Phylogeographic Triangulation: Using Predator-Prey-Parasite Interactions to Infer Population History from Partial Genetic Information

Phylogeographic studies, which infer population history and dispersal movements from intra-specific spatial genetic variation, require expensive and time-consuming analyses that are not always feasible, especially in the case of rare or endangered species. On the other hand, comparative phylogeography of species involved in close biotic interactions may show congruent patterns depending on the specificity of the relationship. Consequently, the phylogeography of a parasite that needs two hosts to complete its life cycle should reflect population history traits of both hosts. Population movements evidenced by the parasite’s phylogeography that are not reflected in the phylogeography of one of these hosts may thus be attributed to the other host. Using the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and a parasitic tapeworm (Taenia pisiformis) as an example, we propose comparing the phylogeography of easily available organisms such as game species and their specific heteroxenous parasites to infer population movements of definitive host/predator species, independently of performing genetic analyses on the latter. This may be an interesting approach for indirectly studying the history of species whose phylogeography is difficult to analyse directly

Does practice make perfect? : functional connectivity of the salience network and somatosensory network predicts response to mind-body treatments for fibromyalgia

Altres ajuts: SM and MH are funded by a Medical Research Council Experimental Medicine Challenge Grant (MR/N026969/1). SM, MH, and OOD are also supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.BACKGROUND: Mind-body treatments can improve coping mechanisms to deal with pain, improve the quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and reduce perceived pain in some cases. However, responses to these treatments are highly variable, the mechanisms underpinning them remain unclear, and reliable predictors of treatment response are lacking. We employed resting-state blood oxygen level-dependent (rsBOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) following mind-body treatment that may relate to and predict pain relief. METHODS: We recruited patients with FMS who underwent either mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; n = 18) or a psychoeducational program (FibroQoL; n = 22) and a treatment-as-usual FMS group (TAU; n = 18). We collected rsBOLD data, alongside subjective pain, anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing measures prior to and following treatments. We examined behavioral changes and FC changes in the salience network (SN) and sensorimotor network (SMN) and performed regression analyses to identify predictors for treatment response. RESULTS: The MBSR and FibroQoL groups experienced significant reductions in pain catastrophizing. After treatment, the FC of the sensorimotor cortex with the rest of the SMN became significantly reduced in the MBSR group compared to the TAU group. The FC between the SN and the SMN at baseline was negatively correlated with pain reductions following MBSR but positively correlated with pain reductions in the FibroQoL group. These results yielded large to very large effect sizes. Following MBSR, only for those patients with lower baseline SMN-SN FC, minutes of mindfulness practice were positively associated with clinical improvement (small to medium effect size). CONCLUSIONS: Different mind-body treatments are underpinned by discrete brain networks. Measures of the functional interplay between SN and SMN have the potential as predictors of mind-body treatment response in patients with FMS

Assessing and measuring chronic multimorbidity in the older population: a proposal for its operationalization

Background Although the definition of multimorbidity as “the simultaneous presence of two or more chronic diseases” is well established, its operationalization is not yet agreed. This study aims to provide a clinically driven comprehensive list of chronic conditions to be included when measuring multimorbidity. Methods Based on a consensus definition of chronic disease, all four-digit level codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) were classified as chronic or not by an international and multidisciplinary team. Chronic ICD-10 codes were subsequently grouped into broader categories according to clinical criteria. Last, we showed proof of concept by applying the classification to older adults from the Swedish National study of Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) using also inpatient data from the Swedish National Patient Register. Results A disease or condition was considered to be chronic if it had a prolonged duration and either (a) left residual disability or worsening quality of life or (b) required a long period of care, treatment, or rehabilitation. After applying this definition in relation to populations of older adults, 918 chronic ICD-10 codes were identified and grouped into 60 chronic disease categories. In SNAC-K, 88.6% had =2 of these 60 disease categories, 73.2% had =3, and 55.8% had =4. Conclusions This operational measure of multimorbidity, which can be implemented using either or both clinical and administrative data, may facilitate its monitoring and international comparison. Once validated, it may enable the advancement and evolution of conceptual and theoretical aspects of multimorbidity that will eventually lead to better care

Smart and sustainable urban logistic applications aided by intelligent techniques

[EN] CO2-free urban logistics is one of the 10 objectives to reach by 2030 as part of transport policy. What technologies can help to accomplish it? In this paper, we discuss the very complex situation that today¿s big and modern cities are facing with a tremendous environment of many urban logistics companies running in the same city. In the majority of cases, there is less or none coordination among them worsening traffic congestions. We believe that intelligent techniques are one of the key approaches that can aid to support smart and sustainable urban logistic applications. There are large open problems in the field of cooperative urban logistics that can greatly improve with the help of artificial intelligence. Some solutions are cited in this paper, but the overall conclusion is that there is still much work to be done.Giret Boggino, AS. (2019). Smart and sustainable urban logistic applications aided by intelligent techniques. Service Oriented Computing and Applications (Online). 13(3):185-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11761-019-00271-zS185186133Market reports (2019) Global last mile delivery market size, status and forecast 2019–2025. The Market reports. Report code : 1362721, pp 1–114Xiao Z, Wang JJ, Lenzer J, Sun Y (2017) Understanding the diversity of final delivery solutions for online retailing: a case of Shenzhen, China. In: World conference on transport research—WCTR 2016 Shanghai. Transportation Research Procedia, vol 25, pp 985–998, 2017. 10–15 July 2016Gonzalez-Feliu J, Semet F, Routhier JL (2014) Sustainable urban logistics: concepts, methods and information systems. Springer, BerlinMacharis C, Melo S (2011) City distribution and urban freight transport: multiple perspectives. Edward Elgar Publishing, CheltenhamPagell M, Wu Z (2009) Building a more complete theory of sustainable supply chain management using case studies of 10 exemplars. J Supply Chain Manag 45:37–56Morana J, Gonzalez-Feliu J (2015) A sustainable urban logistics dashboard from the perspective of a group of operational managers. Manag Res Rev 38(10):1068–1085Gunasekaran A, Kobu B (2007) Performance measures and metrics in logistics and supply chain management: a review of recent literature (1995–2004) for research and applications. Int J Prod Res 45:2819–2840Griffis SE, Goldsby TJ, Cooper M, Closs DJ (2007) Aligning logistics performance measures to the information needs of the firm. J Bus Logist 48:35–56Alonso-Mora J, Samaranayake S, Wallar A, Frazzoli E, Rus D (2017) On-demand high-capacity ride-sharing via dynamic trip-vehicle assignment. Proc Natl Acad Sci 114(3):462–467Gentile G, Noekel K (2016) Modeling public transport passenger flows in the era of intelligent transport systems. Springer, BerlinNeirotti P, De Marco A, Cagliano AC, Mangano G, Scorrano F (2014) Current trends in smart city initiatives: some stylised facts. Cities 38:25–36Chatterjee R (2016) Optimizing last mile delivery using public transport with multiagent based control. Master thesis, pp 1–59Skiver RL, Godfrey M (2017) Crowdserving: a last mile delivery method for brickand—mortar retailers. Glob J Bus Res 11(2):67–77Brüning M, Schönewolf W (2011) Freight transport system for urban shipment and delivery. In: IEEE forum on integrated and sustainable transportation systems, Vienna, pp 136–14

Altered splicing of the BIN1 muscle-specific exon in humans and dogs with highly progressive centronuclear myopathy

Amphiphysin 2, encoded by BIN1, is a key factor for membrane sensing and remodelling in different cell types. Homozygous BIN1 mutations in ubiquitously expressed exons are associated with autosomal recessive centronuclear myopathy (CNM), a mildly progressive muscle disorder typically showing abnormal nuclear centralization on biopsies. In addition, misregulation of BIN1 splicing partially accounts for the muscle defects in myotonic dystrophy (DM). However, the muscle-specific function of amphiphysin 2 and its pathogenicity in both muscle disorders are not well understood. In this study we identified and characterized the first mutation affecting the splicing of the muscle-specific BIN1 exon 11 in a consanguineous family with rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal centronuclear myopathy. In parallel, we discovered a mutation in the same BIN1 exon 11 acceptor splice site as the genetic cause of the canine Inherited Myopathy of Great Danes (IMGD). Analysis of RNA from patient muscle demonstrated complete skipping of exon 11 and BIN1 constructs without exon 11 were unable to promote membrane tubulation in differentiated myotubes. Comparative immunofluorescence and ultrastructural analyses of patient and canine biopsies revealed common structural defects, emphasizing the importance of amphiphysin 2 in membrane remodelling and maintenance of the skeletal muscle triad. Our data demonstrate that the alteration of the muscle-specific function of amphiphysin 2 is a common pathomechanism for centronuclear myopathy, myotonic dystrophy, and IMGD. The IMGD dog is the first faithful model for human BIN1-related CNM and represents a mammalian model available for preclinical trials of potential therapies

Las alteraciones metabólicas asociadas a la obesidad están ya presentes en los primeros años de vida: estudio colaborativo español

Los objetivos de este estudio son, realizar una descrip-ción de las características demográficas, antropométricas y de las alteraciones metabólicas de niños atendidos por obe-sidad resaltando las características aquellos casos de obesidad de inicio temprano (< 10 años) y los de inicio precoz (< 5 años), y evaluar la capacidad diagnóstica de la definición de síndrome metabólico (SM) según diferentes criterios. Métodos: Es un estudio retrospectivo, caso-control, trans-versal, multicéntrico. Han participado un total de 10 Uni-dades de Endocrinología Pediátrica de diferentes hospitales españoles con un grupo de 469 niños con obesidad de inicio temprano y otro grupo de 30 niños con obesidad de inicio precoz. El grupo control estuvo constituido por 224 niños sanos menores de 10 años. Se realizó una valoración antro-pométrica y determinación analítica de parámetros del me-tabolismo de los hidratos de carbono y lipidograma. Resultados: La presencia de alteraciones metabólicas asociadas a la obesidad en la etapa infanto-juvenil en Espa-ña es notable, de forma aislada, o englobada bajo la defini-ción de SM. La prevalencia de éste aumenta sustancialmen-te cuando se considera la resistencia periférica a la acción de la insulina como criterio diagnóstico. Se demuestra cómo en niños menores de 10 años, dichas alteraciones están presen-tes en un porcentaje reseñable, y se encuentran las primeras alteraciones metabólicas ya en niños obesos < 5 años. Conclusión: En los niños españoles existen alteracio-nes metabólicas asociadas a la obesidad en la etapa in-fanto-juvenil de forma aislada o englobada bajo la de-finición de SM, y ya están presentes a edades precoces. The objectives of this study are to provide a description of the demographic, anthropometric characteristics and metabolic abnormalities in children with early-onset (< 10 years) and of very-early-onset obesity (< 5 years). We also evaluate the diagnostic ability using the definition of meta-bolic syndrome (MS) according to different criteria. Methods: It is a retrospective, case-control, cross-sec-tional, multicenter study. A total of 10 Pediatric Endo-crinology Units in different Spanish hospitals were in-volved. A group of 469 children with early-onset obesity and another group of 30 children with very early-onset obesity were studied. The control group consisted of 224 healthy children younger than 10 years. Anthropometric and analytical determination of carbohydrates metabo-lism parameters and the lipid profile were performed. Results: The presence of metabolic alterations associa-ted with obesity in children and adolescents in Spain is remarkable, either on their own, or encompassed within the definition of MS. This prevalence increases substan-tially when considering the peripheral resistance to in-sulin action as a diagnostic criterion. It also shows how children who could not be diagnosed with MS according to the definition provided by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) due to age below 10 years, these altera-tions are already present in a remarkable percentage. In fact, metabolic abnormalities are already present in the very-early-onset obese children (<5 years). Conclusion: In Spanish children there are metabolic alterations associated with obesity in the infant-juvenile stages alone or encompassed within the definition of MS, and are already present at earlier ages

Chemotherapy with cisplatin and vinorelbine for elderly patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

BACKGROUND: Although modest improvements in the survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be achieved with cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CT), its value is disputed in the geriatric setting. In this study, we evaluate the feasibility of vinorelbine/cisplatin CT for elderly NSCLC patients. METHODS: In this pilot phase I/II trial, all patients received CT with vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2), on day 1 and 8, and cisplatin on day 1, in 28 days-cycles. After stratification for age (up to 75 years), younger patients were sequentially allocated to moderate cisplatin doses (80 mg/m(2 )or 90 mg/m(2)), and older patients were allocated to lower cisplatin doses (60 mg/m(2 )or 70 mg/m(2)). We recruited patients aged over 70 years with newly diagnosed NSCLC, clinical stage III or IV, Karnofsky performance status ≥ 70%, normal serum creatinine, peripheral neuropathy ≤ grade 1, and no prior cancer therapy. RESULTS: Analysis was by intention to treat. Main toxicities (grade 3–4) was as follows: neutropenia, 20%; anemia, 11%; and thrombocytopenia, 2%; alopecia, 55%; fatigue, 11%; and peripheral neurotoxicity, 2%. No grade 3–4 emesis or renal toxicity occurred. Global median time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were 27.0 (95% CI: 10.1 to 43.7) weeks and 30.1 (95% CI: 24.4 to 35.8) weeks; 1- and 2-year survival rates were 36.3% and 13.2%, respectively. Overall response rate was 50.0% (95% CI: 35.4% to 64.5%), with 1 complete response; no difference on response rate was noticed according to cisplatin dose. Median overall survival was 30.1 weeks, with 1- and 2-year survival rates of 36.3% and 13.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Age does not preclude assessment on the role of cisplatin-vinorelbine CT for elderly NSCLC patients with good performance status and adequate bodily functions

Functional proteomics outlines the complexity of breast cancer molecular subtypes

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease comprising a variety of entities with various genetic backgrounds. Estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative tumors typically have a favorable outcome; however, some patients eventually relapse, which suggests some heterogeneity within this category. In the present study, we used proteomics and miRNA profiling techniques to characterize a set of 102 either estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/progesterone receptorpositive (PR+) or triple-negative formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast tumors. Protein expressionbased probabilistic graphical models and flux balance analyses revealed that some ER+/PR+ samples had a protein expression profile similar to that of triple-negative samples and had a clinical outcome similar to those with triple-negative disease. This probabilistic graphical model-based classification had prognostic value in patients with luminal A breast cancer. This prognostic information was independent of that provided by standard genomic tests for breast cancer, such as MammaPrint, OncoType Dx and the 8-gene Score