Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first global synthesis of vertical habitat use by elasmobranchs from data obtained by deployment of 989 biotelemetry tags on 38 elasmobranch species. Elasmobranchs displayed high intra- and interspecific variability in vertical movement patterns. Substantial vertical overlap was observed for many epipelagic elasmobranchs, indicating an increased likelihood to display spatial overlap, biologically interact, and share similar risk to anthropogenic threats that vary on a vertical gradient. We highlight the critical next steps toward incorporating vertical movement into global management and monitoring strategies for elasmobranchs, emphasizing the need to address geographic and taxonomic biases in deployments and to concurrently consider both horizontal and vertical movements

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Prostate Cancer DNA Ploidy and Response to Salvage Hormone Therapy After Radiotherapy With or Without Short-Term Total Androgen Blockade: An Analysis of RTOG 8610

Purpose: DNA ploidy has consistently been found to be a correlate of prostate cancer patient outcome. However, a minority of studies have used pretreatment diagnostic material and have involved radiotherapy (RT)-treated patients. In this retrospective study, the predictive value of DNA ploidy was evaluated in patients entered into Radiation Therapy Oncology Group protocol 8610. The protocol treatment randomization was RT alone versus RT plus short-course (∼4 months) neoadjuvant and concurrent total androgen blockade (RT+TAB). Patients and Methods: The study population consisted of 149 patients, of whom 74 received RT alone and 75 received RT+TAB. DNA content was determined by image analysis of Feulgen stained tissue sections; 94 patients were diploid and 55 patients were nondiploid. Kaplan-Meier univariate survival, the cumulative incidence method, and Cox proportional hazards multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the relationship of DNA ploidy to distant metastasis and overall survival. Results: DNA nondiploidy was not associated with any of the other prognostic factors in univariate analyses. In Kaplan-Meier analyses, 5-year overall survival was 70% for those with diploid tumors and 42% for nondiploid tumors. Cox proportional hazards regression revealed that nondiploidy was independently associated with reduced overall survival. No correlation was observed between DNA ploidy and distant metastasis. The diminished survival in the absence of an increase in distant metastasis was related to a reduction in the effect of salvage androgen ablation; patients treated initially with RT+TAB and who had nondiploid tumors had reduced survival after salvage androgen ablation. Conclusions: Nondiploidy was associated with shorter survival, which seemed to be related to reduced response to salvage hormone therapy for those previously exposed to short-term TAB

Ki-67 Staining Is a Strong Predictor of Distant Metastasis and Mortality for Men With Prostate Cancer Treated With Radiotherapy Plus Androgen Deprivation: Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Trial 92–02

Purpose The Ki-67 staining index (Ki67-SI) has been associated with prostate cancer patient outcome; however, few studies have involved radiotherapy (RT) -treated patients. The association of Ki67-SI to local failure (LF), biochemical failure (BF), distant metastasis (DM), cause-specific death (CSD) and overall death (OD) was determined in men randomly assigned to short term androgen deprivation (STAD) + RT or long-term androgen deprivation (LTAD) + RT. Patients and Methods There were 537 patients (35.5%) on Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 92-02 who had sufficient tissue for Ki67-SI analysis. Median follow-up was 96.3 months. Ki67-SI cut points of 3.5% and 7.1% were previously found to be related to patient outcome and were examined here in a Cox proportional hazards multivariate analysis (MVA). Ki67-SI was also tested as a continuous variable. Covariates were dichotomized in accordance with stratification and randomization criteria. Results Median Ki67-SI was 6.5% (range, 0% to 58.2%). There was no difference in the distribution of patients in the Ki-67 analysis cohort (n = 537) and the other patients in RTOG 92-02 (n = 977) by any of the covariates or end points tested. In MVAs, Ki67-SI (continuous) was associated with LF (P = .08), BF (P = .0445), DM (P < .0001), CSD (P < .0001), and OD (P = .0094). When categoric variables were used in MVAs, the 3.5% Ki67-SI cut point was not significant. The 7.1% cut point was related to BF (P = .09), DM (P = .0008), and CSD (P = .017). Ki67-SI was the most significant correlate of DM and CSD. A detailed analysis of the hazard rates for DM in all possible covariate combinations revealed subgroups of patients treated with STAD + RT that did not require LTAD. Conclusion Ki67-SI was the most significant determinant of DM and CSD and was also associated with OD. The Ki67-SI should be considered for the stratification of patients in future trials