Prevalence of disability in a composite ≥75 year-old population in Spain: A screening survey based on the International Classification of Functioning

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence and predictors of functional status and disability of elderly people have been studied in several European countries including Spain. However, there has been no population-based study incorporating the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework as the basis for assessing disability. The present study reports prevalence rates for mild, moderate, and severe/extreme disability by the domains of activities and participation of the ICF.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Nine populations surveyed in previous prevalence studies contributed probabilistic and geographically defined samples in June 2005. The study sample was composed of 503 subjects aged ≥75 years. We implemented a two-phase screening design using the MMSE and the World Health Organization-Disability Assessment Schedule 2^ndedition (WHO-DAS II, 12 items) as cognitive and disability screening tools, respectively. Participants scoring within the positive range of the disability screening were administered the full WHO-DAS II (36 items; score range: 0-100) assessing the following areas: Understanding and communication, Getting along with people, Life activities, Getting around, Participation in society, and Self-care. Each disability area assessed by WHO-DAS II (36 items) was reported according to the ICF severity ranges (No problem, 0-4; Mild disability, 5-24; Moderate disability, 25-49; Severe/Extreme disability, 50-100).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The age-adjusted disability prevalence figures were: 39.17 ± 2.18%, 15.31 ± 1.61%, and 10.14 ± 1.35% for mild, moderate, and severe/extreme disability, respectively. Severe and extreme disability prevalence in mobility and life activities was three times higher than the average, and highest among women. Sex variations were minimal, although life activities for women of 85 years and over had more severe/extreme disability as compared to men (OR = 5.15 95% CI 3.19-8.32).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Disability is highly prevalent among the Spanish elderly. Sex- and age-specific variations of disability are associated with particular disability domains.</p

Chromatin and epigenetics: current biophysical views

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing experiments and their theoretical descriptions have determined fast dynamics of the "chromatin and epigenetics" field, with new concepts appearing at high rate. This field includes but is not limited to the study of DNA-protein-RNA interactions, chromatin packing properties at different scales, regulation of gene expression and protein trafficking in the cell nucleus, binding site search in the crowded chromatin environment and modulation of physical interactions by covalent chemical modifications of the binding partners. The current special issue does not pretend for the full coverage of the field, but it rather aims to capture its development and provide a snapshot of the most recent concepts and approaches. Eighteen open-access articles comprising this issue provide a delicate balance between current theoretical and experimental biophysical approaches to uncover chromatin structure and understand epigenetic regulation, allowing free flow of new ideas and preliminary results

Minimal Length Scale Scenarios for Quantum Gravity

We review the question of whether the fundamental laws of nature limit our ability to probe arbitrarily short distances. First, we examine what insights can be gained from thought experiments for probes of shortest distances, and summarize what can be learned from different approaches to a theory of quantum gravity. Then we discuss some models that have been developed to implement a minimal length scale in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. These models have entered the literature as the generalized uncertainty principle or the modified dispersion relation, and have allowed the study of the effects of a minimal length scale in quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, thermodynamics, black-hole physics and cosmology. Finally, we touch upon the question of ways to circumvent the manifestation of a minimal length scale in short-distance physics.Comment: Published version available at http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2013-

The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe

From around 2750 to 2500 bc, Bell Beaker pottery became widespread across western and central Europe, before it disappeared between 2200 and 1800 bc. The forces that propelled its expansion are a matter of long-standing debate, and there is support for both cultural diffusion and migration having a role in this process. Here we present genome-wide data from 400 Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age Europeans, including 226 individuals associated with Beaker-complex artefacts. We detected limited genetic affinity between Beaker-complex-associated individuals from Iberia and central Europe, and thus exclude migration as an important mechanism of spread between these two regions. However, migration had a key role in the further dissemination of the Beaker complex. We document this phenomenon most clearly in Britain, where the spread of the Beaker complex introduced high levels of steppe-related ancestry and was associated with the replacement of approximately 90% of Britain’s gene pool within a few hundred years, continuing the east-to-west expansion that had brought steppe-related ancestry into central and northern Europe over the previous centuries

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Pathogenicity testing of lesser-known fungal trunk pathogens associated with wood decay of almond trees

Cross infection of multiple hosts by fungal trunk pathogens has been reported to occur worldwide. It supports the hypothesis that infected hosts adjacent to vineyards may serve as sources of inoculum for these pathogens. Among the alternative hosts, different studies have shown that almond represents a rich catch-crop for many fungal trunk pathogens. The hyphomycetes Collophora hispanica, Phaeoacremonium (Pm.) amygdalinum, Pm. iranianum and Pleurostomophora richardsiae have recently been isolated from wood samples with internal necroses and brown to black vascular streaking of almond trees showing symptoms of decline in Spain, although their status as pathogens was so far unknown. We inoculated almond trees cv. Ferragnes with these fungal species in greenhouse experiments to determine their pathogenic potential. All of them infected, colonised and produced lesions statistically different from the control, Pl. richardsiae being the most aggressive. Therefore, Co. hispanica, Pm. amygdalinum, Pm. iranianum and Pl. richardsiae should be considered as trunk pathogens of almond trees.Olmo, D.; Armengol Fortí, J.; León Santana, M.; Gramaje Pérez, D. (2015). Pathogenicity testing of lesser-known fungal trunk pathogens associated with wood decay of almond trees. European Journal of Plant Pathology. 143(3):607-611. doi:10.1007/s10658-015-0699-36076111433Arzanlou, M., Narmani, A., Khodaei, S., & Moshari, S. (2014). Pome and stone fruit trees as possible reservoir hosts for Phaeoacremonium spp., the causal agents of grapevine esca disease, in Iran. Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection, 47, 717–727.Carlucci, A., Lops, F., Marchi, G., Mugnai, L., & Surico, G. (2013a). Has Xylella fastidiosa “chosen” olive trees to establish in the Mediterranean basin? Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 52, 541–544.Carlucci, A., Raimondo, M. L., Cibelli, F., Phillips, J. L., & Lops, F. (2013b). Pleurostomophora richardsiae, Neofusicoccum parvum and Phaeoacremonium aleophilum associated with a decline of olives in southern Italy. Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 52, 517–527.Carlucci, A., Lops, F., Cibelli, F., & Raimondo, M. L. (2014). Phaeoacremonium species associated with olive wilt and decline in southern Italy. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 141, 717–729.Carter, M. V. (1982). Additional hosts of Eutypa armeniacae in Australia. Australasian Plant Pathology, 11, 46–48.Cloete, M., Fourie, P. H., Damm, U., Crous, P. W., & Mostert, L. (2011). Fungi associated with die-back symptoms of apple and pear trees, a possible inoculum source of grapevine trunk disease pathogens. Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 50, S176–S190.Damm, U., Mostert, L., Crous, P. W., & Fourie, P. H. (2008). Novel Phaeoacremonium species associated with necrotic wood of Prunus trees. Persoonia, 20, 87–102.Damm, U., Fourie, P. H., & Crous, P. W. (2010). Coniochaeta (Lecythophora)), Collophora gen. nov. and Phaeomoniella species associated with wood necroses of Prunus trees. Persoonia, 24, 60–80.Ellis, M. B., & Ellis, J. P. (1997). Microfungi on land plants: An identification handbook. The Richmond Publishing Co., Ltd.English, H., Davis, J. R., & deVay, J. E. (1966). Dothiorella canker, a new disease of almond trees in California. Phytopathology, 56, 146.Essakhi, S., Mugnai, L., Crous, P. W., Groenewald, J. Z., & Surico, G. (2008). Molecular and phenotypic characterization of novel Phaeoacremonium species associated with Petri disease and esca of grapevine. Persoonia, 21, 119–134.Gramaje, D., Armengol, J., Colino, M., Santiago, R., Moralejo, E., Olmo, D., Luque, J., & Mostert, L. (2009a). First report of Phaeoacremonium inflatipes, P. iranianum and P. sicilianum causing Petri disease of grapevine in Spain. Plant Disease, 93, 964.Gramaje, D., Armengol, J., Mohammadi, H., Banihashemi, Z., & Mostert, L. (2009b). Novel Phaeoacremonium species associated with Petri disease and esca of grapevines in Iran and Spain. Mycologia, 101, 920–929.Gramaje, D., Agustí-Brisach, C., Pérez-Sierra, A., Moralejo, E., Olmo, D., Mostert, L., Damm, U., & Armengol, J. (2012). Fungal trunk pathogens associated with wood decay of almond trees on Mallorca (Spain). Persoonia, 28, 1–13.Gramaje, D., León, M., Pérez-Sierra, A., Burgess, T., & Armengol, J. (2014a). New Phaeoacremonium species isolated from sandalwood trees in western Australia. IMA Fungus, 5, 67–77.Gramaje, D., León, M., Santana, M., Crous, P. W., & Armengol, J. (2014b). Multilocus ISSR markers reveal two major genetic groups in Spanish and South African populations of the grapevine fungal pathogen Cadophora luteo-olivacea. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e110417.Gramaje, D., Mostert, L., Groenewald, J. Z., & Crous, P. W. (2015). Phaeoacremonium: from esca disease to phaeohyphomycosis. Fungal Biology doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2015.06.004 .Halleen, F., Crous, P. W., & Petrini, O. (2003). Fungi associated with healthy grapevine cuttings in nurseries, with special reference to pathogens involved in the decline of young vines. Australasian Plant Pathology, 32, 47–52.Halleen, F., Mostert, L., & Crous, P. W. (2007). Pathogenicity testing of lesser-known vascular fungi of grapevines. Australasian Plant Pathology, 36, 277–285.Inderbitzin, P., Bostock, R. M., Trouillas, F. P., & Michailides, T. J. (2010). A six locus phylogeny reveals high species diversity in Botryosphaeriaceae from California almond. Mycologia, 102, 1350–1368.Mostert, L., Groenewald, J. Z., Summerbell, R. C., Gams, W., & Crous, P. W. (2006). Taxonomy and pathology of Togninia (Diaporthales) and its Phaeoacremonium anamorphs. Studies in Mycology, 54, 1–115.Raimondo, M. L., Lops, F., & Carlucci, A. (2014). Phaeoacremonium italicum sp nov., a new species associated with esca of grapevine in southern Italy. Mycologia, 106, 1119–1126.Rolshausen, P. E., Úrbez-Torres, J. R., Rooney-Latham, S., Eskalen, A., Smith, R. J., & Gubler, W. D. (2010). Evaluation of pruning wound susceptibility and protection against fungi associated with grapevine trunk diseases. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 61, 113–119.Úrbez-Torres, J. R., Peduto, F., Vossen, P. M., Krueger, W. H., & Gubler, W. D. (2013). Olive twig and branch dieback: etiology, incidence, and distribution in California. Plant Disease, 97, 231–244.Úrbez-Torres, J. R., Haag, P., Bowen, P., & O’Gorman, D. T. (2014). Grapevine trunk diseases in British Columbia: incidence and characterization of the fungal pathogens associated with esca and Petri diseases of grapevine. Plant Disease, 98, 469–482.Vijaykrishna, D., Mostert, L., Jeewon, R., Gams, W., Hyde, K. D., & Crous, P. W. (2004). Pleurostomophora, an anamorph of Pleurostoma (Calosphaeriales), a new anamorph genus morphologically similar to Phialophora. Studies in Mycology, 50, 387–395.White, C. L., Halleen, F., Fischer, M., & Mostert, L. (2011). Characterisation of the fungi associated with esca diseased grapevines in South Africa. Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 50, S204–S223