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Hominid exploitation of the environment and cave bear populations. The case of Ursus spelaeus Rosenmüller-Heinroth in Amutxate cave (Aralar, Navarra-Spain).

Cave bears (Ursus deningeri and U. spelaeus) and hominids (Homo heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens) were potential competitors for environmental resources (subterranean and open air). Here, we examined the age at death of cave bear (Ursus spelaeus Rosenmüller-Heinroth) specimens from Amutxate cave in order to shed light on the effect of resource sharing between cave bears and hominids. After studying dental wear of the deciduous and permanent dentitions, the ontogenetic development of mandibles, and incremental layers of cement (annuli), we defined five age groups differentiated by marked development and size gaps. Our findings indicate that after hibernating, bears abandoned the den, thereby leaving the subterranean environment (caves) free for temporary hominid occupation-this would explain the subtle traces of hominid presence in many dens. However, a simple calculation based on age at death of subadult and adult cave bear specimens in Amutxate cave, extrapolated to the whole cave area, showed that the area surrounding this cave hosted bears for at least 9,000 years. This length of habitation, quite similar to the time-span derived from amino acid racemization and electron spin resonance, indicates that bear populations in the Amutxate cave constituted a serious constraint for hominid exploitation of the environment.

Animals↗

Cost comparison of aortic aneurysm endograft exclusion versus open surgical repair.

BACKGROUND: Shrinking health care resources impose a requirement to evaluate new technology for cost as well as clinical effectiveness. We studied an initial clinical experience with endograft treatment (EAG) of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) at the beginning of an endovascular program in comparison with open surgical repair (OSR), which had been in use for decades. METHODS: From March 1997 to April 1998, the utilization of hospital resources, actual cost, clinical descriptors, and treatment outcomes were recorded for two contemporaneous groups, each having 16 consecutive patients with AAA, treated with either EAG or OSR. Subjects were not randomized; EAG treatment was based on predetermined exclusion/inclusion criteria. Statistical comparison was by either Fisher's exact test or the Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: There were no differences between OSR and EAG in age, gender, AAA size, smoking status, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, history of coronary artery bypass grafts, previous vascular surgery, or other comorbidity. There were no deaths in either group. Patients treated by EAG procedure had significantly lower length of hospital stay, length of stay in intensive care unit, time in operating room, and cost of operating room without graft (P <0.05). Cost of operating room with graft was less in OSR group (P <0.001). In-hospital imaging costs specific to the EAG procedure were $1,370.45 +/- $66.92 (range $911.58 to $1,826.76). Total costs were not significantly different between the OSR and EAG, $12,714.19 +/- $1,115.52 and $12,904.99 +/- $494.69, respectively (P = 0.26). CONCLUSIONS: Total hospital cost is not different for the two treatments studied despite differences in experience with their use. Endograft treatment utilizes significantly less hospital resources than open surgical repair. The endograft prosthesis contributes a significant cost increment that may decline with expanded use.

Age Factors↗

A status report of veterinary education in Ethiopia: perceived needs, past history, recent changes, and current and future concerns.

Ethiopia, which owns the most important livestock resources in Africa, opened its first faculty of veterinary medicine in 1979. In 2003, in response to a government mandate to increase the number of veterinarians, four new veterinary faculties were founded, but these facilities still have very limited resources. Currently, quality standards and controls for veterinary studies are not established in Ethiopia, and the country does not have any type of veterinary council or oversight body to establish such standards or the essential evaluation and credentialing procedures. The veterinary degree, as currently obtained in Ethiopia, is not internationally recognized. A second specific concern for veterinary education in Ethiopia is that it is not well adapted to the special needs of the country. Clearly, quality control of veterinary education needs to be established, and teaching methods and materials need to be adapted to the special needs of the country. So far, the veterinary faculty in Ethiopia has been more interested in partnerships with universities from developed countries than in partnerships and cooperation with other African universities. In 2002, after six years of cooperation with a German university, the Veterinary Faculty at Addis Ababa started its own post-graduate program, with some key contributions from foreign instructors and some foreign funding. While this has been a service to Ethiopian veterinary medicine, the cooperation of the Ethiopian veterinary schools with African universities must also be strengthened. Overall, the good efforts to date in Ethiopian veterinary medicine have only barely scratched the surface of its critical needs. In order to meet Ethiopia's needs for both a reliable and high-quality veterinary education and a trustworthy animal disease surveillance mechanism, it is important that veterinary education in Ethiopia be improved.

Curriculum↗

Equity in resource allocation in the Irish health service. A policy Delphi study.

Resource allocation in the Irish health service, based on historical allocations with incremental increases, is widely believed to be inequitable. Using a three-round policy Delphi survey, which seeks to explore both consensus and disagreement surrounding policy issues, the views of 52 senior health service personnel were sought in order to determine ways to improve equity in resource allocation. Panelists provided several reasons why the current method of resource allocation is inequitable and several suggestions for improving equity. The level of consensus on views was determined by calculating the percentage of ratings in each category based on a series of rating scales. The main suggestion centred around the development and implementation of a needs based resource allocation formula. Panelists reached a high consensus in favour of this but only reached a low consensus as to its feasibility. Potential obstacles identified included methodological difficulties, insufficient resources and resistance from potential losers. These findings highlight concerns about the lack of transparency in the resource allocation process and openness to the development of a more equitable needs based resource allocation model, a move which is becoming more common internationally. Feasibility concerns should not preclude an attempt to begin this process.

Delphi Technique↗

Human protein reference database as a discovery resource for proteomics.

The rapid pace at which genomic and proteomic data is being generated necessitates the development of tools and resources for managing data that allow integration of information from disparate sources. The Human Protein Reference Database (http://www.hprd.org) is a web-based resource based on open source technologies for protein information about several aspects of human proteins including protein-protein interactions, post-translational modifications, enzyme-substrate relationships and disease associations. This information was derived manually by a critical reading of the published literature by expert biologists and through bioinformatics analyses of the protein sequence. This database will assist in biomedical discoveries by serving as a resource of genomic and proteomic information and providing an integrated view of sequence, structure, function and protein networks in health and disease.

Computational Biology↗

[Resource oriented interventions in pregnancy].

Premature labour and premature birth keep on being an unsolved problem in spite of diverse medical measures in the obstetrics. The system of risk catalogues did not meet the expectations and can lead even for the disconcertion from pregnant women. If one places the risks performed in the German mother passport as a basis, approximately 50% of all pregnant women would be risk cases. In current publications stress finds strong attention as a psychophysiological declaration model of premature birth. Own results refer to psychosomatic connections at premature birth. Social relief and here particularly the one through the babies father seems to be a preventive factor with regard to some premature birth. Under a resource-oriented visual angle the salutogenetic-model of Antonovsky is employed for care concepts of the primary and second prevention in the pregnancy as a basis. Specific target group offers for pregnant woman that focus also on the stabilization of their competence feeling, particularly next to knowledge transfer, relaxation training and learning of coping strategies, the activation of social nets and, where appropriate, early inclusion of the partner and offer of communication training for pregnant couples are described as a good complement to traditional prenatal care. A bearing away of the risk-model opens the resources-model for prenatal care new ways and is a challenge also for science.

Adult↗

Patient characteristics and resource utilisation in paediatric intensive care.

To determine the relation between basic clinical characteristics and resource utilisation in paediatric intensive care, an open prospective study was performed. Resource utilisation was expressed using the therapeutic intervention score system (TISS) and length of stay (LOS), from which total resource utilisation per admission (TISSTOT) and average daily resource utilisation (TISSMEAN = TISSTOT/LOS) were obtained. Overall 593 admissions, totalling 3130 days, were included. Mortality was 8.4% and non-survivors accounted for 14.1% of overall resource utilisation. In non-survivors, TISSTOT and TISSMEAN were higher, whereas LOS was not different from survivors'. Severity of illness, surgical status, significant chronic comorbidity, emergency admission, and transfer status constituted the major predictive determinants of TISSTOT (r2 = 0.19) and TISSMEAN (r2 = 0.45) in multiple regression analysis. High resource utilisation in high risk patients was probably warranted, as effectiveness of prolonged intensive treatment was demonstrated. It is concluded that TISSTOT and TISSMEAN are appropriate, non-monetary measures of resource utilisation, a considerable proportion of which are determined by a concise set of basic clinical characteristics.

Analysis of Variance↗

Probiogenomic analysis of functional potential and safety of L. plantarum 8p-a3 and DMC-S1 strains: in silico vs in vitro and in vivo data.

The molecular basis of the beneficial effects and the causes of the negative effects of probiotics are not entirely clear. Clarifying these issues is important for understanding the biology and assessing the safety of the microbes. Omics technologies have opened up new resources for obtaining relevant knowledge. Here, for the first time, we present the results of a comparative analysis of the functional potential and safety of two L. plantarum strains: the approved probiotic 8p-a3 and the Drosophila intestinal resident, which exhibit opposite effects on D. melanogaster as the model host organism. Through genomic analysis, extracellular vesicle studies, and in vitro and in vivo assays, we have identified the common and specific characteristics of the strains. The strains proved to be similar in a set of genes that determine benefits to the host organism, as well as in the presence of some risk factors. Significant differences between the strains are related to genes responsible for adhesion, sialic acid metabolism, mucin degradation, antimicrobial peptides, tannin resistance, and immunomodulation. In silico data correlated with in vitro and in vivo data, with the exception of antimicrobial sensitivity. Pronounced differences between the strains were found in terms of the composition and biological effects of their vesicles. In vivo data on the effects of the strains correlate with the corresponding data of their vesicles in the fruit fly model. The results obtained open up new facets in L. plantarum strains relevant for evaluating the functionality and safety of probiotics.IMPORTANCEUsing a probiogenomic approach, common and specific features regarding functionality and safety were identified in the strains (the approved probiotic strain L. plantarum 8p-a3 and the Drosophila intestinal bacterium L. plantarum DMC-S1), which exhibit opposite effects on the model host organism (D. melanogaster). The genomic analysis was supplemented by the analysis of extracellular vesicles of the strains. Comparative analysis of in silico data in combination with in vitro and in vivo studies was performed, and unexpected capabilities of the strains were discovered. Novel factors, essential for evaluating the safety of probiotics, were identified. New facets in the interplay of probiotic bacterium with host organism have been revealed.

Animals↗

Infectiological diagnostic problems in tertiary peritonitis.

BACKGROUND: The tertiary peritonitis causes the highest mortality in intraabdominal infections. Surgical interventions and antibiotic therapy may only provide an incomplete impact on nosocomial infections acquired at an intensive care unit (ICU) [Nathens et al., World J Surg 22:158-163, 28]. To open up new resources in the management, in particular, in the previous infectious diagnostic, the aim was to investigate the infectious course as well as the diagnostic value of laboratory parameters and microbiological monitoring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective patient cohort study from the Surgical ICU of a University Hospital (capacity, n=12), overall, 60 patients with a tertiary peritonitis were enrolled. RESULTS: Approximately 20% of the patients with an intraabdominal infection developed a tertiary peritonitis. A tertiary peritonitis can more frequently develop in nosocomial intraabdominal infections, in particular, in case of necrotizing pancreatitis. The device-associated infection rate in the spectrum of nosocomial infections is sevenfold higher than in all ICU patients. Compared with the secondary peritonitis, its mortality is double as high: 35%. In the diagnostic characterizing the course of the nosocomial, prognosis-relevant infections, usual inflammatory parameters show a considerable loss of their sensitivity with a range from 35-57%. By the mean of a routine microbiological monitoring, 47.3% of the analysed subsequent infections could be identified at an early stage. CONCLUSION: In patients with a severe infection, an early diagnostic and treatment of infectious "second hits" can improve the complication rate and prognosis. During the prolonged and complicated septic course of tertiary peritonitis, an additional routine microbiological monitoring contributed effectively to early detection and diagnostic of nosocomial infections. Further studies to investigate the value and efficacy of such monitoring, which have been abandoned, should be undertaken in infectious high-risk patients.

Cross Infection↗

Gonadal histology and serum vitellogenin levels of bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus from the Northern Pacific Ocean--absence of endocrine disruption bio-indicators.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals such as organochlorines have been detected in a large number of marine fish. Histological observation of the gonads, measurement of serum vitellogenin (VTG) level and of liver polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content were performed to evaluate the reproductive health and the contamination with endocrine disruptors in bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus, collected in the northern Pacific Ocean in 1999 and 2000. Abnormalities commonly found in species affected by endocrine disruptors such as the presence of oocytes in the testis or elevated serum VTG levels were not found in any of males examined. Both males and females had only small amounts of liver PCB content. The results suggest that currently there is little if any risk of organochlorine contamination or endocrine disruption of gonadal function in bigeye tuna from the northern Pacific Ocean. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate the health status of the open sea fishery resources.

Animals↗

A rapid organ recovery program for non-heart-beating donors.

We report a successful method for rapid organ recovery from the non-heart-beating donor, which can open a new resource of organs for transplantation. The RORP is not controversial, is simple in design and execution, and results in kidneys that are viable for transplantation. Special personnel and equipment are needed but are easily incorporated in the overall budget of an OPO or donor hospital. Clearly more research is needed to rebuild ischemically damaged cells ex vivo and to develop new agents/methods to minimize the reperfusion response. When these processes are better understood and managed, the full potential of the NHBD as a donor resource will be fully achieved. We agree with others that the donor shortage could be entirely relieved by routine organ recovery from NHBD trauma victims.

Creatinine↗

Genome-wide atlas of gene expression in the adult mouse brain.

Molecular approaches to understanding the functional circuitry of the nervous system promise new insights into the relationship between genes, brain and behaviour. The cellular diversity of the brain necessitates a cellular resolution approach towards understanding the functional genomics of the nervous system. We describe here an anatomically comprehensive digital atlas containing the expression patterns of approximately 20,000 genes in the adult mouse brain. Data were generated using automated high-throughput procedures for in situ hybridization and data acquisition, and are publicly accessible online. Newly developed image-based informatics tools allow global genome-scale structural analysis and cross-correlation, as well as identification of regionally enriched genes. Unbiased fine-resolution analysis has identified highly specific cellular markers as well as extensive evidence of cellular heterogeneity not evident in classical neuroanatomical atlases. This highly standardized atlas provides an open, primary data resource for a wide variety of further studies concerning brain organization and function.

Animals↗

Multi-ancestry multi-trait analysis reveals shared genetics across major psychiatric disorders and Alzheimer's disease.

The clinical overlap between major psychiatric disorders (MPDs) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) implicates complex shared etiology. Previous studies demonstrated that both diseases are genetically complex and highly heritable, suggesting that more endeavors are necessary to be made from the very bottom to understand their genetic basis. With the advance of post-genomic analysis, multi-ancestry meta-analysis allows the generalizability of the genetic architecture across different populations to uncover ancestry-specific variants, while multi-trait analysis enables the discovery of the co-colocalized risk genomic regions across diseases. Therefore, in this study, we leveraged published GWAS summary statistics from European, East Asian, Hispanic and African American populations to report schizophrenia, major depressive disorders, and Alzheimer's disease risk loci and further fine-mapping to credible sets with >95% PP inclusion of the causal variant. We distilled 2871 potential traits from publicly available and found 134 traits significantly genetically correlated with both MPDs and AD using batch LD score regression. We then prioritized the identified loci from multi-ancestry results for cross-trait colocalization analysis to assess shared genetic etiology and further nominated 2 colocalized loci across both conditions, including rs2532240 and rs6504163. In the end, we finalized our analysis by validation and functional inference of the underlying susceptibility genes as well as putative mechanisms using evidence from multiple resources, including FIVEx, Open Targets, and scQTLbase.

Humans↗

Chaotic flow: the physics of species coexistence.

Hydrodynamical phenomena play a keystone role in the population dynamics of passively advected species such as phytoplankton and replicating macromolecules. Recent developments in the field of chaotic advection in hydrodynamical flows encourage us to revisit the population dynamics of species competing for the same resource in an open aquatic system. If this aquatic environment is homogeneous and well-mixed then classical studies predict competitive exclusion of all but the most perfectly adapted species. In fact, this homogeneity is very rare, and the species of the community (at least on an ecological observation time scale) are in nonequilibrium coexistence. We argue that a peculiar small-scale, spatial heterogeneity generated by chaotic advection can lead to coexistence. In open flows this imperfect mixing lets the populations accumulate along fractal filaments, where competition is governed by an "advantage of rarity" principle. The possibility of this generic coexistence sheds light on the enrichment of phytoplankton and the information integration in early macromolecule evolution.

Ecology↗

A limited bibliography of the Federal Government-funded human radiation experiments.

From the early 1940's thousands of U.S. citizens have been the subjects of federally supported scientific experiments that involved the administration of ionizing radiation or radioactive substances. Recently, many questions have been raised regarding the nature, scientific value, and ethics of these experiments. Although the results of many of the early human experiments involving radiation have been crucial to the establishment of nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, and radiological protection standards, the underlying ethical basis for a small number of these studies is being questioned. A thorough analysis of these studies and their ethical basis is beyond the scope of this article. Rather, in order to quickly provide the health physics community with some of the available resources in the open literature, a list of bibliographic citations of the 47 studies primarily funded by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and other predecessors of the Department of Energy is presented and briefly summarized. A classification scheme for the human radiation experiments is also developed.

Bioethics↗

All bipartite entangled states are useful for information processing.

The question of whether all entangled states can be used as a nonclassical resource has remained open so far. Here we provide a conclusive answer to this problem for the case of systems shared by two parties. We show that any entangled state can enhance the teleportation power of some other state. This holds even if the state is bound entangled.

Journal Article↗

Primary care research--a blueprint for action for Singapore.

Primary care research, hitherto overshadowed by research in the tertiary institutions, lacks impetus due to image, limitations of resources and poor infrastructure. This article looks into the current state of research development and the barriers. These hurdles can be overcome by a paradigm shift through the initiation of regular research meetings, training, infrastructure support and a collaborative research network to optimize time and resources. This will open the door to a wide field of primary care research, from basic, clinical research to health service and health system analysis and evaluation. Family physicians can tap on this opportunity to sharpen their critical appraisal skills through research, which can form an integral part of their continuous professional development. A network of pro-research family physicians will foster a vibrant research culture and pave the way to a renaissance of primary care research.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗