Association between exposure to crystalline silica and risk of sarcoidosis.

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldOBJECTIVES: The possibility of an association between exposure to silica and autoimmune diseases has recently come under discussion. In the following case-referent study, a cohort exposed to diatomaceous earth and cristobalite provided an opportunity to evaluate such an exposure with reference to sarcoidosis. METHODS: The inhabitants of a district served by a single healthcare centre and a hospital formed the study base. A diatomaceous earth plant is located in this community and the medical institutions are responsible for primary and secondary health care of the population. Cases of sarcoidosis were identified from the hospital records according to certain clinical, radiological, and histological criteria. Referents were selected randomly from the population of the district. Information on exposure to crystalline silica, cristobalite, was obtained by record linkage of the cases and referents with a file which included all present and past workers at the diatomaceous earth plant and those who had worked at loading vessels with the product from the plant. RESULTS: Eight cases of sarcoidosis were found, six of which were in the exposed group. Of the 70 referents, 13 were exposed. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 13.2 (2.0 to 140.9). CONCLUSION: The odds ratios were high and there were some indications of a dose-response relation which will hopefully encourage further studies. To our knowledge this is the first study to indicate a relation between sarcoidosis and exposure to the crystalline silica, cristobalite

Acceleration of diffusion in ethylammonium nitrate ionic liquid confined between parallel glass plates

The bulk self diffusion of the ethylammonium cation and the nitrate anion can both be described by respective single diffusion coefficients. Diffusion of the anion is 1.7 times higher than that of the cation. This indicates no tight association of the ions in the ionic liquid. For the ethylammonium cation confined between glass plates the effective diffusion coefficient along, as well as normal to the confining glass plates is higher by a factor of 1.86 as compared to that in the bulk. The same time, NMR T2 relaxation of protons of NH3 group of the EA cation is faster by a factor of 22 than that in bulk. 2H NMR spectra of selectively labeled CH2 and CH3 groups of EA do not demonstrate any ordering of the EA between the glass plates. We suggested that these data favor a model where a bulk isotropic sponge like structure of EAN is saved in the confinement, but sizes of connecting channels increases. Those leads to faster translational diffusion and faster exchange processes of protons of NH3 group, in comparison with the bulk.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

In situ and ex situ assessment of morphological and fruit variation in Scandinavian sweet cherry

Sweet cherry is a tall, deciduous tree producing stone fruits. This diploid outcrossing species was domesticated in Asia but has been grown in orchards and home gardens in Scandinavia for many years. In situ and ex situ assessments of phenotypic variation in sweet cherry accessions were performed to determine the reliability of such assessments, and to determine relationships between Nordic populations. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on in situ data revealed that accessions were mostly clustered according to their country of origin. PCA based on ex situ assessment of accessions that were propagated by seed at Hornun (Denmark) did not agree with the PCA based on in situ data. These contrasting results suggest that phenotypic assessment in sweet cherry depends on the environment, genotype, and the interaction between them. Phenotypic diversity accounted for by in situ assessment may not be always true, while phenotypic differences determined by ex situ assessment may be confounded by the genotype-by-environment interaction, or could depend on the new genotypes arising from open pollination after seed propagation. Our research also suggests that ecotype differentiation could occur in wild Scandinavian sweet cherry. Fruit descriptors were among the best to distinguish between Scandinavian populations. Previously reported monogenic characteristics showed intermediate narrow-sense heritability, as suggested by the percentage of total variation accounted by the half-sib populations

Effect of genotype and environment on vegetative and reproductive characteristics of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis‐idaea L.)

A field experiment was carried out using cuttings and seedlings from 11 selected clones of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis‐idaea L.) planted at Balsgård, Sweden, in 1982. Daughter plants from two different clones and their corresponding seedling progenies were transferred to a Biothron at Alnarp, Sweden, in 1988. These two clones and their respective seedling populations were cultivated under conditions of controlled temperature and humidity, but in distinct environments with direct light and shade. Data on vegetative and reproductive growth were recorded. A small additional experiment to verify the effects of light on development was performed in frames at Alnarp. The results suggest that the genotype of wild lingonberry accessions controls their spreading ability (i.e. number of rhizomes), influences its growth, thereby affecting plant height, and determines the number of vegetative shoots, total number of shoots and berry set. Furthermore, light influences plant height, vegetative shoots and number of fertile shoots. The propagule system affects the number of both vegetative and fertile shoots. Plants derived from cuttings are superior to their corresponding seedling offspring, especially under shadow

Arctic ocean shelf-basin interaction: An active continental shelf CO2 pump and its impact on the degree of calcium carbonate solubility

The Arctic Ocean has wide shelf areas with extensive biological activity including a high primary productivity and an active microbial loop within the surface sediment. This in combination with brine production during sea ice formation result in the decay products exiting from the shelf into the deep basin typically at a depth of about 150 m and over a wide salinity range centered around S not, vert, similar33. We present data from the Beringia cruise in 2005 along a section in the Canada Basin from the continental margin north of Alaska towards the north and from the International Siberian Shelf Study in 2008 (ISSS-08) to illustrate the impact of these processes. The water rich in decay products, nutrients and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), exits the shelf not only from the Chukchi Sea, as has been shown earlier, but also from the East Siberian Sea. The excess of DIC found in the Canada Basin in a depth range of about 50–250 m amounts to 90±40 g C m−2. If this excess is integrated over the whole Canadian Basin the excess equals 320±140×1012 g C. The high DIC concentration layer also has low pH and consequently a low degree of calcium carbonate saturation, with minimum aragonite values of 60% saturation and calcite values just below saturation. The mean age of the waters in the top 300 m was calculated using the transit time distribution method. By applying a future exponential increase of atmospheric CO2 the invasion of anthropogenic carbon into these waters will result in an under-saturated surface water with respect to aragonite by the year 2050, even without any freshening caused by melting sea ice or increased river discharge

Acceleration of diffusion in ethylammonium nitrate ionic liquid confined between parallel glass plates

© the Owner Societies 2017. Diffusion of EAN confined between polar glass plates separated by a few micrometers is higher by a factor of ca. 2 as compared to bulk values. Formation of a new phase, different to the bulk, was suggested

The global build-up to intrinsic edge localized mode bursts seen in divertor full flux loops in JET

A global signature of the build-up to an intrinsic edge localized mode (ELM) is found in the temporal analytic phase of signals measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region of JET. Toroidally integrating, full flux loop signals provide a global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux; they are electromagnetically induced by the dynamics of spatially integrated current density. We perform direct time-domain analysis of the high time-resolution full flux loop signals VLD2 and VLD3. We analyze plasmas where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds during which all the observed ELMs are intrinsic; there is no deliberate intent to pace the ELMing process by external means. ELM occurrence times are determined from the Be II emission at the divertor. We previously [Chapman et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 062302 (2014); Chapman et al., in 41st EPS Conference on Plasma Physics, Europhysics Conference Abstracts (European Physical Society, 2014), Vol. 38F, ISBN 2-914771-90-8] found that the occurrence times of intrinsic ELMs correlate with specific temporal analytic phases of the VLD2 and VLD3 signals. Here, we investigate how the VLD2 and VLD3 temporal analytic phases vary with time in advance of the ELM occurrence time. We identify a build-up to the ELM in which the VLD2 and VLD3 signals progressively align to the temporal analytic phase at which ELMs preferentially occur, on a ∼2−5ms timescale. At the same time, the VLD2 and VLD3 signals become temporally phase synchronized with each other, consistent with the emergence of coherent global dynamics in the integrated current density. In a plasma that remains close to a global magnetic equilibrium, this can reflect bulk displacement or motion of the plasma. This build-up signature to an intrinsic ELM can be extracted from a time interval of data that does not extend beyond the ELM occurrence time, so that these full flux loop signals could assist in ELM prediction or mitigation

Morphological characterization of sweet and sour cherry cultivars in a germplasm bank at Portugal

Nine sweet cherry and eight sour cherry varieties located in a germplasm bank at Fundauo, Portugal, were studied from the viewpoint of characterization. Most of them were autochthonous cultivars that have a high risk of extinction since at the present they are markedly minor varieties. Morphological characteristics were evaluated in different organs: crown and trunk of the trees, leaves, flowers and fruits, over a three consecutive years period. Statistical analyses were carried out in order to detect similarities between cultivars as well as the existence of synonymies. Qualitative characteristics of the fruits were scored in order to carry out the multivariate analysis. A dendrogram of the evaluated characters shows the marked differentiation between sour and sweet cherries and suggests the existing synonymies. Conservation of the autochthonous cultivars in the future is highly recommended

Differences in phenotypes, symptoms, and survival in patients with cardiomyopathy—a prospective observational study from the Sahlgrenska CardioMyoPathy Centre

IntroductionCardiomyopathy is the fourth most common cause of heart failure. The spectrum of cardiomyopathies may be impacted by changes in environmental factors and the prognosis may be influenced by modern treatment. The aim of this study is to create a prospective clinical cohort, the Sahlgrenska CardioMyoPathy Centre (SCMPC) study, and compare patients with cardiomyopathies in terms of phenotype, symptoms, and survival.MethodsThe SCMPC study was founded in 2018 by including patients with all types of suspected cardiomyopathies. This study included data on patient characteristics, background, family history, symptoms, diagnostic examinations, and treatment including heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Patients were categorized by the type of cardiomyopathy on the basis of the diagnostic criteria laid down by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) working group on myocardial and pericardial diseases. The primary outcomes were death, heart transplantation, or MCS, analyzed by Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional regression, adjusted for age, gender, LVEF and QRS width on ECG in milliseconds.ResultsIn all, 461 patients and 73.1% men with a mean age of 53.6 ± 16 years were included in the study. The most common diagnosis was dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), followed by cardiac sarcoidosis and myocarditis. Dyspnea was the most common initial symptom in patients with DCM and amyloidosis, while patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) presented with ventricular arrythmias. Patients with ARVC, left-ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and DCM had the longest time from the debut of symptoms until inclusion in the study. Overall, 86% of the patients survived without heart transplantation or MCS after 2.5 years. The primary outcome differed among the cardiomyopathies, where the worst prognosis was reported for ARVC, LVNC, and cardiac amyloidosis. In a Cox regression analysis, it was found that ARVC and LVNC were independently associated with an increased risk of death, heart transplantation, or MCS compared with DCM. Further, female gender, a lower LVEF, and a wider QRS width were associated with an increased risk of the primary outcome.ConclusionsThe SCMPC database offers a unique opportunity to explore the spectrum of cardiomyopathies over time. There is a large difference in characteristics and symptoms at debut and a remarkable difference in outcome, where the worst prognosis was reported for ARVC, LVNC, and cardiac amyloidosis

Reproductive biology traits affecting productivity of sour cherry

The objective of this work was to evaluate variability in reproductive biology traits and the correlation between them in genotypes of 'Oblacinska' sour cherry (Prunus cerasus). High genetic diversity was found in the 41 evaluated genotypes, and significant differences were observed among them for all studied traits: flowering time, pollen germination, number of fruiting branches, production of flower and fruit, number of flowers per bud, fruit set, and limb yield efficiency. The number of fruiting branches significantly influenced the number of flower and fruit, fruit set, and yield efficiency. In addition to number of fruiting branches, yield efficiency was positively correlated with fruit set and production of flower and fruit. Results from principal component analysis suggested a reduction of the reproductive biology factors affecting yield to four main characters: number and structure of fruiting branches, flowering time, and pollen germination. Knowledge of the reproductive biology of the 'Oblacinska' genotypes can be used to select the appropriate ones to be grown or used as parents in breeding programs. In this sense, genotypes II/2, III/9, III/13, and III/14 have very good flower production and satisfactory pollen germination