The Epigenetic Repertoire of Daphnia magna Includes Modified Histones

Daphnids are fresh water microcrustaceans, many of which follow a cyclically parthenogenetic life cycle. Daphnia species have been well studied in the context of ecology, toxicology, and evolution, but their epigenetics remain largely unexamined even though sex determination, the production of sexual females and males, and distinct adult morphological phenotypes, are determined epigenetically. Here, we report on the characterization of histone modifications in Daphnia. We show that a number of histone H3 and H4 modifications are present in Daphnia embryos and histone H3 dimethylated at lysine 4 (H3K4me2) is present nonuniformly in the nucleus in a cell cycle-dependent manner. In addition, this histone modification, while present in blastula and gastrula cells as well as the somatic cells of adults, is absent or reduced in oocytes and nurse cells. Thus, the epigenetic repertoire of Daphnia includes modified histones and as these epigenetic forces act on a genetically homogeneous clonal population Daphnia offers an exceptional tool to investigate the mechanism and role of epigenetics in the life cycle and development of an ecologically important species

Adequacy of glycemic, lipid, and blood pressure management for patients with diabetes in a managed care setting

WSTĘP. Przeprowadzono retrospektywną obserwację grupy osób korzystających z wielospecjalistycznego systemu opieki zdrowotnej (MCO, managed care organization) i uzyskujących zadowalającą kontrolę glikemii, odpowiednie stężenia lipidów i wartości ciśnienia tętniczego. MATERIAŁ I METODY. Na podstawie Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set 2000 z bazy danych MCO wybrano grupę leczonych chorych na cukrzycę w wieku 18 lat i starszych (n = 7114), którym w ciągu 2 lat przed interwencją wypisano receptę lub wykonano badania laboratoryjne. Analizowano charakterystykę demograficzną oraz odsetek pacjentów, u których określano stężenia HbA1c, lipidów i mierzono ciśnienie tętnicze oraz którzy spełniali kryteria dobrego wyrównania cukrzycy zgodne z zaleceniami Amerykańskiego Towarzystwa Diabetologicznego (ADA, American Diabetes Association) w całej grupie, a także w grupach pacjentów leczonych i nieleczonych. WYNIKI. Odsetek osób, u których określono stężenia HbA1c, cholesterolu i zmierzono ciśnienie tętnicze wynosił odpowiednio 77, 54 i 95%. Odsetek pacjentów uzyskujących cele terapii wynosił 37% dla HbA1c, 23% dla cholesterolu frakcji LDL i 41% dla ciśnienia skurczowego. Wśród wszystkich pacjentów u 72% celem leczenia była poprawa kontroli glikemii, 64% leczono z powodu nadciśnienia tętniczego, a jedynie 28% z powodu zaburzeń lipidowych. Wśród leczonych pacjentów mniej niż 1/3 uzyskiwała docelowe wartości HbA1c (29%) i cholesterolu frakcji LDL (32%), natomiast u 40% kontrola skurczowego ciśnienia tętniczego była zadowalająca. WNIOSKI. Stwierdzono, że mimo częstego wykonywania badań diagnostycznych w kierunku zaburzeń lipidowych, stężenia HbA1c i nadciśnienia tętniczego, niewielki odsetek pacjentów osiągał założone cele terapii. Aby uzyskać poprawę opieki nad chorymi na cukrzycę, konieczne jest wdrożenie bardziej intensywnego postępowania.INTRODUCTION. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the adequacy of glycemic, lipid, and blood pressure (BP) management for diabetic patients in a managed care organization (MCO). MATERIAL AND METHODS. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with diabetes (n = 7,114) were retrospectively identified over a 2-year period from the MCO’s administrative database based on the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set 2000 selection criteria using pharmacy, laboratory, and encounter data. Analyses examined demographics and percentages of patients tested and meeting American Diabetes Association goals for HbA1c, lipids, and BP, both overall and for those receiving medication treatment versus no treatment. RESULTS. Testing rates for A1C, LDL cholesterol, and BP were 77, 54, and 95%, respectively. The percentage of patients tested who were at goal were 37% for A1C, 23% for LDL cholesterol, and 41% for systolic BP. Of the patients in our sample, 72% were treated for glycemic control, 64% were treated for BP control, and only 28% were treated for lipid control. Of the patients who received medication treatment, less than one-third were at goal for A1C (29%) and LDL cholesterol (32%), whereas 40% were at goal for systolic BP. CONCLUSIONS. We found that although a large percentage of diabetic patients were tested for A1C, LDL cholesterol, and systolic BP, a much smaller percentage had reached their respective goals. More aggressive glycemic, lipid, and BP management appears to be needed to improve care for these patients

Evaluating the health and economic impact of osteoarthritis pain in the workforce: results from the National Health and Wellness Survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There has been increasing recognition that osteoarthritis (OA) affects younger individuals who are still participants in the workforce, but there are only limited data on the contribution of OA pain to work productivity and other outcomes in an employed population. This study evaluated the impact of OA pain on healthcare resource utilization, productivity and costs in employed individuals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were derived from the 2009 National Health and Wellness Survey. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to characterize employed individuals (full-time, part-time, or self-employed) ≥20 years of age who were diagnosed with OA and had arthritis pain in the past month relative to employed individuals not diagnosed with OA or not experiencing arthritis pain in the past month. Work productivity was assessed using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire; health status was assessed using the physical (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores from the SF-12v2 Health Survey and SF-6D health utilities; and healthcare utilization was evaluated by type and number of resources within the past 6 months. Direct and indirect costs were estimated and compared between the two cohorts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Individuals with OA pain were less likely to be employed. Relative to workers without OA pain (n = 37,599), the OA pain cohort (n = 2,173) was significantly older (mean age 52.1 ± 11.5 years vs 41.4 ± 13.2 years; <it>P </it>< 0.0001) and with a greater proportion of females (58.2% vs 45.9%; <it>P </it>< 0.0001). OA pain resulted in greater work impairment than among workers without OA pain (34.4% versus 17.8%; <it>P </it>< 0.0001), and was primarily due to presenteeism (impaired activity while at work). Health status, assessed both by the SF-12v2 and the SF-6D was significantly poorer among workers with OA pain (<it>P </it>< 0.0001), and healthcare resource utilization was significantly higher (<it>P </it>< 0.0001) than workers without OA pain. Total costs were higher in the OA pain cohort ($15,047 versus$8,175; <it>P </it>< 0.0001), driven by indirect costs that accounted for approximately 75% of total costs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A substantial proportion of workers suffer from OA pain. After controlling for confounders, the impact of OA pain was significant, resulting in lower productivity and higher costs.</p

Endopolyploidy as a potential driver of animal ecology and evolution

Endopolyploidy – the existence of higher-ploidy cells within organisms that are otherwise of a lower ploidy level (generally diploid) – was discovered decades ago, but remains poorly studied relative to other genomic phenomena, especially in animals. Our synthetic review suggests that endopolyploidy is more common in animals than often recognized and probably influences a number of fitness-related and ecologically important traits. In particular, we argue that endopolyploidy is likely to play a central role in key traits such as gene expression, body and cell size, and growth rate, and in a variety of cell types, including those responsible for tissue regeneration, nutrient storage, and inducible anti-predator defences. We also summarize evidence for intraspecific genetic variation in endopolyploid levels and make the case that the existence of this variation suggests that endopolyploid levels are likely to be heritable and thus a potential target for natural selection. We then discuss why, in light of evident benefits of endopolyploidy, animals remain primarily diploid. We conclude by highlighting key areas for future research such as comprehensive evaluation of the heritability of endopolyploidy and the adaptive scope of endopolyploid-related traits, the extent to which endopolyploid induction incurs costs, and characterization of the relationships between environmental variability and endopolyploid levels. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. © 2015 Wile

PS2-15: Sex-Specific Differences in the Protective Effect of Statins on Skeletal Fractures

Background: Recent reports indicate that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), used for prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia and CVD, might have a beneficial effect on bone metabolism. Limitations of previous studies do not allow unequivocal conclusions about bone-sparing effect of statins