Systematic review of SGLT2 receptor inhibitors in dual or triple therapy in type 2 diabetes

Background Despite the number of medications for type 2 diabetes, many people with the condition do not achieve good glycaemic control. Some existing glucose-lowering agents have adverse effects such as weight gain or hypoglycaemia. Type 2 diabetes tends to be a progressive disease, and most patients require treatment with combinations of glucose-lowering agents. The sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) receptor inhibitors are a new class of glucose-lowering agents. Objective To assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of the SGLT2 receptor inhibitors in dual or triple therapy in type 2 diabetes. Data sources MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library (all sections); Science Citation Index; trial registries; conference abstracts; drug regulatory authorities; bibliographies of retrieved papers. Inclusion criteria Randomised controlled trials of SGLT2 receptor inhibitors compared with placebo or active comparator in type 2 diabetes in dual or combination therapy. Methods Systematic review. Quality assessment used the Cochrane risk of bias score. Results Seven trials, published in full, assessed dapagliflozin and one assessed canagliflozin. Trial quality appeared good. Dapagliflozin 10 mg reduced HbA1c by −0.54% (weighted mean differences (WMD), 95% CI −0.67 to −0.40) compared to placebo, but there was no difference compared to glipizide. Canagliflozin reduced HbA1c slightly more than sitagliptin (up to −0.21% vs sitagliptin). Both dapagliflozin and canagliflozin led to weight loss (dapagliflozin WMD −1.81 kg (95% CI −2.04 to −1.57), canagliflozin up to −2.3 kg compared to placebo). Limitations Long-term trial extensions suggested that effects were maintained over time. Data on canagliflozin are currently available from only one paper. Costs of the drugs are not known so cost-effectiveness cannot be assessed. More data on safety are needed, with the Food and Drug Administration having concerns about breast and bladder cancers. Conclusions Dapagliflozin appears effective in reducing HbA1c and weight in type 2 diabetes, although more safety data are needed

Effect of pesticide types on community structure of arthropod in soy crops

This study was carried out on three soybean farms located in the Liverpool Plains Shire in New South Wales, Australia. The soybean farms were different in terms of pesticide type used. One of the soy crops was sprayed with broad spectrum synthetic pesticides (synthetic pyrethroids), one site of soy crop was sprayed with natural pyrethrum - an organically certified pesticide, and one of the soy crops was not treated with any pesticides. Arthropod samples were collected on three occasions at every site except in the third site of soy crops which was not treated with any pesticides. Samplings were done using sweep nets and beat sheets. There were no significant differences of community structure change between farms treated with different pesticide regimes (F2,5= 4.2599, P(perm)= 0.188), and no significant differences in arthropod species richness. The abundance of arthropods was significantly different for site treated with biopesticide and site treated with synthetic pyrethroids (G6 = 284.36, P <0.0001), non-sprayed site and site treated with synthetic pyrethroids (G6 = 2110, P < 0.0001), and non-sprayed site to site treated with biopesticide (G6 = 2027, P < 0.0001). The use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture has been found to suppress pests and beneficial arthropods, while the use of biopesticides or without pesticide, to some extent, may let beneficials thrive in the system and also may suppress pest arthropods.Key words: arthropods, soy-bean, pesticides, organic farming, conventional farmin

The Sugar Factory

Luke Banas is a young video artist who lives illegally in the disused Domino sugar refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While his art is an attempt to fully record and share his own life story, developers want to tear down the building where he works; a building that’s a monument to his hip neighborhood’s industrial past. The novel’s narrator, Lila Fairfax, is a journalist writing her first feature article about Luke and the fate of the factory. Observant and astute, she soon realizes that, despite his obsessive self-revelation, Luke is hiding a secret. Lila’s rational, detached approach to life is disrupted as, in the course of her reporting, she falls in love with Luke and as a result, learns far more than she anticipated. Though primarily a love story, The Sugar Factory is also an investigation of art, and art’s interaction with commerce, history, and new technology

Effect of Pesticide Types on Community Structure of Arthropod in Soy Crops

This study was carried out on three soybean farms located in the Liverpool Plains Shire in New South Wales, Australia. The soybean farms were different in terms of pesticide type used. One of the soy crops was sprayed with broad spectrum synthetic pesticides (synthetic pyrethroids), one site of soy crop was sprayed with natural pyrethrum - an organically certified pesticide, and one of the soy crops was not treated with any pesticides. Arthropod samples were collected on three occasions at every site except in the third site of soy crops which was not treated with any pesticides. Samplings were done using sweep nets and beat sheets. There were no significant differences of community structure change between farms treated with different pesticide regimes (F2,5= 4.2599, P(perm)= 0.188), and no significant differences in arthropod species richness. The abundance of arthropods was significantly different for site treated with biopesticide and site treated with synthetic pyrethroids (G6 = 284.36, P <0.0001), non-sprayed site and site treated with synthetic pyrethroids (G6 = 2110, P < 0.0001), and non-sprayed site to site treated with biopesticide (G6 = 2027, P < 0.0001). The use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture has been found to suppress pests and beneficial arthropods, while the use of biopesticides or without pesticide, to some extent, may let beneficials thrive in the system and also may suppress pest arthropods

Low intensity psychological interventions for the treatment of feeding and eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Feeding and eating disorders are associated with significant illness burden and costs, yet access to evidence-based care is limited. Low intensity psychological interventions have the potential to increase such access. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on the use of low intensity psychological interventions for the treatment of feeding and eating disorders. Studies comparing low intensity psychological interventions against high intensity therapies and non-eating disorder specific psychological interventions were included, as well as those with waiting list control arms. There were three primary outcomes: eating disorder psychopathology, diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) severity specifier-related outcomes and rates of remission/recovery. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 3665 participants, and 30 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to high intensity therapies, low intensity psychological interventions were equivalent on reducing eating disorder psychopathology (g = - 0.13), more effective at improving DSM severity specifier-related outcomes (g = - 0.15), but less likely to achieve remission/recovery (risk ratio (RR) = 0.70). Low intensity psychological interventions were superior to non-eating disorder specific psychological interventions and waiting list controls across all three primary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Overall, findings suggest that low intensity psychological interventions can successfully treat eating disorder symptoms. Few potential moderators had a statistically significant effect on outcome. The number of studies for many comparisons was low and the methodological quality of the studies was poor, therefore results should be interpreted with caution. More research is needed to establish the effectiveness of low intensity psychological interventions for children and young people, as well as for individuals with anorexia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, pica and rumination disorder

Genetic diversity and genome wide association study of β-glucan content in tetraploid wheat grains

Non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) have many health benefits, including immunomodulatory activity, lowering serum cholesterol, a faecal bulking effect, enhanced absorption of certain minerals, prebiotic effects and the amelioration of type II diabetes. The principal components of the NSP in cereal grains are (1,3;1,4)-β-glucans and arabinoxylans. Although (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan (hereafter called β-glucan) is not the most representative component of wheat cell walls, it is one of the most important types of soluble fibre in terms of its proven beneficial effects on human health. In the present work we explored the genetic variability of β-glucan content in grains from a tetraploid wheat collection that had been genotyped with a 90k-iSelect array, and combined this data to carry out an association analysis. The β-glucan content, expressed as a percentage w/w of grain dry weight, ranged from 0.18% to 0.89% across the collection. Our analysis identified seven genomic regions associated with β-glucan, located on chromosomes 1A, 2A (two), 2B, 5B and 7A (two), confirming the quantitative nature of this trait. Analysis of marker trait associations (MTAs) in syntenic regions of several grass species revealed putative candidate genes that might influence β-glucan levels in the endosperm, possibly via their participation in carbon partitioning. These include the glycosyl hydrolases endo-β-(1,4)-glucanase (cellulase), β-amylase, (1,4)-β-xylan endohydrolase, xylanase inhibitor protein I, isoamylase and the glycosyl transferase starch synthase II

Monitoring impacts from Council Regulation (EU) No 333/2011: End-of-waste criteria for Al/Fe scrap

On 9 October 2011, Council Regulation 333/2011 came into force establishing criteria by which scrap from iron and steel, aluminium and aluminium alloys could cease to be regulated as waste. This study examines the impacts of the Regulation on scrap availability, trade flows, prices, administrative requirements and environment or human health incidents. Because no data currently distinguishes between waste and end-of-waste compliant scrap, information was collected from the EU Competent Authorities and industry using detailed surveys. Across Europe, approximately 250 companies provided responses to the industry survey (representing approximately one quarter of the membership of the scrap industry associations), with a further 15 submissions from industry associations and 25 from Competent Authorities, although the survey responses were notably skewed towards Italy. The results of the study show that more than 1,100 scrap industry companies are already using the end-of-waste criteria across Europe. Uptake is most pronounced in Italy, where over 1,000 scrap companies generate end-of-waste compliant scrap. This rapid uptake in Italy is due in part to a specific legal framework on secondary raw materials already in place before the introduction of the end-of-waste criteria. In the rest of Europe there are a further 100 scrap companies active in end-of-waste scrap. In terms of the quantity of end-of-waste compliant scrap available on the market, this study estimates that, as a lower bound, at least 15% of EU scrap steel and 10% of EU scrap aluminium is compliant. Importantly, this study has found almost no evidence that end-of-waste has caused any negative impacts on the market, whether that be to scrap quality, availability/trade or on the environment. On the contrary, quite a number of the survey participants, both from industry and Competent Authorities highlighted the perceived benefits of the introduction of end-of-waste for metal scrap. These perceived benefits include: creating a simplified regulatory framework and offering companies greater flexibility and legal certainty. Some companies identified improved scrap quality and increased sales prices. At the expert workshop participants debated several ideas for a future monitoring system. One key conclusion was that there is no urgent need to revisit monitoring in the near future, due to the relatively modest rate of uptake outside Italy and the very few, if any, negative impacts observed so far. A repeat of the industry and authorities’ surveys in 2-3 years times was deemed to be the most appropriate way to monitor end-of-waste for scrap metal, and copper scrap could be added to the scope of that exercise.JRC.J.5-Sustainable Production and Consumptio