The Development of Neuroendocrine Disturbances over Time: Longitudinal Findings in Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Previous reports suggest that neuroendocrine disturbances in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may still develop or resolve months or even years after the trauma. We investigated a cohort of n = 168 patients (81 patients after TBI and 87 patients after SAH) in whom hormone levels had been determined at various time points to assess the course and pattern of hormonal insufficiencies. Data were analyzed using three different criteria: (1) patients with lowered basal laboratory values;(2) patients with lowered basal laboratory values or the need for hormone replacement therapy;(3) diagnosis of the treating physician. The first hormonal assessment after a median time of three months after the injury showed lowered hormone laboratory test results in 35% of cases. Lowered testosterone (23.1% of male patients), lowered estradiol (14.3% of female patients) and lowered insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) values (12.1%) were most common. Using Criterion 2, a higher prevalence rate of 55.6% of cases was determined, which correlated well with the prevalence rate of 54% of cases using the physicians' diagnosis as the criterion. Intraindividual changes (new onset insufficiency or recovery) were predominantly observed for the somatotropic axis (12.5%), the gonadotropic axis in women (11.1%) and the corticotropic axis (10.6%). Patients after TBI showed more often lowered IGF-I values at first testing, but normal values at follow-up (p < 0.0004). In general, most patients remained stable. Stable hormone results at follow-up were obtained in 78% (free thyroxine (fT4) values) to 94.6% (prolactin values)

The Development of Neuroendocrine Disturbances over Time: Longitudinal Findings in Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Previous reports suggest that neuroendocrine disturbances in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may still develop or resolve months or even years after the trauma. We investigated a cohort of n = 168 patients (81 patients after TBI and 87 patients after SAH) in whom hormone levels had been determined at various time points to assess the course and pattern of hormonal insufficiencies. Data were analyzed using three different criteria: (1) patients with lowered basal laboratory values;(2) patients with lowered basal laboratory values or the need for hormone replacement therapy;(3) diagnosis of the treating physician. The first hormonal assessment after a median time of three months after the injury showed lowered hormone laboratory test results in 35% of cases. Lowered testosterone (23.1% of male patients), lowered estradiol (14.3% of female patients) and lowered insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) values (12.1%) were most common. Using Criterion 2, a higher prevalence rate of 55.6% of cases was determined, which correlated well with the prevalence rate of 54% of cases using the physicians' diagnosis as the criterion. Intraindividual changes (new onset insufficiency or recovery) were predominantly observed for the somatotropic axis (12.5%), the gonadotropic axis in women (11.1%) and the corticotropic axis (10.6%). Patients after TBI showed more often lowered IGF-I values at first testing, but normal values at follow-up (p < 0.0004). In general, most patients remained stable. Stable hormone results at follow-up were obtained in 78% (free thyroxine (fT4) values) to 94.6% (prolactin values)

Streptomyces spp. From the Marine Sponge Antho dichotoma: Analyses of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis Gene Clusters and Some of Their Products

Guerrero-Garzón JF, Zehl M, Schneider O, et al. Streptomyces spp. From the Marine Sponge Antho dichotoma: Analyses of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis Gene Clusters and Some of Their Products. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2020;11: 437.Actinomycete bacteria from marine environments represent a potential source for new antibiotics and anti-tumor drugs. Ten strains belonging to the genus Streptomyces isolated from the marine sponge Antho dichotoma collected at the bottom of the Trondheim fjord (Norway) were screened for antibiotic activity. Since only few isolates proved to be bioactive in the conditions tested, we decided to gain an insight into their biosynthetic potential using genome sequencing and analysis. Draft genomes were analyzed for the presence of secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters (BGCs) using antiSMASH software. BGCs specifying both known and potentially novel secondary metabolites were identified, suggesting that these isolates might be sources for new bioactive compounds. The results of this analysis also implied horizontal transfer of several gene clusters between the studied isolates, which was especially evident for the lantibiotic- and thiopeptide-encoding BGCs. The latter implies the significance of particular secondary metabolites for the adaptation of Streptomyces to the spatially enclosed marine environments such as marine sponges. Two bioactive isolates, one showing activity against both yeast and Bacillus subtilis, and one only against yeast were analyzed in details, leading to the identification of cycloheximide, linearmycins, and echinomycins that are presumably responsible for the observed bioactivities

Acceptability of yogurt and yogurt-like products: influenceof product information and consumer characteristics and preferences

19 pages, 8 tables, 3 figures.-- Printed version published in July 2010.-- The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.comThis work aims to investigate whether the information about product type and the nutritional label affects consumer acceptability of yogurt and fermented milk. Hedonic evaluations of seven commercial samples, three yogurts and four fermented milks were elicited from 120 consumers under blind tasting conditions, looking at a card with the product type and with the label nutritional facts and finally, tasting labeled products. For the whole group of consumers, nutritional information did not affect the acceptability of these products although analysis of individual consumer behavior showed that only for around 50% of consumers surveyed, this result reflects on their actual response. When data for subgroups of consumers of different gender or age or with different preference pattern were considered, differences in the influence of nutritional information on samples acceptability were detected. These results confirm that the data averaged from the consumer whole population cannot accurately reflect the real behavior of the population surveyed. More complete and valid information can be gained from analyzing the responses of the consumer subgroups of different characteristics or with different individual preferences.To MICINN of Spain for financial support (Project AGL 2007-63444). To Fondo Social Europeo for financing the contract of author S. Bayarri in the program I3P from CSICPeer reviewe

Unmet needs in the diagnosis and treatment of dyslipidemia in the primary care setting in Germany

Objectives and methods: DETECT is a cross-sectional study of 55,518 unselected consecutive patients in 3188 representative primary care offices in Germany. In a random subset of 7519 patients, an extensive standardized laboratory program was undertaken. The study investigated the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, known risk factors (such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia and their co-morbid manifestation), as well as treatment patterns. The present analysis of the DETECT laboratory dataset focused on the prevalence and treatment of dyslipidemia in primary medical care in Germany. Coronary artery disease (CAD), risk categories and LDL-C target achievement rates were determined in the subset of 6815 patients according to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) ATP III Guidelines. Results: Of all patients, 54.3% had dyslipidemia. Only 54.4% of the NCEP-classified dyslipidemic patients were diagnosed as ‘dyslipidemic’ by their physicians. Only 27% of all dyslipidemic patients (and 40.7% of the recognized dyslipidemic patients) were treated with lipid-lowering medications, and 11.1% of all dyslipidemic patients (41.4% of the patients treated with lipid-lowering drugs) achieved their LDL-C treatment goals. In conclusion, 80.3% of patients in the sample with dyslipidemia went undiagnosed, un-treated or under-treated

All-cause mortality and serum insulin-like growth factor I in primary care patients

Objective: Previous population-based studies provided conflicting results regarding the association of total serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and mortality. The aim of the present study was to assess the relation of IGF-I levels with all-cause mortality in a prospective study. Design: DETECT (Diabetes Cardiovascular Risk-Evaluation: Targets and Essential Data for Commitment of Treatment) is a large, multistage, and nationally representative study of primary care patients in Germany. The study population included 2463 men and 3603 women. Death rates were recorded by the respective primary care physician. Serum total IGF-I levels were determined by chemiluminescence immunoassays and categorized into three groups (low, moderate, and high) according to the sex- and age-specific 10th and 90th percentiles. Results: Adjusted analyses revealed that men with low [hazard ratio (HR) 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–2.73), p=0.03] and high [HR 1.76 (95% CI 1.09–2.85), p=0.02] IGF-I levels had higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to men with moderate IGF-I levels. The specificity of low IGF-I and high IGF-I levels increased with lower and higher cut-offs, respectively. No such association became apparent in women. Conclusions: The present study revealed a U-shaped relation between IGF-I and all-cause mortality in male primary care patients

Associations of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with cardiovascular diseases and risk conditions: cross-sectional study in 6773 primary care patients

Objective: We aimed at investigating the association of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and heart diseases, in a large patient sample. Background: IGF-I has been suggested to be associated with several diseases and a prognostic marker for the development of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors. The findings, though, have been inconsistent possibly due to the methodological factors. Methods: We studied 6773 consecutive primary care patients, aged 18+ years, in a cross-sectional, epidemiological study in primary care, Diabetes Cardiovascular Risk-Evaluation: Targets and Essential Data for Commitment of Treatment study. All patients underwent a standardized clinical diagnostic and laboratory assessment. IGF-I levels were measured with an automated chemiluminescence assay system. We calculated the odds ratios (OR) for diseases in quintiles of IGF-I, and additionally analyzed the association of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with these conditions. Results: After multiple adjustments for confounders, we found increased ORs for coronary artery disease in patients with high IGF-I. Women, but not men, with low IGF-I also showed increased ORs for coronary artery disease. Dyslipidemia was positively associated with IGF-I. Type 2 diabetes showed a curvilinear association with IGF-I SDS. Conclusions: The findings suggest the existence of multiple and complex interactions between IGF-I and several health conditions. The complex nature of disease- and subgroup-specific associations along with the methodological factors can be held responsible for divergent findings in previous studies

Associations of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with cardiovascular diseases and risk conditions: cross-sectional study in 6773 primary care patients,

Abstract Objective: We aimed at investigating the association of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and heart diseases, in a large patient sample. Background: IGF-I has been suggested to be associated with several diseases and a prognostic marker for the development of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors. The findings, though, have been inconsistent possibly due to the methodological factors. Methods: We studied 6773 consecutive primary care patients, aged 18C years, in a cross-sectional, epidemiological study in primary care, Diabetes Cardiovascular Risk-Evaluation: Targets and Essential Data for Commitment of Treatment study. All patients underwent a standardized clinical diagnostic and laboratory assessment. IGF-I levels were measured with an automated chemiluminescence assay system. We calculated the odds ratios (OR) for diseases in quintiles of IGF-I, and additionally analyzed the association of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with these conditions. Results: After multiple adjustments for confounders, we found increased ORs for coronary artery disease in patients with high IGF-I. Women, but not men, with low IGF-I also showed increased ORs for coronary artery disease. Dyslipidemia was positively associated with IGF-I. Type 2 diabetes showed a curvilinear association with IGF-I SDS. Conclusions: The findings suggest the existence of multiple and complex interactions between IGF-I and several health conditions. The complex nature of disease-and subgroup-specific associations along with the methodological factors can be held responsible for divergent findings in previous studies. European Journal of Endocrinology 158 153-16

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