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Increased incidence, survival, and registration quality of primary hepato-pancreato-biliary cancers in the Netherlands Cancer Registry
No full textGiven the poor survival and relatively poor performance of hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) cancers on data quality indicators for cancer registries, we assessed trends in incidence, survival, and data quality of HPB cancers within the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). All primary solid liver, gallbladder, biliary tract, and pancreatic cancers (topography C22-23-24-25) diagnosed between 1989 and 2022 were included (n = 109,552). Cancer mortality data were obtained from Statistics Netherlands. For incidence and mortality, revised European Age-Standardised Rates, and for survival, age-standardised 5-year relative survival (AS-5yRS) were calculated. Over time, incidence rates increased for liver (males: 3.0 to 8.2/100,000; females 1.2 to 3.9/100,000), pancreatic (males: 15.8 to 18.5/100,000; females: 11.1 to 15.3/100,000), and biliary tract cancers in males (3.9 to 4.9/100,000; not females: 3.3 to 2.9/100,000). Gallbladder cancer incidence decreased until 2005 (males: 1.5 to 0.8/100,000, females 4.0 to 1.5/100,000). Mortality trends mirrored incidence patterns, with smaller increases. AS-5yRS improved across all HPB cancers with the largest increase in liver (males: 3.4% to 20.8%; females: 6.7% to 18.3%) and pancreatic cancers (males: 2.3% to 10.4%; females: 3.5% to 11.3%). Since 2010, survival gains for gallbladder (males: 8.4% to 16.3%; females: 12.2% to 15.8%) and biliary tract cancers (males: 11.7% to 19.1%; females: 10.7% to 15.6%) have stagnated. Mortality-to-Incidence ratios versus 5-year relative survival for liver and pancreatic cancers improved toward equilibrium. Data quality improved (e.g., autopsy, unspecified morphology) or remained stable (multiple primaries). Both incidence and survival rates of primary HPB cancers have increased over time. Increased completeness of incidence data was attributed to changed notification sources.</p
Climate change and SĆÁÁNEW̱ stewardship:Integrating W̱SÁNEĆ Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices into adaptation and conservation
No full textWhile there is increasing recognition of the value of Indigenous knowledge, it is often absent in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. In this chapter, we aim to illustrate how Indigenous knowledge, worldviews and connections to land and water, can contribute to the development of climate adaptation practices. Using secondary data and online resources, we focus on the case of climate change and Indigenous cultural practice of the W̱SÁNEĆ (the Saltwater people), on Vancouver Island B.C. Canada. In particular, we concentrate on pacific salmon and the practice of reef net fishing to illustrate the worldview of the W̱SÁNEĆ, the cultural consequences of climate change, and how Indigenous stewardship can contribute to climate change adaptation
DNA methylation of genes involved in lipid metabolism drives adiponectin levels and metabolic disease
No full textAIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Despite playing critical roles in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders, the molecular mechanisms underlying circulating adipokine levels remain poorly understood. By identifying genomic regions involved in the regulation of adipokine levels and adipokine-mediated disease risk, we can improve our understanding of type 2 diabetes pathogenesis and inter-individual differences in metabolic risk.METHODS: We conducted an epigenome-wide meta-analysis of associations between serum adiponectin (n=2791) and leptin (n=3661) and leukocyte DNA methylation at over 400,000 CpG sites across five European cohorts. The resulting methylation signatures were followed up using functional genomics, integrative analyses and causal inference methods.RESULTS: Our findings revealed robust associations with adiponectin at 73 CpGs and leptin at 211 CpGs. Many of the identified sites were also associated with risk factors for the metabolic syndrome and located in enhancers close to relevant transcription factor binding sites. Integrative analyses additionally linked 35 of the adiponectin-associated CpGs to the expression of 46 genes, and 100 of the leptin-associated CpGs to the expression of 151 genes, with implicated genes enriched for lipid transport (e.g. ABCG1), metabolism (e.g. CPT1A) and biosynthesis (e.g. DHCR24). Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation further identified two specific CpG sites as plausible drivers of both adiponectin levels and metabolic health: one annotated to ADIPOQ, the gene encoding adiponectin; and another linked to the expression of SREBF1, an established modifier of type 2 diabetes risk known to exert its effects via adiponectin.CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Taken together, these large-scale and integrative analyses uncovered links between adipokines and widespread, yet functionally specific, differences in regulation of genes with a central role in type 2 diabetes and its risk factors.</p
Birds may represent a useful animal model for studying human mental disorders
No full textIn basic neuropsychopharmacological research, some biobehavioral phenomena - e.g., population migration and navigation over long distances - are rarely considered because the most commonly used laboratory animals show little or no evidence of these phenomena. Nevertheless, they can be also relevant for the mechanism of human psychic aberrations. An annual migration is seen in migratory birds, certain marine mammals and several ungulates. For migratory birds, the time of departure is determined by the length of the photoperiod and is much less changeable than the chosen route. When navigating, migratory birds also use the direction and strength of the field lines of the Earth's magnetic field. Because humans also seem to exhibit a certain sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic field, the regulation in birds could also provide hints for research on human well-being. Some bird species have such highly developed cognitive abilities that this is considered proof of the possession of consciousness. Therefore, some birds may be suitable as experimental animals in neurobiological models for cognitive functions and for making the world of thought accessible. The dorsal diencephalic conduction system (DDCS) in humans is difficult to study due to its small size and complex architecture, but it is relatively well developed in more primitive vertebrates. For research into the primary interactions between the DDCS and the rest of the brain, the lamprey can be used as laboratory animal. There is manifold evidence that the DDCS along with forebrain and upper brainstem is of functional relevance and the significance of the DDCS in cortical-controlled networks could then be investigated in birds and verified in humans. </p
Mitigating carbon leakage under the EU ETS:How does state aid for indirect emission costs affect firm profits?
No full textNon-global climate policies, such as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), may suffer from carbon leakage, as firms subject to such policies may experience competitive disadvantages compared to firms operating in more loosely regulated areas. This process may make climate policies ineffective, thus undermining the efforts to fight climate change. Specifically, the EU ETS results in a carbon price that is partly passed through in electricity prices, negatively impacting EU electricity-intensive firms exposed to international competition. To avoid the latter, the EU awards so-called State Aid for Indirect Emission Costs to these firms. We empirically evaluate the extent to which firms obtained windfall profits from this aid in 17 EU countries and the UK between 2014 and 2019. We approximate the amount of aid received by firms based on EU legislation and estimate its effect on firm profits using a fixed effects regression model. Although we find that this policy may have mitigated the carbon leakage risk, we find evidence of over-generosity, with around 22% of beneficiaries possibly gaining windfall profits
Cognitive determinants of late life depression:Who and why? - Understanding the association between cognitive impairment and late life depression
No full textDepression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among older adults and is often accompanied by reduced cognitive function, which can lead to early admission to a nursing home or even death.In her doctoral research, Astrid Lugtenburg researched the relationship between depression and reduced cognitive function. Not all older adults with depression experience cognitive impairment: a study involving 375 elderly people with depression showed that about half suffer from reduced cognitive ability, some of whom also displayed physical ageing. This group in particular, was found to have the greatest risk of death within six years, compared to their non-depressed peers.It is also notable that use of medications that can negatively affect cognitive function, such as sleeping pills and certain antidepressants (with sedative or anticholinergic effects), occurs in nine out of ten elderly people with depression, although the negative effects of these medications on cognitive function was small in this study. Furthermore, analysis of 83,613 participants from the Lifelines study showed that the negative effects of depression on cognitive function could be explained in part by (future) vascular damage.These results highlight that the way in which depression and reduced cognitive function are linked can differ between individuals. To study this further each patient was also analysed individually. This revealed that factors contributing to cognitive impairment (such as sleep and severity of depression) vary from person to person.It is essential that future research and treatment focus more on the individual to ensure every elderly person receives the most appropriate care, which subsequently hopefully improves their quality of life