Meadow birds on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands: abundance and nest success

Intensification of agriculture is mentioned to be the key drive behind the decline of farmland birds on grassland and on arable land. This raises the question whether a less intensive system, such as organic, can stop or reverse these declines. The present study compares (1) the territory densities of meadow birds on organic and conventional arable farms, and (2) the nesting success of Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) on both farm types. The study was carried out in Oostelijk Flevoland and Noordoostpolder, two polders reclaimed during the 1950s and 1930s respectively. Both areas are homogenous, large-scale, and mainly arable areas. In total 20 pairs of arable farms were selected, each pair consisting of one organic and one conventional farm. Both farms of a pair were selected in such a way that landscape features and soil type were equal for both. All organic farms have been managed organically for at least 5 years. Conventional farms grew relatively more potatoes, sugar beet and winter cereals, whereas organic farms had a more diverse cropping pattern with larger areas of spring cereals. In 2004 and 2005 territories were mapped on respectively 10 and 20 pairs of farms. In total 6 meadow bird species were found: Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), Lapwing, Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis), Skylark (Alauda arvensis), Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix), and Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus). In both years Skylarks were more abundant on organic farms. The same held true for the Lapwing in 2004. In contrast Yellow Wagtails showed higher densities on conventional farms in 2005. For all other species no differences in abundances were found. Differences in crop rotation convenschemes between organic and conventional farms are likely to explain the differences in abundances of Skylark and Yellow Wagtail. The Skylark showed a preference for spring cereals that were more grown on organic farms. In contrast Yellow Wagtails reached highest densities in winter cereals and potatoes. These both crops are grown more on conventional farms. Comparisons on crop level (e.g. organic potatoes vs. conventional potatoes) showed no differences in abundances. This indicates that the crop itself is more important for territory establishment than crop management. For Lapwings differences in crop rotation scheme were unlikely to explain the differences in abundance in contrast to crop management. The latter might affect the densities of prey species, e.g. earthworms and ground-dwelling insects, of the Lapwing. In 2005 the nesting success of Lapwings was determined for 80 nests on organic farms and 45 nests on conventional farms. The daily nest survival rates were almost significantly lower on organic farms as a result of higher farming activities, notably tilling of land and mechanical weeding.Als eine der Hauptursachen für den Rückgang der Wiesenvögel in westeuropäischen Grünland- und Ackerbaugebieten wird die Intensivierung der Landwirtschaft gesehen. Es stellt sich deshalb die Frage, ob eine weniger intensive Bewirtschaftung, z.B. in Form des ökologischen Landbaus, diese Abnahmen stoppen oder sogar wieder umkehren kann. Die hier präsentierte Studie beschäftigt sich vergleichend (1) mit den Siedlungsdichten von Wiesenvögeln auf konventionell und ökologisch bewirtschafteten Ackerflächen, sowie (2) mit dem Schlupferfolg von Kiebitzgelegen auf diesen Standorten. Die Studie wurde in zwei Poldergebieten (Oostelijk Flevoland, Noordoostpolder) durchgeführt, die erst in den 1950er bzw. den 1930er Jahren dem Meer abgerungen wurden. Beide Gebiete weisen homogene, großräumige Ackerflächen auf. Insgesamt wurden 20 „Hofpaare“ ausgewählt, wobei jedes Paar aus einem ökologisch und einem konventionell bewirtschafteten Betrieb bestand. Die beiden Betriebe eines jeden Paares wurden so gewählt, dass sich ihre Betriebsflächen in Landschaftsstruktur und Bodenverhältnissen nicht unterschieden. Alle ökologisch geführten Betriebe produzierten seit mindestens 5 Jahren in dieser Weise. Während die konventionell wirtschaftenden Betriebe mehr Kartoffeln, Zuckerrüben und Wintergetreide anbauten, wiesen die ökologisch arbeitenden Betriebe ein größeres Spektrum an Anbaufrüchten und mehr Flächen mit Sommergetreide auf. In 2004 und 2005 wurden die Brutvogeldichten auf Betriebsflächen von 10 bzw. 20 „Hofpaaren“ ermittelt. Dabei wurden insgesamt 6 Arten in größerer Dichte festgestellt: Schafstelze (Motacilla flava), Kiebitz (Vanellus vanellus), Wiesenpieper (Anthus pratensis), Feldlerche (Alauda arvensis), Wachtel (Coturnix coturnix), und Austernfischer (Haematopus ostralegus). In beiden Jahren war die Feldlerche auf ökologisch bewirtschafteten Flächen häufiger vertreten. Kiebitze traten in solchen Flächen ebenfalls in höherer Dichte auf, wenn auch nur in 2004 statistisch signifikant. Die Schafstelze dagegen siedelte in 2005 auf konventionell bewirtschafteten Flächen in höherer Dichte. Für alle anderen Arten konnten keine Abundanzunterschiede zwischen beiden Bewirtschaftungstypen ermittelt werden. Flächenunterschiede im Fruchtanbau zwischen ökologisch und konventionell wirtschaftenden Betrieben scheinen für die Abundanzunterschiede bei Feldlerche und Schafstelze verantwortlich zu sein. Feldlerchenreviere fanden sich vor allem in Sommergetreide, das stärker von ökologisch arbeitenden Betrieben angebaut wird. Schafstelzen besiedelten dagegen vor allem Kartoffeläcker und Wintergetreideflächen. Diese Früchte werden häufiger auf konventionell bewirtschafteten Äckern angebaut. Ein Vergleich der Siedlungsdichte beider Vogelarten auf der Ebene einzelner Feldfrüchte (z.B. Öko-Kartoffelfläche vs. konventionell bewirtschafteter Kartoffelacker) ergab keine Unterschiede. Es zeigt aber, dass die Feldfrucht für die Habitatwahl wichtiger ist als die Bewirtschaftungsweise. Beim Kiebitz gehen die Abundanzunterschiede zwischen ökologisch und konventionell bewirtschafteten Flächen nicht auf Flächenunterschiede im Anbau einzelner Feldfrüchte zurück. Vielmehr scheinen Unterschiede in der Bewirtschaftung einzelner Feldfrüchte wesentlich entscheidender zu sein. In 2005 wurde vergleichend der Schlupferfolg von Kiebitzgelegen auf ökologisch bewirtschafteten (n = 80 Gelege) und konventionell bewirtschafteten Ackerflächen (n = 45 Gelege) ermittelt. Die Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit der Gelege war auf ökologisch bewirtschafteten Flächen deutlich niedriger. Ursächlich war der höhere Maschineneinsatz sowohl bei der Feldbestellung als auch beim Jäten der Flächen

Effects of cold winters and roost site stability on population development of non-native Asian ring-necked parakeets (Alexandrinus manillensis) in temperate Central Europe – Results of a 16-year census

Asian ring-necked parakeets (Alexandrinus manillensis, formerly Psittacula krameri, hereafter RNP) first bred in Germany in 1969. Since then, RNP numbers increased in all three major German subpopulations (Rhineland, Rhine-Main, Rhine-Neckar) over the period 2003–2018. In the Rhine-Neckar region, the population increased to more than fivefold within only 15 years. Interestingly, there was no significant breeding range expansion of  RNP in the period 2010–2018. In 2018, the total number of RNP in Germany amounted to >16,200 birds. Differences in RNP censuses between years were evident. Surprisingly, cold winters (extreme value, −13.7 °C) and cold weather conditions in the breeding season (coldest month average, −1.36 °C) were not able to explain between-year variation. This finding suggests that in general winter mortality is low – with exceptions for winters 2008/2009 and 2009/2010, and a population-relevant loss of broods is low in our study population. Surprisingly, the social behaviour in terms of spatio-temporal stability of roost sites could well explain positive and negative population trends. Years of spatially stable and regularly used roost sites seem to correlate with increasing population sizes. In contrast, known shifts of RNP among different roost sites or the formations of new roost sites by split are related to population stagnation or a decrease in numbers. Climate change may lead to further range expansion as cities not suitable yet for RNP may become so in the near future.

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Fiducial marker motion relative to the tumor bed has a significant impact on PTV margins in partial breast irradiation

Introduction: With the introduction of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) and the trend of reducing the number of fractions, the geometric accuracy of treatment delivery becomes critical. APBI patient setup is often based on fiducials, as the seroma is frequently not visible on pretreatment imaging. We assessed the motion of fiducials relative to the tumor bed between planning CT and treatment, and calculated margins to compensate for this motion. Methods: A cohort of seventy patients treated with APBI on a Cyberknife was included. Planning and in-room pretreatment CT scans were registered on the tumor bed. Residual motion of the centers of mass of surgical clips and interstitial gold markers was calculated. We calculated the margins required per desired percentage of patients with 100% CTV coverage, and the systematic and random errors for fiducial motion. Results: For a single fraction treatment, a margin of 1.8 mm would ensure 100% CTV coverage in 90% of patients when using surgical clips for patient set-up. When using interstitial markers, the margin should be 2.2 mm. The systematic and random errors were 0.46 mm for surgical clip motion and 0.60 mm for interstitial marker motion. No clinical factors were found predictive for fiducial motion. Conclusions: Fiducial motion relative to the tumor bed between planning CT and APBI treatment is non-negligible and should be included in the PTV margin calculation to prevent geographical miss. Systematic and random errors of fiducial motion were combined with other geometric uncertainties to calculate comprehensive PTV margins for different treatment techniques

Intrafraction motion during partial breast irradiation depends on treatment time

Introduction: As the prognosis of early-stage breast cancer patients is excellent, prevention of radiation-induced toxicity has become crucial. Reduction of margins compensating for intrafraction motion reduces non-target dose. We assessed motion of the tumor bed throughout APBI treatment fractions and calculated CTV-PTV margins for breathing and drift. Methods: This prospective clinical trial included patients treated with APBI on a Cyberknife with fiducial tracking. Paired orthogonal kV images made throughout the entire fraction were used to extract the tumor bed position. The images used for breathing modelling were used to calculate breathing amplitudes. The margins needed to compensate for breathing and drift were calculated according to Engelsman and Van Herk respectively. Results: Twenty-two patients, 110 fractions and 5087 image pairs were analyzed. The margins needed for breathing were 0.3–0.6 mm. The margin for drift increased with time after the first imaging for positioning. For a total fraction duration up to 8 min, a margin of 1.0 mm is sufficient. For a fraction of 32 min, 2.5 mm is needed. Techniques that account for breathing motion can reduce the margin by 0.1 mm. There was a systematic trend in the drift in the caudal, medial and posterior direction. To compensate for this, 0.7 mm could be added to the margins. Conclusions: The margin needed to compensate for intrafraction motion increased with longer fraction duration due to drifting of the target. It doubled for a fraction of 24 min compared to 8 min. Breathing motion has a limited effect

Insights into therapeutic products, preclinical research models, and clinical trials in cardiac regenerative and reparative medicine: Where are we now and the way ahead. Current opinion paper of the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Regenerative and Reparative Medicine

Great expectations have been set around the clinical potential of regenerative and reparative medicine in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases [i.e. in particular, heart failure (HF)]. Initial excitement, spurred by encouraging preclinical data, resulted in a rapid translation into clinical research. The sobering outcome of the resulting clinical trials suggests that preclinical testing may have been insufficient to predict clinical outcome. A number of barriers for clinical translation include the inherent variability of the biological products and difficulties to develop potency and quality assays, insufficient rigour of the preclinical research and reproducibility of the results, manufacturing challenges, and scientific irregularities reported in the last years. The failure to achieve clinical success led to an increased scrutiny and scepticism as to the clinical readiness of stem cells and gene therapy products among clinicians, industry stakeholders, and funding bodies. The present impasse has attracted the attention of some of the most active research groups in the field, which were then summoned to analyse the position of the field and tasked to develop a strategy, to re-visit the undoubtedly promising future of cardiovascular regenerative and reparative medicine, based on lessons learned over the past two decades. During the scientific retreat of the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Regenerative and Reparative Medicine (CARE) in November 2018, the most relevant and timely research aspects in regenerative and/or reparative medicine were presented and critically discussed, with the aim to lay out a strategy for the future development of the field. We report herein the main ideas and conclusions of that meeting

Insights into therapeutic products, preclinical research models, and clinical trials in cardiac regenerative and reparative medicine: where are we now and the way ahead. Current opinion paper of the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Regenerative and Reparative Medicine

Great expectations have been set around the clinical potential of regenerative and reparative medicine in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases [i.e. in particular, heart failure (HF)]. Initial excitement, spurred by encouraging preclinical data, resulted in a rapid translation into clinical research. The sobering outcome of the resulting clinical trials suggests that preclinical testing may have been insufficient to predict clinical outcome. A number of barriers for clinical translation include the inherent variability of the biological products and difficulties to develop potency and quality assays, insufficient rigour of the preclinical research and reproducibility of the results, manufacturing challenges, and scientific irregularities reported in the last years. The failure to achieve clinical success led to an increased scrutiny and scepticism as to the clinical readiness of stem cells and gene therapy products among clinicians, industry stakeholders, and funding bodies. The present impasse has attracted the attention of some of the most active research groups in the field, which were then summoned to analyse the position of the field and tasked to develop a strategy, to re-visit the undoubtedly promising future of cardiovascular regenerative and reparative medicine, based on lessons learned over the past two decades. During the scientific retreat of the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Regenerative and Reparative Medicine (CARE) in November 2018, the most relevant and timely research aspects in regenerative and/or reparative medicine were presented and critically discussed, with the aim to lay out a strategy for the future development of the field. We report herein the main ideas and conclusions of that meeting

Effects of cold winters and roost site stability on population development of non-native Asian ring-necked parakeets (Alexandrinus manillensis) in temperate Central Europe – results of a 16-year census

Asian ring-necked parakeets (Alexandrinus manillensis, formerly Psittacula krameri, hereafter RNP) first bred in Germany in 1969. Since then, RNP numbers increased in all three major German subpopulations (Rhineland, Rhine-Main, Rhine-Neckar) over the period 2003-2018. In the Rhine-Neckar region, the population increased to more than fivefold within only 15 years. Interestingly, there was no significant breeding range expansion of RNP in the period 2010-2018. In 2018, the total number of RNP in Germany amounted to >16,200 birds. Differences in RNP censuses between years were evident. Surprisingly, cold winters (extreme value, −13.7 °C) and cold weather conditions in the breeding season (coldest month average, −1.36 °C) were not able to explain between-year variation. This finding suggests that in general winter mortality is low - with exceptions for winters 2008/2009 and 2009/2010, and a population-relevant loss of broods is low in our study population. Surprisingly, the social behaviour in terms of spatio-temporal stability of roost sites could well explain positive and negative population trends. Years of spatially stable and regularly used roost sites seem to correlate with increasing population sizes. In contrast, known shifts of RNP among different roost sites or the formations of new roost sites by split are related to population stagnation or a decrease in numbers. Climate change may lead to further range expansion as cities not suitable yet for RNP may become so in the near future.