Who gets the gametes? An argument for a points system for fertility patients

This paper argues that the convention of allocating donated gametes on a “first come, first served” basis should be replaced with an allocation sys-tem that takes into account more morally relevant criteria than waiting time. This conclusion was developed using an empirical bioethics method-ology, which involved a study of the views of eighteen staff members from seven UK fertility clinics, and twenty academics, policy-makers, representa-tives of patient groups, and other relevant professionals, on the allocation of donated sperm and eggs. Against these views, we consider some nu-anced ways of including criteria in a points allocation system. We argue that such a system is more ethically robust than “first come, first served”, but we acknowledge that our results suggest that a points system will meet with resistance from those working in the field. We conclude that criteria such as a patient’s age, potentially damaging substance use, and parental status should be used to allocate points and determine which patients re-ceive treatment and in what order. These and other factors should be ap-plied according to how they bear on considerations like child welfare, pa-tient welfare, and the effectiveness of the proposed treatment

Mitochondrial ferredoxin determines vulnerability of cells to copper excess

The essential micronutrient copper is tightly regulated in organisms, as environmental exposure or homeostasis defects can cause toxicity and neurodegenerative disease. The principal target(s) of copper toxicity have not been pinpointed, but one key effect is impaired supply of iron-sulphur (FeS) clusters to the essential protein Rli1 (ABCE1). Here, to find upstream FeS-biosynthesis/delivery protein(s) responsible for this, we compared copper sensitivity of yeast overexpressing candidate targets. Overexpression of the mitochondrial ferredoxin Yah1 produced copper hyper-resistance. 55Fe turnover assays revealed that FeS1-integrity of Yah1 was particularly vulnerable to copper among the test proteins. Furthermore, destabilization of the FeS domain of Yah1 produced copper hypersensitivity, and YAH1 overexpression rescued Rli1 dysfunction. This copper-resistance function was conserved in the human ferredoxin, Fdx2. The data indicate that the essential mitochondrial ferredoxin is an important copper target, determining a tipping point where plentiful copper supply becomes excess. This knowledge could help in tackling copper-related diseases

The representation of organised crime in local police assessments.

Police forces around the UK are now expected to produce assessments of organised crime for their own local areas. These assessments are of significant social scientific interest because they contain hidden assumptions about what “local” organised crime is, what kind of problem it causes and how it should be governed. Yet much of the research on this topic has been overly-concerned with helping police design better assessment models on their own terms. In response, this study sought to work at a deeper-level, uncovering local assessments’ taken-for-granted representations of the organised crime problem. In so doing, the ultimate objective was to contest how “organised crime” was framed by local assessments and to develop a new assessment model. Following the tenets of Layder’s “adaptive theory” approach (1998), the study begins with the proposition that local assessments are not actually very “local” in their representation of organised crime. Case studies of three types of local assessment are used to test, develop and refine this proposition. Content analysis is used to “reverse engineer” each of these types, uncovering their hidden conceptualisations. Contrary to the proposition, it is discovered that many assessments do contain genuine local detail but are nevertheless incoherent in their representation of the organised crime problem. Through cross-case analysis, four fundamental sources of incoherence are identified; 1) a lack of clear problem definitions, 2) a lack of internal cohesion, 3) the infeasibility of assessing administratively-defined local areas and 4) a flawed ontology of organised crime. Based on these criticisms, a new model called the Systemic Crime Problem Assessment (SCPA) is proposed

On safety, pharmacokinetics and dosage of bevacizumab in ROP treatment – a review

Off-label intravitreal use of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) increases despite lack of studies on safety, pharmacokinetics and dosage in developing individuals. Systemic absorption has been considered negligible. A literature search was performed with emphasis on potential adverse systemic effects in developing individuals

Setting targets leads to greater long-term weight losses and ‘unrealistic’ targets increase the effect in a large community-based commercial weight management group

Background. Setting personal targets is an important behavioural component in weight management programmes. Normal practice is to encourage ‘realistic’ weight loss but the under-pinning evidence base for this is limited and controversial. This study investigates the effect of number and size of weight loss targets on long-term weight loss in a large community sample of adults. Methods. Weight change, attendance and target weight data for all new UK members, joining January to March 2012 was extracted from a commercial slimming organisation’s electronic database. Results. Of the 35 380 members who had weight data available at 12 months after joining, 69.1% (n=24 447)had a starting BMI≥30kg/m2. Their mean weight loss was 12.9±7.8% and for both sexes, weight loss at 12 months was greater for those who set targets (p25% was 7.6±4.0 kg/m2. A higher percentage of obese members did not set targets (p<0.001) compared to those with a BMI below 30kg/m2. Conclusions. Much of the variance in achieved weight loss in this population was explained by the number of targets set and the size of the first target. Whilst obese people were less likely to set targets, doing so increased the likelihood of achieving clinically significant weight loss and for some ‘unrealistic’ targets improved results

Vegans, Vegetarians, and Omnivores: How Does Dietary Choice Influence Iodine Intake? A Systematic Review

Vegan and vegetarian diets are becoming increasingly popular. Dietary restrictions may increase the risk of iodine deficiency. This systematic review aims to assess iodine intake and status in adults following a vegan or vegetarian diet in industrialised countries. A systematic review and quality assessment were conducted in the period May 2019-April 2020 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were identified in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and secondary sources. Fifteen articles met inclusion criteria. Participants included 127,094 adults (aged ≥ 18 years). Vegan groups presented the lowest median urinary iodine concentrations, followed by vegetarians, and did not achieve optimal status. The highest iodine intakes were recorded in female vegans (1448.0 ± 3879.0 µg day-1) and the lowest in vegetarians (15.6 ± 21.0 µg day-1). Omnivores recorded the greatest intake in 83% of studies. Seaweed contributed largely to diets of vegans with excessive iodine intake. Vegans appear to have increased risk of low iodine status, deficiency and inadequate intake compared with adults following less restrictive diets. Adults following vegan and vegetarian diets living in countries with a high prevalence of deficiency may be more vulnerable. Therefore, further monitoring of iodine status in industrialised countries and research into improving the iodine intake and status of adults following vegan and vegetarian diets is required

Method for RNA extraction and transcriptomic analysis of single fungal spores

Transcriptomic analysis of single cells has been increasingly in demand in recent years, thanks to technological and methodological advances as well as growing recognition of the importance of individuals in biological systems. However, the majority of these studies have been performed in mammalian cells, due to their ease of lysis and high RNA content. No single cell transcriptomic analysis has yet been applied to microbial spores, even though it is known that heterogeneity at the phenotype level exists among individual spores. Transcriptomic analysis of single spores is challenging, in part due to the physically robust nature of the spore wall. This precludes the use of methods commonly used for mammalian cells. Here, we describe a simple method for extraction and amplification of transcripts from single fungal conidia (asexual spores), and its application in single-cell transcriptomics studies. The method can also be used for studies of small numbers of fungal conidia, which may be necessary in the case of limited sample availability, low-abundance transcripts or interest in small subpopulations of conidia.• The method allows detection of transcripts from single conidia of Aspergillus niger• The method allows detection of genomic DNA from single conidia of Aspergillus nige

Trace Mineral Intake and Deficiencies in Older Adults Living in the Community and Institutions: A Systematic Review

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The global population is ageing with many older adults suffering from age-related malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies. Adequate nutrient intake is vital to enable older adults to continue living independently and delay their institutionalisation, as well as to prevent deterioration of health status in those living in institutions. This systematic review investigated the insufficiency of trace minerals in older adults living independently and in institutions. We examined 28 studies following a cross-sectional or cohort design, including 7203 older adults (≥60) living independently in 13 Western countries and 2036 living in institutions in seven Western countries. The estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-off point method was used to calculate percentage insufficiency for eight trace minerals using extracted mean and standard deviation values. Zinc deficiency was observed in 31% of community-based women and 49% of men. This was higher for those in institutional care (50% and 66%, respectively). Selenium intakes were similarly compromised with deficiency in 49% women and 37% men in the community and 44% women and 27% men in institutions. We additionally found significant proportions of both populations showing insufficiency for iron, iodine and copper. This paper identifies consistent nutritional insufficiency for selenium, zinc, iodine and copper in older adults

Risk factors for dysplasia in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in an adult and pediatric population

Aim: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is classically described as a benign neoplasm of the larynx caused by the low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) viral subtypes. Nevertheless, transformation to dysplasia and invasive carcinoma can occur. We aimed to assess the prevalence of dysplasia and carcinoma-ex-papilloma in both adult-onset and juvenile-onset RRP and identify patient risk factors for this dysplastic transformation. Material and Methods: Ten-year retrospective chart review of a tertiary otolaryngology referral center. Patients with papilloma were identified from a review of a pathology database and clinical records. Patient demographics, pathologic data, and treatment history, including use of cidofovir as an adjunctive therapy for papilloma, were extracted from electronic medical records. Results: One hundred fifty-nine RRP patients were identified, 96 adult-onset (AORRP) and 63 juvenile-onset (JORRP) cases. Of this cohort, 139 (87%) had only benign papilloma as a pathologic diagnosis. In the AORRP cohort, 10 patients (10%) were diagnosed with dysplasia or carcinoma in situ in addition to papilloma, and 5 patients (5%) had malignant transformation to invasive carcinoma-ex-papilloma. There was a significantly higher age of disease onset for those with dysplasia or carcinoma versus those without dysplasia or carcinoma (56 vs 45 years old; P = .0005). Of the 63 JORRP patients, there were no cases of dysplasia but 3 (5%) cases of invasive carcinoma-ex-papilloma, all involving pulmonary disease. The JORRP patients with carcinoma-ex-papilloma had a younger average disease onset (2 vs 6 years old; P = .009) and a higher rate of tracheal involvement than those without carcinoma. Gender, smoking history, number of operations, or use of cidofovir showed no association with the development of dysplasia or carcinoma-ex-papillomatosis in either the AORRP or JORRP population. Conclusion: In a large series of RRP, age of disease onset is the strongest predictor of dysplastic transformation in the adult and pediatric population. Carcinoma-ex-papillomatosis was uniformly associated with pulmonary disease in the JORRP population in this series. No other demographic or behavioral factors, including adjunctive therapy with cidofovir, were statistically associated with dysplasia or carcinoma-ex-papilloma