Omega-3 fatty acids and genome-wide interaction analyses reveal DPP10–pulmonary function association

Rationale: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have anti-inflammatory properties that could benefit adults with comprised pulmonary health. Objective: To investigate n-3 PUFA associations with spirometric measures of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and determine underlying genetic susceptibility. Methods: Associations of n-3 PUFA biomarkers (a-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid [DPA], and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) were evaluated with PFTs (FEV 1 , FVC, and FEV 1 /FVC) in meta-analyses across seven cohorts from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology Consortium (N = 16,134 of European or African ancestry). PFT-associated n-3 PUFAs were carried forward to genome-wide interaction analyses in the four largest cohorts (N = 11,962) and replicated in one cohort (N = 1,687). Cohort-specific results were combined using joint 2 degree-of-freedom (2df) meta-analyses of SNP associations and their interactions with n-3 PUFAs Results: DPA and DHA were positively associated with FEV 1 and FVC (P, 0.025), with evidence for effect modification by smoking and by sex. Genome-wide analyses identified a novel association of rs11693320—an intronic DPP10 SNP—with FVC when incorporating an interaction with DHA, and the finding was replicated (P 2df = 9.4 3 10 29 across discovery and replication cohorts). The rs11693320-A allele (frequency, z80%) was associated with lower FVC (P SNP = 2.1 3 10 29 ; b SNP = 2161.0 ml), and the association was attenuated by higher DHA levels (P SNP 3DHA interaction = 2.1 3 10 27 ; b SNP 3DHA interaction = 36.2 ml). Conclusions: We corroborated beneficial effects of n-3 PUFAs on pulmonary function. By modeling genome-wide n-3 PUFA interactions, we identified a novel DPP10 SNP association with FVC that was not detectable in much larger studies ignoring this interaction

The calibration and validation of HDM performance models in the Gauteng PMS

Paper presented at the 21st Annual South African Transport Conference 15 - 18 July 2002 "Towards building capacity and accelerating delivery", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The Pavement Management System (PMS) of the Gauteng Provincial Government provides information required to maintain and manage the Road Network. One of the subsystems of the PMS is the optimisation system (dTIMS), which is used to model future pavement deterioration and to determine optimal maintenance and rehabilitation programs for given budget constraints. The estimated pavement performance is based on models developed by the World Bank and captured in the software HDM. In Gauteng these models were incorporated into the sub-system dTIMS. The models are universally applicable; but require regional calibration to be effective. To ensure local accuracy, 36 calibration sections have been set up in 1993 (Rohde et al, 1993) and have been carefully monitored annually by the province using a defined procedure (Van Zyl, 1994). The HDM prediction models were calibrated based on the observed deterioration of these 36 sections and the performance models are annually adjusted. The models as calibrated on these 36 sections are then used to model the entire network. This paper examines the validity of the models and calibration factors on the entire surfaced road network of Gautrans. The observed performance of the network over the last 10 years is compared to the predicted performance of the network, using the HDM models and calibration factors.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material on the CD ROM was published using Adobe Acrobat technology. The original CD ROM was produced by Document Transformation Technologies Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: [email protected] URL: http://www.doctech.co.z

A more reactive trigonal-bipyramidal high-spin oxoiron(IV) complex with a cis-labile site

The trigonal-bipyramidal high-spin (S = 2) oxoiron(IV) complex [FeIV(O)(TMG2dien)(CH3CN)]2+ (7) was synthesized and spectroscopically characterized. Substitution of the CH3CN ligand by anions, demonstrated here for X = N3– and Cl–, yielded additional S = 2 oxoiron(IV) complexes of general formulation [FeIV(O)(TMG2dien)(X)]+ (7-X). The reduced steric bulk of 7 relative to the published S = 2 complex [FeIV(O)(TMG3tren)]2+ (2) was reflected by enhanced rates of intermolecular substrate oxidation

Study Protocol of European Regulatory Science on Tobacco (EUREST-PLUS): Policy implementation to reduce lung disease

Efforts to mitigate the devastation of tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality in the European Union (EU) are founded on its newly adopted Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) along with the first-ever health treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The aim of this Horizon 2020 Project entitled European Regulatory Science on Tobacco: Policy Implementation to Reduce Lung Disease (EURESTPLUS) is to monitor and evaluate the impact of the implementation of the TPD across the EU, within the context of WHO FCTC ratification. To address this aim, EUREST-PLUS consists of four objectives: 1) To create a cohort study of 6000 adult smokers in six EU MS (Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain) within a pre-TID vs post- TPD implementation study design; 2) To conduct secondary dataset analyses of the Special Eurobarometer on Tobacco Survey (SETS); 3) To document changes in e-cigarette product parameters (technical design, labelling/packaging and chemical composition) pre-TID vs post-TPD; and 4) To enhance innovative joint research collaborations on chronic non-communicable diseases. Through this methodological approach, EUREST-PLUS is designed to generate strong inferences about the effectiveness of tobacco control policies, as well as to elucidate the mechanisms and factors by which policy implementation translates to population impact. Findings from EUREST-PLUS have potential global implications for the implementation of innovative tobacco control policies and its impact on the prevention of lung diseases. © 2018 Vardavas C. I

European adult smokers’ perceptions of the harmfulness of e-cigarettes relative to combustible cigarettes: cohort findings from the 2016 and 2018 EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys

Background: This study presents perceptions of the harmfulness of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) relative to combustible cigarettes among smokers from six European Union (EU) countries, prior to the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and 2 years post-TPD. Methods: Data were drawn from the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys, a cohort study of adult smokers (≥18 years) from Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain. Data were collected in 2016 (pre-TPD: N ¼ 6011) and 2018 (post-TPD: N ¼ 6027). Weighted generalized estimating equations were used to estimate perceptions of the harmfulness of e-cigarettes compared to combustible cigarettes (less harmful, equally harmful, more harmful or ‘don’t know’). Results: In 2016, among respondents who were aware of e-cigarettes (72.2%), 28.6% reported that they perceived e-cigarettes to be less harmful than cigarettes (range 22.0% in Spain to 34.1% in Hungary). In 2018, 72.2% of respondents were aware of e-cigarettes, of whom 28.4% reported perceiving that e-cigarettes are less harmful. The majority of respondents perceived e-cigarettes to be equally or more harmful than cigarettes in both 2016 (58.5%) and 2018 (61.8%, P > 0.05). Overall, there were no significant changes in the perceptions that e-cigarettes are less, equally or more harmful than cigarettes, but ‘don’t know’ responses significantly decreased from 12.9% to 9.8% (P ¼ 0.036). The only significant change within countries was a decrease in ‘don’t know’ responses in Spain (19.3–9.4%, P ¼ .001). Conclusions: The majority of respondents in these six EU countries perceived e-cigarettes to be equally or more harmful than combustible cigarettes. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association