Prevalence of Chronic Complications in Korean Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Based on the Korean National Diabetes Program

BackgroundThe Korean National Diabetes Program (KNDP) cohort study is performing an ongoing large-scale prospective multicenter investigation to discover the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes in Korean patients. This study was performed to examine the prevalence of chronic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes among those registered in the KNDP cohort within the past 4 years.MethodsThis study was performed between June 2006 and September 2009 at 13 university hospitals and included 4,265 KNDP cohort participants. Among the participants, the crude prevalence of microvascular and macrovascular diseases of those checked for diabetes-related complications was determined, and the adjusted standard prevalence and standardization of the general population prevalence ratio (SPR) was estimated based on the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) population demographics.ResultsAmong the KNDP registrants, 43.2% had hypertension, 34.8% had dyslipidemia, 10.8% had macrovascular disease, and 16.7% had microvascular disease. The SPR of the KNDP registrants was significantly higher than that of the KNHANES subjects after adjusting for demographics in the KNHANES 2005 population. However, with the exception of cardiovascular disease in females, the standardized prevalence for the most complicated items in the survey was significantly higher than that in the KNHANES subjects.ConclusionThe prevalence of macrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease were significantly higher in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes than in the normal population. However, no significant difference was noted in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in females

Aanvullingen en corrigenda bij de gedocumenteerde checklist van de veenmossen in Vlaanderen

Additions and corrections to the documented checklist of peat mosses in Flanders. The publication, in 2017, of a documented checklist of peat mosses in Flanders has led to the discovery of new sites of rare peat moss species. Sphagnum quinquefariumand S. girgensohnii have been confirmed for Flanders, S. contortum is new for the Sand-Sandloam Region and S. teres has been confirmed for the latter Region. Some erroneous records of S. angustifolium have been deleted. New data have been added for the very rare S. russowii, S. subsecundum and S. riparium.status: publishe

Diversity and community structure of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi in European bogs and heathlands across a gradient of nitrogen deposition

Despite the ecological significance of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, little is known about the abiotic and biotic factors driving their diversity and community composition. To determine the relative importance of abiotic and biotic filtering in structuring ericoid mycorrhizal fungal communities, we established 156 sampling plots in two highly contrasting environments but dominated by the same Ericaceae plant species: waterlogged bogs and dry heathlands. Plots were located across 25 bogs and 27 dry heathlands in seven European countries covering a gradient in nitrogen deposition and phosphorus availability. Putatively ericoid mycorrhizal fungal communities in the roots of 10 different Ericaceae species were characterized using high-throughput amplicon sequencing. Variation in ericoid mycorrhizal fungal communities was attributed to both habitat and soil variables on the one hand and host plant identity on the other. Communities differed significantly between bogs and heathlands and, in a given habitat, communities differed significantly among host plant species. Fungal richness was negatively related to nitrogen deposition in bogs and phosphorus availability in bogs and heathlands. Our results demonstrate that both abiotic and biotic filtering shapes ericoid mycorrhizal fungal communities and advocate an environmental policy minimizing excess nutrient input in these nutrient-poor ecosystems to avoid loss of ericoid mycorrhizal fungal taxa.status: publishe

Hygrothermal performance of CLT subjected to rain loads during construction in Belgium

As the use of CLT is increasing, it is important to understand how to deal with moisture during construction. Throughout the construction phase it is often not feasible to shield every component and detail from direct rain impingement. This paper investigates what happens to CLT, and spruce wood in general, when it is exposed to rain events, and how fast it dries out afterwards. Subsequently, the implications of incorporating a wetted component into a finished wall system is also investigated. The moisture behaviour of both plain spruce and CLT samples that are exposed outdoors is investigated using the continuous moisture measurement (CMM) setup at the UGent Woodlab in combination with hygrothermal simulations in Delphin 6. Pieces of solid wood and CLT are mounted on load cells that record the weight every 5 minutes, to study the wetting and drying behavior. Hygrothermal simulations are done in Delphin 6 using a climate file that is made from the recorded weather data. This way, the CMM experiments can be recreated in simulations. The goal here is to understand what is happening in the simulations and to look at what influence different parameters have on the moisture content of the samples. Risks of mould and wood decay are investigated, and recommendations are made concerning practical moisture management and risk mititagion for these types of constructions

The role of above-ground competition and nitrogen <i>vs</i>. phosphorus enrichment in seedling survival of common European plant species of semi-natural grasslands

<div><p>Anthropogenic activities have severely altered fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus in ecosystems worldwide. In grasslands, subsequent negative effects are commonly attributed to competitive exclusion of plant species following increased above-ground biomass production. However, some studies have shown that this does not fully account for nutrient enrichment effects, questioning whether lowering competition by reducing grassland productivity through mowing or herbivory can mitigate the environmental impact of nutrient pollution. Furthermore, few studies so far discriminate between nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. We performed a full factorial experiment in greenhouse mesocosms combining nitrogen and phosphorus addition with two clipping regimes designed to relax above-ground competition. Next, we studied the survival and growth of seedlings of eight common European grassland species and found that five out of eight species showed higher survival under the clipping regime with the lowest above-ground competition. Phosphorus addition negatively affected seven plant species and nitrogen addition negatively affected four plant species. Importantly, the negative effects of nutrient addition and higher above-ground competition were independent of each other for all but one species. Our results suggest that at any given level of soil nutrients, relaxation of above-ground competition allows for higher seedling survival in grasslands. At the same time, even at low levels of above-ground competition, nutrient enrichment negatively affects survival as compared to nutrient-poor conditions. Therefore, although maintaining low above-ground competition appears essential for species’ recruitment, for instance through mowing or herbivory, these management efforts are likely to be insufficient and we conclude that environmental policies aimed to reduce both excess nitrogen and particularly phosphorus inputs are also necessary.</p></div

Data from: Rapid genetic adaptation precedes the spread of an exotic plant species

Human activities have increasingly introduced plant species far outside their native ranges under environmental conditions that can strongly differ from those originally met. Therefore, before spreading, and potentially causing ecological and economical damage, non native species may rapidly evolve. Evidence of genetically based adaptation during the process of becoming invasive is very scant however, which is due to the lack of knowledge regarding the historical genetic makeup of the introduced populations and the lack of genomic resource. Capitalizing on the availability of old non-native herbarium specimens, we examined frequency shifts in genic SNPs of the Pyrenean Rocket (Sisymbrium austriacum subsp. chrysanthum), comparing the (i) native, (ii) currently spreading non-native, and (iii) historically introduced gene pool. Results show strong divergence in flowering time genes during the establishment phase, indicating that rapid genetic adaptation preceded the spread of this species and possibly assisted in overcoming environmental constraints

Rapid genetic adaptation precedes the spread of an exotic plant species

Human activities have increasingly introduced plant species far outside their native ranges under environmental conditions that can strongly differ from those originally met. Therefore, before spreading, and potentially causing ecological and economical damage, non-native species may rapidly evolve. Evidence of genetically based adaptation during the process of becoming invasive is very scant, however, which is due to the lack of knowledge regarding the historical genetic makeup of the introduced populations and the lack of genomic resources. Capitalizing on the availability of old non-native herbarium specimens, we examined frequency shifts in genic SNPs of the Pyrenean Rocket (Sisymbrium austriacum subsp. chrysanthum), comparing the (i) native, (ii) currently spreading non-native and (iii) historically introduced gene pool. Results show strong divergence in flowering time genes during the establishment phase, indicating that rapid genetic adaptation preceded the spread of this species and possibly assisted in overcoming environmental constraints