Temperate tree species show identical response in tree water deficit but different sensitivities in sap flow to summer soil drying

Temperate forests are expected to be particularly vulnerable to drought and soil drying because they are not adapted to such conditions and perform best in mesic environments. Here we ask (i) how sensitively four common temperate tree species (Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Acer pseudoplatanus and Fraxinus excelsior) respond in their water relations to summer soil drying and seek to determine (ii) if species-specific responses to summer soil drying are related to the onset of declining water status across the four species. Throughout 2012 and 2013 we determined tree water deficit (TWD) as a proxy for tree water status from recorded stem radius changes and monitored sap flow rates with sensors on 16 mature trees studied in the field at Lägeren, Switzerland. All tree species responded equally in their relative maximum TWD to the onset of declining soil moisture. This implies that the water supply of all tree species was affected by declining soil moisture and that none of the four species was able to fully maintain its water status, e.g., by access to alternative water sources in the soil. In contrast we found strong and highly species-specific responses of sap flow to declining soil moisture with the strongest decline in P. abies (92%), followed by F. sylvatica (53%) and A. pseudoplatanus (48%). F. excelsior did not significantly reduce sap flow. We hypothesize the species-specific responses in sap flow to declining soil moisture that occur despite a simultaneous increase in relative TWD in all species reflect how fast these species approach critical levels of their water status, which is most likely influenced by species-specific traits determining the hydraulic properties of the species tree

Five-year mortality and related prognostic factors after inpatient stroke rehabilitation : A European multi-centre study

Objective: To determine 5-year mortality and its association with baseline characteristics and functional status 6 months post-stroke for patients who received inpatient rehabilitation. Design: A prospective rehabilitation-based cohort study. Subjects: A total of 532 consecutive stroke patients from 4 European rehabilitation centres. Methods: Predictors were recorded on admission. Barthel Index was assessed at 6 months (BI6mths) and patients were followed for 5 years post-stroke. Survival probability was computed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and compared across 3 BI6mths-classes (0-60, 65-90, 95-100) (log-rank test). Significant independent predictors were determined using multivariate Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio (HR)). Results: Five-year cumulative risk of death was 29.12% (95% confidence interval (CI): 22.86-35.38). Age (HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04-1.09), cognitive impairment (HR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.21-2.57), diabetes mellitus (HR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.16- 2.41) and atrial fibrillation (HR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.08-2.14) were independent predictors of increased mortality. Hyperlipidaemia (HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.46-0.94), and higher BI6mths (HR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99) were independent predictors of decreased mortality. Five-year survival probability was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.80-0.89) for patients in BI6mthsclass: 95-100, 0.72 (95% CI: 0.63-0.79) in BI6mths-class: 65-90 and 0.50 (95% CI: 0.40-0.60) in BI6mths-class: 0-60 (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Nearly one-third of rehabilitation patients died during the first 5 years following stroke. Functional status at 6 months was a powerful predictor of long-term mortality. Maximum functional independence at 6 months post-stroke should be promoted through medical interventions and rehabilitation. Future studies are recommended to evaluate the direct effect of rehabilitation on long-term survival

Isolation and genomic characterization of Culex theileri flaviviruses in field-collected mosquitoes from Turkey

Vector surveillance for the arthropod-borne infections has resulted in the isolation of a growing number of novel viruses, including several flavivirus strains that exclusively replicate in insects. This report describes the isolation and genomic characterization of four insect-specific flaviviruses frommosquitoes, previously collected from various locations in Turkey. C6/36 Aedes albopictus and Vero cell lines were inoculated with mosquito pools. On C6/36 cells, mild cytopathic effects, characterized as rounding and detachment, were observed in four pools that comprised female Culex theileri mosquitoes. Complete (3 isolates, 10,697 nucleotides) or near-complete (1 isolate, 10,452 nucleotides) genomic characterization was performed in these culture supernatants via next generation sequencing. All strains demonstrated high genetic similarities, with over 99% identity match on nucleotide and amino acid alignments, revealing them to be different isolates of the same virus. Sequence comparisons identified the closest relative to be the Culex theileri flavivirus (CTFV) strains, originally characterized in Portugal. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the isolates remained distinct as a cluster but formed amonophyletic group with CTFV strains, and shared a common ancestor with Quang Binh or related Culex flaviviruses. The organization of the viral genome was consistent with the universal flavivirus structure and stem-loops; conserved motifs and imperfect tandem repeats were identified in the non-coding ends of the viral genomes. A potential ribosomal shifting site, resulting in the translation of an additional reading frame, was detected. The deduced viral polyprotein comprised 3357 amino acids and was highly-conserved. Amino acid variations, presumably associated with adaptive environmental pressures, were identified. These isolates comprise the first fully characterized insect-specific flaviviruses in Turkey. Their impact on West Nile virus circulation, which is also endemic in the study region, remains to be explored. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSC-GEIS), United States [W81XWH-11-2-0174]; Georg Forster Research Fellowship (HERMES) for Experienced Researchers by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship Award at the Walter Reed Army Institute of ResearchThis study was partially supported by The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSC-GEIS), United States (W81XWH-11-2-0174) (with Yvonne-Marie Linton as the principal investigator). KE is a recipient of the Georg Forster Research Fellowship (HERMES) for Experienced Researchers by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2015. This manuscript was prepared whilst YML held a National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship Award at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. This research was performed in part under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the Smithsonian Institution, with institutional support provided by both organizations. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. The material to be published reflects the views of the authors and should not be construed to represent those of the US Department of the Army or the US Department of Defense

Co-circulation of West Nile virus and distinct insect-specific flaviviruses in Turkey

Background: Active vector surveillance provides an efficient tool for monitoring the presence or spread of emerging or re-emerging vector-borne viruses. This study was undertaken to investigate the circulation of flaviviruses. Mosquitoes were collected from 58 locations in 10 provinces across the Aegean, Thrace and Mediterranean Anatolian regions of Turkey in 2014 and 2015. Following morphological identification, mosquitoes were pooled and screened by nested and real-time PCR assays. Detected viruses were further characterised by sequencing. Positive pools were inoculated onto cell lines for virus isolation. Next generation sequencing was employed for genomic characterisation of the isolates. Results: A total of 12,711 mosquito specimens representing 15 species were screened in 594 pools. Eleven pools (2%) were reactive in the virus screening assays. Sequencing revealed West Nile virus (WNV) in one Culex pipiens (s. l.) pool from Thrace. WNV sequence corresponded to lineage one clade 1a but clustered distinctly from the Turkish prototype isolate. In 10 pools, insect-specific flaviviruses were characterised as Culex theileri flavivirus in 5 pools of Culex theileri and one pool of Cx. pipiens (s. l.), Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus in two pools of Aedes (Ochlerotatus) caspius, Flavivirus AV-2011 in one pool of Culiseta annulata, and an undetermined flavivirus in one pool of Uranotaenia unguiculata from the Aegean and Thrace regions. DNA forms or integration of the detected insect-specific flaviviruses were not observed. A virus strain, tentatively named as Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus Turkey, was isolated from an Ae. caspius pool in C6/36 cells. The viral genome comprised 10,370 nucleotides with a putative polyprotein of 3,385 amino acids that follows the canonical flavivirus polyprotein organisation. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses revealed the close relationship of this strain with Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus from Portugal and Hanko virus from Finland. Several conserved structural and amino acid motifs were identified. Conclusions: We identified WNV and several distinct insect-specific flaviviruses during an extensive biosurveillance study of mosquitoes in various regions of Turkey in 2014 and 2015. Ongoing circulation of WNV is revealed, with an unprecedented genetic diversity. A probable replicating form of an insect flavivirus identified only in DNA form was detected.U.S. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Board Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSB-GEIS) research; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution; Georg Forster Research Fellowship (HERMES); Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, GermanyAlexander von Humboldt FoundationA U.S. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Board Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSB-GEIS) research award (to YML) supported this study. This research was performed in part under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the Smithsonian Institution, with institutional support provided by both organisations. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The material to be published reflects the views of the authors and should not be construed to represent those of the United States Department of the Army or the United States Department of Defense. KE was a 2015 recipient of the Georg Forster Research Fellowship (HERMES) for Experienced Researchers, of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany

Variations in follow-up services after inpatient stroke rehabilitation: A multicentre study

Background: Care after discharge from inpatient stroke rehabilitation units varies across Europe. The aim of this study was to compare service delivery after discharge. Methods: A total of 532 consecutive patients after stroke were recruited from 4 European rehabilitation centres in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK. At 2-month intervals, clinical assessments and structured interviews were carried out to document functional status and delivery of services after discharge. Significant factors for receiving follow-up services were analysed using a logistic generalized estimating equation model. Results: After controlling for case-mix, the results showed that Belgian patients were most likely to receive physical therapy but least likely to receive occupational therapy. German patients were least likely to receive nursing care. UK patients were less likely to receive medical care from their general practitioner compared with the other patient groups. Conclusion: Clinical characteristics did not explain the variations in service delivery after discharge from inpatient stroke rehabilitation. The decision-making processes involved in the provision of follow-up services need to be better documented. To improve our understanding of events post-discharge, the influence of non-clinical factors, such as healthcare regulations, should be explored further

Temporal course of microvascular obstruction after myocardial infarction assessed by MRI

PURPOSEWe aimed to analyze the extent of microvascular obstruction (MO) after the index event compared with the follow-up at a median of three months.METHODSWe identified 31 patients with MO after primary percutaneous coronary intervention of acute myocardial infarction by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The initial examination was performed after the index event, and 27 patients had the follow-up exam after a median of three months (interquartile range, 2–4 months). In addition, we examined 10 patients without MO after transmural myocardial infarction, as a control group.RESULTSMO disappeared in 23 of 27 patients (85%) in the follow-up and transformed into transmural late gadolinium enhancement. In patients with persistent MO, mean MO size decreased from 2.25% to 1.25%. In patients with MO, mean infarct size decreased significantly from 20.8% to 14.7% (P < 0.001). In the control group, mean infarct size decreased from 12.7% to 10.5% in the follow-up scan (P = 0.137).CONCLUSIONMO is significantly reduced during the follow-up after acute myocardial infarction

Oral squamous cell carcinoma detection by salivary biomarkers in a Serbian population

Early detection of oral squamous cell cancer (OSCC) is the key to improve the low 5-year survival rate. Using proteomic and genomic technologies we have previously discovered and validated salivary OSCC markers in American patients. The question arises whether these biomarkers are discriminatory in cohorts of different ethnic background. Six transcriptome (DUSP1, IL8, IL1B, OAZ1, SAT1, and S100P) and three proteome (IL1B, IL8, and M2BP) biomarkers were tested on 18 early and 17 late stage OSCC patients and 51 healthy controls with quantitative PCR and ELISA. Four transcriptome (IL8, IL1B, SAT1, and S100P) and all proteome biomarkers were significantly elevated (p lt 0.05) in OSCC patients. The combination of markers yielded an AUC of 0.86, 0.85 and 0.88 for OSCC total, T1-T2, and T3-T4, respectively. The sensitivity/specificity for OSCC total was 0.89/0.78, for T1-T2 0.67/0.96, and for T3-T4 0.82/0.84. In conclusion, seven of the nine salivary biomarkers (three proteins and four mRNAs) were validated and performed strongest in late stage cancer. Patient-based salivary diagnostics is a highly promising approach for OSCC detection. This study shows that previously discovered and validated salivary OSCC biomarkers are discriminatory and reproducible in a different ethnic cohort. These findings support the feasibility to implement multi-center, multi-ethnicity clinical trials towards the pivotal validation of salivary biomarkers for OSCC detection

Co-circulation of West Nile virus and distinct insect-specific flaviviruses in Turkey

Background: Active vector surveillance provides an efficient tool for monitoring the presence or spread of emerging or re-emerging vector-borne viruses. This study was undertaken to investigate the circulation of flaviviruses. Mosquitoes were collected from 58 locations in 10 provinces across the Aegean, Thrace and Mediterranean Anatolian regions of Turkey in 2014 and 2015. Following morphological identification, mosquitoes were pooled and screened by nested and real-time PCR assays. Detected viruses were further characterised by sequencing. Positive pools were inoculated onto cell lines for virus isolation. Next generation sequencing was employed for genomic characterisation of the isolates. Results: A total of 12,711 mosquito specimens representing 15 species were screened in 594 pools. Eleven pools (2%) were reactive in the virus screening assays. Sequencing revealed West Nile virus (WNV) in one Culex pipiens (s.l.) pool from Thrace. WNV sequence corresponded to lineage one clade 1a but clustered distinctly from the Turkish prototype isolate. In 10 pools, insect-specific flaviviruses were characterised as Culex theileri flavivirus in 5 pools of Culex theileri and one pool of Cx. pipiens (s.l.), Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus in two pools of Aedes (Ochlerotatus) caspius, Flavivirus AV-2011 in one pool of Culiseta annulata, and an undetermined flavivirus in one pool of Uranotaenia unguiculata from the Aegean and Thrace regions. DNA forms or integration of the detected insect-specific flaviviruses were not observed. A virus strain, tentatively named as “Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus Turkey”, was isolated from an Ae. caspius pool in C6/36 cells. The viral genome comprised 10,370 nucleotides with a putative polyprotein of 3,385 amino acids that follows the canonical flavivirus polyprotein organisation. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses revealed the close relationship of this strain with Ochlerotatus caspius flavivirus from Portugal and Hanko virus from Finland. Several conserved structural and amino acid motifs were identified. Conclusions: We identified WNV and several distinct insect-specific flaviviruses during an extensive biosurveillance study of mosquitoes in various regions of Turkey in 2014 and 2015. Ongoing circulation of WNV is revealed, with an unprecedented genetic diversity. A probable replicating form of an insect flavivirus identified only in DNA form was detected

Net‐Zero CO 2 Germany - A Retrospect From the Year 2050

Germany 2050: For the first time Germany reached a balance between its sources of anthropogenic CO2 to the atmosphere and newly created anthropogenic sinks. This backcasting study presents a fictional future in which this goal was achieved by avoiding (∼645 Mt CO2), reducing (∼50 Mt CO2) and removing (∼60 Mt CO2) carbon emissions. This meant substantial transformation of the energy system, increasing energy efficiency, sector coupling, and electrification, energy storage solutions including synthetic energy carriers, sector-specific solutions for industry, transport, and agriculture, as well as natural-sink enhancement and technological carbon dioxide options. All of the above was necessary to achieve a net-zero CO2 system for Germany by 2050