Bospaden voor bosplanten; bospaden en -wegen als transportroute, vestigingsmilieu, refugium en uitvalsbasis voor bosplanten

In enkele Gelderse bossen is de relatie van bospaden en -wegen met oudbosplanten onderzocht. Veel karakteristieke planten voor oud bos komen alleen nog voor langs de paden en niet in het bos zelf. Veelal is het bos ongeschikt geraakt als habitat, omdat het te uniform of te donker is geworden en omdat verstoringen door beheersingrepen achterwege blijven. Het afsluiten van infrastructuur in en langs oude bossen en het opnemen van deze bossen in natuurboszones is dan ook desastreus voor het duurzaam voorkomen van oudbosplanten

The Dutch Contribution to PLACES (the plaice and cod egg survey of the North Sea in 2004)

Nederland neemt deel aan de ICES Planning Group on North Sea Cod and Plaice Egg Surveys (PGEGGS) en heeft een belangrijke bijdrage geleverd aan de internationale schol en kabeljauw eisurvey van 2004 (PLACES). De belangrijkste doelstellingen van deze survey waren het in kaart brengen van de paaigronden van schol en kabeljauw. Genetische technieken zijn gebruikt om onderscheid te maken tussen de eieren van kabeljauw, schelvis, wijting en koolvis, die overlappende eidiameter-verdelingen hebben. Schol paait in dezelfde gebieden als in het verleden gerapporteerd, maar de paaiactiviteit in de Duitse Bocht lijkt relatief te zijn toegenomen. Kabeljauw paait ook in de gebieden die voorheen bekend stonden als paaigronden, maar met een relatieve afname van de paaiactiviteit in de Zuidelijke Bocht. Er is geen toename in paaiactiviteit waargenomen in de noordelijke Noordzee, hetgeen in strijd is met de verwachting op grond van de verspreiding van volwassen vis zoals waargenomen in onderzoeksreizen

Shortlist Master plan Wind Monitoring fish eggs and larvae in the southern North Sea: final report Part A en B

This report presents the results of twelve monthly ichthyoplankton surveys carried out from April 2010 until March 2011 in the southern North Sea. The aim of this study was to collect data on the temporal and spatial distribution of fish eggs and larvae on the Dutch Continental Shelf (NCP). However, since fish eggs and larvae are transported with the currents onto the NCP a larger area covering the majority of the southern North Sea was sampled during the surveys. Despite technical problems or bad weather conditions preventing the sampling of all planned stations during each survey, the coverage was good and the general trends in ichthyoplankton abundance became apparent. Fish eggs were found in all months but species and numbers varied per month across the southern North Sea. The highest abundance of fish eggs was found from January until May with fish eggs being found at all stations from April until July. Very few eggs were found between August and November. From December onwards abundance of eggs increased again. The pattern was the same on the NCP. In total 35 different species of fish eggs were found. Fish larvae were found in all months but species and numbers varied in a similar pattern to the fish eggs, except the highest abundance of larvae was found in December and January in the English Channel (mostly herring). Numbers of larvae in the southern North Sea increased from April until June and afterwards then gradually declined until November. After this the abundances increased again. Larvae were found at almost all stations from May until September. In October and November larvae were found at half of all the stations both in the whole sampling area and on the NCP. The patterns was the same on the NCP. In total 74 different species of fish larvae were found. Based on the results of a modelling study, a mitigating measure was issued by the Dutch authorities forbidding pile driving of offshore wind farm foundations from January to June, in order to ensure that negative effects on prey availability for birds and marine mammals within Natura 2000 areas are minimised. The results of the year-round monthly surveys show that from April until September fish larvae were found throughout the survey area, including the NCP, in varying numbers and varying species. Still in October and November larvae were found at half of the stations although at lower abundances. Even in December larvae were still found at a quarter of the stations on the NCP. Whilst the abundance of larvae was low in October and November, there are a few species with larvae present that are absent at other times of the year. These results on ichthyoplankton abundance and results of the experimental study on the effect of pile driving on fish larvae need to be combined. Ideally they should also be assessed with subsequent studies of ichthyoplankton transport and impact on the Natura 2000 sites. This unique study is the first to comprehensively sample and analyse the ichthyoplankton with monthly resolution in the southern North Sea. These data on spatial and temporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae can be used in modelling studies to assess the effects of human activities in the southern North Sea, on different fish stocks

Sex differences in risk profile, stroke cause and outcome in ischemic stroke patients with and without migraine

Background: An increased risk of stroke in patients with migraine has been primarily found for women. The sex-dependent mechanisms underlying the migraine-stroke association, however, remain unknown. This study aims to explore these sex differences to improve our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms behind the migraine-stroke association.Methods: We included 2,492 patients with ischemic stroke from the prospective multicenter Dutch Parelsnoer Institute Initiative study, 425 (17%) of whom had a history of migraine. Cardiovascular risk profile, stroke cause (TOAST classification), and outcome [modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 3 months] were compared with both sexes between patients with and without migraine.Results: A history of migraine was not associated with sex differences in the prevalence of conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Women with migraine had an increased risk of stroke at young age (onset = 3 RR 1.1; 95% CI 0.7-1.5), whereas men seemed to have a higher risk of poor outcome compared with their counterparts without migraine (mRS >= 3 RR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0-2.1).Conclusion: Our results indicate possible sex differences in the pathophysiology underlying the migraine-stroke association, which are unrelated to conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Further research in larger cohorts is needed to validate these findings.Public Health and primary carePrevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD

Dutch parelsnoer institute-cerebrovascular accident (CVA) study: A large multicenter clinical biobank with stan

The Dutch Parelsnoer Institute-Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) Study is part of the Parelsnoer Institute (PSI), initiated in 2007 by the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centers (NFU). PSI is a cooperation of all eight Dutch University Medical Centers (UMCs) and aims at building large prospectively collected datasets with uniformly and standardized storage of biomaterials for complex diseases. Currently, PSI covers 18 disease-specific cohorts called 'Pearls', and this number is still growing. One of these cohorts is the Stroke or CVA Pearl. For each of the cohorts, PSI offers the UMCs an infrastructure and standard procedures for storing the specific biomaterials in their certified biobanks. Clinical data are stored in a central database after being pseudonymized to ensure patient privacy. For the Parelsnoer Institute-CVA Study, blood for genetic analysis, serum and plasma are collected according to nationally agreed standards. Currently (November 2017) the Stroke Pearl has stored blood samples with prospectively obtained clinical data of around 6000 patients in all UMCs combined. Blood samples and data are available for all researchers with a methodologically valid research proposal

Ovarian stimulation for IVF and risk of primary breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers

Background: The effect of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) on breast cancer risk for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers is rarely examined. As carriers may increasingly undergo IVF as part of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), we examined the impact of ovarian stimulation for IVF on breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Methods: The study population consisted of 1550 BRCA1 and 964 BRCA2 mutation carriers, derived from the nationwide HEBON study and the nationwide PGD registry. Questionnaires, clinical records and linkages with the Netherlands Cancer Registry were used to collect data on IVF exposure, risk-reducing surgeries and cancer diagnosis, respectively. Time-dependent Cox regression analyses were conducted, stratified for birth cohort and adjusted for subfertility. Results: Of the 2514 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, 3% (n = 76) were exposed to ovarian stimulation for IVF. In total, 938 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (37.3%) were diagnosed with breast cancer. IVF exposure was not associated with risk of breast cancer (HR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.46–1.36). Similar results were found for the subgroups of subfertile women (n = 232; HR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.39–1.37) and BRCA1 mutation carriers (HR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.60–2.09). In addition, age at and recency of first IVF treatment were not associated with breast cancer risk. Conclusion: No evidence was found for an association between ovarian stimulation for IVF and breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers

Functional mechanisms underlying pleiotropic risk alleles at the 19p13.1 breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility locus

A locus at 19p13 is associated with breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) risk. Here we analyse 438 SNPs in this region in 46,451 BC and 15,438 OC cases, 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers and 73,444 controls and identify 13 candidate causal SNPs associated with serous OC (P=9.2 × 10-20), ER-negative BC (P=1.1 × 10-13), BRCA1-associated BC (P=7.7 × 10-16) and triple negative BC (P-diff=2 × 10-5). Genotype-gene expression associations are identified for candidate target genes ANKLE1 (P=2 × 10-3) and ABHD8 (P<2 × 10-3). Chromosome conformation capture identifies interactions between four candidate SNPs and ABHD8, and luciferase assays indicate six risk alleles increased transactivation of the ADHD8 promoter. Targeted deletion of a region containing risk SNP rs56069439 in a putative enhancer induces ANKLE1 downregulation; and mRNA stability assays indicate functional effects for an ANKLE1 3′-UTR SNP. Altogether, these data suggest that multiple SNPs at 19p13 regulate ABHD8 and perhaps ANKLE1 expression, and indicate common mechanisms underlying breast and ovarian cancer risk

Genome-Wide Association Study in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Identifies Novel Loci Associated with Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk

BRCA1-associated breast and ovarian cancer risks can be modified by common genetic variants. To identify further cancer risk-modifying loci, we performed a multi-stage GWAS of 11,705 BRCA1 carriers (of whom 5,920 were diagnosed with breast and 1,839 were diagnosed with ovarian cancer), with a further replication in an additional sample of 2,646 BRCA1 carriers. We identified a novel breast cancer risk modifier locus at 1q32 for BRCA1 carriers (rs2290854, P = 2.7×10-8, HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.20). In addition, we identified two novel ovarian cancer risk modifier loci: 17q21.31 (rs17631303, P = 1.4×10-8, HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38) and 4q32.3 (rs4691139, P = 3.4×10-8, HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38). The 4q32.3 locus was not associated with ovarian cancer risk in the general population or BRCA2 carriers, suggesting a BRCA1-specific associat

Age at first birth in women is genetically associated with increased risk of schizophrenia

Prof. Paunio on PGC:n jäsenPrevious studies have shown an increased risk for mental health problems in children born to both younger and older parents compared to children of average-aged parents. We previously used a novel design to reveal a latent mechanism of genetic association between schizophrenia and age at first birth in women (AFB). Here, we use independent data from the UK Biobank (N = 38,892) to replicate the finding of an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women, and to estimate the genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in women stratified into younger and older groups. We find evidence for an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women (P-value = 1.12E-05), and we show genetic heterogeneity between younger and older AFB groups (P-value = 3.45E-03). The genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in the younger AFB group is -0.16 (SE = 0.04) while that between schizophrenia and AFB in the older AFB group is 0.14 (SE = 0.08). Our results suggest that early, and perhaps also late, age at first birth in women is associated with increased genetic risk for schizophrenia in the UK Biobank sample. These findings contribute new insights into factors contributing to the complex bio-social risk architecture underpinning the association between parental age and offspring mental health.Peer reviewe