Can acoustic radiation force imaging of the liver and spleen predict the presence of gastroesophageal varices?

Aim To determine whether acoustic radiation force imaging (ARFI) of the liver/spleen could be used in patients with cirrhosis to predict the presence of gastroesophageal varices (GOVs). Materials and methods Fifty-eight patients with cirrhosis who were undergoing 6-monthly ultrasound examinations for hepatoma surveillance and who were due to have oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) within 6 months of their ultrasound were recruited. During routine ultrasound, the patient's liver and spleen were also assessed using ARFI. Other clinical parameters (platelet count, spleen size, and transient elastography measurements) were also collected. Logistic regression was used to determine which variables were significantly associated with presence or absence of varices univariably and multivariably Results Fourteen patients (24%) had GOVs. Patients with GOVs had higher ARFI measurements in the liver and spleen than patients without GOVs (liver: 2.39 versus 2.13, spleen: 2.89 versus 2.82), but these results were not statistically significant (odds ratio=1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.82, 3.91 and odds ratio=1.12, 95% CI=0.33, 3.97, respectively). The platelet/splenic ratio, in comparison, was associated with the presence or absence of GOVs in multivariate analysis (odds ratio=0.32, 95% CI=0.008, 0.91). Conclusion Although patients with GOVs had overall higher ARFI liver and spleen results, this was not statistically significant. As such, ARFI cannot yet replace OGD in predicting GOVs in this patient group

Interaction between maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and CYP1A2 C164A polymorphism affects infant birth size in the Hokkaido study

BACKGROUND: Caffeine, 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, is widely consumed by women of reproductive age. Although caffeine has been proposed to inhibit fetal growth, previous studies on the effects of caffeine on infant birth size have yielded inconsistent findings. This inconsistency may result from failure to account for individual differences in caffeine metabolism related to polymorphisms in the gene for CYP1A2, the major caffeine-metabolizing enzyme. METHODS: Five hundred fourteen Japanese women participated in a prospective cohort study in Sapporo, Japan, from 2002 to 2005, and 476 mother-child pairs were included for final analysis. RESULTS: Caffeine intake was not significantly associated with mean infant birth size. When caffeine intake and CYP1A2 C164A genotype were considered together, women with the AA genotype and caffeine intake of >= 300 mg per day had a mean reduction in infant birth head circumference of 0.8 cm relative to the reference group after adjusting for confounding factors. In a subgroup analysis, only nonsmokers with the AA genotype and caffeine intake of >= 300 mg per day had infants with decreased birth weight (mean reduction, 277 g) and birth head circumference (mean reduction, 1.0 cm). CONCLUSION: Nonsmokers who rapidly metabolize caffeine may be at increased risk for having infants with decreased birth size when consuming >= 300 mg of caffeine per day.This is the author's accepted version of their manuscript of the following article: Sasaki, et al. Pediatric Research (2017) 82, 19–28. The final publication is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/pr.2017.7

Bio::Homology::InterologWalk - A Perl module to build putative protein-protein interaction networks through interolog mapping

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protein-protein interaction (PPI) data are widely used to generate network models that aim to describe the relationships between proteins in biological systems. The fidelity and completeness of such networks is primarily limited by the paucity of protein interaction information and by the restriction of most of these data to just a few widely studied experimental organisms. In order to extend the utility of existing PPIs, computational methods can be used that exploit functional conservation between orthologous proteins across taxa to predict putative PPIs or 'interologs'. To date most interolog prediction efforts have been restricted to specific biological domains with fixed underlying data sources and there are no software tools available that provide a generalised framework for 'on-the-fly' interolog prediction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We introduce <monospace>Bio::Homology::InterologWalk</monospace>, a Perl module to retrieve, prioritise and visualise putative protein-protein interactions through an orthology-walk method. The module uses orthology and experimental interaction data to generate putative PPIs and optionally collates meta-data into an Interaction Prioritisation Index that can be used to help prioritise interologs for further analysis. We show the application of our interolog prediction method to the genomic interactome of the fruit fly, <it>Drosophila melanogaster</it>. We analyse the resulting interaction networks and show that the method proposes new interactome members and interactions that are candidates for future experimental investigation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our interolog prediction tool employs the Ensembl Perl API and PSICQUIC enabled protein interaction data sources to generate up to date interologs 'on-the-fly'. This represents a significant advance on previous methods for interolog prediction as it allows the use of the latest orthology and protein interaction data for all of the genomes in Ensembl. The module outputs simple text files, making it easy to customise the results by post-processing, allowing the putative PPI datasets to be easily integrated into existing analysis workflows. The <monospace>Bio::Homology::InterologWalk</monospace> module, sample scripts and full documentation are freely available from the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN) under the GNU Public license.</p

Water Quality and Herbivory Interactively Drive Coral-Reef Recovery Patterns in American Samoa

BACKGROUND: Compared with a wealth of information regarding coral-reef recovery patterns following major disturbances, less insight exists to explain the cause(s) of spatial variation in the recovery process. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study quantifies the influence of herbivory and water quality upon coral reef assemblages through space and time in Tutuila, American Samoa, a Pacific high island. Widespread declines in dominant corals (Acropora and Montipora) resulted from cyclone Heta at the end of 2003, shortly after the study began. Four sites that initially had similar coral reef assemblages but differential temporal dynamics four years following the disturbance event were classified by standardized measures of 'recovery status', defined by rates of change in ecological measures that are known to be sensitive to localized stressors. Status was best predicted, interactively, by water quality and herbivory. Expanding upon temporal trends, this study examined if similar dependencies existed through space; building multiple regression models to identify linkages between similar status measures and local stressors for 17 localities around Tutuila. The results highlighted consistent, interactive interdependencies for coral reef assemblages residing upon two unique geological reef types. Finally, the predictive regression models produced at the island scale were graphically interpreted with respect to hypothesized site-specific recovery thresholds. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Cumulatively, our study purports that moving away from describing relatively well-known patterns behind recovery, and focusing upon understanding causes, improves our foundation to predict future ecological dynamics, and thus improves coral reef management

ISSN exercise & sport nutrition review: research & recommendations

Sports nutrition is a constantly evolving field with hundreds of research papers published annually. For this reason, keeping up to date with the literature is often difficult. This paper is a five year update of the sports nutrition review article published as the lead paper to launch the JISSN in 2004 and presents a well-referenced overview of the current state of the science related to how to optimize training and athletic performance through nutrition. More specifically, this paper provides an overview of: 1.) The definitional category of ergogenic aids and dietary supplements; 2.) How dietary supplements are legally regulated; 3.) How to evaluate the scientific merit of nutritional supplements; 4.) General nutritional strategies to optimize performance and enhance recovery; and, 5.) An overview of our current understanding of the ergogenic value of nutrition and dietary supplementation in regards to weight gain, weight loss, and performance enhancement. Our hope is that ISSN members and individuals interested in sports nutrition find this review useful in their daily practice and consultation with their clients

Multispectral analysis of Northern Hemisphere temperature records over the last five millennia

Aiming to describe spatio-temporal climate variability on decadal-to-centennial time scales and longer, we analyzed a data set of 26 proxy records extending back 1,000–5,000 years; all records chosen were calibrated to yield temperatures. The seven irregularly sampled series in the data set were interpolated to a regular grid by optimized methods and then two advanced spectral methods—namely singular-spectrum analysis (SSA) and the continuous wavelet transform—were applied to individual series to separate significant oscillations from the high noise background. This univariate analysis identified several common periods across many of the 26 proxy records: a millennial trend, as well as oscillations of about 100 and 200 years, and a broad peak in the 40–70-year band. To study common NH oscillations, we then applied Multichannel SSA. Temperature variations on time scales longer than 600 years appear in our analysis as a dominant trend component, which shows climate features consistent with the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. Statistically significant NH-wide peaks appear at 330, 250 and 110&nbsp;years, as well as in a broad 50–80-year band. Strong variability centers in several bands are located around the North Atlantic basin and are in phase opposition between Greenland and Western Europe

Involving patients with depression in research: survey of patients' attitudes to participation

BACKGROUND: Clinicians report barriers to involving their patients in mental health research and have concerns that participation may have negative effects. AIM: To investigate patients' views on participating in a primary care randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing two antidepressant drugs. DESIGN OF STUDY: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: General practices, England. METHOD: Six hundred and one trial participants were surveyed about their reasons for, and experience of, participating. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 252/601 (42%) participants. The most influential factors determining participation were: wanting to help others with depression (94%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 90 to 97%) of responders rated this as ‘important’ or ‘very important’); friendly researchers (94%, 95% CI = 90 to 96%); and interest in the research (88%, 95% CI = 83 to 91%). Most were glad they took part and would consider participating in future research. Ninety-six per cent (95% CI = 92 to 98%) reported that their confidence in their GP had increased or remained unchanged since referral. Qualitative analysis of free-text responses indicated that patients found participation beneficial and liked: being altruistic, doing something positive, feeling supported by the researchers, and having time to talk. Many gained understanding of their depression and valued feedback on their progress. A minority reported negative views, which commonly related to taking antidepressants, and answering questionnaires. CONCLUSION: GPs have a vital role in facilitating patient involvement in research but report barriers to referring depressed patients to RCTs. However, this data suggests that patients are willing to participate and many find this beneficial. Understanding attitudes to participation in mental health research is a crucial step in designing trials that are more acceptable to patients and GPs. This will strengthen the evidence for therapeutic approaches in primary care