Sharing Detailed Research Data Is Associated with Increased Citation Rate

BACKGROUND: Sharing research data provides benefit to the general scientific community, but the benefit is less obvious for the investigator who makes his or her data available. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined the citation history of 85 cancer microarray clinical trial publications with respect to the availability of their data. The 48% of trials with publicly available microarray data received 85% of the aggregate citations. Publicly available data was significantly (p = 0.006) associated with a 69% increase in citations, independently of journal impact factor, date of publication, and author country of origin using linear regression. SIGNIFICANCE: This correlation between publicly available data and increased literature impact may further motivate investigators to share their detailed research data

Gender differentiated preferences for a community-based conservation initiative

Community-based conservation (CBC) aims to benefit local people as well as to achieve conservation goals, but has been criticised for taking a simplistic view of "community" and failing to recognise differences in the preferences and motivations of community members. We explore this heterogeneity in the context of Kenya's conservancies, focussing on the livelihood preferences of men and women living adjacent to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Using a discrete choice experiment we quantify the preferences of local community members for key components of their livelihoods and conservancy design, differentiating between men and women and existing conservancy members and non-members. While Maasai preference for pastoralism remains strong, non-livestock-based livelihood activities are also highly valued and there was substantial differentiation in preferences between individuals. Involvement with conservancies was generally perceived to be positive, but only if households were able to retain some land for other purposes. Women placed greater value on conservancy membership, but substantially less value on wage income, while existing conservancy members valued both conservancy membership and livestock more highly than did non-members. Our findings suggest that conservancies can make a positive contribution to livelihoods, but care must be taken to ensure that they do not unintentionally disadvantage any groups. We argue that conservation should pay greater attention to individuallevel differences in preferences when designing interventions in order to achieve fairer and more sustainable outcomes for members of local communities

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

Metal oxide nanoparticle chemistry and toxicity in soils

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are increasingly being incorporated in domestic and industrial products. They are expected to pass into waste water treatment facilities, and may inadvertently be applied in biosolids to agricultural soils. Very few nanotoxicity studies have been conducted in soils and the risk that MONPs pose to soil organisms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the behaviour and effects of two MONPs with different solubilities on terrestrial organisms in soils. Exposure of earthworms to soils amended with up to 10,000 mg/kg nano-sized TiO2, a virtually insoluble nanomaterial, resulted in no adverse effects on earthworm population parameters such as survival or reproduction. Earthworms avoided nano-TiO2 amended soils, but only at nanoparticle concentrations higher than those expected for agricultural soils. The mechanisms resulting in the avoidance response, and nano-TiO2 transformations in soils, could not be further investigated because techniques to track nanoparticles in complex media are lacking. Subsequent studies focused on a sparingly soluble nanomaterial, nano-CuO, which releases Cu2+ ions as it dissolves. To identify nanoparticle-specific effects on organisms, the effects of the Cu2+ ions must be determined but little is known about the effect of nano-CuO on Cu2+ activity in soils. Tests revealed that Cu2+ activity in nano-CuO amended soils increased over a 56 d period, but were not comparable to those in soils amended with similar concentrations of micrometer-sized CuO or Cu(NO3)2, which are commonly used as treatments to control for the effects non-nanosized Cu in nanotoxicity tests. These results have implications for the design of experiments that test effects of dissolving particulates. A subsequent barley growth test demonstrated that there was no significant difference in plant growth or shoot Cu concentrations between soils amended with nano-CuO, micrometer-sized CuO or Cu(NO3)2 once growth was normalised to Cu2+ activity. These results demonstrate that release of metal ions can play an important role in toxicity of soluble metal-based nanoparticles and highlight the importance of direct measurement of potentially toxic products of nanoparticle dissolution. There was no evidence of nanoparticle-specific toxicity under the conditions studied either for earthworms exposed to nano-TiO2 or barley exposed to nano-CuO. The study highlighted some of the challenges of understanding the fate and effects of nanomaterials in soils, including the lack of techniques to track nanomaterials in complex media and the difficulty in designing toxicity tests that control for temporal changes to both nanoparticles and soils.Les nanoparticules des oxydes de métaux (MONP) sont davantage incorporés dans les produits domestiques et industriels. Une importante proportion de ces nanoparticules est susceptible de se retrouver dans les usines de traitement d'eaux usées et d'être épandue sur les terres agricoles sous forme de biosolides. Dû au fait que peu de recherches sur la nanotoxicité ont été faites dans les sols, le risque que pose ces MONP aux organismes du sols est peu connu. Le but de cette étude est donc d'observer la réaction et les effets de deux MONP de solubilité différente dans des sols agricoles et artificiels. L'exposition des vers de terre dans des sols amendés avec jusqu'à 10,000 mg par kg de sol de nano-TiO2, un nanomatériel pratiquement insoluble, n'a causé aucun effet sur leur survie ou leur reproduction. Les vers de terre n'ont évité les sols modifiés de nano-TiO2, qu'à des concentrations de nanoparticules beaucoup plus élevées que celles attendues dans les sols agricoles. Les mécanismes impliqués dans la réponse d'évitement et les transformations de nanoTiO2 dans les sols n'ont pu être étudiés plus à fond par manque de techniques développées pour suivre les nanoparticules dans les médias complexes. Dans les recherches subséquentes, un nanomatériel de très faible solubilité, le nano-CuO, qui relâche des ions Cu2+ au fur et à mesure qu'il se dissout, a été choisi comme matériel d'intérêt. Afin d'identifier les effets spécifiques des nanoparticules sur des organismes, les effets du Cu2+ doivent être déterminés. Cependant, peu est connu sur l'activité du Cu2+ dans les sols traités avec des nano-CuO. Les recherches ont démontré que l'activité de Cu2+ a augmenté durant une période de 56 jours pour les sols amendés de nanoparticules de CuO mais cette augmentation ne s'est pas produite, à des concentrations égales, pour des sols enrichis de CuO de diamètre micrométrique ou même de sels de Cu(NO3)2 ; ces deux derniers traitements sont souvent utilisés comme tests contrôles lors d'études de nanotoxicité. Ces résultats ont des implications pour la conception des expériences pour évaluer les effets sur la dissolution des particules. Une étude ultérieure sur la croissance d'orge a démontré qu'il n'y avait aucune différence significative dans la croissance des plantes ou des concentrations de Cu dans les feuilles entre les sols modifiés avec du nano-CuO, CuO de taille micrométrique ou le Cu(NO3)2 une fois que les données furent normalisées en activité de Cu2+. Ces résultats ont démontré que la dissolution d'ions de métaux peut jouer un rôle important sur la toxicité des nanoparticules. Ils soulignent aussi l'importance de mesurer directement la concentration de produits de la dissolution de nanoparticules. Il n'y avait aucune évidence de toxicité spécifique aux nanoparticules sous les conditions étudiées pour les vers de terre soumis au nano-TiO2 ou pour l'orge soumis au nano-CuO. Cette étude a révélé certaines lacunes de compréhension dans le comportement du nanomatériel ajouté aux sols, des difficultés de tenir compte des changements temporels des nanoparticules et des sols ainsi que le manque de techniques disponibles pour suivre les nanoparticules dans les médias complexes

Differences in soil solution chemistry between soils amended with nanosized CuO or Cu reference materials : implications for nanotoxicity tests

Soil toxicity tests for metal oxide nanoparticles often include micrometer-sized oxide and metal salt treatments to distinguish between toxicity from nanometer-sized particles, non-nanometer-sized particles, and dissolved ions. Test result will be confounded if each chemical form has different effects on soil solution chemistry. We report on changes in soil solution chemistry over 56 days-the duration of some standard soil toxicity tests-in three soils amended with 500 mg/kg Cu as nanometer-sized CuO (nano), micrometer-sized CuO (micrometer), or Cu(NO3)2 (salt). In the CuO-amended soils, the log Cu2+ activity was initially low (minimum -9.48) and increased with time (maximum -5.20), whereas in the salt-amended soils it was initially high (maximum -4.80) and decreased with time (minimum -6.10). The Cu2+ activity in the nano-amended soils was higher than in the micrometer-amended soils for at least the first 11 days, and lower than in the salt-amended soils for at least 28 d. The pH, and dissolved Ca and Mg concentrations in the CuO-amended soils were similar, but the salt-amended soils had lower pH for at least 14 d, and higher Ca and Mg concentrations throughout the test. Soil pretreatments such as leaching and aging prior to toxicity tests are suggested.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Reproductive and behavioral responses of earthworms exposed to nano-sized titanium dioxide in soil

Nanometer-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) is found in a number of commercial products; however, its effects on soil biota are largely unknown. In the present study, earthworms (Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida) were exposed to three types of commercially available, uncoated TiO2 nanomaterials with nominal diameters of 5, 10, and 21\u2009nm. Nanomaterials were characterized for particle size, agglomeration, surface charge, chemical composition, and purity. Standard lethality, reproduction, and avoidance tests, as well as a juvenile growth test, were conducted in artificial soil or field soil amended with nano-TiO2 by two methods, liquid dispersion and dry powder mixing. All studies included a micrometer-sized TiO2 control. Exposure to field and artificial soil containing between 200 and 10,000\u2009mg nano-TiO2 per kilogram of dry soil (mg/kg) had no significant effect (p\u2009>\u20090.05) on juvenile survival and growth, adult earthworm survival, cocoon production, cocoon viability, or total number of juveniles hatched from these cocoons. However, earthworms avoided artificial soils amended with nano-TiO2. The lowest concentration at which avoidance was observed was between 1,000 and 5,000\u2009mg nano-TiO2 per kilogram of soil, depending on the TiO2 nanomaterial applied. Furthermore, earthworms differentiated between soils amended with 10,000\u2009mg/kg nano-TiO2 and micrometer-sized TiO2. A positive relationship between earthworm avoidance and TiO2 specific surface area was observed, but the relationship between avoidance and primary particle size was not determined because of the agglomeration and aggregation of nano-TiO2 materials. Biological mechanisms that may explain earthworm avoidance of nano-TiO2 are discussed. Results of the present study indicate that earthworms can detect nano-TiO2 in soil, although exposure has no apparent effect on survival or standard reproductive parameters.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Evidence that nano-TiO2 induces acute cytotoxicity to the agronomically beneficial nitrogen fixing bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti

When nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) absorbs ultra-violet (UV-A) radiation, it produces reactive oxygen species that can be toxic to bacteria. We used the agronomically beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021 as a model microorganism to detect nano-TiO2 toxicity. S. meliloti was exposed to aqueous dispersions of micrometer-sized TiO2 (micron-TiO2, 44 μm) or nanometer-sized TiO2 (nano-TiO2, 21 nm) at nominal concentrations of 0, 100, 300, 600, 900 and 1800 mg TiO2/L. There were fewer viable S. meliloti after exposure to nano-TiO2 under dark and UV-A light conditions. Nano-TiO2 was more toxic to S. meliloti with UV-A irradiation (100% mortality at 100 mg TiO2/L) than under dark conditions (100% mortality at 900 mg TiO2/L). Micron-TiO2 concentrations less than 300 mg TiO2/L had no effect on the S. meliloti viability under dark or UV-A light conditions. Exposure to 600 mg/L or more of micron-TiO2 under UV-A light could also photo-kill S. meliloti cells (100% mortality). Further study is needed to ascertain whether nano-TiO2 interferes with the growth of N2-fixing microorganisms in realistic agricultural environments.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

In field conditions, commercial pigment grade TiO2 was not harmful to terrestrial isopods but reduced leaf litter fragmentation

We investigated the effects of a commercial pigment grade rutile TiO2 on the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber in three locations that differed in terms of abiotic and biotic conditions: the laboratory, open air, and the closed barn. Mortality and isopod energy reserves (digestive gland total proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) were not affected following 14 days exposure to up to 1000 mg TiO2 per kg dry leaves (mg/kg) under any experimental scenario. However, in the field tests, isopods consumption of TiO2-coated leaves was reduced compared to that of uncoated leaves and the decrease was not dose-dependent. The highest reduction was in the closed barn (45–56%) rather than in the open-air (38–40%). In laboratory-based food choice tests, isopods neither preferred nor avoided leaves coated with TiO2, suggesting that rather than sensing the TiO2 on the leaves directly, the isopods under open-air and barn exposure responded to altered attractiveness and/or palatability of the TiO2 amended leaves. We propose that this could be due to altered microbial population on the leaves, a hypothesis that requires further investigation. Although short-term exposure to atmospheric deposition of up to 1000 mg/kg commercial TiO2 is unlikely to pose an immediate threat to isopod mortality and energy balance, reduced leaf feeding may have implications for the decomposition of plant material