Vegetation plays an important role in mediating future water resources

Future environmental change is expected to modify the global hydrological cycle, with consequences for the regional distribution of freshwater supplies. Regional precipitation projections, however, differ largely between models, making future water resource projections highly uncertain. Using two representative concentration pathways and nine climate models, we estimate 21st century water resources across Australia, employing both a process-based dynamic vegetation model and a simple hydrological framework commonly used in water resource studies to separate the effects of climate and vegetation on water resources. We show surprisingly robust, pathway-independent regional patterns of change in water resources despite large uncertainties in precipitation projections. Increasing plant water use efficiency (due to the changing atmospheric CO2) and reduced green vegetation cover (due to the changing climate) relieve pressure on water resources for the highly populated, humid coastal regions of eastern Australia. By contrast, in semi-arid regions across Australia, runoff declines are amplified by CO2-induced greening, which leads to increased vegetation water use. These findings highlight the importance of including vegetation dynamics in future water resource projections

Gene expression changes related to immune processes associate with cognitive endophenotypes of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by a spectrum of symptoms and many different underlying causes. Thus, instead of using the broad diagnosis, intermediate phenotypes can be used to possibly decrease the underlying complexity of the disorder. Alongside the classical symptoms of delusions and hallucinations, cognitive deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia. To increase our understanding of the biological processes related to these cognitive deficits, we performed a genome-wide gene expression analysis. A battery of 14 neuropsychological tests was administered to 844 individuals from a Finnish familial schizophrenia cohort. We grouped the applied neuropsychological tests into five factors for further analysis. Cognitive endophenotypes, whole blood mRNA, genotype, and medication use data were studied from 47 individuals. Expression level of several RNA probes were significantly associated with cognitive performance. The factor representing Verbal Working Memory was associated with altered expression levels of 11 probes, of which one probe was also associated with a specific sub-measure of this factor (WMS-R Digit span backward). While, the factor Processing speed was related to one probe, which additionally associated among 55 probes with a specific sub-measure of this factor (WAIS-R Digit symbol). Two probes were associated with the measure recognition memory performance. Enrichment analysis of these differentially expressed probes highlighted immunological processes. Our findings are in line with genome-wide genetic discoveries made in schizophrenia, suggesting that immunological processes may be of biological interest for future drug design towards schizophrenia and the cognitive dysfunctions that underlie it.Peer reviewe

Identifying areas at risk of drought-induced tree mortality across South-Eastern Australia

South-East Australia has recently been subjected to two of the worst droughts in the historical record (Millennium Drought, 2000–2009 and Big Dry, 2017–2019). Unfortunately, a lack of forest monitoring has made it difficult to determine whether widespread tree mortality has resulted from these droughts. Anecdotal observations suggest the Big Dry may have led to more significant tree mortality than the Millennium drought. Critically, to be able to robustly project future expected climate change effects on Australian vegetation, we need to be able to assess the vulnerability to drought of Australian trees. Here, we implemented a model of plant hydraulics into the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) land surface model. We parameterised the drought response behaviour of five broad vegetation types, based on a common garden dry-down experiment with species originating across a rainfall gradient (188–1125 mm yr1 ) across South-East Australia. The new hydraulics model significantly improved (~35–45 % reduction in root mean square error) CABLE’s previous predictions of latent heat fluxes during periods of water stress at two eddy covariance sites in Australia. Landscape-scale predictions of the greatest percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity (PLC), 40–60 %, were broadly consistent with satellite estimates of regions of the greatest change in both droughts. In neither drought did CABLE predict that trees would have reached critical PLC in widespread areas (i.e. it projected a low mortality risk), although the model highlighted critical levels near the desert regions of South-East Australia where few trees live. Overall, our experimentally constrained model results imply significant resilience to drought conferred by hydraulic function, but also highlight critical data and scientific gaps. Our approach presents a promising avenue to integrate experimental data and make regional-scale predictions of potential drought-induced hydraulic failure

Effects of a Two-Year Home-Based Exercise Training Program on Oxidized LDL and HDL Lipids in Coronary Artery Disease Patients with and without Type-2 Diabetes

We investigated the effect of two-year home-based exercise training program on oxidized low-density lipoprotein LDL (ox-LDL) and high-density lipoprotein HDL (ox-HDL) lipids in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), both with and without type-2 diabetes (T2D). Analysis of lipoprotein-oxidized lipids was based on the determination of baseline conjugated dienes in lipoprotein lipids. In order to study the effect of an exercise load on ox-LDL and ox-HDL lipids patients in both CAD and CAD + T2D intervention, groups were divided in three based on exercise load (high, medium, and low). During the two-year home-based exercise training program, the study showed that only higher training volume resulted in a decreased concentration of ox-LDL, while the two groups with lower training volumes showed no change. This result indicates that the training load needs to be sufficiently high in order to decrease the concentration of atherogenic ox-LDL lipids in patients with CAD and CAD + T2D. Interestingly, the concentration of ox-HDL did not change in any of the subgroups. This could indicate that the lipid peroxide-transporting capacity of HDL, suggested by results from exercise training studies in healthy adults, may not function similarly in CAD patients with or without T2D. Moreover, the lipid-lowering medication used may have had an influence on these results

Circulating cell-free DNA level predicts all-cause mortality independent of other predictors in the Health 2000 survey

Increased levels of circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) are associated with and predict poor health outcomes. However, its predictive ability for mortality in population-based samples remains understudied. We analysed the capability of cf-DNA to predict all-cause mortality and assessed whether it adds predictive value on top of the other risk factors in the Health 2000 survey (n = 1,257, 46-76 years of age, 15-years-follow-up, 18% deceased). When analysed in a multivariate model with the other factors that independently predicted mortality in the sample (age, gender, self-rated health, smoking and plasma levels of glucose and adiponectin), increases in cf-DNA levels were associated with increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio [HR] for 0.1 mu g increase in cf-DNA: 1.017, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.008-1.026, p = 0.0003). Inclusion of cf-DNA in the model improved the model fit and discrimination. Stratifying the analysis by cardiovascular disease (CVD) status indicated that cf-DNA predicted mortality equally well in individuals with (HR 1.018, 95% CI 1.008-1.026, p = 0.002) and without (HR 1.018, 95% CI 1.001-1.035, p = 0.033) CVD. In conclusion, our study indicates that cf-DNA level predicts mortality in middle-aged and older individuals, also among those with established CVD, and adds significant value to mortality prediction. Our results thus underscore the role of cf-DNA as a viable marker of health

Gender differences in prevalence and prognostic value of fragmented QRS complex

Background: Fragmented QRS (fQRS) on 12-lead electrocardiogram(ECG) is associated with scarred myocardium and adverse outcome. However, the data on gender differences in terms of its prevalence and prognostic value is sparse. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether gender differences in fQRS exist among subjects drawn from populations with different risk profiles. Methods: We analyzed fQRS from 12-lead ECG in 953 autopsy-confirmed victims of sudden cardiac death (SCD) (78% men; 67.0 +/- 11.4 yrs), 1900 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with angiographically confirmed stenosis of >= 50% (70% men; 66.6 +/- 9.0 yrs, 43% with previous myocardial infarction [MI]), and in 10,904 adults drawn from the Finnish adult general population (52% men; 44.0 +/- 8.5 yrs). Results: Prevalence of fQRS was associated with older age, male sex and the history and severity of prior cardiac disease of subjects. Among the general population fQRS was more commonly found among men in comparison to women (20.5% vs. 14.8%, p <0.001). The prevalence of fQRS rose gradually along with the severity of prior cardiac disease in both genders, yet remained significantly higher in the male population: subjects with suspected or known cardiac disease (25.4% vs. 15.8% p <0.001), CAD patients without prior MI (39.9% vs. 26.4%, p <0.001), CAD patients with prior MI (42.9% vs. 31.2%, p <0.001), and victims of SCD (56.4% vs. 44.4%, p <0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of QRS fragmentation varies in different populations. The fragmentation is clearly related to the underlying cardiac disease in both genders, however women seem to have significantly lower prevalence of fQRS in each patient population in comparison to men. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe

HMG1A and PPARG are differently expressed in the liver of fat and lean broilers

The expression of nine functional candidates for QT abdominal fat weight and relative abdominal fat content was investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the liver, adipose tissue, colon, muscle, pituitary gland and brain of broilers. The high mobility group AT-hook 1 (HMG1A) gene was up-regulated in liver with a ratio of means of 2.90 (P ≤ 0.01) in the «fatty» group (relative abdominal fat content 3.5 ± 0.18%, abdominal fat weight 35.4 ± 6.09 g) relative to the «lean» group (relative abdominal fat content 1.9 ± 0.56%, abdominal fat weight 19.2 ± 5.06 g). Expression of this gene was highly correlated with the relative abdominal fat content (0.70, P ≤ 0.01) and abdominal fat weight (0.70, P ≤ 0.01). The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) gene was also up-regulated in the liver with a ratio of means of 3.34 (P ≤ 0.01) in the «fatty» group relative to the «lean» group. Correlation of its expression was significant with both the relative abdominal fat content (0.55, P ≤ 0.05) and the abdominal fat weight (0.57, P ≤ 0.01). These data suggest that the HMG1A and PPARG genes were candidate genes for abdominal fat deposition in chickens. Searching of rSNPs in regulatory regions of the HMG1A and PPARG genes could provide a tool for gene-assisted selection

Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism is not a strong risk factor for diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy in Type I diabetes: case-control study

BACKGROUND: The gene encoding apolipoprotein E (APOE) has been proposed as a candidate gene for vascular complications in Type I diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the influence of three-allelic variations in the APOE gene for the development of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy. RESULTS: Neither APOE alleles frequencies or APOE genotypes frequencies differed between Type I diabetic groups either with or without nephropathy. Similar results were found for patients with and without diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: APOE gene polymorphism does not determine genetic susceptibility for the development of diabetic retinopathy in Type I diabetes patients. Association between APOE gene polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy may be weak or moderate, but not strong

Psychosis among "healthy" siblings of schizophrenia patients

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia aggregates in families and accurate diagnoses are essential for genetic studies of schizophrenia. In this study, we investigated whether siblings of patients with schizophrenia can be identified as free of any psychotic disorder using only register information. We also analyzed the emergence of psychotic disorders among siblings of patients with schizophrenia during seven to eleven years of follow-up. METHODS: A genetically homogenous population isolate in north-eastern Finland having 365 families with 446 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia was initially identified in 1991 using four nationwide registers. Between 1998 and 2002, 124 patients and 183 siblings in 110 families were contacted and interviewed using SCID-I, SCID-II and SANS. We also compared the frequency of mental disorders between siblings and a random population comparison group sample. RESULTS: Thirty (16%) siblings received a diagnosis of psychotic disorder in the interview. 14 siblings had had psychotic symptoms already before 1991, while 16 developed psychotic symptoms during the follow-up. Over half of the siblings (n = 99, 54%) had a lifetime diagnosis of any mental disorder in the interview. CONCLUSION: Register information cannot be used to exclude psychotic disorders among siblings of patients with schizophrenia. The high rate of emergence of new psychotic disorders among initially healthy siblings should be taken into account in genetic analysis