What factors influence colonization of lichens, liverworts, mosses and vascular plants on snags?

The dead standing trees i.e. snags are known as habitat for epiphytic and epixylic species including first of all lichens and bryophytes. The vascular plants are much rarer on this type of coarse woody debris (CWD). The eighty snags (CWD elements higher than 1.5 m) of Norway spruce Picea abies and beech Fagus sylvatica in the Karkonosze Mts. were examined for the presence of lichens, liverworts, mosses and vascular plants. The height of snags, their decomposition stage, cover of bark, diameter at breast height (DBH) as well as site conditions (elevation, slope and aspect, presence in forest community) were measured and noted. The percent cover of plants and lichens were estimated on each snag. Totally 99 taxa were recorded. There lichen species were dominant (44), followed by mosses (34), liverworts (13) and there were only 8 vascular plants. The total species richness varied from 1 to 22 taxa. The species composition growing on snags was subjected to canonical correspondence analysis and statistical analyses. They revealed that the species identity of snag is one of the most important factors influencing species composition. The number of species is positively correlated with DBH whereas decomposition stage, presence of bark, snag height are not significant factors. The species richness increases also with altitude what is connected with higher abundance of spruce snags. The occurrence of snags in this area is mainly associated with forest management practices in the past. Despite of some observed patterns in colonization of snags they are important habitat especially for lichens

Investigation of amphibian mortality events in wildlife reveals an on-going ranavirus epidemic in the North of the Netherlands

In the four years following the first detection of ranavirus (genus Ranavirus, family Iridoviridae) infection in Dutch wildlife in 2010, amphibian mortality events were investigated nationwide to detect, characterize and map ranaviruses in amphibians over time, and to establish the affected host species and the clinico-pathological presentation of the disease in these hosts. The ultimate goal was to obtain more insight into ranavirus disease emergence and ecological risk. In total 155 dead amphibians from 52 sites were submitted between 2011 and 2014, and examined using histopathology, immunohistochemistry, virus isolation and molecular genetic characterization. Ranavirus-associated amphibian mortality events occurred at 18 sites (35%), initially only in proximity of the 2010 index site. Specimens belonging to approximately half of the native amphibian species were infected, including the threatened Pelobates fuscus (spadefoot toad). Clustered massive outbreaks involving dead adult specimens and ranavirus genomic identity indicated that one common midwife toad virus (CMTV)-like ranavirus strain is emerging in provinces in the north of the Netherlands. Modelling based on the spatiotemporal pattern of spread showed a high probability that this emerging virus will continue to be detected at new sites (the discrete reproductive power of this outbreak is 0.35). Phylogenetically distinct CMTV-like ranaviruses were found in the south of the Netherlands more recently. In addition to showing that CMTV-like ranaviruses threaten wild amphibian populations not only in Spain but also in the Netherlands, the current spread and risk of establishment reiterate that understanding the underlying causes of CMTV-like ranavirus emergence requires international attention

Manual for implementation or modification of child vision and hearing screening programmes:EUSCREEN

The euscreen study aimed to compare vision and hearing screening programmes for children in all EU states by using a cost-effectiveness model. The cost-effectiveness model predicts the most cost-effective and affordable way to screen children in each country, given the local circumstances. Representatives of countries in Europe were asked to provide detailed data on the following domains: demography, the general background of screening systems, existing screening systems, coverage/attendance, tests used, follow-up/diagnosis, treatment, benefits and adverse effects. Paediatric ophthalmologists, paediatric otolaryngologists, audiologists and professionals who organise and perform screening in each country were invited to participate in the study and report on the state of screening in their country. An extensive, detailed questionnaire was developed for that purpose. Screening programmes have been tested in the county of Cluj in Romania for vision, and in three counties in Albania for hearing screening. This manual for implementation or modification of child vision and hearing screening programmes was developed by detailed tracking, and from identified requisites, facilitators and barriers. The cost-effectiveness model and this manual for implementation will assist healthcare providers and policy makers worldwide in their decisions to introduce or modify vision and hearing screening programmes, and increase effectiveness, efficiency and equity of child healthcar

Manual for implementation or modification of child vision and hearing screening programmes:EUSCREEN

The euscreen study aimed to compare vision and hearing screening programmes for children in all EU states by using a cost-effectiveness model. The cost-effectiveness model predicts the most cost-effective and affordable way to screen children in each country, given the local circumstances. Representatives of countries in Europe were asked to provide detailed data on the following domains: demography, the general background of screening systems, existing screening systems, coverage/attendance, tests used, follow-up/diagnosis, treatment, benefits and adverse effects. Paediatric ophthalmologists, paediatric otolaryngologists, audiologists and professionals who organise and perform screening in each country were invited to participate in the study and report on the state of screening in their country. An extensive, detailed questionnaire was developed for that purpose. Screening programmes have been tested in the county of Cluj in Romania for vision, and in three counties in Albania for hearing screening. This manual for implementation or modification of child vision and hearing screening programmes was developed by detailed tracking, and from identified requisites, facilitators and barriers. The cost-effectiveness model and this manual for implementation will assist healthcare providers and policy makers worldwide in their decisions to introduce or modify vision and hearing screening programmes, and increase effectiveness, efficiency and equity of child healthcar

Modelling the cost-effectiveness of a newborn hearing screening programme:Usability and pitfalls

Objective: The EUSCREEN project concerns the study of European vision and hearing screening programmes. Part of the project was the development of a cost-effectiveness model to analyse such programmes. We describe the development and usability of an online tool to enable stakeholders to design, analyse or modify a newborn hearing screening (NHS) programme. Design: Data from literature, from existing NHS programmes, and observations by users were used to develop and refine the tool. Required inputs include prevalence of the hearing impairment, test sequence and its timing, attendance, sensitivity, and specificity of each screening step. Outputs include the number of cases detected and the costs of screening and diagnostics. Study sample: Eleven NHS programmes with reliable data. Results: Three analyses are presented, exploring the effect of low attendance, number of screening steps, testing in the maternity ward, or screening at a later age, on the benefits and costs of the programme. Knowledge of the epidemiology of a staged screening programme is crucial when using the tool. Conclusions: This study presents a tool intended to aid stakeholders to design a new or analyse an existing hearing screening programme in terms of benefits and costs.</p

Heat shock protein expression analysis in canine osteosarcoma reveals HSP60 as a potentially relevant therapeutic target

Heat shock proteins (HSP) are highly conserved across eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. These proteins play a role in response to cellular stressors, protecting cells from damage and facilitating recovery. In tumor cells, HSPs can have cytoprotective effects and interfere with apoptotic cascades. This study was performed to assess the prognostic and predictive values of the gene expression of HSP family members in canine osteosarcoma (OS) and their potential for targeted therapy. Gene expressions for HSP were assessed using quantitative PCR (qPCR) on 58 snap-frozen primary canine OS tumors and related to clinic-pathological parameters. A significant increased expression of HSP60 was found in relation to shorter overall survival and an osteoblastic phenotype. Therefore, the function of HSP60 was investigated in more detail. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed heterogeneous staining for HSP60 in tumors. The highest immunoreactivity was found in tumors of short surviving dogs. Next HSP expression was shown in a variety of canine and human OS cell lines by qPCR and Western blot. In two highly metastatic cell lines HSP60 expression was silenced using siRNA resulting in decreased cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis in both cell lines. It is concluded that overexpression of HSP60 is associated with a poor prognosis of OS and should be evaluated as a new target for therapy

Implementation of paediatric vision screening in urban and rural areas in Cluj County, Romania

BACKGROUND In 2018 and 2019, paediatric vision screening was implemented in Cluj County,Romania, where universal paediatric vision screening does not yet exist. We report on the preparation and the first year of implementation. METHODS Objectives, target population and screening protocol were defined. In cities, children were screened by kindergarten nurses. In rural areas, kindergartens have no nurses and children were screened by family doctors’ nurses, initially at the doctors’ offices,later also in rural kindergartens. CME-accredited training courses and treatment pathways were organised.Implementation was assessed through on-site observations, interviews, questionnaires and analysis of screening results of referred children. RESULTS Out of 12,795 eligible four- and five-year-old children, 7,876 were screened in 2018. In the cities, kindergarten nurses screened most children without difficulties. In Cluj-Napoca 1.62x the average annual birth rate was screened and in the small cities 1.64x. In the rural areas, however, nurses of family doctors screened only 0.49x the birth rate.In 51 out of 75 rural communes, no screening took place in the first year. Of 118 rural family doctors’ nurses, 51 had followed the course and 26 screened children. They screened only 41 children per nurse, on average, as compared to 80 in the small cities and 100 in Cluj-Napoca. Screening at rural kindergartens met with limited success. These are attended by few children because of low population density, parents working abroad or children being kept at home in case of bad weather and road conditions. CONCLUSIONS Three times fewer children were screened in rural areas as compared to urban areas. Kindergartens in rural areas are too small to employ nurses and family doctors’ nurses do not have easy access to many children and have competing healthcare priorities: there are 1.5x as many family doctors in urban areas as compared to rural areas. For nationwide scaling-up of vision screening, nurses should be enabled to screen a sufficient number of children in rural areas

Language and ethnobiological skills decline precipitously in Papua New Guinea, the world's most linguistically diverse nation

Papua New Guinea is home to >10% of the world’s languages and rich and varied biocultural knowledge, but the future of this diversity remains unclear. We measured language skills of 6,190 students speaking 392 languages (5.5% of the global total) and modeled their future trends using individual-level variables characterizing family language use, socioeconomic conditions, students’ skills, and language traits. This approach showed that only 58% of the students, compared to 91% of their parents, were fluent in indigenous languages, while the trends in key drivers of language skills (language use at home, proportion of mixed-language families, urbanization, students’ traditional skills) predicted accelerating decline of fluency to an estimated 26% in the next generation of students. Ethnobiological knowledge declined in close parallel with language skills. Varied medicinal plant uses known to the students speaking indigenous languages are replaced by a few, mostly nonnative species for the students speaking English or Tok Pisin, the national lingua franca. Most (88%) students want to teach indigenous language to their children. While crucial for keeping languages alive, this intention faces powerful external pressures as key factors (education, cash economy, road networks, and urbanization) associated with language attrition are valued in contemporary society

Availability of data for cost-effectiveness comparison of child vision and hearing screening programmes

Objective For cost-effectiveness comparison of child vision and hearing screening programmes, methods and data should be available. We assessed the current state of data collection and its availability in Europe. Methods The EUSCREEN Questionnaire, conducted in 2017–2018, assessed paediatric vision and hearing screening programmes in 45 countries in Europe. For the current study, its items on data collection, monitoring and evaluation, and six of eleven items essential for cost-effectiveness analysis: prevalence, sensitivity, specificity, coverage, attendance and loss to follow-up, were reappraised with an additional questionnaire. Results The practice of data collection in vision screening was reported in 36% (N = 42) of countries and in hearing screening in 81% (N = 43); collected data were published in 12% and 35%, respectively. Procedures for quality assurance in vision screening were reported in 19% and in hearing screening in 26%, research of screening effectiveness in 43% and 47%, whereas cost-effectiveness analysis was performed in 12% for both. Data on prevalence of amblyopia were reported in 40% and of hearing loss in 77%, on sensitivity of screening tests in 17% and 14%, on their specificity in 19% and 21%, on coverage of screening in 40% and 84%, on attendance in 21% and 37%, and on loss to follow-up in 12% and 40%, respectively. Conclusions Data collection is insufficient in hearing screening and even more so in vision screening: data essential for cost-effectiveness comparison could not be reported from most countries. When collection takes place, this is mostly at a local level for quality assurance or accountability, and data are often not accessible. The resulting inability to compare cost-effectiveness among screening programmes perpetuates their diversity and inefficiency