Assessing hand osteoarthritis using digital photographs in a community-dwelling population: reliability and associations with radiographic and clinical features

Purpose: An atlas for grading hand osteoarthritis (OA) on photographs has been shown to be reliable and associated with clinical examination and radiographic features in a population of older adults (aged ≥69 years) from the AGES-Reykjavik study. The objective of this research was to determine if this atlas was reliable and to assess its association with radiographic and clinical features in a different younger community-dwelling population.Methods: Participants were community-dwelling older adults (≥50 years) in North Staffordshire, UK with self-reported hand pain or hand problems in the last year who attended a research clinic. High quality photographs taken at a set distance in a standardised position were graded for the presence of hand OA using an established atlas. Hand radiographs were graded for OA using the Kellgren Lawrence grading system and the presence of clinical features (nodes, bony enlargement, deformity) was determined on physical examination by trained assessors.Results: Following exclusions 558 participants (mean age 64 years, 62% female) were included in the analyses. Overall reliability for scoring each joint and joint group was good (mean intra-rater ICC =0.79, mean inter-rater ICC =0.71). For each joint and joint group photographic hand OA was positively associated with grade of radiographic OA (rho 0.19-0.57, p<0.001) and the number of clinical features present on an examination (rho 0.36-0.59, p<0.001). At the person level, individuals with higher global photographic hand OA scores had higher summed K&L scores and had higher percentages meeting the ACR clinical hand OA criteria.Conclusions: This photographic scoring system for hand OA has been shown to be reliable and associated with both radiographic and clinical features in a different and younger community-dwelling population to that in which it was developed. This method of data collection offers researchers an feasible alternative to the physical examination and maybe of particular use to large studies and those spread over a wide geographic areas

Circulating syndecan-1 is reduced in pregnancies with poor fetal growth and its secretion regulated by matrix metalloproteinases and the mitochondria

Fetal growth restriction is a leading cause of stillbirth that often remains undetected during pregnancy. Identifying novel biomarkers may improve detection of pregnancies at risk. This study aimed to assess syndecan-1 as a biomarker for small for gestational age (SGA) or fetal growth restricted (FGR) pregnancies and determine its molecular regulation. Circulating maternal syndecan-1 was measured in several cohorts; a large prospective cohort collected around 36 weeks' gestation (n = 1206), a case control study from the Manchester Antenatal Vascular service (285 women sampled at 24-34 weeks' gestation); two prospective cohorts collected on the day of delivery (36 + 3-41 + 3 weeks' gestation, n = 562 and n = 405 respectively) and a cohort who delivered for preterm FGR (< 34 weeks). Circulating syndecan-1 was consistently reduced in women destined to deliver growth restricted infants and those delivering for preterm disease. Syndecan-1 secretion was reduced by hypoxia, and its loss impaired proliferation. Matrix metalloproteinases and mitochondrial electron transport chain inhibitors significantly reduced syndecan-1 secretion, an effect that was rescued by coadministration of succinate, a mitochondrial electron transport chain activator. In conclusion, circulating syndecan-1 is reduced among cases of term and preterm growth restriction and has potential for inclusion in multi-marker algorithms to improve detection of poorly grown fetuses

Genetic research: the role of citizens, public health and international stakeholders

Background: Genetic research has become an indispensable instrument for medical research, and the subjects involved have both divergent and convergent interests. Objective: The possibility of having more detailed genetic information undoubtedly offers benefits for the health of the subject, but could also pose risks and make the subject vulnerable to discrimination. Methods: The scientific community has viewed very favorably the public health utility of family history, in which data from a family whose members suffer from chronic pathologies is collected and filed, in order to develop a sort of “stratification of family risk.” Even though in the last decade the scientific and juridical literature has contributed greatly to the topic of biobanks, the perplexities that continue to surround this theme give the idea that current ethical protocols on research are inadequate. Results: Researchers, citizens, International stakeholders, mass media, Public Health and Governments play a key role in genetic research. It is obvious that the methods used for genetic research do not present intrinsic risks; they are much less dangerous than other activities of diagnosis and research. Before authorizing a research project, it is important to reflect on the responsibility and transparency of the studies to be conducted, and on the impact they may have on the interests of public health. Conclusion: We believe that the highest priority need is to develop a common language on the theme, as is the case in the sphere of clinical experimentation where rules of good clinical practice, albeit at times conflicting, have led to uniform convergences in the scientific world on the points to be actuated

Understanding preventive behaviors among mid-Western African-American men: a pilot qualitative study of prostate screening

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jomh.2011.03.00

Iron and bismuth bound human serum transferrin reveals a partially-opened conformation in the N-lobe

Human serum transferrin (hTF) binds Fe(III) tightly but reversibly, and delivers it to cells via a receptor-mediated endocytosis process. The metal-binding and release result in significant conformational changes of the protein. Here, we report the crystal structures of diferric-hTF (Fe N Fe C-hTF) and bismuth-bound hTF (Bi N Fe C-hTF) at 2.8 and 2.4 Å resolutions respectively. Notably, the N-lobes of both structures exhibit unique 'partially-opened' conformations between those of the apo-hTF and holo-hTF. Fe(III) and Bi(III) in the N-lobe coordinate to, besides anions, only two (Tyr95 and Tyr188) and one (Tyr188) tyrosine residues, respectively, in contrast to four residues in the holo-hTF. The C-lobe of both structures are fully closed with iron coordinating to four residues and a carbonate. The structures of hTF observed here represent key conformers captured in the dynamic nature of the transferrin family proteins and provide a structural basis for understanding the mechanism of metal uptake and release in transferrin families. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

Search for black holes and other new phenomena in high-multiplicity final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the Large Hadron Collider

This is the Pre-Print version of the Article. The official published paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierA search for microscopic black hole production and decay in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been conducted by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35 inverse picobarns. Events with large total transverse energy are analyzed for the presence of multiple high-energy jets, leptons, and photons, typical of a signal expected from a microscopic black hole. Good agreement with the expected standard model backgrounds, dominated by QCD multijet production, is observed for various final-state multiplicities. Limits on the minimum black hole mass are set, in the range 3.5 -- 4.5 TeV, for a variety of parameters in a model with large extra dimensions, along with model-independent limits on new physics in these final states. These are the first direct limits on black hole production at a particle accelerator.This work is supported by the FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF and WCU (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Combination of searches for Higgs boson pairs in pp collisions at \sqrts = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This letter presents a combination of searches for Higgs boson pair production using up to 36.1 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy root s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The combination is performed using six analyses searching for Higgs boson pairs decaying into the b (b) over barb (b) over bar, b (b) over barW(+)W(-), b (b) over bar tau(+)tau(-), W+W-W+W-, b (b) over bar gamma gamma and W+W-gamma gamma final states. Results are presented for non-resonant and resonant Higgs boson pair production modes. No statistically significant excess in data above the Standard Model predictions is found. The combined observed (expected) limit at 95% confidence level on the non-resonant Higgs boson pair production cross-section is 6.9 (10) times the predicted Standard Model cross-section. Limits are also set on the ratio (kappa(lambda)) of the Higgs boson self-coupling to its Standard Model value. This ratio is constrained at 95% confidence level in observation (expectation) to -5.0 &lt; kappa(lambda) &lt; 12.0 (-5.8 &lt; kappa(lambda) &lt; 12.0). In addition, limits are set on the production of narrow scalar resonances and spin-2 Kaluza-Klein Randall-Sundrum gravitons. Exclusion regions are also provided in the parameter space of the habemus Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model and the Electroweak Singlet Model. For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2019.135103</p