DNA Cytophotometric Findings in Pheochromocytoma

Fifty adrenalectomy specimens containing normal (n = 3), hyperplastic (n =4), or neoplastic (n = 43) medullary tissue were subjected lo quantitative measurements of DNA content. Of the 43 pheochromocytomas, 16 were neoplasms inherited in the setting of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A. Five of 27 sporadic pheochromocytomas followed a malignant clinical course. Follow-up data were available in 25 patients. In normal medulla and adrenomedullary hyperplasia, either diploid or euploid DNA distributions were found. In contrast, 87% (33 of 38) of the benign and all five malignant pheochromocytomas exhibited nondiploid or aneuploid DNA histograms. No differences in DNA content existed between sporadic and hereditary tumors. In contrast to earlier reports, in this study DNA cytophotometry was not suitable to discriminate benign from malignant adrenomedullary tumors. In addition, DNA measurements appeared not to be a useful tool to assess the prognosis of an individual malignant pheochromocytoma

The 10 Elements of Agroecology:Enabling transitions towards sustainable agriculture and food systems through visual narratives

The magnitude and urgency of the challenges facing agriculture and food systems demand profound modifications in different aspects of human activity to achieve real transformative change and sustainability. Recognizing that the inherent complexity of achieving sustainability is commonly seen as a deterrent to decision-making, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has approved the 10 Elements of Agroecology as an analytical framework to support the design of differentiated paths for agriculture and food systems transformation, hence facilitating improved decision-making by policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders in differing contexts at a range of levels on a number of scales. Biodiversity, consumers, education and governance are identified as promising entry points to build a structured process using visual narratives that rely on the 10 Elements of Agroecology to graphically dissect prospective social-ecological transition trajectories. We illustrate such applications with examples from agroforestry worldwide, public food procurement in Brazil and the United States of America, and agroecology education vis-à-vis secure access to land in Senegal. Nexus approaches are used to highlight and examine salient interactions among different sectors and entry points, and to develop visual narratives describing plausible theories of transformative change towards sustainable agriculture and food systems

Anorexia nervosa in males: similarities and differences to anorexia nervosa in females

INTRODUCTION Previous single case reports of males with anorexia nervosa from our database focused on the roles of gender and general personal identity conflicts and panic/guilt over the consequences of impulsivity in precipitating out the illness (Davis & Crisp, 1993; Fry & Crisp, 1989; Toms & Crisp, 1972), the growth stunting but reversible effects of early onset (Toms & Crisp, 1972), and a 35-year long follow-up of a case first seen in 1959 (Crisp, 1995). Our first reported series of 13 male patients (Crisp & Toms, 1972) drew attention to the many similarities to a female population but emphasised, descriptively, the high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in the parents, often bound in with phobic avoidance behaviours and commonly coupled with over-protectiveness of the patient during childhood

Association of Genetic Risk Variants With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Trajectories in the General Population

Importance Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder that shows clinical and genetic overlap with other childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Levels of ADHD symptoms typically decline across childhood and adolescence, although they remain elevated for some individuals. The determinants of symptom persistence and decline are not yet fully understood. Objectives To test the hypothesis that genetic risk variant load for ADHD (indexed by polygenic risk scores [PRS]), but not for other psychiatric disorders, is associated with population-based ADHD symptom trajectories across childhood and adolescence, and to examine whether higher genetic liability for ADHD is correlated with total number of additional neurodevelopmental disorders (multimorbidity) in childhood. Design, Setting, and Participants The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, an ongoing prospective population-based cohort study, has been collecting data on 14 701 children, including 9757 with data on symptoms of ADHD at multiple time points, since September 6, 1990. The primary exposure variables, PRS, were generated using results of a genome-wide association study from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Childhood multimorbidity scores (ages 7-9 years) were measured by total impairments in 4 domains known to share genetic liability with ADHD: IQ, social communication, pragmatic language, and conduct. Data analysis was conducted from March 1 to September 8, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom trajectories from ages 4 to 17 years (7 time points). Results Among 9757 children with data on symptoms of ADHD at multiple time points (age range, 4-17 years; 4968 boys and 4789 girls), 4 ADHD symptom trajectories were identified: low (82.6%), intermediate (7.7%), childhood-limited (5.8%), and persistent (3.9%). Mean (SE) PRS for ADHD were higher in children in the persistent trajectory (0.254 [0.069]) compared with each of the other 3 trajectories (low, –0.018 [0.014], χ21 = 14.67, P < .001, odds ratio, 1.31; intermediate, 0.054 [0.055], χ21 = 4.70, P = .03, odds ratio, 1.22; and childhood-limited, 0.017 [0.060], χ21 = 6.50, P = .01, odds ratio, 1.27). Findings were specific to PRS for ADHD; PRS for other psychiatric conditions did not differ across trajectories. The proportion of children with multimorbidity was also highest in those in the persistent trajectory (42.5%; 95% CI, 33.9%-51.1%; P < .001) and was associated with persistence of ADHD symptoms independent of PRS. Conclusions and Relevance Persistence of ADHD symptoms across childhood and adolescence in the general population is associated with higher PRS for ADHD. Childhood multimorbidity was also associated with persistence of ADHD symptoms and may help to identify children with ADHD whose symptoms are most likely to continue into adolescence

Investigating late-onset ADHD:a population cohort investigation

Adult ADHD has been assumed to be a continuation of childhood-onset ADHD. However, recent studies have identifies individuals with ADHD in adulthood who have not had ADHD in childhood. Whether or not these individuals have a 'typical' neurodevelopmental profile is not clear. Methods We tested two explanations for the emergence of apparent late-onset ADHD symptomatology using the ALSPAC epidemiological cohort, by grouping individuals according to their scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) hyperactivity subscale at ages 12 and 17 years. First, we tested whether some of those with apparent late-onset ADHD symptoms had been potentially misclassified on the basis of earlier SDQ hyperactivity scores (ages 7,8 and 9 years) or of subthreshold symptoms at age 12 years. Second, we investigated the possibility that those with 'genuine' late-onset ADHD symptoms, by investigating whether they had a similar profile if neurodevelopmental impairments (in the domains of autistic symptomatology, language, reading, spelling, executive functioning and IQ) as those with typical childhood-onset ADHD. Results N=56/75 (75%) of those with apparent late-onset ADHD had had high ADHD scores at at least one point in childhood, suggesting that they may have been misclassified on the basis of their score at age 12 years. The remaining 19 individuals (25%) with genuine late-onset ADHD symptoms did not show a profile of neurodevelopmental impairment typically seen in ADHD, instead showing similar levels of autistic symptoms, language skills, executive functioning ability and IQ to those without ADHD symptoms. The only exceptions were that this group showed reading and spelling problems at age 9 years. Conclusions Our work suggests that this small number of individuals with genuine late-onset symptoms may not be most appropriately considered as having typical neurodevelopmental disorder

Ability of different matrices to transmit African swine fever virus

This opinion assesses the risk posed by different matrices to introduce African swine fever virus (ASFV) to non-affected regions of the EU. Matrices assessed are feed materials, enrichment/bedding materials and empty live pigs transport vehicles returning from affected areas. Although the risk from feed is considered to be lower than several other pathways (e.g. contact with infected live animals and swill feeding), it cannot be ruled out that matrices assessed in this opinion pose a risk. Evidence on survival of ASFV in different matrices from literature and a public consultation was used in an Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) on the possible contamination of products and traded or imported product volumes used on pig farms. The EKE results were used in a model that provided a risk-rank for each product's contamination likelihood (‘q’), its trade or import volume from affected EU or Eurasian areas (N) and the modelled number of potentially infected pig farms (N × q). The products ranking higher regardless of origin or destination were mash and pelleted compound feed, feed additives and cereals. Bedding/enrichment materials, hydrolysed proteins and blood products ranked lowest regardless of origin or destination. Empty vehicles ranked lower than compound feed but higher than non-compound feed or bedding/enrichment material. It is very likely (95–99% certainty) that compound feed and cereals rank higher than feed materials, which rank higher than bedding/enrichment material and forage. As this is an assessment based on several parameters including the contamination and delivery to a pig farm, all of which have the same impact on the final ranking, risk managers should consider how the relative rank of each product may change with an effective storage period or a virus inactivation step.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio