Treatment-related experiences and preferences of patients with lung cancer: A qualitative analysis

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, and it causes significant challenges for patients due to the poor survival rate and treatment-related side-effects. Because of lung cancer's great burden, identification and use of the patients' preferences can help to improve patients' quality of life. Objective: Interviews with patients who have lung cancer were used to ascertain a range of experiences and to make recommendations regarding the improvement of treatment based on these patients' preferences. Because chemotherapy is the common treatment option for lung cancer, we focused on this treatment. The interviews were audio-taped, verbally transcribed and evaluated via content analysis. Setting and Participants: A total of 18 participants (11 men and 7 women) with small or non-small-cell lung cancer who were receiving chemotherapy in one clinic were interviewed between June and July 2013. Results: Two main aspects with different subthemes were identified during the interviews. One main aspect focused on organizational context, such as the treatment day process, or experiences with different stakeholders, such as with the health insurance company or physicians. The other category referred to experiences that influenced psychosocial factors, including physical and mental experiences. Discussion and Conclusion: Patients reported different experiences concerning physical, psychological and organizational areas during chemotherapy. Nevertheless, some potential areas for improving care, and therefore the quality of life of patients with lung cancer, could be identified. These improvement measures highlighted that with small, non-time-consuming and inexpensive changes, the treatment for patients with lung cancer can be improved.BMB

A mobile phone based alarm system for supervising vital parameters in free moving rats

Background: Study protocols involving experimental animals often require the monitoring of different parameters not only in anesthetized, but also in free moving animals. Most animal research involves small rodents, in which continuously monitoring parameters such as temperature and heart rate is very stressful for the awake animals or simply not possible. Aim of the underlying study was to monitor heart rate, temperature and activity and to assess inflammation in the heart, lungs, liver and kidney in the early postoperative phase after experimental cardiopulmonary bypass involving 45 min of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in rats. Besides continuous monitoring of heart rate, temperature and behavioural activity, the main focus was on avoiding uncontrolled death of an animal in the early postoperative phase in order to harvest relevant organs before autolysis would render them unsuitable for the assessment of inflammation. Findings: We therefore set up a telemetry-based system (Data Science International, DSI™) that continuously monitored the rat’s temperature, heart rate and activity in their cages. The data collection using telemetry was combined with an analysis software (Microsoft excel™), a webmail application (GMX) and a text message-service. Whenever an animal’s heart rate dropped below the pre-defined threshold of 150 beats per minute (bpm), a notification in the form of a text message was automatically sent to the experimenter’s mobile phone. With

Skin hyperpigmentation index in melasma: A complementary method to classic scoring systems.

BACKGROUND Due to relapsing nature of melasma with significant impact on quality of life, an objective measurement score is warranted, especially to follow-up the patients with melasma and their therapy response in a quantitative and precise manner. AIMS To prove concordance of skin hyperpigmentation index (SHI) with well-established scores in melasma and demonstrate its superiority regarding inter-rater reliability. Development of SHI mapping for its integration in common scores. METHODS Calculation of SHI and common melasma scores by five dermatologists. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and concordance by Kendall correlation coefficient. RESULTS Strong concordance of SHI with melasma area and severity index (MASI)-Darkness (0.48; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.63), melasma severity index (MSI)-Pigmentation (0.45; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.61), and melasma severity scale (MSS) (0.6; 95% CI: 0.42, 0.74). Using step function for mapping SHI into pigmentation scores showed an improvement of inter-rater reliability with a difference in (ICC of 0.22 for MASI-Darkness and 0.19 for MSI-Pigmentation), leading to an excellent agreement. CONCLUSION Skin hyperpigmentation index could be an important additional cost-and time-conserving assessment method, to follow-up the patients with melasma undergoing brightening therapies in clinical studies, as well as in routine clinical practice. It is in strong concordance with well-established scores but superior regarding inter-rater reliability

Miljømessig og økonomisk bærekraft på gårder med økologisk eller konvensjonell melkeproduksjon - studie av 20 gårder i Møre og Romsdal

Denne rapporten oppsummerer resultat av en studie av 20 melkebruk i Møre og Romsdal fylke, ti fra hver av driftsformene økologisk og konvensjonelt. Målet med studien var å analysere og evaluere miljømessig og økonomisk bærekraft på disse gårdene. Vi undersøkte effekt av driftsform og intensitet uttrykt som mengde innkjøpt nitrogen per daa gårdsareal. Vi fant at overskuddet av nitrogen, fosfor og kalium, energiforbruket og klimagassutslippet per daa var høyere ved konvensjonell enn økologisk produksjon og steg ved økende intensitet. Det var imidlertid stor variasjon mellom gårdene innafor hver driftsform og målt per enhet melk og kjøtt var forskjellen mellom driftsformene mindre. Resultatene kan i neste omgang brukes til å foreslå strategier for å forbedre miljømessig og økonomisk bærekraft på gårdsnivå for begge driftsformer. Miljøindikatorer ble brukt til å beskrive effekt av produksjonsform og intensitetsnivå. Intensitetsnivå ble estimert som mengde kjøpt nitrogen per daa gårdsareal og år. Miljøindikatorene ble beregnet per daa gårdsareal, per kg levert energikorrigert melk (EKM), per kg netto tilvekst for storfe på gården, per MJ fordøyelig energi og kg fordøyelig protein i levert melk og kjøtt-tilvekst. De viktigste indikatorene var: nitrogenoverskudd per daa og per kg nitrogen i produkt; fosfor- og kaliumoverskudd per daa; energiintensitet definert som energiforbruk per enhet spiselig energi i melk og kjøtt tilvekst. Energiforbruk er summen av direkte energi og energi brukt til å lage materialer til bygninger, maskiner og andre innsatsfaktorer; klimagassutslipp definert som globalt oppvarmingspotensial i kg CO2-ekvivalenter; lønnsevne per storfeenhet og per arbeidstime. Produksjonsnivå. Gårdene som ble drevet konvensjonelt i prosjektet produserte mer kjøtt og melk per arealenhet enn de som drev økologisk, men det var stor variasjon innafor begge grupper. Det ble brukt mer kraftfôr på gårdene som drev konvensjonelt, men mengden varierte mye innafor begge grupper. Melkeytelsen var stort sett høy, men også her var det stor variasjon. De gårdene som hadde lavest melkeytelse drev økologisk. Høy melkeytelse og mye innkjøpt fôr gav grunnlag for høy produksjon per arealenhet. Nitrogen. Gårdene som drev økologisk, hadde høyere nitrogeneffektivitet enn de som drev konvensjonelt. Gårder med økologisk drift hadde derfor lavere risiko for utslipp av nitrogen til luft og vann. Beregnet for hele driftssystemet hadde gårdene som drev konvensjonelt dobbelt så stort N-overskudd som de som drev økologisk. Forskjellene mellom driftsmåtene var enda større for det fulldyrka arealet på egen gård. Gjennomsnittlig overskudd var 22 kg nitrogen per dekar og år på gårder som drev konvensjonelt og 9 kg nitrogen på gårder som drev økologisk. Regnet per enhet produkt i form av melk og kjøtt var nitrogenoverskuddet 50 % større på driftssystemnivå på de gårdene som drev konvensjonelt, sammenlignet med de som drev økologisk. Mengde innkjøpt nitrogengjødsel var den faktoren som førte til størst forskjell i nitrogen-effektivitet mellom de to driftsformene. Variasjonen i nitrogeneffektivitet innafor hver av de to driftsformene skyldtes i stor grad andre sider ved gårdsdrifta. Fosfor og kalium. Alle gårdene hadde overskudd av fosfor og kalium, men det var stor variasjon mellom gårdene i overskudd av både fosfor og kalium. På noen gårder var overskuddet svært lite. Det var en tendens til økende overskudd av både fosfor og kalium med økende innkjøp av nitrogen og tendens til høyere overskudd på gårder som drev konvensjonelt enn gårder som drev økologisk. Energi. Energiintensiteten var høyere ved konvensjonell driftsform enn ved økologisk. Det skyldes i hovedsak større energiforbruk for å produsere kunstgjødsel. Det er viktig å inkludere maskiner og bygninger i energiregnskapet da energi brukt til å produsere materialer til maskiner og bygninger varierte fra 15 til 44 % av all energibruk på gårdene. Klimagassutslipp. Klimagassutslippene, registrert som CO2-ekvivalenter beregnet som GWP100 (IPCC 2006), steg per daa ved økende intensitetsnivå uttrykt som mengde innkjøpt nitrogen per daa og var signifikant lavere ved økologisk enn ved konvensjonell drift. Når utslippene ble regnet per produsert mengde melk og kjøtt eller per enhet energi eller protein minsket forskjellen mellom driftsformene, men den var fortsatt signifikant. Utslipp fra produksjon og bruk av innkjøpt gjødsel, er hovedårsaken til høyere klimagassutslipp ved konvensjonell enn ved økologisk melkeproduksjon. Estimert oppvarmingseffekt av beregnede klimagassutslipp fra melkeproduksjonen ble lavere når de ble uttrykt med GTP100 eller GWP* enn med GWP100. Det ble størst reduksjon der utslipp fra selve husdyrholdet betydde mest for de totale utslippene når det ble beregnet med GWP100. Dette var gårder med lav ytelse per dyr og små innkjøp av gjødsel og kraftfôr. Global oppvarming beregnet som kg CO2-ekvivalenter per kg EKM melk for økologisk drift ble redusert fra 87 % av konvensjonelt drift til rundt 70 % når CO2-ekvivalentene ble uttrykt med GTP100 eller GWP* i stedet for GWP100. Økonomi. Gjennomsnittlig arbeidsinnsats og lønnsevne per storfeenhet og arbeidstime var omtrent lik for de to driftsformene. Gårdene med best økonomisk resultat gjorde det best på de globale miljøindikatorene N-overskudd per produkt, energiintensitet og klimagassutslipp registrert som global oppvarmingseffekt målt med GWP100. Det var liten sammenheng mellom lønnsevne og nitrogenoverskudd per daa. Usikkerhet. Studien viser tydelig hvor mye modellutforming, usikkerhet i tilgjengelige gårdsdata og valgte avgrensinger har å si for hvilken verdi ulike miljøindikatorer får: Spesielt tydelig er dette når det gjelder valg av beregningsmåte for klimagassutslipp

Management-induced changes in soil organic carbon on global croplands

Soil organic carbon (SOC), one of the largest terrestrial carbon (C) stocks on Earth, has been depleted by anthropogenic land cover change and agricultural management. However, the latter has so far not been well represented in global C stock assessments. While SOC models often simulate detailed biochemical processes that lead to the accumulation and decay of SOC, the management decisions driving these biophysical processes are still little investigated at the global scale. Here we develop a spatially explicit data set for agricultural management on cropland, considering crop production levels, residue returning rates, manure application, and the adoption of irrigation and tillage practices. We combine it with a reduced-complexity model based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tier 2 method to create a half-degree resolution data set of SOC stocks and SOC stock changes for the first 30 cm of mineral soils. We estimate that, due to arable farming, soils have lost around 34.6 GtC relative to a counterfactual hypothetical natural state in 1975. Within the period 1975–2010, this SOC debt continued to expand by 5 GtC (0.14 GtC yr−1) to around 39.6 GtC. However, accounting for historical management led to 2.1 GtC fewer (0.06 GtC yr−1) emissions than under the assumption of constant management. We also find that management decisions have influenced the historical SOC trajectory most strongly by residue returning, indicating that SOC enhancement by biomass retention may be a promising negative emissions technique. The reduced-complexity SOC model may allow us to simulate management-induced SOC enhancement – also within computationally demanding integrated (land use) assessment modeling.</p

Management-induced changes in soil organic carbon on global croplands

Funding Information: The work of Kristine Karstens has been funded by the DFG Priority Program “Climate Engineering: Risks, Challenges, Opportunities?” (SPP 1689), specifically the CEMICS2 project (grant no. ED78/3-2), and by the CDRSynTra project (grant no. 01LS2101G) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The research leading to these results has received funding for Benjamin Leon Bodirsky from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research And Innovation Programme (grant nos. 776479 (COACCH) and 821010 (CASCADES)). Benjamin Leon Bodirsky acknowledges support by the project ABCDR (grant no. 01LS2105A) funded by the BMBF. The work of Susanne Rolinski, Jens Heinke, and Isabelle Weindl has also been supported by CLIMASTEPPE (grant no. 01DJ8012), EXIMO (grant no. 01LP1903D), and FOCUS (grant no. 031B0787B), all funded by the BMBF. The input of Pete Smith, Matthias Kuhnert, and Marta Dondini contributes to the Soils-R-GGREAT project (grant no. NE/P019455/1) and CIRCASA (EU H2020; grant no. 774378). Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Kristine Karstens et al.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Management-induced changes in soil organic carbon on global croplands

Soil organic carbon (SOC), one of the largest terrestrial carbon (C) stocks on Earth, has been depleted by anthropogenic land cover change and agricultural management. However, the latter has so far not been well represented in global C stock assessments. While SOC models often simulate detailed biochemical processes that lead to the accumulation and decay of SOC, the management decisions driving these biophysical processes are still little investigated at the global scale. Here we develop a spatially explicit data set for agricultural management on cropland, considering crop production levels, residue returning rates, manure application, and the adoption of irrigation and tillage practices. We combine it with a reduced-complexity model based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tier 2 method to create a half-degree resolution data set of SOC stocks and SOC stock changes for the first 30 cm of mineral soils. We estimate that, due to arable farming, soils have lost around 34.6 GtC relative to a counterfactual hypothetical natural state in 1975. Within the period 1975-2010, this SOC debt continued to expand by 5 GtC (0.14 GtCyr-1) to around 39.6 GtC. However, accounting for historical management led to 2.1 GtC fewer (0.06 GtCyr-1) emissions than under the assumption of constant management. We also find that management decisions have influenced the historical SOC trajectory most strongly by residue returning, indicating that SOC enhancement by biomass retention may be a promising negative emissions technique. The reduced-complexity SOC model may allow us to simulate management-induced SOC enhancement - also within computationally demanding integrated (land use) assessment modeling

Characterizing the Urban Mine—Simulation-Based Optimization of Sampling Approaches for Built-in Batteries in WEEE

Comprehensive knowledge of built-in batteries in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is required for sound and save WEEE management. However, representative sampling is challenging due to the constantly changing composition of WEEE flows and battery systems. Necessary knowledge, such as methodologically uniform procedures and recommendations for the determination of minimum sample sizes (MSS) for representative results, is missing. The direct consequences are increased sampling efforts, lack of quality-assured data, gaps in the monitoring of battery losses in complementary flows, and impeded quality control of depollution during WEEE treatment. In this study, we provide detailed data sets on built-in batteries in WEEE and propose a non-parametric approach (NPA) to determine MSS. For the pilot dataset, more than 23 Mg WEEE (6500 devices) were sampled, examined for built-in batteries, and classified according to product-specific keys (UNUkeys and BATTkeys). The results show that 21% of the devices had battery compartments, distributed over almost all UNUkeys considered and that only about every third battery was removed prior to treatment. Moreover, the characterization of battery masses (BM) and battery mass shares (BMS) using descriptive statistical analysis showed that neither product- nor battery-specific characteristics are given and that the assumption of (log-)normally distributed data is not generally applicable. Consequently, parametric approaches (PA) to determine the MSS for representative sampling are prone to be biased. The presented NPA for MSS using data-driven simulation (bootstrapping) shows its applicability despite small sample sizes and inconclusive data distribution. If consistently applied, the method presented can be used to optimize future sampling and thus reduce sampling costs and efforts while increasing data quality.EC/H2020/641999/EU/Prospecting Secondary raw materials in the Urban mine and Mining waste/ProSUMTU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel – 202

Comparative profiling identifies C13orf3 as a component of the Ska complex required for mammalian cell division

Proliferation of mammalian cells requires the coordinated function of many proteins to accurately divide a cell into two daughter cells. Several RNAi screens have identified previously uncharacterised genes that are implicated in mammalian cell division. The molecular function for these genes needs to be investigated to place them into pathways. Phenotypic profiling is a useful method to assign putative functions to uncharacterised genes. Here, we show that the analysis of protein localisation is useful to refine a phenotypic profile. We show the utility of this approach by defining a function of the previously uncharacterised gene C13orf3 during cell division. C13orf3 localises to centrosomes, the mitotic spindle, kinetochores, spindle midzone, and the cleavage furrow during cell division and is specifically phosphorylated during mitosis. Furthermore, C13orf3 is required for centrosome integrity and anaphase onset. Depletion by RNAi leads to mitotic arrest in metaphase with an activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint and loss of sister chromatid cohesion. Proteomic analyses identify C13orf3 (Ska3) as a new component of the Ska complex and show a direct interaction with a regulatory subunit of the protein phosphatase PP2A. All together, these data identify C13orf3 as an important factor for metaphase to anaphase progression and highlight the potential of combined RNAi screening and protein localisation analyses