Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS): Psychometric Quality of the Gold Standard for Tic Assessment Based on the Large-Scale EMTICS Study

The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) is a clinician-rated instrument considered as the gold standard for assessing tics in patients with Tourette's Syndrome and other tic disorders. Previous psychometric investigations of the YGTSS exhibit different limitations such as small sample sizes and insufficient methods. To overcome these shortcomings, we used a subsample of the large-scale “European Multicentre Tics in Children Study” (EMTICS) including 706 children and adolescents with a chronic tic disorder and investigated convergent, discriminant and factorial validity, as well as internal consistency of the YGTSS. Our results confirm acceptable convergent and good to very good discriminant validity, respectively, indicated by a sufficiently high correlation of the YGTSS total tic score with the Clinical Global Impression Scale for tics (rs = 0.65) and only low to medium correlations with clinical severity ratings of attention deficit/hyperactivity symptoms (rs = 0.24), obsessive–compulsive symptoms (rs = 27) as well as internalizing symptoms (rs = 0.27). Internal consistency was found to be acceptable (Ω = 0.58 for YGTSS total tic score). A confirmatory factor analysis supports the concept of the two factors “motor tics” and “phonic tics,” but still demonstrated just a marginal model fit (root mean square error of approximation = 0.09 [0.08; 0.10], comparative fit index = 0.90, and Tucker Lewis index = 0.87). A subsequent analysis of local misspecifications revealed correlated measurement errors, suggesting opportunities for improvement regarding the item wording. In conclusion, our results indicate acceptable psychometric quality of the YGTSS. However, taking the wide use and importance of the YGTSS into account, our results suggest the need for further investigations and improvements of the YGTSS. In addition, our results show limitations of the global severity score as a sum score indicating that the separate use of the total tic score and the impairment rating is more beneficial

Clinical precursors of tics: an EMTICS study

Background: Children with Tourette syndrome (TS) often have comorbid disorders, particularly attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). While subtle premorbid symptoms have been described in various psychiatric disorders, the presence of clinical precursors that may exist before the onset of tics is unknown. This longitudinal study aimed to find clinical precursors of tics by assessing a range of clinical characteristics prior to tic onset in comparison with children without onset of tics. Methods: A sample of 187 3- to 10-year-old first-degree unaffected relatives of children with TS were followed up to 7 years in the European Multicentre Tics in Children Study (EMTICS). We investigated whether clinical characteristics assessed at baseline predicted tic onset, comparing 126 children without tic onset to 61 children who developed tics. We used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method, a penalised logistic regression approach. We also explored sex differences and repeated our analyses in an age- and sex-matched subsample. Results: Children with tic onset were more frequently male (b = 0.36), had higher baseline severity of conduct problems (b = 0.23), autism spectrum disorder symptoms (ASD; b = 0.08), compulsions (b = 0.02) and emotional problems (b = 0.03) compared to children without tic onset. Conduct and ASD problems were male-specific predictors, whereas severity of compulsions and oppositional (b = 0.39) and emotional problems were female-specific predictors. Conclusion: This study supports the presence of clinical precursors prior to tic onset and highlights the need of sex-specific monitoring of children at risk of developing tics. This may aid in the earlier detection of tics, particularly in females. We moreover found that tics most often persisted one year after tic onset, in contrast to the common belief that tics are mostly transient

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Observation of γγ → ττ in proton-proton collisions and limits on the anomalous electromagnetic moments of the τ lepton

The production of a pair of τ leptons via photon–photon fusion, γγ → ττ, is observed for the f irst time in proton–proton collisions, with a significance of 5.3 standard deviations. This observation is based on a data set recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. Events with a pair of τ leptons produced via photon–photon fusion are selected by requiring them to be back-to-back in the azimuthal direction and to have a minimum number of charged hadrons associated with their production vertex. The τ leptons are reconstructed in their leptonic and hadronic decay modes. The measured fiducial cross section of γγ → ττ is σfid obs = 12.4+3.8 −3.1 fb. Constraints are set on the contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment (aτ) and electric dipole moments (dτ) of the τ lepton originating from potential effects of new physics on the γττ vertex: aτ = 0.0009+0.0032 −0.0031 and |dτ| < 2.9×10−17ecm (95% confidence level), consistent with the standard model

<scp>ReSurveyEurope</scp>: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe

AbstractAimsWe introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions.ResultsReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun‐Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020.ConclusionsReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine‐scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well‐established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome.</jats:sec

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022 : a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

A list of authors and their affiliations appears online. A supplementary appendix is herewith attached.Background: Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods: We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI 2 SD above the median). Findings: From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation: The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity.peer-reviewe

Estimation of the Willingness to Pay for CO2 Savings - A Discrete Choice Experiment

In this article the willingness to pay for different methods to save carbon dioxide emissions in northern Germany are examined by a Discrete Choice Experiment. The results of a latent-class estimation show, that the respondents could be disposed into four different classes. The membership to a certain class is mostly determined by the age and the common preferences for climate protection of the respondents. All respondents have the highest preference to save CO2 emissions by CO2-certificates, the lowest preferences exist for the carbon dioxide capture and storage method. The results vary between a willingness to pay for saving CO2 emissions of 644 €/t and a willingness to accept a certain method for a compensation of 161 €/t carbon dioxide

Disaccharide-Mediated Regulation of Sucrose:Fructan-6-Fructosyltransferase, a Key Enzyme of Fructan Synthesis in Barley Leaves

Abstract Previous work has indicated that sugar sensing may be important in the regulation of fructan biosynthesis in grasses. We used primary leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare cv Baraka) to study the mechanisms involved. Excised leaf blades were supplied in the dark with various carbohydrates. Fructan pool sizes and two key enzymes of fructan biosynthesis, sucrose (Suc):Suc-1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST; EC 2.4.1.99) and Suc:fructan-6-fructosyltransferase (6-SFT; EC2.4.1.10) were analyzed. Upon supply of Suc, fructan pool sizes increased markedly. Within 24 h, 1-SST activity was stimulated by a factor of three and 6-SFT-activity by a factor of more than 20, compared with control leaves supplemented with mannitol (Mit). At the same time, the level of mRNA encoding 6-SFT increased conspicuously. These effects were increased in the presence of the invertase inhibitor 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-imino-d-mannitol. Compared with equimolar solutions of Suc, glucose (Glu) and fructose stimulated 6-SFT activity to a lesser extent. Remarkably, trehalose (Tre; Glc-α-1 and 1-α-Glc) had stimulatory effects on 6-SFT activity and, to a somewhat lesser extent, on 6-SFT mRNA, even in the presence of validoxylamine A, a potent trehalase inhibitor. Tre by itself, however, in the presence or absence of validoxylamine A, did not stimulate fructan accumulation. Monosaccharides phosphorylated by hexokinase but not or weakly metabolized, such as mannose (Man) or 2-deoxy-Glc, had no stimulatory effects on fructan synthesis. When fructose or Man were supplied together with Tre, fructan and starch biosynthesis were strongly stimulated. Concomitantly, phospho-Man isomerase (EC 5.3.1.8) activity was detected. These results indicate that the regulation of fructan synthesis in barley leaves occurs independently of hexokinase and is probably based on the sensing of Suc, and also that the structurally related disaccharide Tre can replace Suc as a regulatory compound.</jats:p