Meeting report : 1st international functional metagenomics workshop May 7–8, 2012, St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada

This report summarizes the events of the 1st International Functional Metagenomics Workshop. The workshop was held on May 7 and 8 in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada and was focused on building a core international functional metagenomics community, exploring strategic research areas, and identifying opportunities for future collaboration and funding. The workshop was initiated by researchers at the University of Waterloo with support from the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the University of Waterloo

Linking high-frequency DOC dynamics to the age of connected water sources

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank our NRI colleagues for all their help with field and laboratory work, especially Audrey Innes, Jonathan Dick, and Ann Porter. We would like to also thank Iain Malcolm (Marine Scotland Science) for providing AWS data and the European Research Council ERC (project GA 335910 VEWA) for funding the VeWa project. Please contact the authors for access to the data used in this paper. We would also like to thank the Natural Environment Research Council NERC (project NE/K000268/1) for funding.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The barley pan-genome reveals the hidden legacy of mutation breeding

Genetic diversity is key to crop improvement. Owing to pervasive genomic structural variation, a single reference genome assembly cannot capture the full complement of sequence diversity of a crop species (known as the ‘pan-genome’1). Multiple high-quality sequence assemblies are an indispensable component of a pan-genome infrastructure. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important cereal crop with a long history of cultivation that is adapted to a wide range of agro-climatic conditions2. Here we report the construction of chromosome-scale sequence assemblies for the genotypes of 20 varieties of barley—comprising landraces, cultivars and a wild barley—that were selected as representatives of global barley diversity. We catalogued genomic presence/absence variants and explored the use of structural variants for quantitative genetic analysis through whole-genome shotgun sequencing of 300 gene bank accessions. We discovered abundant large inversion polymorphisms and analysed in detail two inversions that are frequently found in current elite barley germplasm; one is probably the product of mutation breeding and the other is tightly linked to a locus that is involved in the expansion of geographical range. This first-generation barley pan-genome makes previously hidden genetic variation accessible to genetic studies and breeding

Hair regrowth treatment efficacy and resistance in androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review and continuous Bayesian network meta-analysis

BackgroundAndrogenetic alopecia (AGA) affects almost half the population, and several treatments intending to regenerate a normal scalp hair phenotype are used. This is the first study comparing treatment efficacy response and resistance using standardized continuous outcomes.ObjectiveTo systematically compare the relative efficacy of treatments used for terminal hair (TH) regrowth in women and men with AGA.MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted (from inception to August 11, 2021) to identify randomized, Placebo-controlled trials with ≥ 20 patients and reporting changes in TH density after 24 weeks. Efficacy was analyzed by sex at 12 and 24 weeks using Bayesian network meta-analysis (B-NMA) and compared to frequentist and continuous outcomes profiles.ResultsThe search identified 2,314 unique articles. Ninety-eight were included for full-text review, and 17 articles met the inclusion criteria for data extraction and analyses. Eligible treatments included ALRV5XR, Dutasteride 0.5 mg/day, Finasteride 1 mg/day, low-level laser comb treatment (LLLT), Minoxidil 2% and 5%, Nutrafol, and Viviscal. At 24 weeks, the B-NMA regrowth efficacy in TH/cm2 and significance (**) in women were ALRV5XR: 30.09**, LLLT: 16.62**, Minoxidil 2%: 12.13**, Minoxidil 5%: 10.82**, and Nutrafol: 7.32**, and in men; ALRV5XR: 21.03**, LLLT: 18.75**, Dutasteride: 18.37**, Viviscal: 13.23, Minoxidil 5%: 13.13**, Finasteride: 12.38, and Minoxidil 2%: 10.54. Two distinct TH regrowth response profiles were found; Continuous: ALRV5XR regrowth rates were linear in men and accelerated in women; Resistant: after 12 weeks, LLLT, Nutrafol, and Viviscal regrowth rates attenuated while Dutasteride and Finasteride plateaued; Minoxidil 2% and 5% lost some regrowth. There were no statistical differences for the same treatment between women and men. B-NMA provided more accurate, statistically relevant, and conservative results than the frequentist-NMA.ConclusionSome TH regrowth can be expected from most AGA treatments with less variability in women than men. Responses to drug treatments were rapid, showing strong early efficacy followed by the greatest resistance effects from flatlining to loss of regrowth after 12–16 weeks. Finasteride, Minoxidil 2% and Viviscal in men were not statistically different from Placebo. LLLT appeared more efficacious than pharmaceuticals. The natural product formulation ALRV5XR showed better efficacy in all tested parameters without signs of treatment resistance (see Graphical abstract).Systematic review registrationwww.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42021268040, identifier CRD42021268040

Epidemiology of renal cell carcinoma in Germany

Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die Erkrankungs-, Sterbe- und Überlebensraten sowie die Stadienverteilung von Nierenzellkarzinomen in Deutschland. Die Ergebnisse beruhen auf den Daten der bevölkerungsbezogenen Krebsregister der Bundesländer, die im Zentrum für Krebsregisterdaten (ZfKD) zusammengeführt und auf Bundesebene ausgewertet werden. Im Jahr 2014 erkrankten etwa 14.860 Menschen im Erwachsenenalter an einem Nierenzellkarzinom, davon 5.430 Frauen. In 2016 verstarben nach Angaben der amtlichen Todesursachenstatistik 5.348 Menschen an dieser Krankheit. Die altersstandardisierten Erkrankungsraten verlaufen seit 1999 bei beiden Geschlechtern relativ konstant, die Raten von Männern sind verglichen mit denen von Frauen jedoch doppelt so hoch. Bei den altersstandardisierten Sterberaten ist für Männer und Frauen ein leichter Rückgang zu beobachten. Die Verteilung der Tumorstadien bei Diagnose sowie die Überlebensaussichten unterscheiden sich nicht wesentlich zwischen den Geschlechtern. Für die Überlebensaussichten spielt das Tumorstadium eine wichtige Rolle: die relativen Fünf-Jahres-Überlebensraten liegen insgesamt zwischen 95 % (UICC-Stadium I) und 17 % (UICC-Stadium IV mit Fernmetastasen).This article provides an overview of the incidence, mortality and survival rates as well as the stage distribution at diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma in Germany. The results are based on data from the population-based cancer registries of the federal states, which are merged and analyzed at the federal level by the German Centre for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD). In 2014 approximately 14,860 cases of renal cell carcinoma were diagnosed among adults, 5,430 were women. In 2016, 5,348 people died from this cause according to official statistics on causes of death. Age-standardized incidence rates have remained fairly constant for both sexes since 1999, although the incidence rates for men are twice as high as for women. Age-standardized mortality rates present a slight decrease for men and women. There are no major differences between the sexes in respect of stage distribution at diagnosis and survival prospects. Survival rates differ according to stage of the diagnosed tumor: 5-year survival rates are between 95 % (UICC stage I) and 17 % (UICC stage IV with distant metastases).Not Reviewe