Designing consumer electronic products for the circular economy using recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS): a case study

This study considers the feasibility of using 100% recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (rABS) in the caseworks of small consumer electronic products as a step towards more circular design and manufacturing. A Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephone (DECT) handset was chosen as a representative example of such a product. Materials testing on the rABS demonstrated that 100% recycled ABS has similar properties to virgin ABS and can be substituted for virgin ABS as long as the product design allows for the slightly stiffer nature of the rABS and addresses issues of surface finish and ability to colour. By clearly understanding these issues at the outset of the design process, and by adapting the designs appropriately at the outset, it was possible to produce an rABS handset which was as robust and as cosmetically acceptable as one made of virgin ABS. This suggests that the recycled material could be used widely in this type of product and also at reduced cost to using virgin ABS. Furthermore, an abridged Life Cycle Analysis of the existing handset suggested that other issues associated with the environmental impact of the product could be relatively easily addressed at the design stage by considering energy use and end of life issues

Birth weight and the risk of atrial fibrillation in whites and African Americans: The atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A previous study, however, found higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in individuals with higher birth weight (BW). To further understand this apparent paradox, we examined the relationship between AF and BW in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort. Methods: The analysis included 10,132 individuals free of AF at baseline (1996-1998), who provided BW information, were not born premature, and were not a twin. Self-reported BW was categorized as low (<2.5 kg), medium (2.5-4 kg), and high (>4.0 kg). AF incidence was ascertained from hospital discharge codes and death certificates. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to determine the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of AF across BW groups. Results: During an average follow-up of 10.3 years, we identified 882 incident AF cases. LBW was associated with higher risk of AF. Compared to individuals in the medium BW category, the HR (95% CI) of AF was 1.33 (0.99, 1.78) for LBW and 1.00 (0.81, 1.24) for high BW after adjusting for sociodemographic variables (p for trend = 0.29). Additional adjustment for CVD risk factors did not attenuate the associations (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.06, 1.90 for LBW and HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.69-1.07 for high BW, compared to medium BW, p for trend = 0.01).Conclusion: LBW was associated with a higher risk of AF. This association was independent of known predictors of AF and is consistent with that observed for other cardiovascular diseases. © 2014 Lawani et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Ancestry reported by white adults with cutaneous melanoma and control subjects in central Alabama

BACKGROUND: We sought to evaluate the hypothesis that the high incidence of cutaneous melanoma in white persons in central Alabama is associated with a predominance of Irish and Scots descent. METHODS: Frequencies of country of ancestry reports were tabulated. The reports were also converted to scores that reflect proportional countries of ancestry in individuals. Using the scores, we computed aggregate country of ancestry indices as estimates of group ancestry composition. HLA-DRB1*04 allele frequencies and relationships to countries of ancestry were compared in probands and controls. Results were compared to those of European populations with HLA-DRB1*04 frequencies. RESULTS: Ninety evaluable adult white cutaneous melanoma probands and 324 adult white controls reported countries of ancestry of their grandparents. The respective frequencies of Ireland, and Scotland and "British Isles" reported countries of ancestry were significantly greater in probands than in controls. The respective frequencies of Wales, France, Italy and Poland were significantly greater in controls. 16.7% of melanoma probands and 23.8% of controls reported "Native American" ancestry; the corresponding "Native American" country of ancestry index was not significantly different in probands and controls. The frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 was significantly greater in probands, but was not significantly associated with individual or aggregate countries of ancestry. The frequency of DRB1*04 observed in Alabama was compared to DRB1*04 frequencies reported from England, Wales, Ireland, Orkney Island, France, Germany, and Australia. CONCLUSION: White adults with cutaneous melanoma in central Alabama have a predominance of Irish, Scots, and "British Isles" ancestry and HLA-DRB1*04 that likely contributes to their high incidence of cutaneous melanoma

Designer receptors show role for ventral pallidum input to ventral tegmental area in cocaine seeking.

The ventral pallidum is centrally positioned within mesocorticolimbic reward circuits, and its dense projection to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) regulates neuronal activity there. However, the ventral pallidum is a heterogeneous structure, and how this complexity affects its role within wider reward circuits is unclear. We found that projections to VTA from the rostral ventral pallidum (RVP), but not the caudal ventral pallidum (CVP), were robustly Fos activated during cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking--a rat model of relapse in addiction. Moreover, designer receptor-mediated transient inactivation of RVP neurons, their terminals in VTA or functional connectivity between RVP and VTA dopamine neurons blocked the ability of drug-associated cues (but not a cocaine prime) to reinstate cocaine seeking. In contrast, CVP neuronal inhibition blocked cocaine-primed, but not cue-induced, reinstatement. This double dissociation in ventral pallidum subregional roles in drug seeking is likely to be important for understanding the mesocorticolimbic circuits underlying reward seeking and addiction

Genomic correlates of glatiramer acetate adverse cardiovascular effects lead to a novel locus mediating coronary risk

Glatiramer acetate is used therapeutically in multiple sclerosis but also known for adverse effects including elevated coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular side effects of the medication are unclear. Here, we made use of the chromosomal variation in the genes that are known to be affected by glatiramer treatment. Focusing on genes and gene products reported by drug-gene interaction database to interact with glatiramer acetate we explored a large meta-analysis on CAD genome-wide association studies aiming firstly, to investigate whether variants in these genes also affect cardiovascular risk and secondly, to identify new CAD risk genes. We traced association signals in a 200-kb region around genomic positions of genes interacting with glatiramer in up to 60 801 CAD cases and 123 504 controls. We validated the identified association in additional 21 934 CAD cases and 76 087 controls. We identified three new CAD risk alleles within the TGFB1 region on chromosome 19 that independently affect CAD risk. The lead SNP rs12459996 was genome-wide significantly associated with CAD in the extended meta-analysis (odds ratio 1.09, p = 1.58×10-12). The other two SNPs at the locus were not in linkage disequilibrium with the lead SNP and by a conditional analysis showed p-values of 4.05 × 10-10 and 2.21 × 10-6. Thus, studying genes reported to interact with glatiramer acetate we identified genetic variants that concordantly with the drug increase the risk of CAD. Of these, TGFB1 displayed signal for association. Indeed, the gene has been associated with CAD previously in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Here we establish genome-wide significant association with CAD in large human samples.This work was supported by grants from the Fondation Leducq (CADgenomics: Understanding CAD Genes, 12CVD02), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework of the e:Med research and funding concept (e:AtheroSysMed, grant 01ZX1313A-2014 and SysInflame, grant 01ZX1306A), and the European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement no HEALTH-F2-2013-601456 (CVgenes-at-target). Further grants were received from the DFG as part of the Sonderforschungsbereich CRC 1123 (B2). T.K. was supported by a DZHK Rotation Grant. I.B. was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) cluster of excellence ‘Inflammation at Interfaces’. F.W.A. is supported by a Dekker scholarship-Junior Staff Member 2014T001 - Netherlands Heart Foundation and UCL Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

CanVasc Consensus Recommendations for the Management of Antineutrophil Cytoplasm Antibody-associated Vasculitis: 2020 Update

Objective In 2015, the Canadian Vasculitis Research Network (CanVasc) created recommendations for the management of antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) in Canada. The current update aimed to revise existing recommendations and create additional recommendations, as needed, based on a review of new available evidence. Methods A needs assessment survey of CanVasc members informed questions for an updated systematic literature review (publications spanning May 2014-September 2019) using Medline, Embase, and Cochrane. New and revised recommendations were developed and categorized according to the level of evidence and strength of each recommendation. The CanVasc working group used a two-step modified Delphi procedure to reach >80% consensus on the inclusion, wording and grading of each new and revised recommendation. Results Eleven new and 16 revised recommendations were created, and 12 original (2015) recommendations were retained. New and revised recommendations are discussed in detail within this document. Five original recommendations were removed, of which 4 were incorporated into the explanatory text. The supplementary appendix for practical use was revised to reflect the updated recommendations. Conclusion The 2020 updated recommendations provide rheumatologists, nephrologists, and other specialists caring for patients with AAV in Canada with new management guidance, based on current evidence and consensus from Canadian experts

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for traumatic aortic transection

BackgroundTraumatic transection of the thoracic aorta is a highly morbid injury. Treatment may be delayed while attention focuses on concomitant injuries. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is effective but remains controversial in these often-young patients. We reviewed our experience in acute and subacute treatment of these injuries with TEVAR.MethodsA retrospective analysis of five men and five women who underwent TEVAR for aortic transection from 1999 to 2007 was conducted. Procedures were performed with standard endovascular techniques. Follow-up included computed tomography at 1 month and yearly thereafter.ResultsMean age was 44 years (range, 20 to 84 years). Motor vehicle accidents accounted for 7 injuries, a snowmobile accident for 1, skydiving for 1, and balloon angioplasty of a coarctation for 1. Average diameter of the proximal landing zone was 25 mm (range, 23 to 29 mm). Mean external iliac size was 10 mm (range, 7 to 15 mm), and no conduits were required. Immediate technical success was 90%, with no 30-day mortality. Seven patients underwent repair acutely (≤24 hours) and three patients subacutely (range, 4 days to 2 months) for pseudoaneurysm. Four patients had procedures for concomitant injuries before their transection was repaired (3 laparotomies and a fixation for open fracture). One endoleak was noted, which resolved by the 1-month follow-up. The lone device-related complication was an endograft collapse at 5 months managed by repeat endografting, which was complicated by aortoesophageal fistula requiring esophagectomy and open reconstruction. No iliac injuries occurred. At 20-months of mean follow-up (range, 2 to 70 months), all patients are alive and well.ConclusionsTEVAR for traumatic aortic transection is feasible, with good initial success. Repair can be delayed in selected cases. Continued surveillance is necessary to ensure good long-term outcomes in these young patients. Care must be taken when performing TEVAR for this off-label indication because these devices are designed for the larger aortic diameters of aneurysm patients