Analysis Protocols for MRI Mapping of the Blood Oxygenation-Sensitive Parameters T2* and T2 in the Kidney.

Renal hypoxia is generally accepted as a key pathophysiologic event in acute kidney injury of various origins and has also been suggested to play a role in the development of chronic kidney disease. Here we describe step-by-step data analysis protocols for MRI monitoring of renal oxygenation in rodents via the deoxyhemoglobin concentration sensitive MR parameters T2* and T2-a contrast mechanism known as the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) effect.This chapter describes how to use the analysis tools provided by vendors of animal and clinical MR systems, as well as how to develop an analysis software. Aspects covered are: data quality checks, data exclusion, model fitting, fitting algorithm, starting values, effects of multiecho imaging, and result validation.This chapter is based upon work from the PARENCHIMA COST Action, a community-driven network funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program of the European Union, which aims to improve the reproducibility and standardization of renal MRI biomarkers. This experimental protocol chapter is complemented by two separate chapters describing the basic concept and data analysis.

Integrated ecosystem services assessment: Valuation of changes due to sea level rise in Galveston Bay, Texas, USA.

The goal of the present study was to identify the potential changes in ecosystem service values provided by wetlands in Galveston Bay, Texas, USA, under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A1B max (0.69 m) sea level rise scenario. Built exclusively upon the output produced during the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model 6 (SLAMM 6) exercise for the Galveston Bay region, this study showed that fresh marsh and salt marsh present a steady decline from 2009 (initial condition) to 2100. Fresh marsh was projected to undergo the biggest changes, with the loss of approximately 21% of its extent between 2009 and 2100 under the A1B max scenario. The percentages of change for salt marsh were less prominent at approximately 12%. This trend was also shown in the values of selected ecosystem services (disturbance regulation, waste regulation, recreation, and aesthetics) provided by these habitats. An ordinary least squares regression was used to calculate the monetary value of the selected ecosystem services provided by salt marsh and fresh marsh in 2009, and in 2050 and 2100 under the A1B max scenario. The value of the selected services showed potential monetary losses in excess of US$40 million annually in 2100, compared to 2009 for fresh marsh and more than $11 million for salt marsh. The estimates provided here are only small portions of what can be lost due to the decrease in habitat extent, and they highlight the need for protecting not only built infrastructure but also natural resources from sea level rise. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:431-443. © 2016 SETAC.

Determinants of birth weight in Portugal: 1988 to 2011.

The objective of this paper is to analyse temporal birth weight variation, its relationship to the frequency of premature births in Portugal, and the influence of native and immigrant mothers' characteristics as well as to determine the possible existence of a pattern of temporal change in birth weight in the Iberian Peninsula as a whole. Individual mother-child data from the Portuguese National Institute of Statistics regarding live births (N = 2,661,542) permitted an analysis, for the first time, of weight at birth in Portugal from a bio-demographic perspective. The results obtained show that from 1988 to 2011 there was a gradual decline in the average weight at birth in Portugal that may be related to shifts in the duration of gestation. An initial rapid decline in the relative frequency of post-term births took place, followed by small variations from 1995 on. Logistic regressions indicated a pattern unaffected by maternal origin or the sex of the newborn. With regard to weeks of gestation, the odds values obtained were < 1 when the reference category was < 28 weeks. For this factor, no significant differences were found in relation to the mother's origin. Portuguese mothers over 35 years were associated with a higher incidence of low birth weight. Regardless of maternal origin, being a newborn of parity 1, and with the mother not in a couple, resulted in unfavourable outcomes with regard to low birth weight. On the other hand, long gestation periods and having secondary or university education constituted a protective factor.

A study of multiple deliveries in Portugal: indications of an Iberian Peninsula pattern.

Information on multiple deliveries with regard to Portugal is scarce. Based on data provided by the Portuguese Institute of Statistics (INE), the rates for double and triple deliveries were calculated since 1930. The results obtained show for twins a uniform temporal pattern up to the 1970s. At this time rates decreased, but later they gradually recovered, reaching their maximum level in 2010. For triplets, the highest rates occurred between 1999 and 2002. For the period 1988-2011, the rates of multiple deliveries were related to a set of variables recorded in the INE database on live births. Significant differences (p < .001) between simple and multiple deliveries were obtained for maternal age, parity and marital status. Considering the year when the delivery occurred, significant differences (p < .001) persisted for maternal age regardless of the year. For the type of mating, significance was consistently found since the year 2002 (either by using the marital or the cohabitation criteria), and for parity since 2003. With regard to territorial variation, throughout seven periods between 1930 and 2011, the rates among the 20 administrative Portuguese territories, including the two insular districts of Açores and Madeira, were mostly stable for twinning rates, with a minimum level in 1970-1989. Regarding triplets, the greatest inter-district variation was found after 1980. The results of the Portuguese study on multiple deliveries are interpreted in the context of the Iberian Peninsula based on findings reported for Spain.