Background The role of platelets for mediating closure of the ductus arteriosus in human preterm infants is controversial. Especially, the effect of low platelet counts on pharmacological treatment failure is still unclear. Methods In this retrospective study of 471 preterm infants [<1,500 g birth weight (BW)], who were treated for a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with indomethacin or ibuprof...

Surveys of Australian and South African rivers revealed numerous Phytophthora isolates residing in clade 6 of the genus, with internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene regions that were either highly polymorphic or unsequenceable. These isolates were suspected to be hybrids. Three nuclear loci, the ITS region, two single copy loci (antisilencing factor (ASF) and G protein alpha subunit (GPA)), and...

BACKGROUND Australian scorpions have received far less attention from researchers than their overseas counterparts. Here we provide the first insight into the molecular variation and evolutionary history of the endemic Australian scorpion Urodacus yaschenkoi. Also known as the inland robust scorpion, it is widely distributed throughout arid zones of the continent and is emerging as a model orga...

The potential of composts produced from different origin residues to be used in environmentally friendly agriculture is addressed this work. Seven obtained raw materials and composting methodologies are compared using elemental, thermal spectroscopic characterization data. Despite the stabilization organic matter all being adequate for agricultural applications, they display distinct elemental ...