Provenance variability of black alder in Poland

European black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) is a widespread tree species associated with wetlands and riparian ecosystems, thus it plays an important ecological role. Due to its fast growth and favorable wood properties it also has a potential to satisfy a growing demand for wood and fiber. However, its growth potential is not fully realized in Poland. In this study we investigated variation in growth traits, productivity, and stem straightness among 11 populations of European black alder originating from the lowland distribution of the species in Poland. The common−garden experiment located in 1968 in Kórnik (mid−western Poland) has been so far the only provenance experiment with this species in our country. We measured height and diameter of all trees at the site, assessed stem straightness in a 5−step scale (1−crooked; 5−straight), and calculated productivity at age of 50 years, which should be considered close to the rotation age. We found significant variation among populations in all investigated traits. The difference in productivity between the best and the worst provenance reached 75%. Using published and unpublished data from previous measurements at this site we also analyzed a trend in provenance ranking through time. The best and worst provenance could be identified at age 16 years, but many ranking shifts took place afterwards at the intermediate rank positions. We conclude that growth, productivity and stem quality of black alder could be improved through selection of favorable provenances within the species. Selection decisions can be made at the age below the half the rotation age, although decisions at 3/4 of rotation age would be more precise

Does lamotrigine use in pregnancy increase orofacial cleft risk relative to other malformations?

Objective: to investigate whether first trimester exposure to lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy is specifically associated with an increased risk of orofacial clefts (OCs) relative to other malformations, in response to a signal regarding increased OC risk.Methods: population-based case-control study with malformed controls based on EUROCAT congenital anomaly registers. The study population covered 3.9 million births from 19 registries 1995–2005. Registrations included congenital anomaly among livebirths, stillbirths, and terminations of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis. Cases were 5,511 nonsyndromic OC registrations, of whom 4,571 were isolated, 1,969 were cleft palate (CP), and 1,532 were isolated CP. Controls were 80,052 nonchromosomal, non-OC registrations. We compared first trimester LTG and antiepileptic drug (AED) use vs nonepileptic non-AED use, for mono and polytherapy, adjusting for maternal age. An additional exploratory analysis compared the observed and expected distribution of malformation types associated with LTG use.Results: there were 72 LTG exposed (40 mono- and 32 polytherapy) registrations. The ORs for LTG monotherapy vs no AED use were 0.67 (95% CI 0.10–2.34) for OC relative to other malformations, 0.80 (95% CI 0.11–2.85) for isolated OC, 0.79 (95% CI 0.03–4.35) for CP, and 1.01 (95% CI 0.03–5.57) for isolated CP. ORs for any AED use vs no AED use were 1.43 (95% CI 1.03–1.93) for OC, 1.21 (95% CI 0.82–1.72) for isolated OC, 2.37 (95% CI 1.54–3.43) for CP, and 1.86 (95% CI 1.07–2.94) for isolated CP. The distribution of other nonchromosomal malformation types with LTG exposure was similar to non-AED exposed.Conclusion: we find no evidence of a specific increased risk of isolated orofacial clefts relative to other malformations due to lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy. Our study is not designed to assess whether there is a generalized increased risk of malformations with LTG exposur