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Allele Frequencies of Genetic Variants Associated with Varroa Drone Brood Resistance (DBR) in Apis mellifera Subspecies across the European Continent.
Get PDFImplementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in modern beekeeping would improve sustainability, especially in breeding programs aiming for resilience against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Selecting honey bee colonies for natural resistance traits, such as brood-intrinsic suppression of varroa mite reproduction, reduces the use of chemical acaricides while respecting local adaptation. In 2019, eight genomic variants associated with varroa non-reproduction in drone brood were discovered in a single colony from the Amsterdam Water Dune population in the Netherlands. Recently, a new study tested the applicability of these eight genetic variants for the same phenotype on a population-wide scale in Flanders, Belgium. As the properties of some variants varied between the two studies, one hypothesized that the difference in genetic ancestry of the sampled colonies may underly these contribution shifts. In order to frame this, we determined the allele frequencies of the eight genetic variants in more than 360 Apis mellifera colonies across the European continent and found that variant type allele frequencies of these variants are primarily related to the A. mellifera subspecies or phylogenetic honey bee lineage. Our results confirm that population-specific genetic markers should always be evaluated in a new population prior to using them in MAS programs
COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Hesitancy, and Uptake in People with Diabetes in Australia.
Get PDFBackground: This study explored vaccination hesitancy, diabetes-specific COVID-19 vaccination concerns, and whether they predicted vaccination uptake in people with diabetes. Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional, and predictive approaches were used. An online survey was conducted with people with diabetes attending four Australian health services, using convenience sampling (n = 842). The survey data collected included clinico-demographic characteristics, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and attitudes around COVID-19 vaccine confidence and complacency. Clinico-demographic characteristics that predicted vaccination status, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine-related attitudes were identified using regression analyses. Results: Most participants received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Younger age and type 1 diabetes were associated with lower vaccination status, and they were partially mediated through higher vaccine hesitancy. Younger age and English as a dominant language were associated with higher negative attitudes towards speed of vaccine development. Conclusions: Despite an overall high vaccination rate, general and diabetes-specific COVID-19 vaccine concerns are a barrier to uptake for some people with diabetes, particularly in those who are younger or have type 1 diabetes. A detailed understanding of concerns for particular subgroups can help tailor information to increase vaccine acceptance, particularly in the context of requiring booster doses
Sleep Difficulties in Swiss Elite Athletes.
Get PDFFor athletes, sleep is essential for recovery and performance. Yet, up to two-thirds of athletes report poor sleep quality. Comprehensive data across all sports disciplines on the underlying causes of sleep problems are missing. We reanalyzed a data set of N = 1004 Swiss top athletes across an extensive array of 88 sports to gain knowledge on the specific deficits in sleep health with respect to gender, sport classes, sport-related factors, and well-being. We found that 18% of athletes were affected by at least two out of five high-risk sleep factors: 9% of athletes slept less than 6 h per day, 30% were dissatisfied with their sleep, 17% showed problems falling asleep within 30 min, 18% of athletes reported difficulty maintaining sleep more than three times a week, and 6% of athletes used sleeping pills more than once a week. We found sleep health strongly linked to overall well-being and mental health (22% showed at least moderate symptoms of either depression or anxiety). Therefore, screening and treating sleep disorders might effectively improve mental health and general well-being as well as performance among athletes around the globe
Assessing short-term feed efficiency and its association with biological markers in herbage-fed dairy cows.
Get PDFFeed efficiency is an important trait of dairy production. However, assessing feed efficiency is constrained by the associated cost and difficulty in measuring individual feed intake, especially on pastures. The objective of this study was to investigate short-term feed efficiency traits of herbage-fed dairy cows and screening of potential biomarkers (n = 238). Derived feed efficiency traits were ratio-based (i.e., feed conversion ratio (FCR) and N use efficiency (NUE)) or residual-based (i.e., residual feed intake (RFI), residual energy intake (REI), and residual N intake (RNI)). Thirty-eight Holstein and 16 Swiss Fleckvieh dairy cows underwent a 7-d measurement period during mid- and/or late-lactation. The experimental data (n = 100 measurement points) covered different lactational and herbage-fed system situations: mid-lactation grazing (n = 56), late-lactation grazing (n = 28), and late-lactation barn feeding (n = 16). During each measuring period, the individual herbage intake of each cow was estimated using the n-alkane marker technique. For each cow, biomarkers representing milk constituents (n = 109), animal characteristics (n = 13), behaviour, and activity (n = 46), breath emissions (n = 3), blood constituents (n = 35), surface, and rectal temperature (n = 29), hair cortisol (n = 1), and near-infrared (NIR) spectra of faeces and milk (n = 2) were obtained. The relationships between biomarkers and efficiency traits were statistically analysed with univariate linear regression and for NIR spectra using partial least squares regression with feed efficiency traits. The feed efficiency traits were interrelated with each other (r: -0.57 to -0.86 and 0.49-0.81). The biomarkers showed varying R2 values in explaining the variability of feed efficiency traits (FCR: 0.00-0.66, NUE: 0.00-0.74, RFI: 0.00-0.56, REI: 0.00-0.69, RNI: 0.00-0.89). Overall, the feed efficiency traits were best explained by NIR spectral characteristics of milk and faeces (R2: 0.25-0.89). Biomarkers show potential for predicting feed efficiency in herbage-fed dairy cows. NIR spectra data analysis of milk and faeces presents a promising method for estimating individual feed efficiency upon further validation of prediction models. Future applications will depend on the ability to improve the robustness of biomarkers to predict feed efficiency in a greater variety of environments (locations), managing conditions, feeding systems, production intensities, and other aspects
Consenso y conflicto en la Monarquía Hispánica. Las cortes virreinales de Valencia, Nápoles y México en la época del Conde-Duque de Olivares (1621-1635)
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Residents' Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group.
Get PDFINTRODUCTION
In case of suspected acute recreational drug toxicity, immunoassays are commonly used as diagnostic tools. Although easy to handle, understanding of their limitations is necessary for a correct interpretation of the results. The aim of this project was to investigate residents' knowledge regarding drug screening immunoassays at a Swiss hospital group.
METHODS
All residents of a large hospital group in Switzerland were invited by e-mail to participate in an anonymous survey. Following ten multiple choice questions on drug screening tests, the participants were also asked about their demographics, whether they used drug screening tests on a regular basis, and how confident they felt in their ability to interpret test results.
RESULTS
The ten knowledge questions were answered by 110 of the 1026 residents (11%). Among the 108 participants with available demographics, 90% were 25-35 years old, 63% were female, and 70% were at least in their 4th year of residency. The median score of correct answers was 4 out of 10 (range 0-7) and in 50% of the questions, the correct answer was the most frequently selected response. No significant differences in the knowledge scores were found based on the training, confidence level, or the frequency of drug tests used in daily work.
CONCLUSION
This survey revealed widespread knowledge gaps among residents regarding the interpretation of immunoassay-based drug test results. These findings can be used to implement educational measures on this topic and might provide a basis for targeted information on common pitfalls to be included in laboratory reports
Whole pelvis vs. hemi pelvis elective nodal radiotherapy in patients with PSMA-positive nodal recurrence after radical prostatectomy - a retrospective multi-institutional propensity score analysis.
Get PDFPURPOSE
Despite growing evidence for bilateral pelvic radiotherapy (whole pelvis RT, WPRT) there is almost no data on unilateral RT (hemi pelvis RT, HPRT) in patients with nodal recurrent prostate cancer after prostatectomy. Nevertheless, in clinical practice HPRT is sometimes used with the intention to reduce side effects compared to WPRT. Prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PSMA-PET/CT) is currently the best imaging modality in this clinical situation. This analysis compares PSMA-PET/CT based WPRT and HPRT.
METHODS
A propensity score matching was performed in a multi-institutional retrospective dataset of 273 patients treated with pelvic RT due to nodal recurrence (214 WPRT, 59 HPRT). In total, 102 patients (51 in each group) were included in the final analysis. Biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS) defined as prostate specific antigen (PSA) < post-RT nadir + 0.2ng/ml, metastasis-free survival (MFS) and nodal recurrence-free survival (NRFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log rank test.
RESULTS
Median follow-up was 29 months. After propensity matching, both groups were mostly well balanced. However, in the WPRT group there were still significantly more patients with additional local recurrences and biochemical persistence after prostatectomy. There were no significant differences between both groups in BRFS (p = .97), MFS (p = .43) and NRFS (p = .43). After two years, BRFS, MFS and NRFS were 61%, 86% and 88% in the WPRT group and 57%, 90% and 82% in the HPRT group, respectively. Application of a boost to lymph node metastases, a higher RT dose to the lymphatic pathways (> 50 Gy EQD2α/β=1.5 Gy) and concomitant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) were significantly associated with longer BRFS in uni- and multivariate analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, this analysis presents the outcome of HPRT in nodal recurrent prostate cancer patients and shows that it can result in a similar oncologic outcome compared to WPRT. Nevertheless, patients in the WPRT may have been at a higher risk for progression due to some persistent imbalances between the groups. Therefore, further research should prospectively evaluate which subgroups of patients are suitable for HPRT and if HPRT leads to a clinically significant reduction in toxicity
Physical functioning and cardiovascular disease among survivors of childhood cancer.
No full textIntroduction:
Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at risk of developing a number of chronic health conditions (CHC) as a result of their cancer treatment. The most common cause of non-cancer-related morbidity and mortality in adult CCS is cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD among CCS is caused by cardiotoxic treatment—i.e. anthracyclines and heart-relevant radiotherapy (RT)—and modifiable risk factors—such as metabolic syndrome—that may contribute to disease severity.
In addition, CHC can also lead to a decline in physical functioning—the ability to perform activities of daily living—among CCS. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF)—another adverse effect of cancer and its treatment—negatively affects physical functioning of
CCS. While some aspects of this research area have been described abroad, there is a lack of literature on physical functioning and CVD among Swiss CCS.
Objectives:
The overall aim of this thesis was to improve our understanding of the physical functioning of Swiss CCS and the development of cardiovascular disease in this population. More specifically, I aimed 1) to compare one aspect of physical functioning—lower body muscular strength and endurance—of Swiss CCS to the general population, investigate risk factors for a reduced physical functioning, and study the longitudinal course of physical functioning among CCS; 2) to describe the prevalence of CRF and its risk factors among CCS; 3) to describe the prevalence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and its risk factors among CCS; and 4) to investigate whether cardiovascular disease is also prevalent among survivors of a rare childhood neoplasia—Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).
Results:
The results of this thesis consist of 4 articles. The main results are summarised below:
Publication I: Lower body muscular strength and endurance of CCS was half a standard deviation lower compared to the general population. Obesity, cumulative cisplatin dose, and cumulative cranial RT dose were risk factors for a reduced lower body muscular strength and endurance. There was no change in this parameter over follow-up time of 2–5 years.
Publication II: Approximately one fifth of CCS reported increased CRF, but none reported a severe CRF. Female sex, CNS tumours, sleep disturbance, and endocrine disorders were associated with increased CRF. Lower CRF levels were observed among CCS aged 30–39 years compared to younger CCS.
Publication III: The prevalence of RV dysfunction in our cohort was 4%. Risk factors for reduced RV function were cumulative heart-relevant RT dose, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, relapse, cisplatin, diabetes mellitus, and abdominal obesity.
Publication IV: Cardiovascular chronic health conditions were more frequent among
LCH survivors compared to siblings. Multifocal bone LCH, mercaptopurine, and overweight or obesity were associated with cardiovascular CHC. The most common cardiovascular CHC among LCH survivors were hypertension and arrhythmia.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, my thesis showed that the physical functioning of Swiss CCS is impaired compared to the general population, that CRF is prevalent among CCS, and that CCS suffer from a number of CVD. Long-term follow-up of CCS is necessary to improve their physical functioning, help mitigate modifiable risk factors, and to perform regular cardiac surveillance of those exposed to cardiotoxic treatment
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