tool for lab monitoring, cycle analysis by medical staff, and patients’ c...

Normalized Lactate Load Independently Linked to In-Hospital Mortality in Cardiogenic Shock Patients: Study

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China: A recent study published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders showed an independent association of normalized lactate load with in-hospital mortality among patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). "Increased normalized lactate load was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death, even after adjusting for potential confounders," the researchers wrote. They noted that normalized lactate load demonstrated a better predictive ability for in-hospital mortality than the initial lactate value, maximum lactate value, and mean lactate value and was comparable to the SOFA score. Early prognosis evaluation is crucial for decision-making in cardiogenic shock (CS) patients. Dynamic lactate assessment, for example, normalized lactate load, has been a better prognosis predictor than single lactate value in septic shock. Our objective was to investigate the correlation between normalized lactate load and in-hospital mortality in patients with CS. Cardiogenic shock is characte...

Maternal haemodynamics may not predict pharmacological treatment requirement in gestational diabetes: Study

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Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is frequently observed as a common medical condition during pregnancy. Recent observational study examined the relationship between maternal haemodynamics and the need for pharmacological treatment in women with gestational diabetes (GDM). The researchers compared maternal haemodynamics, including heart rate and pulse wave velocity, between women with GDM who remained on dietary treatment and those who required pharmacological management such as metformin and/or insulin. The study included 120 women with GDM. Maternal booking BMI was identified as having a causative influence on treatment requirement, with each unit increase in BMI increasing the odds of needing pharmacological therapy by 12%. The raw values of maternal heart rate and pulse wave velocity were both significantly higher in the group requiring pharmacological management compared to the dietary-only group, but these relationships did not remain significant in the causal logistic regres...

Urolithiasis Directly Linked to Osteoporosis, finds Study

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Researchers have found that urolithiasis, commonly known as kidney stones, has a direct causal relationship with osteoporosis (OP), independent of environmental factors. A recent study was published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism by Zijie Z. and colleagues. This study utilized Mendelian randomization (MR) and other genetic analyses to uncover the biological mechanisms linking these two conditions, emphasizing the importance of regular OP screening for patients with urolithiasis. Although there has been an established association between urolithiasis and osteoporosis, its mechanisms are not very clear. Most of the studies focused on environmental factors, like diet. The question this study asks is whether urolithiasis itself can induce OP. The researchers use the data from the Japan BioBank to comprehensively assess and find possible direct links. The study utilized 6,638 urolithiasis cases and 7,788 osteoporosis cases from the BioBank Japan. Mendelian rand...

NEET PG, MDS Counselling 2024: MP DME Releases User Manual for Online Institute Fee Payment of allotted colleges

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Madhya Pradesh- Madhya Pradesh Directorate of Medical Education (MP DME) has released a user manual detailing the online institute fee payment of allotted colleges for MP State Combined National Eligibility and Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET PG) Counselling and MDS counselling (MD/MS and MDS Courses) for 2024-25. The user manual is created for demonstration purposes only for the process of online institute fee payment of allotted colleges for candidates who have applied for MP State Combined NEET PG Counselling (MD/MS & MDS Courses) for 2024-25. Candidates have to visit the official website of MPDME to pay the allotted institute fee for NEET PG counselling for 2024-25. After visiting the website – Click on “Post Graduation Counselling” for PG Counselling (2024-25). Then enter the NEET PG/MDS 2024 “Roll Number”, “Password” and “Captcha” and then click on the “Submit” button. Also Read:  MDS Admissions in Madhya Pradesh: DME releases Fee Structure at Private Dental Colleg...