Agricultural policies exacerbate honeybee pollination service supply-demand mismatches across Europe

Declines in insect pollinators across Europe have raised concerns about the supply of pollination services to agriculture. Simultaneously, EU agricultural and biofuel policies have encouraged substantial growth in the cultivated area of insect pollinated crops across the continent. Using data from 41 European countries, this study demonstrates that the recommended number of honeybees required to provide crop pollination across Europe has risen 4.9 times as fast as honeybee stocks between 2005 and 2010. Consequently, honeybee stocks were insufficient to supply >90% of demands in 22 countries studied. These findings raise concerns about the capacity of many countries to cope with major losses of wild pollinators and highlight numerous critical gaps in current understanding of pollination service supplies and demands, pointing to a pressing need for further research into this issue

A 3D numerical approach to assess the temporal evolution of settlement damage to buildings on cavities subject to weathering

The goal of this paper is to show how a recently developed advanced hydro-chemo-mechanical (HCM) coupled constitutive and numerical model for soft rocks can be applied to predict the temporal evolution of settlement damage to buildings on cavities subject to weathering. In particular, a building damage index (BDI) and its evolution with time is proposed. The definition of the BDI is inspired by the work of Boscardin and Cording (1989) and uses the surface differential settlements obtained by finite element (FE) analyses to assess how far a building is from a non-acceptable service condition. By modelling the reactive transport of chemical species in 3D and using a coupled Chemo-Hydro-Mechanical (CHM) constitutive and numerical model, it is possible to simulate weathering scenarios and monitor the temporal evolution of surface settlements making the BDI time dependent. This approach is applied to evaluate the damage evolution of two buildings lying on two anthropic caves in a calcarenite deposit belonging to the Calcarenite di Gravina Formation. Standard and advanced experimental tests are performed on the in-situ material and the results are used to calibrate the constitutive model. The soundness of both constitutive relationship and reactive transport solver is subsequently tested by simulating two laboratory scale boundary value experiments. The first is a model footing test on dry and wet calcarenite while the second is a small scale pillar that, after the saturation induced short-term water weakening, fails due to a long term dissolution weathering process. Finally, both 2 and 3D coupled finite element (FE) analyses simulating different weathering scenarios and corresponding settlements affecting the buildings above the considered cavities are presented. Particular attention is placed on assessing the BDI and its temporal evolution

Life-Long Radar Tracking of Bumblebees

This work was supported by European Research Council Advanced Grant no. 339347

Effect of acute pesticide exposure on bee spatial working memory using an analogue of the radial-arm maze

Pesticides, including neonicotinoids, typically target pest insects by being neurotoxic. Inadvertent exposure to foraging insect pollinators is usually sub-lethal, but may affect cognition. One cognitive trait, spatial working memory, may be important in avoiding previously-visited flowers and other spatial tasks such as navigation. To test this, we investigated the effect of acute thiamethoxam exposure on spatial working memory in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris, using an adaptation of the radial-arm maze (RAM). We first demonstrated that bumblebees use spatial working memory to solve the RAM by showing that untreated bees performed significantly better than would be expected if choices were random or governed by stereotyped visitation rules. We then exposed bees to either a high sub-lethal positive control thiamethoxam dose (2.5ng-1 bee), or one of two low doses (0.377 or 0.091ng-1) based on estimated field-realistic exposure. The high dose caused bees to make more and earlier spatial memory errors and take longer to complete the task than unexposed bees. For the low doses, the negative effects were smaller but statistically significant, and dependent on bee size. The spatial working memory impairment shown here has the potential to harm bees exposed to thiamethoxam, through possible impacts on foraging efficiency or homing

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Management Strategies and Clinical Outcomes of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Leukemia Patients: Insights from Nationwide United States Hospitalizations.

BACKGROUND: Patients with leukemia are at increased risk of cardiovascular events. There are limited outcomes data for patients with a history of leukemia who present with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: We queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2004-2014) for patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of AMI, and a concomitant diagnosis of leukemia, and further stratified according to the subtype of leukemia. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify the association between leukemia and major acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE; composite of mortality, stroke and cardiac complications) and bleeding. RESULTS: Out of 6,750,878 AMI admissions, a total of 21,694 patients had a leukemia diagnosis. The leukemia group experienced higher rates of MACCE (11.8% vs. 7.8%), mortality (10.3% vs. 5.8%) and bleeding (5.6% vs. 5.3%). Following adjustments, leukemia was independently associated with increased odds of MACCE (OR 1.26[1.20,1.31]) and mortality (OR 1.43[1.37,1.50]) without an increased risk of bleeding (OR 0.86[0.81,0.92]). Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was associated with approximately three-fold risk of MACCE (OR 2.81[2.51, 3.13]) and a four-fold risk of mortality (OR 3.75[3.34, 4.22]). Patients with leukemia were less likely to undergo coronary angiography (CA) (48.5% vs. 64.5%) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (28.2% vs. 42.9%) compared to those without leukemia. CONCLUSION: Patients with leukemia, especially those with AML, are associated with poor clinical outcomes after AMI, and are less likely to receive CA and PCI compared to those without leukemia. A multi-disciplinary approach between cardiologists and hematology oncologists may improve the outcomes of patients with leukemia after AMI

Promising outcomes of a national programme for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Addis Ababa: a retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) is still the most effective intervention in combating new HIV infections. In 2008, revised national PMTCT guidelines that incorporated new policies on HIV counselling and testing, antiretroviral prophylaxis regimen and infant HIV diagnosis came into effect in Ethiopia. In the present study we have examined trends in PMTCT service utilization and assessed the rate of MTCT in relation to policy changes in the national PMTCT programme.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Reports from February 2004 to August 2009 were reviewed in 10 sub-cities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The data was collected from May to October 2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The proportion of women who received HIV counselling and testing among new antenatal care attendees increased from 50.7% (95% CI 50.2-51.2) in 2007 to 84.5% (95% CI 84.1-84.9) in 2009 following the shift to routine opt-out testing. Nevertheless, in 2009 only 53.7% of the positive women and 40.7% of their infants received antiretroviral prophylaxis. The HIV prevalence among antenatal attendees decreased significantly from 10.5% in 2004 to 4.6% in 2009 in parallel to the increased number of women being tested. The HIV positive women were over 18 times (RR 18.5, p < 0.0001) more likely to be referred for treatment, care and support in 2009 than in 2004. The proportion of partners tested for HIV decreased by 14% in 2009 compared to 2004, although the absolute number was increasing year by year. Only 10.6% (95% CI 9.9-11.2) of the HIV positive women completed their follow up to infant HIV testing. The cumulative probability of HIV infection among babies on single dose nevirapine regimen who were tested at >=18 months was 15.0% (95% CI 9.8-22.1) in 2007, whereas it was 8.2% (95% CI 5.55-11.97) among babies on Zidovudine regimen who were tested at >=45 days in 2009.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The paper demonstrates trends in PMTCT service utilization in relation to changing policy. There is marked improvement in HIV counselling and testing service utilization, especially after the policy shift to routine opt-out testing. However, despite policy changes, the ARV prophylaxis uptake, the loss to follow up and the partner testing have remained unchanged across the years. This should be a matter of immediate concern and a topic for further research.</p

Electrophysiological Characterization of The Cerebellum in the Arterially Perfused Hindbrain and Upper Body of The Rat

In the present study, a non-pulsatile arterially perfused hindbrain and upper body rat preparation is described which is an extension of the brainstem preparation reported by Potts et al., (Brain Res Bull 53(1):59–67), 1. The modified in situ preparation allows study of cerebellar function whilst preserving the integrity of many of its interconnections with the brainstem, upper spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system of the head and forelimbs. Evoked mossy fibre, climbing fibre and parallel fibre field potentials and EMG activity elicited in forelimb biceps muscle by interpositus stimulation provided evidence that both cerebellar inputs and outputs remain operational in this preparation. Similarly, the spontaneous and evoked single unit activity of Purkinje cells, putative Golgi cells, molecular interneurones and cerebellar nuclear neurones was similar to activity patterns reported in vivo. The advantages of the preparation include the ability to record, without the complications of anaesthesia, stabile single unit activity for extended periods (3 h or more), from regions of the rat cerebellum that are difficult to access in vivo. The preparation should therefore be a useful adjunct to in vitro and in vivo studies of neural circuits underlying cerebellar contributions to movement control and motor learning

The DSM diagnostic criteria for female orgasmic disorder

This is the post-print version of the article. The official published version can be found at the link below.This article reviews the DSM diagnostic criteria for Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD). Following an overview of the concept of female orgasm, research on the prevalence and associated features of FOD is briefly reviewed. Specific aspects of the DSM-IV-TR criteria for FOD are critically reviewed and key issues that should be considered for DSM-V are discussed. The DSM-IV-TR text on FOD focused on the physiological changes that may (or may not) accompany orgasm in women; one of the major recommendations here is that greater emphasis be given to the subjective aspects of the experience of orgasm. Additional specific recommendations are made for revision of diagnostic criteria, including the use of minimum severity and duration criteria, and better acknowledgment of the crucial role of relationship factors in FOD