Heatwave-associated Vibrio infections in Germany, 2018 and 2019

Background: Vibrio spp. are aquatic bacteria that prefer warm seawater with moderate salinity. In humans, they can cause gastroenteritis, wound infections, and ear infections. During the summers of 2018 and 2019, unprecedented high sea surface temperatures were recorded in the German Baltic Sea. Aim: We aimed to describe the clinical course and microbiological characteristics of Vibrio infections in Germany in 2018 and 2019. Methods: We performed an observational retrospective multi-centre cohort study of patients diagnosed with domestically-acquired Vibrio infections in Germany in 2018 and 2019. Demographic, clinical, and microbiological data were assessed, and isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Results: Of the 63 patients with Vibrio infections, most contracted the virus between June and September, primarily in the Baltic Sea: 44 (70%) were male and the median age was 65 years (range: 2–93 years). Thirty-eight patients presented with wound infections, 16 with ear infections, six with gastroenteritis, two with pneumonia (after seawater aspiration) and one with primary septicaemia. The majority of infections were attributed to V. cholerae (non–O1/non-O139) (n = 30; 48%) or V. vulnificus (n = 22; 38%). Phylogenetic analyses of 12 available isolates showed clusters of three identical strains of V. vulnificus, which caused wound infections, suggesting that some clonal lines can spread across the Baltic Sea. Conclusions: During the summers of 2018 and 2019, severe heatwaves facilitated increased numbers of Vibrio infections in Germany. Since climate change is likely to favour the proliferation of these bacteria, a further increase in Vibrio-associated diseases is expected.Peer Reviewe

Uma análise da formação inclusiva do professor nos cursos de licenciatura em química de universidades públicas brasileiras / An analysis of the inclusive training for teachers of chemestry licentiate degrees on brazilian public universities

O cenário educacional contemporâneo tem evidenciado a relevância da inclusão nas escolas brasileiras. Sendo assim, promover a inclusão escolar é papel da comunidade escolar, do governo, da família e de toda a sociedade. No entanto, para que ocorra a inclusão, faz-se necessário pensar na formação dos professores. Nesse sentido, este trabalho objetiva inventariar a oferta de disciplinas voltadas à preparação do professor nos cursos de licenciatura em Química que irá atuar nesse contexto. Por meio desse inventário, é possível analisar que existe uma insuficiência na preparação e formação dos futuros professores para desenvolver seu trabalho dentro da perspectiva inclusiva

Consulting Editors

Supplementary material 2 (DOCX 19 kb

Germline variation at 8q24 and prostate cancer risk in men of European ancestry

Chromosome 8q24 is a susceptibility locus for multiple cancers, including prostate cancer. Here we combine genetic data across the 8q24 susceptibility region from 71,535 prostate cancer cases and 52,935 controls of European ancestry to define the overall contribution of germline variation at 8q24 to prostate cancer risk. We identify 12 independent risk signals for prostate cancer (p < 4.28 × 10−15), including three risk variants that have yet to be reported. From a polygenic risk score (PRS) model, derived to assess the cumulative effect of risk variants at 8q24, men in the top 1% of the PRS have a 4-fold (95%CI = 3.62–4.40) greater risk compared to the population average. These 12 variants account for ~25% of what can be currently explained of the familial risk of prostate cancer by known genetic risk factors. These findings highlight the overwhelming contribution of germline variation at 8q24 on prostate cancer risk which has implications for population risk stratification

Fine-mapping of prostate cancer susceptibility loci in a large meta-analysis identifies candidate causal variants

Prostate cancer is a polygenic disease with a large heritable component. A number of common, low-penetrance prostate cancer risk loci have been identified through GWAS. Here we apply the Bayesian multivariate variable selection algorithm JAM to fine-map 84 prostate cancer susceptibility loci, using summary data from a large European ancestry meta-analysis. We observe evidence for multiple independent signals at 12 regions and 99 risk signals overall. Only 15 original GWAS tag SNPs remain among the catalogue of candidate variants identified; the remainder are replaced by more likely candidates. Biological annotation of our credible set of variants indicates significant enrichment within promoter and enhancer elements, and transcription factor-binding sites, including AR, ERG and FOXA1. In 40 regions at least one variant is colocalised with an eQTL in prostate cancer tissue. The refined set of candidate variants substantially increase the proportion of familial relative risk explained by these known susceptibility regions, which highlights the importance of fine-mapping studies and has implications for clinical risk profiling. © 2018 The Author(s).Prostate cancer is a polygenic disease with a large heritable component. A number of common, low-penetrance prostate cancer risk loci have been identified through GWAS. Here we apply the Bayesian multivariate variable selection algorithm JAM to fine-map 84 prostate cancer susceptibility loci, using summary data from a large European ancestry meta-analysis. We observe evidence for multiple independent signals at 12 regions and 99 risk signals overall. Only 15 original GWAS tag SNPs remain among the catalogue of candidate variants identified; the remainder are replaced by more likely candidates. Biological annotation of our credible set of variants indicates significant enrichment within promoter and enhancer elements, and transcription factor-binding sites, including AR, ERG and FOXA1. In 40 regions at least one variant is colocalised with an eQTL in prostate cancer tissue. The refined set of candidate variants substantially increase the proportion of familial relative risk explained by these known susceptibility regions, which highlights the importance of fine-mapping studies and has implications for clinical risk profiling. © 2018 The Author(s).Peer reviewe

Your Library on Facebook: Reaching Out to Users Where They Are

Over the last year, Ball State University Libraries made reinvigorating their Facebook page a priority, going from 150 fans in December of 2009 to over 1,500 fans by March of 2011. Learn ways to promote your Facebook page and make it more than just a virtual notice board for your libraries. Discussion will include ways to incorporate photos, videos, meaningful links and news announcements, and lively interaction with users. Potential pitfalls will also be discussed, as well as the logistics of maintaining and managing the account with multiple administrators, and how to craft a social media policy to allow library staff to fully engage with patrons using social media while protecting the library’s name and image

Compulsive Exercise in College Students

Compulsive exercise (CE) involves a pathological drive to exercise or control weight (Dittmer, Jacobi, & Voderholzer, 2018). College women who endorsed aspects of CE have been found to exhibit disordered eating, depression, and mood sensitivity (Ackard et al., 2002). This study aims to: 1) characterize CE and physical activity (PA) in a college sample, 2) determine mental health outcomes of CE and PA, and 3) examine the relation between behavioral activation, inhibition, and CE or PA. Results suggest that increased levels of drive and negative affect are associated with CE. However, fewer depressive symptoms are associated with increased PA duration