A preliminary field trial to compare control techniques for invasive Berberis aquifolium in Belgian coastal dunes

Non-native Berberis aquifolium is an invasive species in Belgian coastal dunes. With its strong clonal growth through suckers, this evergreen shrub outcompetes native species and affects dune succession. To prevent further secondary spread and mitigate its impact, there was an urgent need for knowledge on the effectiveness of control measures, both at the plant and habitat level. Here, we report on a first control experiment. Individual B. aquifolium clones were subjected to one of four treatments (manual uprooting, foliar herbicide application, stem cutting followed by herbicide or salt application), with regrowth being measured up to one year after treatment. We analyzed the relationship between kill rate, treatment, dune area, plant volume and number of plant stems using a generalized linear model. Berberis aquifolium plants proved most susceptible to foliar herbicide application (5% glyphosate solution), resulting in 88% (64%-97%) of the clones dying after treatment. The predicted kill rate decreased with an increasing number of stems under all treatments. We discuss the limitations of our experiment and the potential for actual field application of the different treatments. We present some guidelines for future control that may become further refined as experience builds up and we provide some recommendations for tackling invasive alien species in Atlantic dune ecosystems

Furan-modified oligonucleotides for triplex DNA cross-linking

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Triplex crosslinking through furan oxidation requires perturbation of the structured triple-helix

Short oligonucleotides can selectively recognize duplexes by binding in the major groove thereby forming triplexes. Based on the success of our recently developed strategy for furan-based crosslinking in DNA duplexes, we here investigated for the first time the use of the furan-oxidation crosslink methodology for the covalent locking of triplex structures by an interstrand crosslink. It was shown that in a triplex context, although crosslinking yields are surprisingly low (to nonexistent) when targeting fully complementary duplexes, selective crosslinking can be achieved towards mismatched duplex sites at the interface of triplex to duplex structures. We show the promising potential of furan-containing probes for the selective detection of single-stranded regions within nucleic acids containing a variety of structural motifs

Furan oxidation cross-link methodology: towards new approaches in antigene and antisense strategy

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Reliability, validity and applicability of the Flemish adaption of the pat:A multicenter study

Background and Aims: The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) is a tool to screen for psychosocial risk factors in families confronted with a child with cancer. We translated the PAT for the Flemish speaking part of Belgium using the forward-backward procedure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the reliability, validity, usability, and clinical added value of the PAT. Methods: In two pediatric oncological centers in Belgium (UZGent/UZLeuven) families confronted with a new diagnosis of childhood cancer were asked to complete the PAT and additional questionnaires (e.g., usability of PAT). The multidisciplinary team rated these families in one of the three risk categories (universal, targeted and clinical). A Spearman rank correlation was used to investigate agreement between PAT and team scores. Results: A total of 106 families participated in the study. The completion of the PAT was on average 37 days after diagnosis. The reliability of the total PAT score (α=.86) and most of the subscales was adequate to good (α=.64-.88). One subscale was inadequate (Family Beliefs, (α=.45)). Content validity was adequate (r=.30-.62), except for the 'social support' subscale. The usability of the PAT, as rated by the parents was adequate to good. Based on the total PAT score 68%, 26% and 6% of the families were classified in the universal, targeted and clinical group, respectively. A modest correlation between the PAT and the team's assessment was found (r= .38, p<.001). According to the assessment of the team, 36%, 48% and 17% were classified in the universal, targeted and clinical group, respectively. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the reliability, validity, and applicability of the Flemish adaptation of the PAT. More research is required to evaluate the added clinical value of combining different assessments (i.c. PAT and multidisciplinary evaluation) of psychosocial risk factors in order to optimize psychosocial support of families confronted with a child with cancer

Reliability, validity and applicability of the Flemish adaption of the pat: A multicenter study

Background and Aims: The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) is a tool to screen for psychosocial risk factors in families confronted with a child with cancer. We translated the PAT for the Flemish speaking part of Belgium using the forward-backward procedure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the reliability, validity, usability, and clinical added value of the PAT. Methods: In two pediatric oncological centers in Belgium (UZGent/UZLeuven) families confronted with a new diagnosis of childhood cancer were asked to complete the PAT and additional questionnaires (e.g., usability of PAT). The multidisciplinary team rated these families in one of the three risk categories (universal, targeted and clinical). A Spearman rank correlation was used to investigate agreement between PAT and team scores. Results: A total of 106 families participated in the study. The completion of the PAT was on average 37 days after diagnosis. The reliability of the total PAT score (α=.86) and most of the subscales was adequate to good (α=.64-.88). One subscale was inadequate (Family Beliefs, (α=.45)). Content validity was adequate (r=.30-.62), except for the 'social support' subscale. The usability of the PAT, as rated by the parents was adequate to good. Based on the total PAT score 68%, 26% and 6% of the families were classified in the universal, targeted and clinical group, respectively. A modest correlation between the PAT and the team's assessment was found (r= .38, p<.001). According to the assessment of the team, 36%, 48% and 17% were classified in the universal, targeted and clinical group, respectively. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the reliability, validity, and applicability of the Flemish adaptation of the PAT. More research is required to evaluate the added clinical value of combining different assessments (i.c. PAT and multidisciplinary evaluation) of psychosocial risk factors in order to optimize psychosocial support of families confronted with a child with cancer