UNDERSTORY DYNAMICS ACROSS 62-YEARS OF A NORTHERN HARDWOOD MANAGEMENT GRADIENT STUDY

Northern hardwood selection silviculture relies on the perpetuation of natural regeneration. However, many researchers and forest managers have concerns about deficiencies in regeneration and the associated ingrowth and recruitment of advance regeneration under single-tree selection. Given the differences of management application in the Great Lakes region, long-term studies and datasets are critical to understanding of how these systems function and change. Using the Cutting Methods Study, in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, these concerns were investigated with a multi-decadal dataset, for understory tree species composition and density, diversity, recruitment, and age-diameter relationships across management methods. In response to the past three harvest entries, regeneration densities have consistently been affected by overstory basal area; with a positive relationship in the smallest size classes which gradually flatten in the larger size classes. All treatments had a decline in understory sugar maple dominance with the largest changes in the high intensity treatments which also supported the highest species diversity. Moreover, all treatments have a positive age-diameter relationship with a trend of lower recruitment rates in low intensity treatments, and have created and recruited regeneration since the study establishment in 1956. Following 62-years of consistent management, these results suggest that alternative management methods, beyond Arbogast (1957) recommendations, can be applied in comparable northern hardwood forests and can maintain similar regeneration densities with higher species diversity and recruitment

Effectiveness of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines to prevent serious health complications in adults with chronic liver disease: a protocol for a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: In advanced chronic liver disease, diseases caused by common bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae or influenza virus put people at an increased risk of serious health complications and death. The effectiveness of the available vaccines in reducing the risk of poor health outcomes, however, is less clear. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for published reports on randomised controlled trials and observational studies on the effectiveness of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines in people with chronic liver disease. Two independent reviewers will screen the studies for eligibility, extract data and assess study quality and risk of bias. Random effects meta-analyses will be performed as appropriate. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Formal ethical approval is not required, as no primary data will be collected for this study. We will publish results of this study in relevant peer-reviewed medical journal or journals. Where possible, the study results will also be presented as posters or talks at relevant medical conferences and meetings

Plasmalogen enrichment in exosomes secreted by a nematode parasite versus those derived from its mouse host: implications for exosome stability and biology

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate communication between cells and organisms across all 3 kingdoms of life. Several reports have demonstrated that EVs can transfer molecules between phylogenetically diverse species and can be used by parasites to alter the properties of the host environment. Whilst the concept of vesicle secretion and uptake is broad reaching, the molecular composition of these complexes is expected to be diverse based on the physiology and environmental niche of different organisms. Exosomes are one class of EVs originally defined based on their endocytic origin, as these derive from multivesicular bodies that then fuse with the plasma membrane releasing them into the extracellular environment. The term exosome has also been used to describe any small EVs recovered by high-speed ultracentrifugation, irrespective of origin since this is not always well characterized. Here, we use comparative global lipidomic analysis to examine the composition of EVs, which we term exosomes, that are secreted by the gastrointestinal nematode, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, in relation to exosomes secreted by cells of its murine host. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis reveals a 9- to 62-fold enrichment of plasmalogens, as well as other classes of ether glycerophospholipids, along with a relative lack of cholesterol and sphingomyelin (SM) in the nematode exosomes compared with those secreted by murine cells. Biophysical analyses of the membrane dynamics of these exosomes demonstrate increased rigidity in those from the nematode, and parallel studies with synthetic vesicles support a role of plasmalogens in stabilizing the membrane structure. These results suggest that nematodes can maintain exosome membrane structure and integrity through increased plasmalogens, compensating for diminished levels of other lipids, including cholesterol and SM. This work also illuminates the prevalence of plasmalogens in some EVs, which has not been widely reported and could have implications for the biochemical or immunomodulatory properties of EVs. Further comparative analyses such as those described here will shed light on diversity in the molecular properties of EVs that enable them to function in cross-species communication

Report from a symposium on catalyzing primary and secondary prevention of cancer in India

PurposeOral, breast, and cervical cancers are amenable to early detection and account for a third of India’s cancer burden. We convened a symposium of diverse stakeholders to identify gaps in evidence, policy, and advocacy for the primary and secondary prevention of these cancers and recommendations to accelerate these efforts. MethodsIndian and global experts from government, academia, private sector (health care, media), donor organizations, and civil society (including cancer survivors and patient advocates) presented and discussed challenges and solutions related to strategic communication and implementation of prevention, early detection, and treatment linkages.ResultsInnovative approaches to implementing and scaling up primary and secondary prevention were discussed using examples from India and elsewhere in the world. Participants also reflected on existing global guidelines and national cancer prevention policies and experiences.ConclusionsSymposium participants proposed implementation-focused research, advocacy, and policy/program priorities to strengthen primary and secondary prevention efforts in India to address the burden of oral, breast, and cervical cancers and improve survival

Transition compliance and school and community resources

The purpose of this study was to identify community or school resources that predict transition compliance at the Intermediate School District level in Michigan. Transition compliance was measured through the Transition Outcomes Project, according to standards determined by the Michigan Department of Education. Data from the 2003 Transition Outcomes Project was used because the Transition Requirements Checklist aligns closely to the post school outcomes components of transition as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997. Participants included the 57 Intermediate School Districts in Michigan. The dependent variable was an aggregate compliance rating created by averaging the percentage of compliant IEPs per ISD on eight select Transition Requirements Checklist items. The independent variables included demographic data, and school and community resource data per ISD. School resources included the average operating revenue per pupil and the method by which ISDs devolved PA 18 funds to local school districts and how these funds may be used to support transition services. Community resources included the jobless rate, the type of transportation available within each ISD, the number of non school agency caseworkers available to support people with disabilities, and the number of cash match agreements established between schools and non school agencies. A regression equation was used to identify predictors of compliance. No statistically significant predictors were identified. The small number of ISDs may have impacted the power of the regression model. Additional research using a larger data set, such as looking at compliance by local school district in Michigan or across more ISD units in more states, may be useful in identifying school and community resources that predict transition compliance. Future research, including examination of the content of IEPs where compliance is high and associated with positive post school outcomes, may be valuable in identifying predictors of both transition compliance and positive post school outcomes. Ultimately, to be meaningful, transition compliance must relate to improved post school outcomes for people with disabilities

Effectiveness of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines to prevent serious health complications in adults with chronic liver disease: a protocol for a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: In advanced chronic liver disease, diseases caused by common bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae or influenza virus put people at an increased risk of serious health complications and death. The effectiveness of the available vaccines in reducing the risk of poor health outcomes, however, is less clear. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for published reports on randomised controlled trials and observational studies on the effectiveness of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines in people with chronic liver disease. Two independent reviewers will screen the studies for eligibility, extract data and assess study quality and risk of bias. Random effects meta-analyses will be performed as appropriate. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Formal ethical approval is not required, as no primary data will be collected for this study. We will publish results of this study in relevant peer-reviewed medical journal or journals. Where possible, the study results will also be presented as posters or talks at relevant medical conferences and meetings