Ontogeny, anatomical structure and function of lobed stems in the evolution of the climbing growth form in Malvaceae (Byttneria Loefl.).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Byttneria is one of the few climbing genera in Malvaceae. Some Byttneria are known for their lobed stems. We explore the development of these stems, how they have evolved within the group and their relevance in the evolution of the climbing growth form in Malvaceae. METHODS: We combine developmental anatomical work with phylogenetic comparative methods. We use Byttneria divaricata and B. filipes as models in the anatomical work, a review of herbarium vouchers, and the most recent phylogeny of Byttneria and allies to elucidate how these stems evolved within the clade under maximum-likelihood and Bayesian approaches. We use Pagel94 tests to analyse the correlated evolution of lobed stems and prickles. KEY RESULTS: Each lobe coincides with one of the five vascular bundles. By augmented activity of the fascicular cambium in the lobes coupled with reduced activity of the interfascicular cambium in the interlobes, secondary growth increases the lobulation already present during primary growth. Within Byttneria and allies, lobed young stems appeared at least three times, once in Ayenia and twice in the paraphyletic Byttneria. Lobed adult stems were conserved in Byttneria s.s., where lobed adult stems in combination with prickles were shown to have evolved as a climbing mechanism within the group; prickles were lost once within Byttneria s.s., in a shrubby subclade. Byttneria Clade 2 comprises climbers with twining cylindrical adult stems and no prickles, which constitutes a different climbing mechanism in the group. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence of one of the few cambial variants known whose secondary body reflects the primary body vasculature and show that lobed adult stems and prickles in Byttneria could be used in the new delimitation of genera in the group. Lobed stems independently appeared in climbing Grewia, suggesting a convergence favouring the climbing growth form.

Incidence and risk of falls in patients treated for hematologic malignancies in the Intensive Hematology Unit. / Incidência e risco de quedas em pacientes tratados por neoplasias hematológicas na Unidade de Hematologia Intensiva.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the incidence and rate of risk of falls in adult patients treated for hematologic malignancies in the Intensive Hematology Unit of a reference hospital. METHOD: this is a retrospective observational study. A total of 101 patients were evaluated. The occurrence of falls was obtained from records of the unit and the predictive variables of the Hendrich II model were collected, namely: sex, presence of dizziness or vertigo, mental confusion, elimination problems, depression, use of benzodiazepines, use of anticonvulsants, and the Get up and Go test. RESULTS: two fall events were reported in 101 patients (incidence of 1.98% over a 1.5-year period). Based on the cut-off point 5 of the Hendrich II Model, 30 patients (29.7%) were at risk of fall at the moment of hospital admission, 41 (40.6%) in the middle of the hospitalization period, and 38 (37.6%) at the moment of hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: patients treated for hematological malignancies presented low incidence and high risk of falls during hospitalization.

Incidência e risco de quedas em pacientes tratados por neoplasias hematológicas na Unidade de Hematologia Intensiva / Incidence and risk of falls in patients treated for hematologic malignancies in the Intensive Hematology Unit / Incidencia y riesgo de caídas en pacientes tratados por neoplasias hematológicas en Unidad Hematología Intensiva

Objetivo: determinar a incidência e a taxa de risco de quedas em pacientes adultos tratados por neoplasias hematológicas na Unidade de Hematologia Intensiva de um hospital de referência. Método: corresponde a um estudo observacional retrospectivo. Foram avaliados 101 pacientes. A ocorrência de quedas foi obtida a partir do registro da unidade e as variáveis preditivas do modelo Hendrich II foram coletadas: sexo, presença de tontura ou vertigem, confusão mental, problemas de eliminação, depressão, uso de benzodiazepínicos, uso de anticonvulsivantes e o teste Get up and Go. Resultados: dois eventos de quedas foram relatados em 101 pacientes (incidência de 1,98% em um período de 1,5 ano). Usando o ponto de corte cinco do Modelo Hendrich II, identificou-se que 30 pacientes (29,7%) apresentaram risco de queda no primeiro dia de hospitalização, 41 (40,6%) ao meio e 38 (37,6%) no momento da alta hospitalar. Conclusões: pacientes tratados por neoplasias hematológicas apresentaram baixa incidência e alto risco de quedas durante a hospitalização.

Objective: to determine the incidence and rate of risk of falls in adult patients treated for hematologic malignancies in the Intensive Hematology Unit of a reference hospital. Method: this is a retrospective observational study. A total of 101 patients were evaluated. The occurrence of falls was obtained from records of the unit and the predictive variables of the Hendrich II model were collected, namely: sex, presence of dizziness or vertigo, mental confusion, elimination problems, depression, use of benzodiazepines, use of anticonvulsants, and the Get up and Go test. Results: two fall events were reported in 101 patients (incidence of 1.98% over a 1.5-year period). Based on the cut-off point 5 of the Hendrich II Model, 30 patients (29.7%) were at risk of fall at the moment of hospital admission, 41 (40.6%) in the middle of the hospitalization period, and 38 (37.6%) at the moment of hospital discharge. Conclusions: patients treated for hematological malignancies presented low incidence and high risk of falls during hospitalization.

Objetivo: determinar la incidencia y la tasa de riesgo de caídas en pacientes adultos tratados por neoplasias hematológicas en la Unidad de Hematología Intensiva de un hospital de referencia. Método: corresponde a un estudio observacional retrospectivo. Se evaluaron 101 pacientes. La ocurrencia de caídas se obtuvo del registro de la unidad y las variables predictivas del modelo Hendrich II fueron recopiladas: sexo, presencia de mareos o vértigo, confusión mental, problemas de eliminación, depresión, uso de benzodiacepina, uso de anticonvulsionantes y la prueba Get up and Go. Resultados: dos eventos de caídas fueron reportados en 101 pacientes (incidencia de 1,98% en un período de 1,5 años). Utilizando el punto de corte 5 del Modelo Hendrich II, fue identificado que 30 pacientes (29,7%) tenían riesgo de caída al ingreso hospitalario, 41 (40,6%) en la mitad y 38 (37,6%) al egreso hospitalario. Conclusiones: los pacientes tratados por neoplasias hematológicas presentaron una incidencia baja y un alto riesgo de caídas durante la hospitalización.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-based body volume measurement for 4-compartment body composition.

BACKGROUND: Total body volume (TBV), with the exclusion of internal air voids, is necessary to quantify body composition in Lohman's 4-compartment (4C) model. OBJECTIVE: This investigation sought to derive a novel, TBV measure with the use of only dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) attenuation values for use in Lohman's 4C body composition model. DESIGN: Pixel-specific masses and volumes were calculated from low- and high-energy attenuation values with the use of first principle conversions of mass attenuation coefficients. Pixel masses and volumes were summed to derive body mass and total body volume. As proof of concept, 11 participants were recruited to have 4C measures taken: DXA, air-displacement plethysmography (ADP), and total body water (TBW). TBV measures with the use of only DXA (DXA-volume) and ADP-volume measures were compared for each participant. To see how body composition estimates were affected by these 2 methods, we used Lohman's 4C model to quantify percentage fat measures for each participant and compared them with conventional DXA measures. RESULTS: DXA-volume and ADP-volume measures were highly correlated (R(2) = 0.99) and showed no statistically significant bias. Percentage fat by DXA volume was highly correlated with ADP-volume percentage fat measures and DXA software-reported percentage fat measures (R(2) = 0.96 and R(2) = 0.98, respectively) but were slightly biased. CONCLUSIONS: A novel method to calculate TBV with the use of a clinical DXA system was developed, compared against ADP as proof of principle, and used in Lohman's 4C body composition model. The DXA-volume approach eliminates many of the inherent inaccuracies associated with displacement measures for volume and, if validated in larger groups of participants, would simplify the acquisition of 4C body composition to a single DXA scan and TBW measure.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry with serum ferritin predicts liver iron concentration and changes in concentration better than ferritin alone.

Accurate assessment of liver iron concentration (LIC) is critical for optimal monitoring of iron toxicity in multitransfused patients. Serum ferritin is the most widely used although its association to LIC is only modest. We studied if a liver-specific measure using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) systems could improve LIC estimates over ferritin alone in Thalassemia (Thal) patients. Thirty-seven patients with Thal (19.2 ± 9.0 yr, 20 male) were studied and 10 had multiple visits. Height, weight, ferritin, whole-body DXA, and hepatic superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) were measured within 5 wk. DXA hepatic density was measured using right rib, whole liver, and multiple subliver regions. The best agreement to SQUID LIC was found using a combination of ferritin, weight, DXA subliver region 3 bone mineral content (BMC), and right rib BMC. DXA with ferritin improved the ferritin alone correlation from R(2)=0.35 to R(2)=0.62. Serial LIC changes using DXA were associated with serial SQUID changes (r=0.73, p=0.02). Changes in ferritin alone were not significant (p=0.06). We conclude that the addition of whole-body DXA measures and body weight substantially increased the accuracy of LIC and change in LIC estimates over the use of ferritin alone and could be useful when magnetic resonance imaging or SQUID is not available.

Effects of birth weight on anti-mullerian hormone serum concentrations in infant girls.

CONTEXT: We previously demonstrated that low birth weight (BW) infant girls show increased serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations and poststimulated estradiol levels compared to normal-BW infants, suggesting an altered follicular development. However, the impact of high BW on reproductive function is less known. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of BW on AMH, we determined the concentrations of this hormone in low-BW, normal-BW, and high-BW female infants during the first 3 months of life. DESIGN: Twenty-seven low-BW, 29 normal-BW, and 28 high-BW infant girls were studied. We measured serum gonadotropins, steroid hormones, AMH, glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, IGF-I, and adiponectin in a fasting blood sample. In addition, in a subgroup of normal-BW (n = 23) and high-BW infants (n = 10), a GnRH analog leuprolide acetate test was performed. RESULTS: Serum concentrations of AMH were higher in low-BW and high-BW infants compared to normal-BW infants (P = 0.028 and 0.022, respectively). In addition, in high-BW infants, adiponectin concentrations were lower (P = 0.018), and poststimulated FSH and estradiol levels were higher compared to normal-BW infants (P = 0.024 and 0.047, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Serum AMH and poststimulated estradiol concentrations are increased in low-BW and high-BW female infants, suggesting that these girls may show evidence of an altered follicular development. However, the increased poststimulated FSH levels and low adiponectin concentrations observed in high-BW infants suggest that ovarian function is perturbed through a different mechanism from that in low-BW infants.