The population genomic legacy of the second plague pandemic

Human populations have been shaped by catastrophes that may have left long-lasting signatures in their genomes. One notable example is the second plague pandemic that entered Europe in ca. 1,347 CE and repeatedly returned for over 300 years, with typical village and town mortality estimated at 10%–40%.1 It is assumed that this high mortality affected the gene pools of these populations. First, local population crashes reduced genetic diversity. Second, a change in frequency is expected for sequence variants that may have affected survival or susceptibility to the etiologic agent (Yersinia pestis).2 Third, mass mortality might alter the local gene pools through its impact on subsequent migration patterns. We explored these factors using the Norwegian city of Trondheim as a model, by sequencing 54 genomes spanning three time periods: (1) prior to the plague striking Trondheim in 1,349 CE, (2) the 17th–19th century, and (3) the present. We find that the pandemic period shaped the gene pool by reducing long distance immigration, in particular from the British Isles, and inducing a bottleneck that reduced genetic diversity. Although we also observe an excess of large FST values at multiple loci in the genome, these are shaped by reference biases introduced by mapping our relatively low genome coverage degraded DNA to the reference genome. This implies that attempts to detect selection using ancient DNA (aDNA) datasets that vary by read length and depth of sequencing coverage may be particularly challenging until methods have been developed to account for the impact of differential reference bias on test statistics.publishedVersio

Prevalence of abnormal electrocardiographic patterns in Icelandic soccer players and relationship with echocardiographic findings.

Óeðlilegt hjartarit er algengt meðal ungra íþróttamanna en þýðing þessa er óljós. Því er óvíst hversu gagnlegt hjartarit er við skimun fyrir áhættuþáttum skyndidauða meðal afreksíþróttamanna. Markmið rannsóknarinnar voru: 1) Að meta algengi óeðlilegs hjartarits meðal íslenskra knattspyrnumanna, sérstaklega með tilliti til aldurs og 2) að bera hjartarit saman við niðurstöður hjartaómskoðana. Rannsóknin var afturvirk og tók til knattspyrnumanna á Íslandi sem tóku þátt í Evrópukeppni karla á árunum 2008-2010. Þessir leikmenn gengust undir nákvæma læknisskoðun, hjartarit og hjarta-ómskoðun samkvæmt kröfum Evrópska knattspyrnusambandsins (UEFA). Farið var yfir rannsóknarniðurstöður 159 knattspyrnumanna á aldrinum 16-45 ára (meðalaldur 25,5 ár). Notast var við staðla og viðmið European Society of Cardiology og American Society of Niðurstöður: Alls höfðu 84 knattspyrnumenn (53%) óeðlilegt hjartarit. Algengi óeðlilegs hjartarits fór lækkandi með aldri. Hjartaómskoðun sýndi að veggþykkt, massi og þvermál vinstri slegils jókst með aldri svo og þvermál vinstri gáttar. Enginn munur var á veggþykkt, massa og þvermáli vinstri slegils eða þvermáli vinstri gáttar milli þeirra sem höfðu eðlilegt eða óeðlilegt hjartarit. Tíðni óeðlilegs hjartarits hjá íslenskum knattspyrnumönnum er há en bendir yfirleitt ekki til undirliggjandi hjartasjúkdóms. Tíðnin fer lækkandi með aldri. Hjartarit hefur ekki forspárgildi fyrir breytingar á veggþykkt eða þvermáli vinstri slegils. Há tíðni óeðlilegs hjartarits meðal yngstu einstaklinganna dregur úr gagnsemi hjartarita við skimun fyrir hættu á skyndidauða.An abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) is common among young athletes but the underlying cause is unclear. Therefore it is hard to predict how accurate ECG is when screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in elite athletes. Objective: 1) to determine the prevalence of abnormal ECG patterns, among soccer players, especially in relation to age and 2) to link ECG patterns with echocardiographic findings in order to find out whether the ECG can predict disease and/or physiological changes. A total of 159 male soccer players (16-45 years, mean age 25.5 years) that participated in the UEFA cup competition 2008-2010 were studied. They underwent both an ECG and echocardiography along with routine history and cardiologic examination, according to UEFA protocol. Results were classified and grouped according to standards set by The European Society of Cardiology and The American Society of Echocardiography. Results: 84 (53%) had abnormal ECG patterns. The prevalence of abnormal ECG patterns decreased with age. Echocardiographic findings showed that left ventricular wall thickness, mass and diameter increased with age, along with left atrial diameter. Left ventricular wall thickness, diameter and mass were similar among those with an abnormal ECG and those with a normal ECG. Conclusion: The prevalence of abnormal ECG´s is high in Icelandic soccer players, a finding that usually does not indicate underlying heart disease. There was no relationship between ECG changes and echocardiographic findings. High prevalance of abnormal ECG patterns in young athletes reduces the usefulness of ECG in screening for SCD

Prevalence of abnormal electrocardiographic patterns in Icelandic soccer players and relationship with echocardiographic findings.

Óeðlilegt hjartarit er algengt meðal ungra íþróttamanna en þýðing þessa er óljós. Því er óvíst hversu gagnlegt hjartarit er við skimun fyrir áhættuþáttum skyndidauða meðal afreksíþróttamanna. Markmið rannsóknarinnar voru: 1) Að meta algengi óeðlilegs hjartarits meðal íslenskra knattspyrnumanna, sérstaklega með tilliti til aldurs og 2) að bera hjartarit saman við niðurstöður hjartaómskoðana. Rannsóknin var afturvirk og tók til knattspyrnumanna á Íslandi sem tóku þátt í Evrópukeppni karla á árunum 2008-2010. Þessir leikmenn gengust undir nákvæma læknisskoðun, hjartarit og hjarta-ómskoðun samkvæmt kröfum Evrópska knattspyrnusambandsins (UEFA). Farið var yfir rannsóknarniðurstöður 159 knattspyrnumanna á aldrinum 16-45 ára (meðalaldur 25,5 ár). Notast var við staðla og viðmið European Society of Cardiology og American Society of Niðurstöður: Alls höfðu 84 knattspyrnumenn (53%) óeðlilegt hjartarit. Algengi óeðlilegs hjartarits fór lækkandi með aldri. Hjartaómskoðun sýndi að veggþykkt, massi og þvermál vinstri slegils jókst með aldri svo og þvermál vinstri gáttar. Enginn munur var á veggþykkt, massa og þvermáli vinstri slegils eða þvermáli vinstri gáttar milli þeirra sem höfðu eðlilegt eða óeðlilegt hjartarit. Tíðni óeðlilegs hjartarits hjá íslenskum knattspyrnumönnum er há en bendir yfirleitt ekki til undirliggjandi hjartasjúkdóms. Tíðnin fer lækkandi með aldri. Hjartarit hefur ekki forspárgildi fyrir breytingar á veggþykkt eða þvermáli vinstri slegils. Há tíðni óeðlilegs hjartarits meðal yngstu einstaklinganna dregur úr gagnsemi hjartarita við skimun fyrir hættu á skyndidauða.An abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) is common among young athletes but the underlying cause is unclear. Therefore it is hard to predict how accurate ECG is when screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in elite athletes. Objective: 1) to determine the prevalence of abnormal ECG patterns, among soccer players, especially in relation to age and 2) to link ECG patterns with echocardiographic findings in order to find out whether the ECG can predict disease and/or physiological changes. A total of 159 male soccer players (16-45 years, mean age 25.5 years) that participated in the UEFA cup competition 2008-2010 were studied. They underwent both an ECG and echocardiography along with routine history and cardiologic examination, according to UEFA protocol. Results were classified and grouped according to standards set by The European Society of Cardiology and The American Society of Echocardiography. Results: 84 (53%) had abnormal ECG patterns. The prevalence of abnormal ECG patterns decreased with age. Echocardiographic findings showed that left ventricular wall thickness, mass and diameter increased with age, along with left atrial diameter. Left ventricular wall thickness, diameter and mass were similar among those with an abnormal ECG and those with a normal ECG. Conclusion: The prevalence of abnormal ECG´s is high in Icelandic soccer players, a finding that usually does not indicate underlying heart disease. There was no relationship between ECG changes and echocardiographic findings. High prevalance of abnormal ECG patterns in young athletes reduces the usefulness of ECG in screening for SCD

Evidence, Not Evangelism, for Dietary Recommendations.

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Diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multidetector CT for detection of in-stent restenosis in an unselected, consecutive patient population

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldOBJECTIVES: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (64-CT) for detection of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in an unselected, consecutive patient population. BACKGROUND: Detection of in-stent restenosis by cardiac CT would be a major advance for the evaluation of patients suspected of having ISR. However, the diagnostic accuracy of current generation 64-CT in this context is not fully established. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study on patients with stable angina or acute coronary syndrome with no prior history of coronary artery disease. Six months after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent placement they underwent a 64-CT scan (Toshiba Multi-Slice Aquilion 64) and consequently a repeat coronary angiography for comparison. Cardiac CT data sets were analyzed for the presence of in-stent restenosis by two independent expert readers blinded to the coronary angiographic data. RESULTS: Ninety-three patients with a total of 140 stents were evaluated. Males comprised 82% of the study group and the mean age was 63±10 years. The mean time from PCI to the repeat coronary angiography was 208±37 days and the mean time from 64-CT to repeat coronary angiography was 3.7±4.9 days. The restenosis rate according to coronary angiography was 26%. Stent diameter, strut thickness, heart rate and body mass index (BMI) significantly affected image quality. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 64-CT for detection of in-stent restenosis were 27%, 95%, 67% and 78%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Current generation, 64-slice CT, remains limited in its ability to accurately detect in-stent restenosis

Active immunization of mice with an Abeta-Hsp70 vaccine

Heat-shock proteins are highly immunogenic. Complexed with an antigen, they act as adjuvants, inducing a humoral and cellular immune response against both the antigen and the chaperone. In this study, we produced an Hsp70-supported vaccine to induce the generation of antibodies against amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides, the major constituent of beta-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease. The vaccine consisted of synthetic human Abeta42 covalently cross-linked with DnaK, an Hsp70 homolog of Escherichia coli. Active immunization of mice with this vaccine resulted in the generation of antibodies against Abeta, that were detectable in sera after the first booster immunization. Antibody titers varied markedly with the genetic background of the mice. Prophylactic short-term immunization of transgenic mice (APP tg2576) before the onset of plaques, however, did not prevent amyloid plaque deposition. There were no differences in the plaque load and in the level of Triton X-100-soluble Abeta peptides in the brains of immunized and control-treated transgenic mice. Unexpectedly, the level of formic-acid soluble Abeta peptides tended to be higher in immunized mice. The reason for the increase may be an enhanced deposition of Abeta in the small cerebral blood vessels. These data emphasize the need for anti-Abeta antibodies that remove Abeta peptides from the central nervous system without negative side effects

Comparison of 30-day and 5-year outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients aged≤50 years (the Coronary aRtery diseAse in younG adultS Study).

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageData on the outcome of young patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are scarce. Data on 2,209 consecutive patients aged≤50 years who underwent CABG or PCI were retrospectively collected from 15 European institutions. PCI and CABG had similar 30-day mortality rates (0.8% vs 1.4%, p=0.27), late survival (at 5 years, 97.8% vs 94.9%, p=0.082), and freedom from stroke (at 5 years, 98.0% and 98.0%, p=0.731). PCI was associated with significantly lower freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (at 5 years, 73.9% vs 85.0%, p<0.0001), repeat revascularization (at 5 years, 77.6% vs 92.5%, p<0.0001), and myocardial infarction (at 5 years, 89.9% vs 96.6%, p<0.0001) compared with CABG. These findings were confirmed in propensity score-adjusted and matched analyses. Freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events after PCI was particularly low in diabetics (at 5 years, 58.0% vs 75.9%, p<0.0001) and in patients with multivessel disease (at 5 years, 63.6% vs 85.1%, p<0.0001). PCI in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction was associated with significantly better 5-year survival (97.5% vs 88.8%, p=0.001), which was driven by its lower 30-day mortality rate (1.5% vs 6.0%, p=0.017). In conclusion, patients aged≤50 years have an excellent immediate outcome after either PCI or CABG with similar long-term survival when used according to the current clinical practice. PCI was associated with significantly lower freedom from myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization.Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Helsinki, Finlan