Grazing by captive Barnacle geese affects graminoid growth and productivity on Svalbard

Migratory geese breed in Svalbard in summer and return to Western Europe for the winter, feeding on wetlands and agricultural fields. Recent changes in climate, land use and the implementation of protective measures dramatically improved the birds\u27 ability to survive the winter, increasing population sizes and thus the potential grazing impact on Svalbard. This study measured live leaf length and aboveground productivity of Alopecurus borealis and Dupontia fisheri, widespread forage grasses on Svalbard, in order to make a quantitative assessment of the short term effects of different intensities of goose grazing. In addition we wanted to establish whether warming could enhance graminoid growth and regenerative capacity of grazed grasses. We carried out a factorial experiment of grazing (control, normal and high grazing pressure) using captive wild barnacle geese and temperature manipulation using open top chambers (OTCs) in a mesic and wet habitat in Adventdalen, Svalbard (78°N , 16°E ), following the growth of individual tillers before grazing and up until 20 days after grazing. OTCs enhanced temperatures and growth rates for Alopecurus in the mesic habitat, but slightly decreased belowground temperatures and early season growth for Dupontia in the wet habitat. Grazing stimulated growth rates resulting in increased cumulative leaf length production. The strength of response was greater for Alopecurus than Dupontia. We suggest that nutrients released by goose faeces were taken up by Alopecurus thus enhancing their growth rates, but that the thick layer of mosses prevented the addition of faeces from benefitting Dupontia as much

Radiocarbon Date List XI: Radiocarbon Dates from Marine Sediment Cores of the Iceland, Greenland, and Northeast Canadian Arctic Shelves and Nares Strait

Radiocarbon Date List XI contains an annotated listing of 178 AMS radiocarbon dates on samples from marine (169 samples) and lake (9 samples) sediment cores. Marine sediment cores, from which the samples for dating were taken, were collected on the Greenland Shelf, Baffin Bay, and the Eastern Canadian Arctic shelf. About 80% of the marine samples for dating were collected on the SW to N Icelandic shelf. The lake sediment cores were collected in northwestern Iceland. For dating of the marine samples, we submitted molluscs (117 samples), benthic and planktic foraminifera (45 samples), plant macrofauna (3 samples), and one serpulid worm. For dating of the lake cores, we submitted wood (8 samples) and one peat sample. The Conventional Radiocarbon Ages range from 294±9114C yr BP to 34,600±640 14C yr BP. The dates have been used to address a variety of research questions. The dates constrain the timing of high northern latitude late Quaternary environmental fluctuations, which include glacier extent, sea level history, isostatic rebound, sediment input, and ocean circulation. The dates also allowed assessment of the accuracy of commonly used reservoir correction. The samples were submitted by INSTAAR and affiliated researchers

Intranasal immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines protects mice against invasive pneumococcal infections.

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldHost defenses against Streptococcus pneumoniae depend largely on opsonophagocytosis mediated by antibodies and complement. Since pneumococcus is a respiratory pathogen, mucosal immune responses may play a significant role in the defense against pneumococcal infections. Thus, mucosal vaccination may be an alternative approach to current immunization strategies, but effective adjuvants are required. Protein antigens induce significant mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) and systemic IgG responses when administered intranasally (i. n.) with the glyceride-polysorbate based adjuvant RhinoVax (RV) both in experimental animals and humans. The immunogenicity and efficacy of pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines (PNC) of serotypes 1 and 3 was studied in mice after i.n. immunization with RV. Antibodies were measured in serum (IgM, IgG, and IgA) and saliva (IgA) and compared to antibody titers induced by parenteral immunization. The PNCs induced significant systemic IgG and IgA antibodies after i.n. immunization only when given with RV and, for serotype 1, serum IgG titers were comparable to titers induced by subcutaneous immunization. In addition, i.n. immunization with PNC-1 in RV elicited detectable mucosal IgA. These results demonstrate that RV is a potent mucosal adjuvant for polysaccharides conjugated to proteins. A majority of the PNC-1-immunized mice were protected against both bacteremia and pneumonia after i.n. challenge with a lethal dose of serotype 1 pneumococci, and protection correlated significantly with the serum IgG titers. Similarly, the survival of mice immunized i.n. with PNC-3 in RV was significantly prolonged. These results indicate that mucosal vaccination with PNC and adjuvants may be an alternative strategy for prevention against pneumococcal infections

A study of the association of HLA DR, DQ, and complement C4 alleles with systemic lupus erythematosus in Iceland

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldOBJECTIVE: To perform an exploratory analysis of the relative contribution of single MHC genes to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a homogenous white population. METHODS: MHC class II alleles and C4 allotypes were determined in 64 SLE patients and in ethnically matched controls. HLA-DR and DQ typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction amplification with sequence specific primers. C4 allotypes were determined by agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: The frequency of C4A*Q0 was significantly higher in patients than in controls (46.9% v 25.3%, p = 0.002). HLA-DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1 alleles in the whole group of SLE patients were not significantly different from those of controls. On the other hand increase in DRB1*03 was observed in the group of patients with C4A*Q0, as compared with patients with other C4A allotypes (p = 0.047). There was no significant correlation between severe and mild disease, as judged by the SLEDAI, and HLADR, DQ alleles and comparing the patients with C4A*Q0 with those with other C4A allotypes there was no significant difference regarding clinical manifestations. CONCLUSION: The results are consistent with the argument that C4A deficiency contributes independently to susceptibility and the pathogenesis of SLE. C4A*Q0 in SLE patients in Iceland shows weaker linkage disequilibrium with DR3 genes than reported in most other white populations and emphasises the role of ethnicity

Characterization of potential biomarkers of reactogenicity of licensed antiviral vaccines: randomized controlled clinical trials conducted by the BIOVACSAFE consortium

Funding text The authors are grateful for the vital contributions of the participating study volunteers, clinicians, nurses, and laboratory technicians at the Surrey study site. The work by Roberto Leone, laboratory technician at Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, is gratefully acknowledged. Finally, they thank Ellen Oe (GSK) for scientific writing assistance. The research leading to these results has received support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement n°115308, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) and EFPIA companies’ in-kind contribution. The contribution of the European Commission to the Advanced Immunization Technologies (ADITEC) project (grant agreement n° 280873) is also gratefully acknowledged. Publisher Copyright: © 2019, The Author(s).Biomarkers predictive of inflammatory events post-vaccination could accelerate vaccine development. Within the BIOVACSAFE framework, we conducted three identically designed, placebo-controlled inpatient/outpatient clinical studies (NCT01765413/NCT01771354/NCT01771367). Six antiviral vaccination strategies were evaluated to generate training data-sets of pre-/post-vaccination vital signs, blood changes and whole-blood gene transcripts, and to identify putative biomarkers of early inflammation/reactogenicity that could guide the design of subsequent focused confirmatory studies. Healthy adults (N = 123; 20–21/group) received one immunization at Day (D)0. Alum-adjuvanted hepatitis B vaccine elicited vital signs and inflammatory (CRP/innate cells) responses that were similar between primed/naive vaccinees, and low-level gene responses. MF59-adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine (ATIV) induced distinct physiological (temperature/heart rate/reactogenicity) response-patterns not seen with non-adjuvanted TIV or with the other vaccines. ATIV also elicited robust early (D1) activation of IFN-related genes (associated with serum IP-10 levels) and innate-cell-related genes, and changes in monocyte/neutrophil/lymphocyte counts, while TIV elicited similar but lower responses. Due to viral replication kinetics, innate gene activation by live yellow-fever or varicella-zoster virus (YFV/VZV) vaccines was more suspended, with early IFN-associated responses in naïve YFV-vaccine recipients but not in primed VZV-vaccine recipients. Inflammatory responses (physiological/serum markers, innate-signaling transcripts) are therefore a function of the vaccine type/composition and presence/absence of immune memory. The data reported here have guided the design of confirmatory Phase IV trials using ATIV to provide tools to identify inflammatory or reactogenicity biomarkers.Peer reviewe

Vaccination of COPD patients with a pneumococcus type 6B tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldThis paper examines how pneumococcal type 6B polysaccharide conjugated to tetanus toxoid (Pn6B-TT) compares to a 23 valent pneumococcal vaccine (pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPS)-23) with respect to immunogenicity and serum opsonic activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients with COPD aged 55-75 yrs were vaccinated with Pn6B-TT (n=10) or with PPS-23 (n=9). Healthy young adults (HA) were vaccinated with Pn6B-TT as controls. Total antibodies to serotype 6B polysaccharide were measured by radioimmunoassay and immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Opsonic activity was measured by a phagocytosis assay using human neutrophils as effector cells. The patient groups were comparable by age, smoking history, lung function and use of steroids. COPD patients vaccinated with Pn6B-TT or PPS-23 showed an increase in IgG antibodies and a nonsignificant increase in opsonic activity. This was similar to the increase in IgG and opsonic activity seen in HA. There was a significant correlation between antibody levels and opsonic activity in COPD patients vaccinated both with Pn6B-TT and PPS-23. Pneumococcal antibodies have been shown to confer protection from infection. The results of the present study indicate that protective immunity can be expected in elderly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients vaccinated with conjugate vaccines

Exclusive Breastfeeding and Developmental and Behavioral Status in Early Childhood

Breastfeeding during infancy may have beneficial effects on various developmental outcomes in childhood. In this study, exclusively breastfed infants were randomly assigned to receive complementary foods from the age of 4 months in addition to breast milk (CF, n = 60), or to exclusively breastfeed to 6 months (EBF, n = 59). At 18 months and again at 30–35 months of age, the children were evaluated with the Parent’s Evaluation of Developmental Status questionnaire (PEDS) and the Brigance Screens-II. The parents completed the PEDS questionnaire at both time intervals and the children underwent the Brigance Screens-II at 30–35 months. At 30–35 months, no significant differences were seen in developmental scores from the Brigance screening test (p = 0.82). However, at 30–35 months a smaller percentage of parents in group CF (2%) had concerns about their children’s gross motor development compared to those in group EBF (19%; p = 0.01), which remained significant when adjusted for differences in pre-randomization characteristics (p = 0.03). No sustained effect of a longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding was seen on selected measures of developmental and behavioral status at 18 months, although at 30–35 months, a smaller percentage of parents of children introduced to complementary foods at four months of age expressed concerns about their gross motor development

The impact of prior malignancies on second malignancies and survival in MM patients: a population-based study

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesIn the present study, we aimed to evaluate 2 hypotheses. First, we hypothesize that prior malignancy is a proxy for genetic susceptibility that could be a risk factor for subsequent malignancy development in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Second, we hypothesize that survival after MM is influenced by a prior malignancy. All patients diagnosed with MM from 1 January 1973 to 31 December 2010 were identified from the Swedish Cancer Register. Cox regression model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) where prior malignancy was compared in MM patients who developed a subsequent malignancy and MM patients who did not. In another Cox regression model, survival was compared in MM patients with and without a prior malignancy diagnosis. A total of 19 791 patients were diagnosed with MM. Patients with a prior malignancy diagnosis had a significantly increased risk of developing a subsequent malignancy compared with MM patients without (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.23-1.65, P 1 prior malignancy reduces survival even further.Asrun Einarsdottir Foundation in Iceland Blodcancerfonden Swedish Cancer Society Stockholm County Council Karolinska Institutet Foundation University of Iceland Research Fund Icelandic Centre for Research Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund Marie Curie Career Integration Grant Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Core Grant by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Healt

The role of glacier mice in the invertebrate colonisation of glacial surfaces: the moss balls of the Falljökull, Iceland

Glacier surfaces have a surprisingly complex ecology. Cryoconite holes contain diverse invertebrate communities while other invertebrates, such as Collembola often graze on algae and windblown dead organic on the glacier surface. Glacier mice (ovoid unattached moss balls) occur on some glaciers worldwide. Studies of these glacier mice have concentrated on their occurrence and mode of formation. There are no reports of the invertebrate communities. But, such glacier mice may provide a suitable favourable habitat and refuge for a variety of invertebrate groups to colonise the glacier surface. Here we describe the invertebrate fauna of the glacier mice (moss balls) of the Falljökull, Iceland. The glacier mice were composed of Racomitrium sp. and varied in size from 8.0 to 10.0 cm in length. All glacier mice studied contained invertebrates. Two species of Collembola were present. Pseudisotoma sensibilis (Tullberg, 1876) was numerically dominant with between 12 and 73 individuals per glacier mouse while Desoria olivacea (Tullberg, 1871) occurred but in far lower numbers. Tardigrada and Nematoda had mean densities of approximately 200 and 1,000 respectively. No Acari, Arachnida or Enchytraeidae were observed which may be related to the difficulty these groups have in colonizing the glacier mice. We suggest that glacier mice provide an unusual environmentally ameliorated microhabitat for an invertebrate community dwelling on a glacial surface. The glacier mice thereby enable an invertebrate fauna to colonise an otherwise largely inhospitable location with implications for carbon flow in the system

Targeting dynamic balance in falls-prevention interventions in multiple sclerosis: Recommendations from the international MS falls prevention research network

Balance deficits are common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and are associated with past and future falls. People with MS tend to fall during activities of daily living and recreation that involve transitions between body positions and during walking and turning. The evident deficits in dynamic balance may be partly due to impairment in the collection or integration of sensory inputs or the execution of appropriate movements in moments of distraction. There is growing evidence that dynamic balance is modifiable and that improvements in dynamic balance are associated with reduction in falls. Consequently, it is imperative that balance measures be appropriate to capture changes in components of dynamic balance. There are numerous ways to measure dynamic balance. When selecting the appropriate dynamic balance measure for an MS falls-prevention trial, the inclusion criteria and content of intervention will inform the choice of measure. The International MS Falls Prevention Research Network (IMSFPRN) suggests that measures of dynamic balance be included as an outcome measure for use in falls-prevention trials